The Great Shepherd

Welcome to the first month of our 49 month series on the Character Qualities of Jesus.

CHARACTER QUALITY for FEBRUARY 2005:
This month's character quality is ALERTNESS.
The opposite of this quality is Unawareness.

DEFINITION: ALERTNESS
Being aware all things occurring around me including my own behavior, and developing the right responses to these events to
project Christlike character.

SCRIPTURAL LOCATION:
#1. “Watch ye and, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38
#2. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 2
Peter 5:8

The practical and spiritual application for alertness.

Being alert to our surroundings enables us to be more effective and productive. From preparing for inclement weather to
observing traffic at a 4-way stop sign, alertness can save our life. Spiritually this is the same, Satan has pitfalls, temptation
and obsticles strewn about our lives just waiting to trap us in sin and dispair. Dispair is a lie of Satan to keep you from
looking for the true source of hope, Jesus.

As you may or may not notice, our world and the news in particular has a bent toward stories of dispair and hopelessness.
From war and natural disaster, to divorce and crime, the message of the world is to give up and give in. On top of that, the
world offers coping options such as alcohol, drugs, sensual pleasures and other forms of escapism that all lead to deeper
dispair. A person navigating this existance without the light of Jesus Christ in their lives could easily fall into the habit of
hopelessness.

Look for a sign each day of God's working in your life and the lives of those around you. If you search, you can find the hidden
blessings that become more evident the more often you look for them.

(For the tragedy of September 11, 2001, realize that had those buildings fallen inward into Manhatten, up to 1 million people
could have died. It is through God's grace that he minimized the destruction caused by those fanatic terrorists).

Be encouraged that the ability to be alert to the ways of the world and the ways of God is one of the
many blessings God has given you to find your way safely through this world to his eternal
kingdom.