Colossians 3:10 NLT, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Become like Him! Recently, my son Josh and I were asked to stand next to one another. I thought, well that’s rather odd. What’s up? Well, they wanted to see if we resembled each other in likeness. With a short glance, the response was, “Oh yeah, dad and son sure do look alike.” As I left that brief encounter, I found myself mentally reflecting and spiritually pondering that this is exactly what we are called to as followers of Jesus. When others interact with us, without question…they should be able to state, “Oh yeah, you look and act just like your Heavenly Father.” That’s the ultimate compliment. As C.S. Lewis said, “Every Christian is to become a little Christ.” Philippians 2:5 NCV adds, “In your lives, you must think and act like Jesus.” Are we? In belief and behavior; character and conduct; attitude and demeanor; in the good and difficult life moments; at home and work; privately and publicly-do we resemble Jesus? Are we becoming like Him? How do we?
Well, for example: I’ve found, that the more time I spend with someone – the more we begin to look and act alike. Spiritually speaking, the same is true. The more time we spend with our Heavenly Father, the more we begin to resemble Him in belief and behavior, in our thinking and acting. So again, how do we become like Jesus? By being WITH Jesus. Being IN Jesus. Being ABOUT Jesus. Being FOR Jesus. Spending time with Jesus each day. Are we? If not, what must we stop doing then start doing in order to place our self in a setting where we can continually become like Jesus?
That’s our goal for all of us here at Central. To build fully engaged Jesus followers who think, act and are being like Jesus. As my friend Dr. Charity Byers said, “As a believer, we become more like Jesus by transforming what we know into the way we live.” Truth! 2 Corinthians 5:15 & 17 NLT says, “Jesus died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them…This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” That’s the how friends. Wow.
Striving to become like Jesus,
Pastor Doug
P.S. See you this Sunday at 9:30 and 11:15 as we discuss ‘becoming like Jesus’. Praying. Please join me. Grateful for you, friends.
