We’ve talked about our words and how important and powerful our words are. It’s one thing to say something and another thing to believe what you’re saying. Believing what you are saying is made evident in your actions. We’ve talked about action in reference to self-discipline, now I’d like to attach it to lifestyle.
Living like Jesus is the aim so our actions must imitate His. James said ‘faith without works is dead.”(2:17) The inverse of death is life so believing and acting is life.
The best way I’ve found do right is by not trying. Hear me out. Living life in service to the Lord is accomplished by time in his presence. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33 When you seek God and his righteousness, that is having right standing with him, then everything else comes. Trying to be righteous, trying to be good, trying to not sin, trying to not fall into temptation, that’s all living in human strength. But that’s not what God wants for us. He wants us to sup with him. He wants us to commune and rest in him and be made one with him. In doing those things by simply spending time praying, reading, and worshiping, we accept his change in us.“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Gal. 5:18 Spending time with the Father is what the Holy Spirit and our spirits want and that is how he is guiding us.
So we have the seeking God portion but we often forget the seeking righteousness portion of Matthew 6:33. You must realize that although righteousness isn’t earned, it also isn’t automatic.
Righteousness is attained in service to the Lord; it’s in the works. “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” James 2:24 When Jesus gave us the invitation to freedom, he justified those who believe he sacrificed himself (Rom. 5:1) which puts us in the position to receive righteousness. Acting upon what you believe is then how you receive it!
Read very closely now because I say this in love, praying a prayer then continuing to live in whatever way you see fit is not Christianity. Living like Jesus is.
I’ve heard many church goers respond to the call to live like Jesus with “but he is God.” While there is truth in that statement, the full truth is Jesus was fully God AND fully man (Heb.2:14).
“I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15 Jesus said it right here, do what he did. He would never ask us to do something he didn’t equip us to do. As Paul said, run the race set before you with endurance so that when we reach the finish (the day of Jesus return) we can be tested and approved and receive the praise “well done good and faithful servant”. (Heb.12:1, Matt. 25:23) You don’t want to stand before the judgement seat of Christ and hear “I don’t know you”, so get to know our saviour. Start believing and acting on what you’ve been saying. Being like Jesus means letting love overtake you so love spills out of you onto the world.
The W.O.R.D. 