Do You Resemble Christ?
Being a Christian is a monumental task. I can tell you of many who have attempted to walk inthe steps of Christ and failed. We have a promise in scripture that one day we will be changed from this earthly image to the image of Christ. (1 Cor. 15:46-54; 1 John 3:1-3; Phil. 3:20-21) Take courage; the Lord will not leave you undone. He will work on you until His project is complete. (Phil. 1:6; 2:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:1-11)
If you are related to someone, you should resemble them. It’s called family traits. Sinclair Ferguson, "Children of the Living God," “Whenever a person is brought into the Kingdom of God and becomes a child of God, the new lifestyle follows. While God works in and through the personalities we already have (Strictly speaking, we do not instantly receive a "new nature."), He begins to mark those personalities with certain broad similarities. There are characteristic qualities of life shared by all of God's children; there is a family likeness which is always present. We expect this in a family.”
The family traits of the family of God are found in Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit. People should be able to look at us and tell what family we belong to. Humans go through stages of growth such as early childhood, to adolescent, to adult. So, the Christian grows in his walk with the Lord. He goes from a babe in Christ to resembling Christ as a mature Christian. (1 Cor 3:1-3; 1 John 11-14; Hebrews 5:10-13; 1 Peter 2:1-2)
Just like children grow and fruit grows, our spiritual man also needs to grow. Paul told the church at Ephesus that the Lord desires for them to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of God. (Eph. 4:11-16) This is a big request by the Apostle Paul for anyone to follow. So, let me offer some insight on how you can more resemble Jesus in your daily life. Here are five steps to becoming more like Jesus.
1. Be patient! It doesn’t happen overnight. Remember, it takes a lifetime to become a Christian. (Rom. 5:1-5)
2. Be persistent! Don’t give up when you mess up. (Psalm 113:7-9; Proverb 25:26)
3. Be passive! Don’t allow your ego to set you up for a fall. Pride will always stunt your growth. (Prov. 16:18)
4. Be purposeful! Don’t wait for something to happen -- make something happen. (Ruth 2:16; 1 Kings 5:5) (The Old Testament word for purpose in the Book of Ruth is “shalal” which means to drop or strip; by implication to plunder: - let fall, make self a prey.) This teaches us that you must step out by faith sometimes to get something done. Be liberal with your faith.
5. Be a pleaser! Don’t try to please men -- please the Lord. When your objective is to please the Lord, you will become more like Him. (Ps. 69:13; Prov. 16:7; 2 Thess. 1:11)
Word for Today
Mimicry - noun, the act, practice, or art of copying the manner or expression of another:
Quote for Today
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. -- Ronald Reagan
If you are related to someone, you should resemble them. It’s called family traits. Sinclair Ferguson, "Children of the Living God," “Whenever a person is brought into the Kingdom of God and becomes a child of God, the new lifestyle follows. While God works in and through the personalities we already have (Strictly speaking, we do not instantly receive a "new nature."), He begins to mark those personalities with certain broad similarities. There are characteristic qualities of life shared by all of God's children; there is a family likeness which is always present. We expect this in a family.”
The family traits of the family of God are found in Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit. People should be able to look at us and tell what family we belong to. Humans go through stages of growth such as early childhood, to adolescent, to adult. So, the Christian grows in his walk with the Lord. He goes from a babe in Christ to resembling Christ as a mature Christian. (1 Cor 3:1-3; 1 John 11-14; Hebrews 5:10-13; 1 Peter 2:1-2)
Just like children grow and fruit grows, our spiritual man also needs to grow. Paul told the church at Ephesus that the Lord desires for them to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of God. (Eph. 4:11-16) This is a big request by the Apostle Paul for anyone to follow. So, let me offer some insight on how you can more resemble Jesus in your daily life. Here are five steps to becoming more like Jesus.
1. Be patient! It doesn’t happen overnight. Remember, it takes a lifetime to become a Christian. (Rom. 5:1-5)
2. Be persistent! Don’t give up when you mess up. (Psalm 113:7-9; Proverb 25:26)
3. Be passive! Don’t allow your ego to set you up for a fall. Pride will always stunt your growth. (Prov. 16:18)
4. Be purposeful! Don’t wait for something to happen -- make something happen. (Ruth 2:16; 1 Kings 5:5) (The Old Testament word for purpose in the Book of Ruth is “shalal” which means to drop or strip; by implication to plunder: - let fall, make self a prey.) This teaches us that you must step out by faith sometimes to get something done. Be liberal with your faith.
5. Be a pleaser! Don’t try to please men -- please the Lord. When your objective is to please the Lord, you will become more like Him. (Ps. 69:13; Prov. 16:7; 2 Thess. 1:11)
Word for Today
Mimicry - noun, the act, practice, or art of copying the manner or expression of another:
Quote for Today
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. -- Ronald Reagan
posted by Christian Fellowship Center at
Thursday, January 20, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home