Be Like Jesus

When I was a kid, Michael Jordan - one of, if not THE, greatest basketball player of all time - was one of my heroes.  We watched in awe as Air Jordan jumped higher, flew further and did things with a basketball that nobody had ever seen before.  

And as we watched our hero, we were encouraged to become like him!  To wear his shoes.  To wear his clothes.  To drink his drink.  You might remember, the advertising wasn't so subtle:

Be like Mike.

I used to believe that I wanted to be like Mike.

But now I know that I want to be like Jesus.

If I could help people understand one thing in life – heck, if I could understand one thing in life – it would be this. 

Be like Jesus. 

Think about how things would change in your life if you made this the focus of your life.  Think about how much would truly be different if your overriding desire in life was to live out what Paul wrote in today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 3:18: "And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more."

Spiritual growth is a life long process, but really there are two components to it.  Gonna throw around a couple of $.25 theological words here on the blog this morning, but they’re vitally important to what we’re looking at.

The first is justification.  This is the first step where Paul talks about having the veil removed.  In justification through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are not just forgiven, they are removed from us forever.  Through Jesus, the guilt and stain of our sin are removed in God’s sight, and we stand covered by the person and work of Jesus Christ and God declares us righteous, based on our faith and trust as Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

The second component is sanctification.  It’s the process of becoming sanctified, or holy.  It’s the process of becoming like Jesus, and it’s the work that The Holy Spirit does in our lives from the moment we are justified in Christ until the day that we die.  This is the second step that Paul talks about in our reading today – . . . so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.

Jesus claims us as his own and redeems our lives for His glory and for greater purposes.  If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you know that you are forgiven and justified, your life has a greater purpose – greater than anything else you say or do – and that is to “become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.” 

Is being like Jesus the goal of your life?

Think about the things that you have to accomplish today or this week.  Probably a pretty daunting list for many of you.  Maybe even paralyzing.  Maybe some of you have so much stress at work or at home that becoming like Jesus is the furthest thing from your mind – you’re focused merely on surviving to advance another day. 

But how might your surviving turn into thriving if as you went throughout your day or week, you changed your focus?  What if you began each day this week by asking Jesus to reflect his glory in your life and to give you His power and strength to become more and more like Him?

Becoming like Jesus is a choice.  It requires a radical re-orientation of our priorities.  Everybody would say that they’d like to become more like Jesus, but very few people make the minute by minute; hour by hour; day by day commitments that are necessary to do this.  It doesn’t just “happen” by being in the right place at the right time.  It comes through discipline, self-sacrifice, ongoing repentance and humility, and by reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer.  It comes by seeking, asking and knocking when we believe that Jesus wants to do greater things in our lives and we hunger for them.

But that change can start right now with a decision that right now, in this moment, you want to shift your priorities today.  Ask God, through His Holy Spirit, to make you more like Jesus.  He’ll do that!  You might not like the process so much – after all think about all that Jesus endured in His life for greater glory.  He calls us to take up a cross and follow him; not to lay down a pillow and take a nap.    

Are you tired of living for you and becoming who you thought you wanted to be?  Is it time for a shift and a re-orientation of your priorities?  Are you ready to be like Jesus?