Living More Like Jesus Daily

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. – 1 John 2:3

We are expected to keep His commandments. By doing so, we demonstrate that we truly know Him.

That sounds simple enough.

There’s just one problem.

More than that is expected of us.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. – 1 John 2:6

We are expected “to walk just as He walked.” That’s where it gets a little more complicated.

Jesus is literally a hard act to follow. Yet, we can do it.

He promises to never leave us or forsake us. We have His Spirit dwelling within us as believers. He is present so we don’t go at it alone.

Acknowledge His presence in your life. Know that Him being alive within you can allow you to do mighty works. Stay in tune with the urgings of His Spirit alive within you. Refer to the Scriptures morning by morning, then seek out opportunity upon opportunity to live by them daily.

That being said, live up to the expectation of living like Jesus daily.

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Who can be Against Us

Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Rome.  We come to know it as an epistle where we can find words like justification, redemption, and others that explain our prior condition as slaves to sin and the gift of our salvation.We can find key phrases in the Book of Romans such as “all have sinned,” “filthy rags” and “how shall they hear without a preacher.”. Yet, by further exploring the Book of Romans, we can discover a key verse of inspiration.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can  be against us?” (8:31, NKJV)

How can anyone be against us with God on our side? How dare Satan attempt to dreceive and detour the saints of God when we have the backing and full fledged guarantee of the Almighty working on our behalf?

Believers need to believe that God has their best interest in mind and at heart, even in His hands.  No demonic or satanic force or tool can devise a scheme strong enough or wicked enough to defeat God’s purpose and plan for us.  He is on our side.

Satan desires to destroy us and devour us.  He seeks to separate us from the love of God through Jesus the Christ.  He does not want us to embrace the idea that he cannot defeat us due to God who “is for us.”

Never expect the worldly and carnal people around you to encourage so.  Let loose of any idea of “good people” doing good deeds foe the good of all without any inkling of God actively involved in their lives.  Know that you cannot put trust in man who can do no good thing. As long as you have God who is love is on your side, for just as He told the prophet Isaiah, you will fully understand that the help of man is useless.

God is on our side.  Nothing can separate us from the bond that we have with Him.  Jesus sealed the deal with His sacrifice of blood and we entered a new age covenant with God, receiving the indwelling of His Holy Spirit upon our acceptance.

He is on our side.  Who can be against us?

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How to Grow in Christ

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus – Ephesians 4:20-21 NKJV

Are you growing in Christ?

Would you say that you have deepened your relationship with Him as you increased your knowledge and understanding of Him?

Paul shares with believers that we can find the truth in Jesus.  He affirms that we can grow by learning through hearing and being taught “by Him.”

If we want to grow in Him, brothers and sisters, we need to learn from Him.  Our task is not simple as followers of Christ.  We are pressed, pressured and persecuted for our beliefs.  In order to withstand the devilish and wicked schemes of our day, let us continue growing our faith by following the lead of the teachings and sayings of the Master, the Rabbi and the Holy One of God- Jesus Christ.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
-Romans 10:17-18 NKJV

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New Methods for Ministry

Look at Luke 5:38.

But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

Read it again.

But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

New wineskins do not change the wine.  New wineskins retain the wine, its fervency and its potency.  They do not burst like old wineskins when New wine is poured into them.

Ask God to show you your new wineskins.  He just may surprise you.  You may find yourself still in the same ministry but with a new and vibrant perspective on how to serve the poor, afflicted, oppressed and needy people in your community.

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Incarnated Yet Intimate

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

I have always been impressed with the Gospel of John’s opening words.  It seems to reach a peak when John speaks of the Word becoming flesh.  In other words, Jesus takes on human form for the sake of salvation and redemption.

Incarnated godliness in human form.  Total holiness coexisting with total humanity.  All in the same place and at the same time is wrapped up in the same oneness.

I marvel at such a majestic maneuver on the Lord’s part.  Since He is the Almighty, we know He could have spoke and it would have been done.  Since He is the Creator, He could have created a new breed and done away with sinful man just to start over again.

No but He decided to go out of His way for us.  He decided to become like us so that we might have eternal life and life out this earthly life like Him.  He became flesh.  He took on the form of a man.

He became flesh for us and our sakes, our salvation.

Read John 1:1-17.

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Living in Darkness

There are certain people who seem to be alive but they truly have a dark existence.  They breathe.  They speak and hear.  They have all od their senses.  Yet, they live in darkness.

The church calls them lost souls.  The Bible calls them children of darkness.  The Lord Himself considered them of this world.

So what do we do about people who live in darkness?

Let your light shine (Matthew 5:16).  Let it shine before men so that our good works can speak volumes to them and that they may come into the glorious light of our Lord and Savior. 

Share Christ by showing someone the love of Christ just as someone else most probably shared with you.

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Never Changing

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8 KJV

Trust and believe that the Lord is faithful and not fickle.  He is the same.  He doesn’t change with conditions or situations.  He never changes.

He has changed His approach to us in the past.  He once came upon people with His Spirit but now His Spirit dwells within the believer.  He once used signs and wonders.  Now He uses other methods but still has all power.

He never changes. Be assured of that.  You can depend on that. You can believe that.

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Never Changing

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8 KJV

Trust and believe that the Lord is faithful and not fickle.  He is the same.  He doesn’t change with conditions or situations.  He never changes.

He has changed His approach to us in the past.  He once came upon people with His Spirit but now His Spirit dwells within the believer.  He once used signs and wonders.  Now He uses other methods but still has all power.

He never changes. Be assured of that.  You can depend on that. You can believe that.

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God is Available

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

-Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

God is available to us.  We do not have to await a mediator in the form of a priest or anyone else.  Jesus serves as our “great high priest” who “did not sin.” He is our mediator, seated at the right hand of the throne of God and advocating for us before God.  

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 

– Mark 15:38 (NKJV)

He makes our access to God available to us.  The work of Jesus upon the cross brought about the torn veil that led to the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the temple where access to God was limited to those of the priestly order.  That was destroyed and torn in two by the sacrifice of Jesus.  We, as believers through His shed blood, now have access to God.

Take some time and spend it with God, meditating on the sacrifice of Jesus.

Read my article Finding Time to Spend with God Daily. 

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Jesus Enters Jerusalem

Our lesson coming up this Sunday is about Jesus entering Jerusalem.  It marks the final days of the Lord before the cross.  This narrative passage of Scriptures depicts Jesus interacting with all kinds of folks, especially His own disciples.  This is the portion of the Lord’s ministry where He takes it up a notch by cursing a barren fig tree and cleansing the temple. 

Dig into the Gospel of Mark’s latter chapters and see how Jesus hits Jerusalem on His way to Calvary and the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.  Expect great things to come out of studying this section of the Scriptures as we seek to learn more and more about our Lord and Savior.

FYI: Sunday students will shift classrooms from MLK 210 to MLK 301 (inside the building and in the loft).  We will be there from now on.

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