Thursday, July 25, 2013

10 Character Traits of an Innocent Man

Read Job 31.

Is anyone truly innocent?  Would not there be someone who could bring up a legitimate offense against us?

Job stated all along that he was falsely accused and did not do anything that deserved his severe losses or his mistreatment by others.   So, in defense of his integrity and his innocence he challenged anyone to step forward with their claim.

No less than seventeen times Job used the word "if" to lay out a scenario of possible wrongdoing.  And, if that were true, "then" he knew the consequences.  Only a person with an absolutely clear conscience could make such statements as these.

Here are the life values and commitments of Job.
1. Sexual purity, both with his eyes and his behavior. (vv.1, 9-12)
2. Personal Honesty. (vv.5-6)
3. Business Honesty. (vv.7-8)
4. Fairness and treating others with equal respect. (vv.13-15)
5. Generosity. (vv.16-23)
6. Humility. (vv.24-28)
7. Peaceable. (vv.29-30)
8. Hospitality. (vv.31-32)
9. Transparency. (vv.33-34)
10. Justice. (vv.38-40)

Life is 24/7.  Character is who you are.  Job's character was not the result of his innate goodness.  He knew better.  Rather, it had been shaped first by his life commitment to God and by his understanding of his direct accountability to God for his words and actions.

When we submit our lives to the Holy Spirit, our character looks like this: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23)

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