Stepping Stones: A Monthly Devotional

by Michaela Popielski

Well I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Turkey pumpkin pie, stuffing and the infamous food coma. Always a blast.

For this article I was pondering ideas when a person in our church spoke on character. I knew what character was, I just wasn’t paying attention to how I was perceived to someone who doesn’t really know me. So I was thinking, “How do I come off to people?” So again, I’m pondering and pondering when I realized I do have improvements on my character to make. I have always known I am not perfect, but this sermon made me think a little deeper.

The way the speaker explained it was very interesting. He used something that happened one day as an example. He was feeding his daughter breakfast and turned on some cartoons on Cartoon Network since she likes bright colors. One of the cartoons he said made him upset when he heard this on the TV show:

Guy 1: “So and so, who is God?”

Guy 2: “There is no God, So and so. God is just something people made up.”

The characters names were not “So and so” but you get the point. Nowadays you can barely find any mention of God in the popular media and that’s upsetting since this nation was founded on the belief of God and His power. It really opened my eyes.

I looked around the mall the other day for a Christmas gift and as I was trying to navigate my way around and not get lost, I looked at all the products and stores the mall had. It was fun but as I walked by a Gamestop store, I noticed there were a couple of inappropriate pictures. At least that’s what it looked like to me. I don’t know anyone else’s perception. But I looked and saw what was acceptable nowadays. I have nothing against video games. I like to play them once in a while but not all the time. I wasn’t really shocked that they had those posters up. Which is sad but that is what seems to be socially acceptable.

Our characters are so important. If someone sees us drinking, smoking, or buying a bad video game it automatically makes them wonder, “If he is buying this then I definitely can.” This is an old example but it’s true. I’ve pulled this one a couple times. Not with drinking or smoking or anything like that. Mainly books. I am a hardcore reader and some of the books I have read I have really liked but the plots were not always acceptable. So I would rationalize “This does not affect me or change me in any way so I can read it. It hasn’t effected So and so. So it probably won’t affect me.” I haven’t read “Adult books” or anything like that. Mainly language and content.

Character is by far one of the greatest things we have along with our God given personality. Don’t waste it. I don’t think anyone has, but your character and attitude now will most likely affect you as an independent adult if you aren’t an adult already. If you are an adult, then maybe you have some character flaws figured out. Maybe you don’t. Same with young adults (13-18). Maybe you have some flaws figured out. Maybe you don’t. It took me some time to find my own character flaws but when I did, I was floored by what I realized. Granted it wasn’t immoral or anything, but for me I was surprised that I had those tendencies.  I wonder if we all looked back at ourselves and our personalities if we would be surprised or not. Thank goodness for Gods saving grace!

All the readers, writers, whoever out there have a merry Christmas! Until the next article… ~ Michaela

P.S. The verses in this will be a little longer since they are about Job and the Judges of Israel. Some are about Joseph as well. They were mighty men and women of God who had great character.

Dec. 1. Job 1:6-12

Dec. 2.  Isa. 34:1-7

Dec. 3.  Isa. 34: 8-17

Dec. 4. Mk 12:41-44; Jn. 15:1-8

Dec. 5. Philippians 4:8; Ps.1

Dec. 6. Job 22:1-20

Dec. 7. Job 22:21-30

Dec. 8. Gal. 5:22-23; Rom. 5:3-5

Dec. 9. 1 Jn 4:8; Matt. 10:1-4

Dec. 10. Matt. 10:5-15

Dec. 11. Ps. 84

Dec. 12. Matt. 15:21-28

Dec. 13. Isa. 35

Dec. 14. Judg. 4:1-10

Dec. 15. Judg. 4:11-24

Dec. 16. Job 27

Dec. 17. Judg. 5:1-14

Dec. 18. Judg. 5:15-31

Dec. 19. Job. 19:1-20

Dec. 20.  Job 19:21-29

Dec. 21. Isa. 36:1-10

Dec. 22. Isa. 36: 11-22

Dec. 23. Rom. 12:2; Titus 4:6

Dec. 24. Phil. 2: 12-16

Dec. 25. Matt. 1: 18-25

Dec. 26. Gen. 39: 1-23

Dec. 27. Ps. 27

Dec. 28. Ps. 9

Dec. 29. Heb. 4:12; Rom. 3:1-9

Dec. 30. Isa. 37:1-7

Dec. 31. Isa. 37: 8-20

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