Are You Looking More Like Jesus?   

After our newest grandchild was born last week, I was asked a common question by several curious individuals – “Who does he look like?” When newborns arrive, we often try to discern who he resembles the most. Is it his dad? Mom? One of his siblings? Maybe even a grandparent? As is often the case, on the actual day he was born I couldn’t figure out any such similarities to other family members. He just looked like a newly birthed baby. However, when I saw him again a few days later, I thought that I recognized some similarities between a couple of his facial expressions and those of one of his brothers or his father. It is still too early to be able to say for sure. Time will tell. But regardless of whomever he may share some physical characteristics with, he will always be his own unique person.

  That is the way it is, or should be, when it comes to us and Jesus. If we have experienced the spiritual birth that our Savior referred to in John 3, then we should resemble Him in some ways. I like the way it is put in Romans 13:14, where we are exhorted to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. Although the wording suggests putting on Jesus in a similar way to which a person might pull a shirt on over his head or slip his arms into a jacket, that isn’t really how we come to look like Jesus. It doesn’t occur from simply putting on an outward appearance of Christlikeness. It isn’t the result of donning a mask or a holy robe that causes us to share those qualities that we associate with Jesus. It starts on the inside.

If our new grandson does end up looking like someone else, it won’t be because he has altered his outward appearance in order to do so. It will be because of his genetic makeup. It is what is on the inside that will make him resemble his brother or his father. And that is how it works with us too. We need to be changed on the inside in order for us to look like Jesus outwardly. We must have His Spirit living in us in order for those characteristics to shine forth in our lives. We do clothe ourselves with Jesus, but it springs forth from within us – from having been born of the Spirit and our yielding to His work in our hearts.

However, even then, let’s not think that we are going to look exactly like Jesus. Sometimes we may pray for God to get “self” out of the way and let people only see Jesus in us. While that may be a valid request, let’s not expect God to do something He doesn’t intend to do. He still wants us to be us. He created you as a unique individual. He doesn’t want to completely wipe you out of the picture and replace you with Jesus. No, He wants you to let Jesus live in and through you. Jesus’ characteristics should be becoming more evident in our lives, but they are manifested through our unique personalities and abilities. Granted, anything in ourselves that is sinful or selfish or that is contrary to those Jesus-like qualities needs to be removed or changed. However, the goal isn’t to get rid of who we are. It is to make us, with our particular traits, resemble Jesus more and more.

Our new grandson may share traits with other family members, but he will always be a unique individual. And so are we as followers of Jesus. Let Him work in you to make you more like Him, but He still wants you to be you – the best and most Christlike you that you can be.

 

Tell a Friend about Jesus 

As another birthday approaches next month, over the past weeks I have discovered one of the consequences of this event marking my sixty-fifth year. Since it means that I will now be eligible for Medicare, I have been inundated with daily mailings and phone calls soliciting my participation in various group’s healthcare plans. The barrage has been relentless, even offering me free dinners to come to listen to their informational meetings or sales pitches. I have ignored virtually all of those inquiries, not knowing who can be trusted or who can’t. In addition to legitimate venders who simply want your business, there are always scammers around seeking to take advantage of people. Therefore, when I did pursue information and assistance in this matter, I resorted to someone from whom a couple of friends had received help. I valued their recommendation much more than some unknown salesperson over the phone or internet.

This should remind us of the value of personal connections when it comes to sharing our faith with others. As churches and individuals reach out to the people around them, there can be a place for mass mailings, huge events, and conversations with total strangers. However, people tend to respond most readily to recommendations and testimonies coming from individuals whom they know and trust.

A couple of the best biblical examples of this are found in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. After Andrew had spent some time with Jesus, he “found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (1:41-42). The next day Jesus called Philip to follow Him. Philip then found Nathaniel, told him about Jesus, and invited him to “come and see” for himself (1:43-46). In each case, these individuals who had encountered Jesus did something very natural and effective. They simply told someone close to them about this wonderful news. They wanted to introduce their family member or friend to the same person whom they had met. They wanted others to experience what they had experienced.

Sometimes we can overcomplicate our efforts at witnessing and evangelism. We can make it all about memorizing dialogue, gathering data about people groups, and making ourselves or our churches as attractive as possible. And those factors or methods may need to be considered and utilized. However, nothing can take the place of one friend or acquaintance simply sharing with another what he has found or what has helped him. Our best method often involves talking to someone we already know about Jesus and encouraging that person to “come and see”.

I was watching a church service online last Sunday afternoon when one of the worship leaders asked the congregation how many of them had friends outside the walls of their church. While most people raised their hands, apparently a few didn’t. She commented that maybe they needed to make a few such friends. Then she proceeded to encourage everyone to invite one friend to church the next Sunday.

For some of us, most of our friends may be in the church. That tends to be the case especially for those who have followed the Lord for many years. Could it be that our first step needs to be to enlarge our circle of acquaintances? Get to know some new people. Start building some relationships. Then you will have an avenue for sharing your faith with those individuals. They will value what you say when you tell them about the Lord and what He means to you.

Whom do you know to whom you can be a Philip or an Andrew? They may need an acquaintance like you to point them to the good news and to bring them to Jesus.  

 

Have a Positive Impact on the Children 

Last week I received a phone call from my former college roommate letting me know that he was a grandfather now. His first grandchild had been born the previous day. After congratulating him on this joyous event, I decided to share my perspective as a longtime grandparent of more than 18 years, as well as someone preparing to welcome his eighth grandchild into the world within the next couple of weeks. I confirmed what a joy the smiles, laughter, and other interactions with those little ones can be. However, I also shared my belief that having a positive, Christlike influence on those grandchildren is one of our biggest purposes during this season of our lives.

In Matthew 18, Jesus talked about the impact we can have on “little ones”. While He may have intended for these truths to apply also to God’s children through faith, or believers, within the context it seems to be referring mainly to young people. They are words to remember in connection with all children, whether they are our own children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, the children at church, or the kids in our neighborhood. “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (v.5) “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones” (v.10). “It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (v.14). We should especially pay attention to Jesus’ word of warning – “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea” (v.6). Jesus considered it a serious matter to negatively impact such a child!

Let’s make sure we are being faithful role models and godly examples to the children within our circle of influence. We should be seeking to point them to Jesus. We can sow the seeds of truth and God’s Word into their lives. We can show them the same kind of great love that God has shown to us. We can pray for them.

As students and teachers head back to school, it should remind us what an impact that experience can have on young people. What they are taught, what they see in their teachers, and how they interact with classmates can have a profound effect on their lives. Therefore we need to be praying for all those involved as they begin another school year. Pray that students will be discerning when it comes to the content of what they may be taught in the classroom. Pray that they will be able to recognize what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. Pray for their protection, both physically and spiritually, from the dangers lurking in our society today, including in our schools. Pray that they will choose their friends wisely.

Likewise, let’s pray for the teachers. Pray that they will have wisdom in knowing how to carry out their duties and to appropriately handle discipline in the classroom. Pray that they will truly care for their students and seek what is best for them. Especially pray for Christian teachers who seek to be a godly influence on their students. Pray that they will be faithful to their Christian values as some of them work within an environment that may not be favorable toward their faith or may even be working against it.

Children are important to Jesus. They should be important to us too. Let’s be a positive influence in their lives. And let’s pray for them, including that their school experience will be a good one. 

 

Jesus Takes Away Your Spiritual Trash 

It was garbage pick-up day for my elderly parents. My dad had wheeled his trash receptacle down to the curb as usual. However, later he noticed someone in a truck taking their neighbor’s garbage while ignoring my parent’s trash. Thinking they had been forgotten, they called the waste service. They were informed that their workers had not made it to their neighborhood yet. The business had actually received several other calls about an unauthorized individual who seemed to be collecting a few select people’s garbage. Why would someone do that? I guess in our day you have to wonder if this person had some nefarious purpose, such as looking for personal or financial information that could be used for identity theft.

Meanwhile, the neighbors whose garbage was taken, also mistakenly thought my parents’ trash had been forgotten. So they graciously decided to make an exchange, rolling my parents’ still-full trash can over to their curb as their responsibility while leaving my parents with an empty receptacle. It was all rather confusing until the real garbage workers showed up later, collected everyone’s waste, and straightened it all out.

This strange situation got me to thinking about what Jesus has done for us. He took our sin – our moral filth – our garbage – upon Himself. His receptacle was empty of any uncleanness. He was pure and sinless. Yet the Bible declares that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus graciously exchanged our sin for His righteousness. He didn’t take our spiritual garbage in order to steal our identity but rather to help us discover our identity in Him. Because of Him and His sacrifice for our sin, we can have our hearts cleansed of the guilt and condemnation that we deserve. We can be forgiven of our sins and find our place in God’s family as one of His beloved children. God no longer sees the mess we have made of ourselves, but He sees the righteousness of Christ in us. And even better yet, He changes us so that we can actually quit making such a mess but start living more in line with His will for us.

Some of us may want to argue that we aren’t such a big mess, at least not when compared to other people we know. We may look at ourselves as being basically good people. However, it is kind of like the garbage receptacles we sometimes see. Some people’s trash is unbagged, messy, and overflowing out of the cans. Another person’s trash may be neatly tied up in one little bag. Nevertheless, it is still all garbage. The Bible rightly notes that “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Your sin may not seem as bad as someone else’s, but it is still sin. It still falls short of God’s standard. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we should compare ourselves to Jesus. In light of His purity, we all have fallen short of the mark, no matter how good we think we may have been.

This exchange Jesus has executed on our behalf doesn’t take place automatically. We have to choose to accept it. He has made it possible for us to be righteous, but we have to recognize our need, repent of our sins, believe in what He did for us on the cross, and put our trust in Him to cleanse us. Have you done that?

Let’s be thankful for Someone who so loves us that He not only takes away our spiritual garbage but leaves us with His own righteousness and purity in its place. What a Savior!

 

Remember Your Heavenly Citizenship 

As I write this, our country is still reeling from the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate. Meanwhile, political conventions are going on as part of the process during a tumultuous election year. There are deep divisions in the nation over its direction and future. In the midst of all the political fervor, let’s be reminded of a few truths as we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus in these days.

The Bible reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). That doesn’t take away from our civic responsibilities here on earth. It doesn’t mean that we need to separate the spiritual from the physical to such a degree that we isolate ourselves or refuse to participate in the political process. We have a duty to pray for our leaders and to get involved in order to uphold moral values, as well as to seek to live in a society in which we can “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Timothy 2:1-2). Not to do so would be neglecting our God-given responsibilities.

However, at the same time we need to keep in mind that our heavenly citizenship takes priority over our earthly citizenship. Therefore the way we conduct ourselves in the political realm should be in harmony with our faith in Christ. Our political fervor should not be more intense than our spiritual fervor. Our political values should not cause us to set aside our Christian values. Our loyalty to a political candidate should not come before our loyalty to God. We are citizens of the kingdom of heaven first, and secondarily we are citizens of this world.

At this point, I have no idea what the motives may have been for the person who tried to carry out this assassination. Maybe he mistakenly thought he was doing something needed and good for our country. Maybe he believed he would be eliminating a threat to our nation’s wellbeing. I don’t know. However, the taking of life and the resorting to violence was not the way to deal with the situation. Hopefully, we would all condemn such actions. However, we have to be careful not to take other actions in the name of politics that run counter to the way the Lord wants us to conduct ourselves as believers.

For one thing, let’s not compromise truth for the sake of politics or party affiliation. Regardless of where we are politically, we need to stand for biblical truth when dealing with the moral and social issues of our day. Where the Bible is clear on matters such as valuing life, seeking justice, sexual identity, and showing compassion, we need to uphold those standards whether or not it aligns with our political party.

Additionally, we need to guard against calling evil good or good evil. Not everything your political opponents do is evil and not everything your political party does is good. Be willing to recognize and point out the good and the bad. Similarly, let’s not ignore or make excuses for the faults and ungodliness of those candidates we support out of concern of turning voters away from them. Let’s not deny the physical or mental limitations of an aging candidate nor gloss over the vengeful spirit of an arrogant candidate. And I believe it is a shame that both main party candidates feel free to use such foul language in their public discourses that you wouldn’t want your young children to listen to them.

This world is not our home. Nevertheless, we live here and ought to be concerned about its condition, including what takes place in society and government. However, let’s not get so caught up in the politics that we fail to be good and faithful citizens of our heavenly kingdom. Jesus is our one Lord and King.

 

Make Sure You Are Actually Experiencing God 

My wife and I were sitting in a park watching a Fourth of July fireworks display. As the night sky began to light up with the beautiful illuminations, I found myself momentarily distracted by a small group of pre-teen girls standing a short distance away. What first annoyingly caught my eye was the bright light from their phones. Then I noticed that they weren’t actually watching the fireworks. They were busy posing for pictures with the light display behind them. They had their backs turned to the main event as they took selfies or as their companions snapped their photos. And it turned out not to be a momentary, quick photo session. It seemed to go on for quite some time. As I tried to keep my own attention focused on the wonderful fireworks, it struck me how these individuals were so intent on documenting their presence there that they were missing the actual show.

 Let’s be careful not to be guilty of similar actions when it comes to our encounters with the Lord in our lives. Let’s not get so caught up in just “showing up” or in the appearance of being in the Lord’s presence that we miss out on actually experiencing Him. There is something to be said in favor of just being there, whether it is at a worship service, in a personal prayer time, or opening up our Bibles to read. We need to be present in order to give ourselves an opportunity to be touched by the Lord. However, are we simply putting in our time, fulfilling what is expected of us, putting in an appearance in order to impress others or to try to impress God, or are we actually encountering the Lord in those moments? Are we meeting Him, contemplating His glory, listening for His voice, and fellowshipping with Him? Are we simply in the vicinity of the spiritual fireworks of God’s glory and power, or are we experiencing it for ourselves?

If selfies and photo ops had been available in Jesus’ day, there were some religious leaders who probably would have been experts at its use. Those Pharisees would have been taking selfies to document their pious activities, letting others see how godly they were. They would have posted their location every time they were at the temple or synagogue. They would have taken a selfie whenever they gave an offering or did a good deed. They would have made sure someone was getting it on video as they were praying their long prayers or as they were reciting the scriptures. They would have loved social media. Nevertheless, in the midst of all their appearance of godliness, they were missing out on the actual experience. When the Son of God Himself showed up, they could have “beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). But instead, they turned their backs on Him. “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). They were so busy with their appearance of being close to God that they missed the fireworks when He actually showed up.

It is good to be active in religious activities and busy in church work. However, let’s not allow those things to become a substitute for actually encountering the Lord and experiencing Him working in our lives. Let’s not fall into the modern prevalent trap of focusing more on appearances rather than on the experience itself. Go to church, but be sure you meet God there. Pray, but really talk to and listen to the Lord. Read your Bible, but hear what God wants to say to you and learn about His will for you. Experience God yourself.

 

Watch Out for Distractions 

I know a young driver who recently had what fortunately turned out to be only a minor mishap. I understand that he was reaching over to steady a bag in the passenger seat of his vehicle when he ran off the side of the road, slightly damaging his truck. Such momentary distractions while driving have resulted in much more serious accidents at times, even deadly ones. Many of us had to learn that lesson at some point after we first hit the road as licensed drivers, sometimes having to learn the hard way. No matter how skilled we may be at navigating a car, all it takes is a little distraction to cause us to lose our focus and end up in an accident. These days cell phones are a prominent culprit, but it can also be simply looking away for a moment in order to adjust the radio, correct a child, grab a cup, or talk to a passenger. It doesn’t take much and it doesn’t take long, but the effects can be devastating. Hopefully we have learned to keep our eyes on the road and not to allow anything to draw our attention away from the important task of driving.

We also have to watch out for whatever might distract us as we seek to follow Jesus. It isn’t always the obvious temptations, the moral failings, or the enemy attacks that throw us off track. Sometimes it can simply be something that takes our eyes off Jesus or away from the path on which He is leading us. It may not even be a bad thing. However, it is something or someone that deflects our attention away from our main task and mission as a follower of Jesus and gets us focused elsewhere. Before we realize it, we find ourselves off the narrow road trying to find our way back. Or we may even end up stuck in a ditch or plowed into a tree as we survey the damage and seek a way out.

Jesus seemed to be warning about the possibility and effects of such distractions in the parable of the sower when He referred to how “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” can hinder God’s Word from bearing fruit in our lives (Matthew 13:22). Paul also pointed to such a danger, advocating that we follow His example of keeping focused on the “one thing” while we “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). He also warned Timothy to be “a good soldier of Jesus Christ”, including not getting too entangled in the affairs of this life (II Timothy 2:3-4). We have a Savior to follow, a calling to fulfill, and a mission to accomplish – we dare not let anything distract us from it.

Nevertheless, it can be easy to lose our focus. We get caught up in the necessary routines of life and lose sight of what is most important. We get to looking at the visible, here-and-now and forget about the invisible realities related to eternity. We get busy carrying out our other roles in life and forget that we are soldiers of Christ involved in a battle for souls. We get distracted by politics, jobs, family, or sports. Don’t get me wrong – those aspects of our lives can be important and valid parts of the good road on which Jesus calls us to travel. However, they can also become distractions if we allow them to get out of their proper place. 

Are we letting anything cause us to take our eyes off Jesus and His purposes for us? Keep your eyes on the road. Don’t let anything distract you from “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).