CHOSEN TO BE LIKE CHRIST

Rom. 8:29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn with many brothers and sisters.  NLT

       God chooses us in Christ to be like Christ so that Christ would always be first in our lives.  We are chosen to be like Christ.  Paul tells us in Phil. 2:5 that we need to have the same attitude that is in Christ.  So, we need to measure ourselves in light of how well we are living like Christ did.

       Christ was a servant-leader.  Everything He did He did according to God's will for Him.  He came to us for no other reason than to do God's will.  If we are not doing God's will for our lives, we are not right with God.  We need to prayerfully evaluate what we are living for and if we are not living to do God's will for us, we need to change our ways.  If we don't, we are living in sin.

       Christ was a loving servant.  He did not do what He did to draw attention to himself. He did what He did because He loved those He was with and tried to help them understand and know God on a personal level.  His whole life on earth was to help others to be who God created them to be, children of God.  If we aren't living as servants to help others know God and know Him better, we are living in sin.

        Christ was a sacrificial servant.  He often set aside His own needs for the sake of others.  He did not pass up an opportunity to help someone who genuinely wanted His help.  He showed us by example that we ought to sometimes go out of our way in order to help those in need.  If we aren't willing to reach out to others in need, we are living in sin.

        Jesus was a righteous servant.  He did the right thing at the right time all the time.  He lived close to the heart of God and knew the mind of God.  He never failed to not do God’s will for His life.  In fact, doing God’s will was the only thing that mattered to Him and He would not stop until He had done it.  We, too, should always discern God’s will for us and do what is right in God’s eyes while doing it.

         Everything we do should be to bring Christ honor and glory amongst men.  We have been saved to not hoard our salvation, but to pass it on.  We are saved to be difference-makers in the world.  We are to be so like Christ that others can readily see Him in us.  Our lives should be focused on one thing, to lift Him up so that all will see that indeed He is the Son of God, the firstborn of all creation, the Lord of life and the church.