Living Like Jesus
Dear friends, let me remind you that you are so greatly loved! I’ve heard that if God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it! And, with that being said, please allow me to share some thoughts I’ve been noodling over. Let’s start out agreeing with Him from His word…
“All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God…And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.” (I John 4:15, 17 NLT)
Many years ago, there was a movement called WWJD, which stood for What Would Jesus Do? It is a noteworthy question, one many of us could benefit from by taking a pause to ask ourselves that question before speaking or doing something that seems right in our own eyes. It also reminds me of Jesus telling His disciples that He only did what the Father was doing.
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[a] does, that the Son does likewise. (John 5:19 ESV)
I wonder if we who believe in Jesus and are supposedly living in Him might get content with singing about His Great Love, but are not hungry for receiving more of it. And when we see others hurting, we might struggle to share some hope with them. Are we at risk of becoming irrelevant as a noisy gong or clanging cymbal?
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (I Cor. 13:1 ESV)
Ouch! I feel that deeply.
In church service one Sunday, I shared what I was experiencing in the Spirit during worship. I saw the platform filled with wrapped gifts, I mean lots and lots of them. And I heard Him ask if it was announced that He had gifts for each of us, how many would eagerly come up to get one? I immediately knew that all the kids would come rushing up. But I sadly realized many adults would not. Why is that? As I thought about it in the days that followed, I decided there were probably a few possibilities. One reason is that they would not want to appear greedy (pride); they should let someone else who needs it get the gift. The second option might be because they weren’t sure if it was legit (unbelief). There are other possibilities, but I felt God zeroing in on not feeling worthy (lack of feeling loved). We can talk about His Great Love and sing about it until the cows come home or Jesus returns…but if it is just head knowledge and not heart “knowing”, I call it knowing deep down in your “know-er”, we can miss so much intimacy with Him and so many blessings.
Did you pause to reflect on whether you would have gone up to receive a gift from your Heavenly Father? He is always speaking through His Presence with us, and in our worship. He delights in us and has more for us that He wants to impart. I’m challenging myself and you to spend some time this week seeking to really LIVE in Him in a more meaningful way. There are days when I’ve been struggling and have prayed, “Lord, I just need to feel Your love more today.” And you know what? He is so faithful that He responds in love to that honest prayer. God IS Love. And if we are living in Him because Jesus made it possible, then if we are not experiencing it regularly, we need to ask why.
Again, let’s go to the Word for insight into the universal challenge for everyone.
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (1John 2:15-17 NLT)
So, what pleases God?
…the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NLT)
And what is humble? Not proud.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)
No room for unbelief. And finally (but not totally).
If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing). For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit’s [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action causes us] to hope. For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. (Galatians 5:4-6 AMP)
The truth is, if we seem to lack anything that He says we have in Him, we need to ask, seek, knock, and He will answer. (Matt. 7:7-8)
An old song I remember went something like this… “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The catch is we can’t represent His love accurately or humbly without first receiving it from Him. I’ve realized we each need fresh manna of love from our Wonderful Father daily. Let me declare it again, you are so loved by Him... And I love you too. I can’t wait to hear the testimonies of your next-level living like Jesus!
