Being Like Jesus

            Have you ever thought about being like Jesus? I have. When I think of it, two thoughts come to mind. One: what does it really mean to be like Jesus? Two: Do I really want to be like Him?

            I have asked myself: does being like Jesus mean that we should all teach, preach, and heal? Probably. But perhaps that is what He did and not who He was. Does it mean that we should love everyone, witness to sinners, or confront authorities in the church? Yes, all of that and more.

            But to me, being like Jesus has little to do with any of those things. To me it means being my authentic self and fulfilling my purpose and my destiny. In taking a closer look at Jesus in order to conform to His image, we see that He was a person who knew who He was. He wasn’t still questioning His thoughts and actions. His values, purpose, and destiny were already decided and set by the age of 30. Those questions had long been settled in His mind. He was who He was. He knew it. He accepted it.

            From the beginning of his ministry He knew what He was sent to do, and Who sent Him (John 6:38). He was so authentic in who He was He stood up in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth and announced it boldly (Luke 4:16). Did He care what people thought? I doubt it. He knew those people, and their reaction of rage was probably not a surprise to Him. (Luke 4:28).The gospel of John tells us who Jesus knew Himself to be. He said, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35). He said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) He said, “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7)  And he said, “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:10) He also knew His destiny which He told his closest friends (Luke 18:31-33). If we are to be like Jesus, we need to know who we are. And be confident enough to be our authentic selves and not worry what other people think. Something not easy to do.

            If we truly want to be like Jesus, we must know our values, our principles, our priorities. Those decisions should be made and settled once and for all. Continuing to question those decisions, fragments us in our minds and in our hearts. That fragmentation weakens us. Having firmly set these things within ourselves, gives us personal power and inner strength.

Deciding our purpose and our destiny may be a little more difficult. But it is possible. With prayer, with input from trusted friends who love us, and armed with self-knowledge, most of us can figure out what our purpose is. Keeping a journal will help us figure this out. Also having a spiritual director can help us discover the answers.

            Living the life God called us to live is part of being like Jesus. Once we set our face towards living our authentic life, we will begin to grow into being like Him—congruent, real, and complete. That kind of life is lived on a higher level than most other people who are daily questioning who they are and what they believe.

            Jesus rose early every morning to spend time with the Father. His priorities were in order. He had the right idea about keeping focused. Being authentic requires staying focused. There were people around Him who tried to get Him off track about who He was and when He was suppose to reveal Himself to others (John 2:4, John 7:2-6). Family and friends thought they knew better than He about his ministry. Yours will try to do the same to you.

            Being like Jesus is not an easy task. Like Him, we must organize our life with our purpose in mind which means setting priorities, rejecting toxic people, and applying tough love to family members who have their own agenda. We must talk to God and hear from Him to keep us from turning to the right or to the left. Staying on the straight road to our destiny takes vision and a lot of will power.

            However, Jesus is our role model for living a whole and congruent life. What does it mean to be like Jesus? It means living life with our purpose and our destiny in mind. It means having our eyes focused on Him. Do we really want to be like Jesus? Yes, I hope and pray that we do. Living a life as authentic as His would be a life worth living.

Copyright 2012 Gloria Fisher.
All rights reserved.