At
creation God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature...' (Genesis 1:26 TM). Clearly God's intention for
each of us has always been to reflect His nature, His character, His
purposes, His thoughts, and His ways. And if you want to know what that
looks like, examine the life of Christ. Paul said, 'Now He [Jesus] is
the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the
invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation' (Colossians 1:15 AMP).
So your greatest goal, especially if you want to be used by God, must be
Christ-like-ness. That means you should endeavour to handle situations
as He did, and treat people the way He would. Peter writes, 'For even to
this were you called [it is inseparable from your
vocation]...Christ...suffered for you, leaving you [His personal]
example...that you should follow in His footsteps' (AMP). Jesus is your
example when it comes to these three things: 1) Suffering. When He was
mistreated, instead of retaliating He responded with love, patience, and
kindness. 2) Serving. He stooped to wash the feet of His disciples,
then told them, 'Now go and serve one another. Nothing should be beneath
you' (John 13:15-17). 3) Submitting. He said, '...I carry out the will
of the One who sent me, not My own will' (John 5:30 NLT). And here's the
good news: God will keep working on you--indeed; He's committed to
it--to bring you to the place where in every circumstance of life, you
act the same way as Jesus. |
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