The ultimate of our Christian life is to become like Jesus. God created us in His own image according to Genesis 1:26. That means everything. He wants us to be like Him. That nature of God in man was marred by sin. God has been longing to see that image restored in us. When we come to Christ, that image is restored. But do we become like Him immediately we become born again. Do all the old things become new at conversion? What does it mean then that we “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” according to Phil 2:12? Transformation is a process and we are to be committed to that process. Salvation begins a beautiful and exciting journey with the Lord. On that journey, we are transformed moment by moment into His own image.
The more you become like Christ, FIVE THINGS HAPPEN as follows:
1. The more you become like Christ, the more fruitful you become. Fruitfulness comes out of a relationship. In the process of being fruitful, we are pruned so we can become even more fruitful. But the pruning process can be a rather painful one, but is needed for more fruitfulness. The more you become like Christ, the more you excel in the things of God.
2. The more you know the mind of God. You will begin to recognize what He expects of you and what needs to be done to extend His kingdom. Becoming kingdom minded does not come to us naturally. The presence of Jesus makes it possible.
3. The more willing you are to do His will. In John 4.34, “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work”. He again said in John 6.38 that “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”. He has food for us, and that food is to do His will. Doing His will becomes possible when we become more like Him.
4. The more you depend on God in everything. Jesus said, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge ... I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30). If the Lord Jesus depended on God in what He did, then we also need to depend on Him. Whose work are you doing? Who are you depending on in that process? As you are becoming like Christ, you will come to a clear understanding that the work is His and you need Him to succeed.
5. The more you desire a change in character. The desire to improve in character comes to you naturally as you draw closer to the Lord.
BECOMING MORE LIKE CHRIST IS A PROCESS
Becoming more like Christ is a process. In that process, you need to:
1. Be CONSISTENT. It cannot be on and off. You cannot sign in and sign out. You cannot meet obstacles and give up. You work on it daily – Phil 2.12.
2. Be INTENTIONAL. It does not happen by chance. You need to be intentional about it
3. Be COMMITTED to the process. There is little success when you are not committed to the process. This is something no one can do for you. Without commitment, you can give up when you meet obstacles.
The assurance we have is that God Himself supplies us with all the resources we need in order to succeed. And so we do not do it all in our own strength.
Becoming like Christ is never an event. You do it, one step at a time and one day at a time. If it is change in character, identify the areas that need change and work on them one at a time. God does not usually overwhelm us with so many things to work on at once. He holds our hands and grants us grace, one step at a time. Sometimes, you can win in multiple areas at once but it does not usually happen like that. Do you get angry easily, often feel lustful, tell lies sometimes, cheat, steal, have challenges with interpersonal relationships, and have difficulty celebrating the success of others? You can work on them one at a time. Spend time to do a study on the area, choose sermons that address the subject, and begin to work on it. You will succeed. You can even plan it as a habit formation process and begin to do the one that pleases God. If you are able to do it consistently over a period, you will soon be smiling. Do not give up when you make a mistake. Get up in the power of the Lord and keep moving forward. Your progress makes satan angry.
Acknowledge them, present them one by one before the Lord, and be committed to working on them. Do not dismiss a bad character and do not explain it away.
WHAT IS THE STANDARD?
Jesus is the standard. His nature, His character, and His way of responding to issues, should guide what we do. That is our standard. Paul in Philippians 3:7-9 says he does not want to measure his life after coming to Christ by his own standard or the standard of the world. He drops all of that so he can know Christ (see verse 10).
Our starting point to becoming more like Christ is getting to know who Jesus really is. Yes, we have accepted Him as Lord and Saviour but as Paul desired, we need to long to know Him more. YOU CANNOT become like someone you do not know. And you cannot become like someone you do not listen to. Make every effort to learn to hear His voice and acquaint yourself with His Word on a continual basis. His Word is the standard. Reading and studying it helps us to know who Christ is and generates the desire to become like Him.
Lastly, measure everything you do by what Jesus would have done. Pausing to ask what Jesus would have done is any particular situation guides your mind to a breakthrough realization of an appropriate response.
CONCLUSION
Second Corinthians 3:18 says “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”. The image of God can be restored in us when we constantly spend time in His presence and in His Word. there is a glory that emanates from His presence that produces the needed transformation in us.
You want to avoid the disconnect between your belief system and values. These two must meet. Your way of life cannot go contrary to your stand for Christ. Becoming more like Christ is a matter of integrity, whereby we become whole.
Choose some wonderful songs about becoming like Jesus and sing them daily.
God bless you!
