TODAY’S
WORD FOR FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013.
CHRIST-LIKENESS
DEFINITION:
Living
one's life like Christ did while on this earth.
SCRIPTURE:
Put
on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and
holiness. Ephesians 4:24.
KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE:
God’s
ultimate goal for each one of us is that we be made like His Son, Jesus Christ
(Romans 8:29). It was not an afterthought; it was God’s plan and purpose for us
from the beginning. The process of becoming like Christ is most of the time
painful, but it is always worth it. When we talk about becoming Christ-like, we
mean that our daily life always should show the spirit of Christ in all that we
do and all that we say.
Becoming
Christ-like is an ongoing process that requires us to do battle with our sinful
nature. In Colossians 3:5-9 Paul gives us a list of the sinful acts that one
must no longer be part of the life of anyone who has accepted Jesus as their
Savior. The list includes sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires,
anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy-language, and lying. In verse three Paul
says we must put to death all these things because they are actions that come
from our old sinful nature.
To
become Christ-like in today's society is very difficult because of the pressure
to conform to the growing evil that we face in this world. As we have often
said, we live in a "ME" generation and if you are going along with
the crowd and living for yourself, you cannot be Christ-like.
Receiving
Jesus into our hearts, God's gift of salvation is a one-time event but to
become like Him is a daily event that often requires suffering and struggle. It
involves putting off your old sinful habits and replacing them with new godly
ones.
The
apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians (above) "Put off, concerning your former
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt and put on the new man which was
created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
As
a believer in Christ have you put out of your life the evil and ungodly habits
of your past? Look at the Ten Commandments and they will give you a checklist
so you can grade yourself. Old habits are tough to eliminate but God expects us
to get rid of them and promises us help to do so.
What
is troubling you today? God may be using the kind rebuke from a family member
or friend or even a painful trial to prompt you to get rid of a sinful habit.
By doing this God will replace that habit with godly character.
In I Peter 4:1-2 it reads: "Therefore,
since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same
mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no
longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but
for the will of God."
The
conversion of a soul is the miracle that only God can do in a moment but the
growth of a soul is God's work of a lifetime.
LEARNING:
Our
memory verse for this week is found in Genesis 1:1.
In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
PRAYER:
It
is my prayer today for me and my family that we would be more like Jesus. Help
us make this our goal as we face the evils of this world. May Your Spirit be
our guide not only for today but until we meet You in heaven.
