07/01/10

Imitate Christ - Start today and now

Colossians 3:14 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.


A sheep will not behave like a calf, or a lion cub like a house cat. Nor will a branch of an apple tree bear oranges.

We, who were in Adam after being grafted into Jesus, tend to keep our Adam nature even while getting connected to Jesus. We want to continue being our old self and not loose our old identity.

If we need to really be born-again we need to connect to Christ right through our roots, which means right down to our thinking, our desires, our reactions, our work, our priorities, our relationship etc. all need to be Christ like.

We may say it is impossible to be like Christ. But we forget the fact that the Spirit of God is within us, so nothing is impossible to Him Who is in us.

Let me get to the point, if a person has 1percent features like his father would anybody recognize he is his father's son? Even having 5 percent is not sufficient. Similarly we as Christians need to show Christ; 1 or 2 percent Christ and remaining us, how will anybody see Christ in us?

We need to be more and more like Christ so that we confirm we are connected to Christ and show Christ unto others. We may find it difficult to be like Christ but if we just surrender to Him Who is in us we will find all things very easy.

Like in today's message even when someone wrongs us we need to forgive that person, not because of any other reason but because of the simple fact that Christ forgave us. Our mind will not allow us to forgive but if we listen to the Holy Spirit and simple conclude as 'You said so, I do it (full stop)'; soon we will find it will be in our nature to immediately forgive.

Do not fight the flesh but over come the flesh by the Spirit.

In our congregations if we have even a few truly following Christ, soon we will find that this nature will rub against others and all will be more and more like Christ.

Will you like to be one of the few? Start today and now.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, You came on earth as the First Christ, to show to us the perfect way of life. Being God, You became an example for man by being perfect man. You not only taught us through your words and your actions, by also empowered us to follow You by giving us your Spirit. It is not easy to be like You but we know that by your Spirit we surely can. Holy Spirit, help us in every area to be more like Jesus...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
1 Peter 3:18-21
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others.
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