Praise & Pray

Dear child of God, if I told you that in this world you are like Jesus, would you believe me? You don't have to take my word for it. Look at 1 John 4:17 - This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

You are likely wondering what those words mean practically. Jesus came to this earth to empower those who believe in Him to live as He did. He obeyed His Father and said what God told Him to say. He went where God told Him to go and did what He was told to do. He served His Father and the Lord rewarded Him by ensuring that He displayed the marvelous light and might of the One who sent Him.

This meant that He healed the sick, cured the blind, forgave the repentant, raised the dead, and spoke confidently about the word. And His disciples did the same. The Bible tells us Jesus sent out the 12 and then the 72 to do what He'd been doing - cast out demons, cure the sick, heal diseases, and proclaim the Kingdom of God (Luke 9-10).

And long after He'd died and risen to heaven, one of His disciples reminded believers, saying, In this world we are like Jesus. That reminder is for you and me today, as well. It is easy to forget that Jesus deputized those who believe in Him to not only do what He did while on earth, but even greater than what He did. For instance, the Bible doesn't tell us that His shadow healed people, yet we are told that Peter did (Acts 5:15). Just as the Savior raised the dead, so did Peter's prayers bring Dorcas back to life (Acts 9).

We need to take a closer look at Jesus and how He lived so we can be intentional about being more like Him. He was a light who chased out the darkness from wherever He went, and we should be doing the same. All we need is faith in Him and the word of God to do more than we've done before or thought we ever could. Jesus was sent to be the archetype - to show us what is possible when we live as true sons and daughters of God who His Spirit leads. We shouldn't reject that inheritance. It is our birthright.

God wants to use us as vessels for His glory here on earth, just as He did with Jesus. If we gave our lives to Christ, then we signed up to be those the Lord can work through. Yes, some troubles will distract us from God's purpose for us, but we must remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 - if we prioritize God and His kingdom and walk righteously, everything we need will come to us.

We therefore can take a deep breath and focus on God's concerns, knowing that our issues will be addressed at the appointed time. And in a way that exceeds our expectations. The Lord will take responsibility for our needs because He is focused on the well-being of His servants (Psalm 35:27). So serve God as His child, just as Christ did, and you will surely be like Him on the earth.

Any thoughts? Leave your comments below. Fellowship starts at Noon EST. Till then, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages: 

1. Serve with your Talents & Gifts

2. Embracing the Five-Fold Ministry: Unlocking Personal Benefits of Serving God

3. Predestined To Win

4. Precursors to Jesus

5. What Would God See When He Looks At Your Heart?

6. Topic: God's Children

7. Topic: God's Concerns Series (Mark 8:33)

8. Topic: Jesus Christ

9. Topic: Kingdom Identity