Tuesday October 18, 2016

 

If you think about it, who you are today is the direct result of the influence others had on you. For the most part, the people that had the greatest impact on your life are those people with whom you had a relationship. When I think about the people that shaped my life, I think about my parents, my sisters, and many of my friends. However, no one has had a greater impact on my life than Jesus. With each day that passes, I desire more and more to be like Him. Having said this, I did not always feel this way. I use to think (at least concerning me) that being Christ like was an unattainable goal. I can recall as a child making promises that I was never able to keep. Heck! I can remember promises I made to God that repeatedly I was unable to keep. Because of this, I decided that the best thing that I could do was to become a better version of myself. Becoming like Jesus and having His character, was simply impossible for me. Despite that fact that I believed, that having the character of Christ was impossible, as I read the New Testament, it became evident that God wanted to pattern my character into that of His son Jesus.

 

The Apostle Paul told a group of believers in Rome that God wanted to transform them into the image of His son Jesus Christ. Now, why would God ask us to do something He knows is impossible for us to do? Why would He ask us to be transformed into the image of His son when most times we cannot even be the people we know we should be? The reason being is, that God, not only gave His son to serve as the model we need to be fashioned into but He also gave Him as the vehicle through which we can achieve being transformed into the image of Christ.

 

John 15:5 NIV

  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Not only is Jesus the model but He is also the way. When I use to think about being more like Jesus, I thought mostly on the things I needed to stop doing and on the things I needed to start doing, most of which I failed at. Now, I simply strive to remain in Jesus. Let me put it this way, I look to abide in Him and to allow Him to manifest His character through me. After all, apart from Him, I am a lost cause and so are you. Therefore, I no longer focus on trying to become a good person. Now, I focus on remaining connected to Him. I wake up ever morning to pray saying, Lord Jesus, I cannot but I know that you can through me.

 

If you are really committed to being transformed into the character of Jesus, you are going to have to think relationally and not religiously. I no longer focus on being like Jesus although that is my goal. This is what religious people do. Now, my focus is to remain connected to Him and to allow Him to work His character through my life. I am connected in a relationship that has the potential to transform me into His image. Religion at its very best, can make me a better version of myself. However, remaining connected relationally, will eventually transform my character into that of my Lord Jesus Christ. He is both the model and the vehicle to remaining connected to Him.