Becoming Like Jesus, Part 2

Chuckle: "During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked, 'Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?' Tommy answered, soberly, 'I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did -- just then!'" --Unknown

Good Quote: “The dues of discipleship are high indeed, and how much we can take so often determines how much we can then give.” --Neal A. Maxwell

GOD WANTS TO MAKE US LIKE JESUS (Unless otherwise noted, quotations are from Rick Warren's "Meditations on the Purpose Driven Life.")

". . . we will in all things grow up into him who is the head (of the church)" (Ephesians 4:15). "And we . . . are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5 and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his brother and said,"... you be Jesus!" In this humorous anecdote, the mother was trying to teach her children to be like Jesus. That's exactly what God wants to do in your life, and mine.

"If God wants to make us become like Jesus (the third purpose of our lives), the question becomes, 'What is Jesus like?'" We can find a beautiful and perfect picture of Jesus in Galatians 5:22-23 NIV: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." When we display these Holy Spirit-given traits, we are being like Jesus. You see, the transformation of your life to be like Jesus is the result of discipleship. This transformation comes through belief in Jesus Christ and obedience to God's instructions in His Word. The process of becoming like Christ through discipleship must:

- Be Intentional: Each of us must make a serious decision to grow spiritually. - Be Practical: Requires regular spiritual food (God's Word) and spiritual exercise (putting what we learn into practice) through ministry to others as Jesus did. - Be a Process: Ephesians 4:13 speaks of spiritual maturity as a destination -- a never ending journey. "Christlikeness is the destination you'll eventually arrive at, but your journey will last a lifetime." - Be reflected in our Behavior: Our maturity as disciples is reflected more in our behavior than in our beliefs or words. Then others will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. - Flourish in Relationships: Our Christlikeness can only be evident in our relationships with other people. We don't grow much in isolation. That's why "assembling ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:24-25) in local church congregations is so important. God measures our level of spiritual maturity by how we relate to and treat other people.

"Christian character development (becoming like Christ) always involves a choice and temptation provides that opportunity." Have a wonderful day in Christ!

Love, Jerry & Dotse