Becoming More ChristlikeHe that saith he abideth in him [...

Becoming More Christlike

He that saith he abideth in him [Christ] ought himself also to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:6).

As Christians, Jesus is our role model, and there is no better. On this journey of faith, we are supposed to imitate Him. As Thomas à Kempis wrote in the fifteenth century, ". . . we ought to imitate His life and manners, if we will be truly enlightened, and be delivered from all blindness of heart. Let therefore our chiefest endeavor be, to meditate upon the life of Christ."

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).

This is what sanctification is all about. It's an ongoing process of being transformed by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ. In His earthly ministry, His focus wasn't on what people thought of Him or of pleasing others. His focus remained on the Father. He would go off early in the morning and spend time in prayer, seeking His Father's guidance. Because he had an earthly body and self-imposed limitations, he trusted in the Word, depended on the power of the Holy Spirit, and prayed. We should too.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

Warren Wiersbe tells us in 10 Power Principles of Christian Service, "Even his enemies recognized that Jesus wasn't moved by flattery or swayed by public opinion. ... . Jesus was gentle and forgiving toward the broken sinners, but stern and resolute toward people who were proud and hypocritical. ... . Jesus was a leader who served and a servant who led, and his great heart of love -- held this leadership and servanthood together and kept them balanced." This is the example we should be following. 

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