A Life of Character
One of my favorite recipes is a New York Times recipe for chicken cacciatore. Thousands of people have given it five stars. It’s a fantastic meal—especially in the winter or fall. The key ingredients that make it different are red wine, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. You should check it out; it’s worthwhile.
One of the things I appreciate about New York Times Cooking is that they give you a picture that serves as the vision of what you’re going to cook. Then they give you the list of ingredients. If you have those ingredients, you’re on your way to making the meal. And finally, they give you the steps.
What I want to talk to you about today is a recipe that I think Paul offers in his letter to the Philippians for building a life of character, as we close this series on building character. He gives us a vision for the future—and a vision for now. He tells us the essential ingredients we need in order to live this life of character. And then he gives us the practical steps for how to live it out. That’s what we’re going to look at today.
In this section, Paul reminds us that there is a future coming in which our humble, broken bodies will one day be restored, just as Jesus has been restored. Of course, Paul is sketching out something even bigger than that. In Philippians, it’s shorthand, but he believes that in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a future has been launched in which the whole world—all of creation—will be set right. Human beings will be set right. Creation will be set right. There will no longer be sin, evil, and death. Instead, the beauty, wonder, and goodness of creation will be restored.
So Paul says, remember—that’s where we’re headed. Live toward that future all the time. And as you do, even now, you will experience the peace of God. You will experience God’s peace in the midst of challenges because of who you are and who you are destined to be.
Around Central New York, we get a sense of this. When it’s 33 degrees and sunny, and the days are getting longer, there’s a sense of hope. Spring and summer haven’t arrived yet, but on a day like that, you can see that we’re moving toward them. That’s what Paul wants us to keep in mind—we’re moving toward a future.
It’s always helpful to ask ourselves: What am I living toward? Paul would tell us that if we want a life of character, a life of flourishing, then we live toward that future and anticipate it in how we live now. When we do, we experience the peace of God even in the midst of challenges.
Many times, though, our aim is a little off. It’s a little short. We live toward the best career, toward getting our kids to the next step, toward building wealth and prosperity, toward being safe. Sometimes we’re not living toward anything at all—we’re just trying to shut down and not pay attention. But Paul would say, live toward this greater future and vision.
That’s the vision.
The second part is the key ingredients. Paul tells us they are gentleness, freedom from anxiety, seeking God through prayer and petition, hope in God’s future, and the belief that God is near. At their core, these are the ingredients of faith, hope, and love.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that faith, hope, and love are the things that will last forever—and the greatest of these is love. To live the Christian life of character and to pursue peace with God, faith, hope, and love are the essential ingredients we practice over and over again.
Throughout history, philosophers have talked about essential virtues. Sometimes we get hung up on rules, as if we can rule our way toward transformation. But we know that rules only go so far. You can still have bad actors. Other times, we’re compelled toward authenticity and feelings—but everyone feels differently, and what feels right to one person may not feel right to another.
If, however, we can center our lives on faith, hope, and love—if we can live toward those virtues—we will experience the peace of God, and that will set us in the right direction.
So what does it look like to live with those ingredients in our everyday lives?
God has called human beings to reflect the world to God and God to the world. We do that by creating, building, and caring. When we create a classroom, build community within it, and care about the students, we are living out faith, hope, and love. When we create and build an organization, shape its character, and care for the people within it, we are living it out. When we build communities—houses, buildings, roads—and care for the people who live there, we are living this dual life of worship and mission. That’s how the ingredients of faith, hope, and love work their way into everyday life.
So what does that look like for you? Take your life specifically and think it through. If you’re living out faith, hope, and love—if you’re working with those ingredients—what are you creating? What are you building? Who are you caring for?
We have the vision of a flourishing future—a future of resurrection and restoration—and the promise of peace now as we move toward it. We have the ingredients of faith, hope, and love. And finally, we have the steps to build it.
Paul gives two steps.
First, he says to think about whatever is pure, lovely, and noble. What you think about matters. What you spend your mental energy processing, considering, focusing on, and giving attention to will shape the way you live. We all know this—and we also know we spend a lot of time thinking about things that aren’t pure, lovely, or noble. So Paul says, pay attention to what you’re thinking about.
Second, he says to put into practice the things he has modeled. That means specific, intentional action. We must be intentional about our thoughts and about our actions.
So what actions are you taking to put faith, hope, and love into practice? Maybe it’s forgiveness. Maybe it’s prayer. Maybe it’s reading Scripture. What intentional steps will you take so that you can live toward this future of resurrection and restoration—and even in the midst of challenges, experience the peace of God because of the hope you have?
Build this life of faith, hope, and love through what you think about and how you act. Don’t just know about it—be about it.
What is one thing you want to act on this week? What are some things you want to think about more—things that are lovely, good, and noble?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Remember, the vision of the Christian life is to become people of character—people who are living toward a future in which the world is set right. And we do that through faith, hope, and love, by shaping our minds and shaping our actions.
I hope you have a great week, and I’ll talk to you soon.
