When do you think you are most like Christ? When you’re preaching, teaching, praying? All of these things Christ did. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice. HIS life, for you; for me. Why? What was HIS motivation? Why endure humiliation, rejection, pain, separation, even death? When I think of Christlikeness, being like Christ, many attributes come to mind. I would like to highlight a few below.
Obedience
John. 14:15…If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We all can remember times we obeyed our parents and were rewarded or sadly disobeyed and suffered the consequences. Jesus said, I always do those things that please the Father. God rewarded Jesus’ obedience and gave HIM a name above every name. Christlikeness will be seen in our lives when we obey HIS commands. God will reward our obedience. The choice is still ours. If we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land.
Sacrifice
John. 10:18…No man takes my life, but I lay it down.
Sacrifice, a price paid by one for another. In the African American community, the right to vote came at a price for our forefathers. They were willing to protest, march, be imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed for a cause greater than themselves. Jesus Christ offered himself on the cross as a substitute or sacrifice, as atonement for our sins against God. This pleased the Father (Isa 53). We please God when we choose to give of our lives sacrificially, be it for ministry, family or a just cause.
Humility
Numbers 12:3… Now the man Moses was very humble (gentle, kind, devoid of self-righteousness), more than any man who was on the face of the earth.
Humility is an attitude of the heart and shows itself as a graciousness with which one carries him or herself. It’s the opposite of being prideful. Scripture says to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Humility resists self-exaltation and Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on the cross… but God raised HIM from the dead. Humility has its reward. The Father that sees in secret will reward you openly. He gave Jesus a name that is above every name!
Love
John 3:16… For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
God commended HIS love for us by sending Jesus.
It is universally acknowledged that love never fails. And probably because of this, everyone loves a good love story. Whether it’s a play, like Romeo & Juliet, or movies like An Officer and a Gentleman, Titanic, or Jason’s Lyric; romantic love, or familial, like a mother’s love for a child or a father’s for his family… time and time again, love is seen conquering all.
Who has impacted your life the most? A parent, a friend, a relative, a teacher, a boss, or a mentor? What imprint has been left on your heart that could not be erased? Love results in an undying love that nurtures the soul.
Christ’s life and death were motivated by God’s love. Christ’s resurrection empowers the believer to love God and be conformed into the image of HIS son.
Christlikeness is most demonstrated to the world when we love unconditionally, give of ourselves sacrificially and trust God explicitly.