Character Or Comfort?

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Luke 4:1 (KJV)

It was a comforting experience for Jesus to have the Holy Spirit descend on Him to overflowing. However, this was for a purpose. Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit in order to pass the testing and tempting He would endure in the wilderness, so He would be ready to go into ministry.

I have been through many things in life- and I’m sure you have too- where it was not comfortable, but it was developing character. Our jobs can be a prime example of this. I’ve had jobs in which there were some very difficult things to deal with. Sometimes the work itself was hard. At other times, the work involved difficult people. Sometimes the hours were long. It sure wasn’t comfortable, and God didn’t instantly deliver me. He was strengthening my character and patience, developing my fortitude, and teaching me to do my best no matter the circumstances. He was training me for bigger jobs and teaching me many lessons along the way. It wasn’t easy, but as I look back, I would not trade what I learned through those times of discomfort.

Life is not always easy, but if we go through things with a good attitude, it will be beneficial during and after each test. We must stay in God’s Word and His presence to make it through successfully to the other side. If we do, we are rewarded with a stronger character and we are better equipped for whatever lies ahead. It is not easy, but we have help. The Holy Spirit was with Jesus in the wilderness and He is with us too. As we yield to God and not to the test or to our flesh, we will overcome and come out better than when we went in.

Character must be developed and then it must be tested- to see what we are made of. It is uncomfortable, but the ultimate goal is to be like Christ. That is true character.