Becoming Like Jesus, Part 3

                                                                           

Chuckle: A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a great time as I am." --Unknown

Good Quote: "Character development always involves a choice and temptation provides that opportunity." --Rick Warren

GOD'S PROCESS FOR MAKING US LIKE JESUS:

". . . until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ (completely like him)" (Ephesians 4:13 NLT).

A brief review: In an earlier lesson, we saw that discipleship is a word used to describe God's process for making us like Jesus. The Bible tells us, ". . . we arrive at real maturity -- that measure of development which is meant by 'the fullness of Christ.'" We will never attain complete Christlikeness, but our journey toward that end will last a lifetime. That is unless you have the attitude of the little boy in our "chuckle," "I'm having a great time as I am." God will lead us to maturity if we love him and have a burning desire to please him by letting him transform us into the likeness of Jesus.

God is more interested in how closely our lives come to resemble Jesus than he is in the time it takes to get us there. "God is more interested in strength and stability, than swiftness." Today we have "instant" everything from coffee to oatmeal, but there is no instant Christlikeness or shortcut to make us like Jesus. Real spiritual growth and maturity is gradual and takes time. "Our lives gradually becomes brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him" (2 Corinthians 3:18 The Message).

You may become impatient at the pace of your spiritual growth, but be prepared for a life-time journey. And at every point along that journey, you will come to realize how far you yet have to go to become like Jesus. Just give your life totally to Him, along with you unwavering commitment to discipleship, and leave the pace of you growth up to Him. God has promised to never leave us or give up on us. "And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again" (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

When James Garfield, later to become President of the United States, was principal of Hiram college in Ohio, one father asked him if the course of his studies could not be shortened so that his son might be able to complete his studies in less time. "Certainly," Garfield replied. "But it depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak, he takes a hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he requires only two months." Here are some important questions each of us must answer with an unconditional "yes" before God can begin to make us like Jesus:

          Do you have a burning desire to know Christ better and more completely?

          Is time spent in study and prayer really important to you?

          On a regular basis, do you seek answers to life's questions from our Lord?

          Does Christ make a difference in your daily life?

Love, Jerry & Dotse