The development of character is an important goal in leadership, but unlike school, character has no graduation date. It’s a lifelong process. It’s an ongoing journey. It never stops. Regardless of how much you’ve grown in your character, there is always more. And it’s in “the more” that we experience the power of compound character.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul addresses the importance of character. He even says, “God’s will is for you to be holy” (v. 3). But there’s one phrase Paul uses twice in this chapter that demonstrates the lifelong growth of character: “even more.”
Paul begins chapter four by saying, “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more” (v. 1).
Notice, Paul urged the Thessalonian believers to “live in a way that pleases God.” Then, Paul commends their character by saying, “You live this way already.” In other words, they practiced what Paul preached. But because character development doesn’t have a stopping point, he goes on to say, “and we encourage you to do so even more.”
Therein lies an important lesson for us today: character growth has no finish line. We never arrive. We can always become more like Jesus…in our integrity, behavior, attitudes, and words.
But Paul didn’t stop with pleasing God “even more.” He applied the same truth to loving people. In verses 9-10, Paul said, “But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.”
Again, these believers already modeled a life of love. Love was more than a good idea; these Christians embraced it as a way of life. But love also has no limits, and therefore, Paul urged them to love “even more.”
Paul’s instructions are clear: Character development is not part-time, but full-time. It’s not one-time, but all the time. No matter how much you’ve grown in character, there is even more. There is no finish line. And when you pursue the “even more,” your character starts to compound. You gain greater trust. You develop a deeper measure of spiritual authority. Rather than influencing out of skill or expertise, your character becomes the bedrock of your influence. People follow you because of who you are.
