To do God’s will…this is my heart’s desire, for years I would beg God to show me His will…to show me how I could serve Him. Through the years, I have stepped forward in faith thinking I was doing His will, just to step back in doubt. BUT I have come to realize I have been asking the wrong question of God. Instead of asking “what” I needed to do, I needed to ask “who” I should be.
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29 nlt
Becoming Like the Son of God
When we come to faith…believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess our sins and surrender our lives to follow Him, we become a child of God (John 1:12, Galatians 3:26) and in a sense we are becoming like Jesus. But we need to grow in our faith so that the likeness of Jesus becomes more distinct in our lives.
How is this possible??
To become like more Jesus, we need to personally have a clear…true vision of who He is. Our understanding of Jesus can’t only be based on what we remember having been told or taught by others…it needs to be our first hand knowledge.
The best way to do this is to read/study the God of Word daily. Even reading from different translations or to reading a passage aloud helps me to see afresh who Jesus is. Another key way I better understand God’s word and have come to see Jesus more clearly…is that I question the bible.
I question it not to find fault or disagree but to understand what is said. Questions such as “who, what, where, when, why and how” help to unlock the meaning of the text. Then, I will follow this up with writing down what I have learned.
Let me give you an example of this questioning. Recently, I was reading John 13.
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.
John 13:1 nlt
When is this passage happening? It is before the Feast of the Passover.
Who is mentioned? Jesus, his Father and his disciples
What did Jesus know? He knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father
What do we learn Jesus and his disciples? He loved them during his ministry on earth and now (when) he loved them to the very end.
So you might be asking how did Jesus love his disciples to the end? Keep reading in John 13 and you will find your answer. 🙂
Who are you becoming?
We are changing daily…we are becoming like the voices that we let speak into our lives.
Who influences you the most…those you follow on FaceBook, Instagram, YouTube, a favorite podcast or news show?
If we are not reading and thinking about God’s word daily, God will be have very little influence in our daily lives.
If you truly want to know God’s will…work on becoming like Jesus. Read slowly through a gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) this summer. Read a paragraph. Stop to question the text and think about what you have learned. Write down what is said about Jesus’ character or nature. Then sit for a few minutes and consider how you could become more like him today.
Heartland Precepts 