The Imitation of Christ

I hear a lot of talk these days about “Imitating Christ.” While having Jesus as our model and example is not a new idea, this should not be the bedrock of our faith. If following in Jesus’ footsteps is at the heart of our spiritual life, we will probably experience the same fate as the young man who Jesus spoke to in Matthew 19:16-22.

Following after Jesus will cost. It will bankrupt us, leave us as paupers, and it will ultimately result in death. More accurately, following after Jesus will actually reveal who we really are, what we’re really devoted to, and where we’re really going. The young man that came to Jesus understood this; this is why the Scriptures tell us, “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 16:22).

On the other hand, selling all of his possessions would not have made this young man perfect, have given him riches in heaven, or have given him eternal life as Jesus had said. His act of compliance, obedience, or liquidating his assets alone would not have brought the rich man salvation. Had the young man sold his riches it would have made him totally dependent on Jesus in this life and Jesus would have led him to the foot of the cross, where the young man would have had to make a decision to depend on Jesus for all of eternity. Trusting Jesus, he would have joined our voices and sung,

Not the labor of my hands

can fulfill thy law's demands;

could my zeal no respite know,

could my tears forever flow,

all for sin could not atone;

thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

simply to the cross I cling;

naked, come to thee for dress;

helpless look to thee for grace;

foul, I to the fountain fly;

wash me, Savior, or I die.

Self-Esteem

Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines self-esteem as, “a confidence and satisfaction in oneself.” I am convinced that people with poor self-esteem are closer to the Kingdom of God than those of us who have good self-esteem.

“No one is good…No one is righteous…our righteousness is as filthy rags…nothing good lives in me…the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked…” declares the Scriptures (Romans 3:10-12, 7:18, Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9). Those of us who have poor self-esteem seem to have an innate recognition of our spiritually bankrupt condition.

In contrast, the Bible declares that God is the only one who is righteous and good, and in His goodness, He is compassionate towards us. The Apostle Paul expresses it this way, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy…expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:4, 7-9).

Paul is not telling us anything new about humanity or God. It is the same message that echoes throughout Scripture. God then tells the Israelites that it wasn’t because of their integrity or righteousness that He chose them to be His people. In fact, God calls them a stiff-necked people (Deuteronomy 9:5-6). God tells the Israelites that they are His treasured possession because of His great love and His faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

No wonder John Newton was compelled to write the words of “Amazing Grace” and “Worthy is the Lamb” as the theme song in Heaven (Revelation 5:9-14, 15:1-3).

Children of God

In our society today, we use the term, “Children of God” so freely and so casually that even as Christians we have come to believe that all of humanity are “the Children of God”. The New Testament writers are not as “careless” when they speak about our relationship with God. They speak of our relationship to God as something astonishing and profound.

John says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…” (I John 3:1a, KJV) I hear the awe, amazement, and wonder in what John says and John is not the only one that leaves us awe-struck. Peter says, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…” (I Peter 2:10a)
Paul adds that we were once, “…excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12b)

The Scriptures tell us that before we can become a member of God’s household, something has to happen. The Scriptures tell us that before we can be a part of God’s kingdom, we have to be “Born Again” (John 3:3-7). The Scriptures go on to say that “through Him,” or because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we can not only have access to God, but we have the right to cry out, “Abba! Father! [Daddy!]” (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:15-16). We should be confident that we are in this relationship with God. It is no wonder why John marvels as he makes his declaration. Listen to his proclamation again:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

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Sojourners

When my friend Bob left for California to visit his son for two weeks, I was surprised at the amount of luggage that he brought with him. All that he had with him was an overnight bag and another bag that was slightly smaller than the first.

I was impressed with the simplicity by which he traveled. I know when I’ve gone away, I’ve hauled much more on shorter trips and it made my journey cumbersome. I am learning that it is a good idea to travel as light as I possibly can.

As aliens and strangers (I Peter 2:11), we know our pilgrimage through this life is very brief (James 4:14). Therefore, we also must learn to travel light.

In our spiritual journey, let us be eager to have our baggage inspected regularly. For the joy that is set before us, let us determine not to have our trunks that are marked “jobs,” “possessions,” “relationships,” and “rights” be filled with articles such as “lust,” “covetousness,” “pride,” “resentment,” “jealousy” and “faithlessness”. These garments are not only heavy and burdensome, but are also inappropriate attire for the kingdom of which we are citizens.

Prodigals

Some of our Christian leaders are essentially telling us that our lives are meant to be one of ease and comfort and the real conflict that we are battling with is our unbelief that God desires us to have a happy and comfortable life. Before our thoughts travel too far down this road, we need to contemplate what the Scriptures tell us. How do we reconcile Scriptures such as, “outwardly we are wasting away” (II Corinthians 4:16), “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (I Peter 4:12), and numerous other Scriptures that tell us that we are going to have to endure, persevere, and wrestle?

I think that when we seek a life of comfort, not only do we leave ourselves wide open to frustration and disillusionment, but we are pursuing a different gospel. We will be no different than the younger son in Luke 15:11-32, who said to his father, “give me my share of the estate [and then] set off for a distant country.”

To live in a harmonious relationship with the Father, we have to value the Father over our inheritance, service, comfort, and pleasures otherwise we will be no different from the father’s two sons in Jesus’ parable.