A lot of people are sitting back, waiting for God to change them, and that's just not going to happen because God isn't making robots. God wants sons and daughters. He wants friends. He wants us to love Him the way He loves us. And love demands a response. So, what is the secret of growing Christian character?
Christ's character isn't achieved by being good or doing good works. It is created in us. Think about this for a moment: You don't have godliness to give to yourself. Self-effort and doing good works will never create Jesus' supernatural character in you. The Holy Spirit does that. He creates Christlikeness in us as we renew our minds with God's Word.
The process requires us to want to be like Jesus, to renew our minds by reading God's Word, and to do what God shows us to do. Becoming like Jesus is our daily act of love for God. The Holy Spirit gives us the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 (KJV): "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," and 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV): "But we have the mind of Christ."
What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? It means the Holy Spirit will open our minds and give us the thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and understanding that Jesus had. Wow. What a promise.
The Holy Spirit creates Christ's character in us. Galatians 5:22 (NLT) says, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
If Jesus were explaining this, I believe He would say, "You surrender; I replace you. Surrender a little more, and I will replace that too." It's a process. Don't worry. When you mess up, I'm going to do it. I put the Holy Spirit inside you to complete you.
You don't develop Christlike character; you receive it.
The Holy Spirit transplants Christ's character in us. Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) says, "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."