Looking at the lives of Moses, David and Jesus.

This week, my mentor and I discussed character.

The Oxford Dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.”

Therefore, character is neither positive or negative. Someone can have great character or poor character, all depending on the choices they make and how they live their life.

So what does the character of a Christian leader look like?

One would assume that a Christian leader holds to a strong set of moral values. But where does that come from? What’s the source of that assumed upstanding character?

The Bible shows us that great character stems from a rich relationship with the Lord. Consider the lives of these men:

The Life of Moses

Through the Old and New Testaments, through Christian and Jewish history, Moses has been considered one of the greatest leaders of the Biblical accounts. Although he had a few rough spots, Moses is always spoken of as having great character.

Why is Moses considered so great a leader? What gave Moses such excellent character? Exodus 33:11 gives us the answer:

“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.“

Moses had an excellent relationship with the Lord. From this relationship; a friendship as described in Exodus, stemmed great character.

The Life of David

Like Moses, throughout Scripture and Judeo-Christian history, David is considered one of the greatest Biblical leaders. Also like Moses, though David had some failures, he is seen in the light of upstanding repute and excellent character.

Why David? How did he achieve such greatness? How did he receive such a legacy of great character? Luke describes why to the early church.

“…he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” (Acts 13:22)

David’s heart was connected to the Lord. He knew the Lord intimately; sought to worship and please Him. Clearly this pursuit of God’s heart brought David into the character that has reverberated through history.

Our Life Is Jesus

Moses and David were great examples to follow. And yet, God saw fit to give us the greatest example; to send His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. To live as a man on this earth, facing trial and temptation, yet consistently rising above.

Christ-character is what we should long for. Christ-character is the character that a Christ-ian leader should pursue.

It has been over-used and trivialized in recent years, but the question, “What would Jesus do?” can bring us incredible clarity as to the kind of character that we should long for.

Following Jesus’ example in our daily lives will bring about excellent character. Lord willing, after we’re gone, people will say about us,

“They spoke with God as they spoke to a friend. They were people after God’s own heart.“