Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Mike Whitmer, and I entitled today's reading, Character Change.

Family gathered around the bed of Dominique Buhors, a 17th century grammarian who was dying. As he took his final

breaths, he reportedly said, I am about to or I am going to die. Either expression is correct.

Who would care about grammar on their deathbed?

Only someone who cared about grammar is entire life.

By the time we reach old age, we're largely set in our ways.

We've had a lifetime for our choices to harden into

habits that calcify into character. Good or bad. We are who we've chosen to become.

It's easier to develop godly habits while our character is young and flexible.

In 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter urges,

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness, goodness, knowledge,

and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control, perseverance,

and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness mutual affection, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness mutual affection,

and to mutual affection, love.

Practice these virtues, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our

Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Which traits in Peter's list are most alive in you?

Which qualities still need work?

We can't truly change who we've become.

But Jesus can.

Ask him to transform and empower you.

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