Maybe there’s a resemblance to both your parents or neither one. Perhaps people say you look like another family member.

As a twin, my sister is someone I resemble.

Besides physical attributes, there’s another way we resemble someone—in character.

To look more and more like Jesus is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. But if we miss this, we miss the purest meaning for CHRISTian.

Yet, how do Christians look like Christ? After our spiritual birth, is there a way to really grow to resemble Jesus?

In Matthew 6, Christ seizes an opportunity to teach His disciples and listeners how to pray. While the prayer, line-by-line, is beautiful and powerful. There’s other discoveries in the text.

It showcases who God is. And we uncover the mission of Jesus. Still further, it reveals how to look more like Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

(Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)

6 Ways to Resemble Jesus:

1.) Jesus recognized His Father’s holiness.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Hallowed means holy, sacred, and revered (Merriam Webster). Jesus acknowledges, Holy are You, Father, revered is Your name.

To resemble Jesus, we recognize our Father as holy and we revere His name. Voicing it to God in prayer. And voicing it to others—My God is holy, hallowed is His name. 

To resemble Jesus, we recognize our Father as holy and we revere His name. Voicing it to God in prayer. And voicing it to others—'My God is holy, hallowed is His name.' @FridayKaren #Prayer #Jesus
Click To Tweet

2.) Jesus desired His Father’s Kingdom. 

“Your kingdom come.” Jesus spent His life bringing heaven’s kingdom to earth. It’s seen in His words, actions, and disciples. And God’s kingdom is displayed in His peace, grace, love, and mercy.

We may spend years building our kingdom. But it often crumbles.

To look like Jesus, we desire God’s Kingdom over our own. We want His will over our agenda. It’s seen in our words, actions, and in how we disciple others. We display the peace, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus.

To look like Jesus, we desire God’s Kingdom over our own. We want His will over our agenda. We display the peace, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus. @FridayKaren #KingdomHearts
Click To Tweet

3.) Jesus busied himself with His Father’s business. 

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

At only 12-years-old, Jesus focused on His Father’s business (Luke 2:29, NKJV). And there are many other accounts where Christ states His purpose was to do the Father’s will.

To resemble Jesus, we busy ourselves with our Father’s business. We pray and seek His will. Instead of our life characterized by mere busyness, we make the business of heaven our life.

4.) Jesus relied on His Father’s provision. 

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

As modeled in His life, Jesus asked God to provide—daily. These needs included physical and spiritual nourishment. But Christ never concerned himself with tomorrow’s provision. This reminds us of the manna God provided each day to the Israelites (Exodus 16).

To look like Jesus, we trust God’s provision for each day. We ask God and trust Him for physical and spiritual nourishment.

5.) Jesus extended His Father’s forgiveness. 

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Jesus extended forgiveness for sins to a woman marked “sinful” (Luke 7:48). He asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). And Christ died so that our sins were paid for and forgiven.

To resemble Jesus, we freely and liberally forgive others who wrong us. Even those who are repeat offenders.

To resemble Jesus, we freely and liberally forgive others who wrong us. Even those who are repeat offenders. @FridayKaren #Forgiveness
Click To Tweet

6.) Jesus combated evil with His Father’s Word.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus overcame temptation with Scripture, “It is written” (Matthew 4:1-11). Christ freed people with evil spirits. He spoke about abstaining from evil. And Jesus said to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

To look like Jesus, we use God’s Word to overcome temptation. We protect our heart from evil. And we overcome evil with good.

Which of the 6 ways do you desire to resemble Jesus most? Or, what would you add?

LINKUP PARTY opens Wednesday at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open! Perhaps we resembled a parent or other family member when we were born...or even now. Join my friend @FridayKaren to discover some ways to resemble Jesus and His character after our spiritual birth. Share your blog!…
Click To Tweet

The post 6 Ways to Resemble Jesus {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

It had been a long time since I heard God speak in such a clear, unmistakable way.

It took me by surprise. Of all things He could have used to send me a message, He chose a bird. A plain, small backyard sparrow delivered a message that I will never forget.

It was 2002 and I was home with a small baby and an unemployed husband. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 2001, my husband’s job was eliminated only three months after the birth of our firstborn. Our savings were draining fast, and I was afraid.

I knelt by the couch in our family room and cried out to God. For the first time since my husband lost his job, I was transparent in my prayer:

“I’m scared. How are we going to pay the mortgage?”

Was God aware of the price of diapers and baby formula?

As I finished “informing” almighty God of all that was going on in our lives and our imminent needs, I felt a strong need to be quiet and wait for him to speak.

Silence filled the room and several moments passed by. I was about to give up when I heard it:

“Chirp!”

I looked up and saw the sparrow, sitting on the lounge chair outside my window. It seemed to be looking straight at me.

“Look at the birds of the air, Patricia. They do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet I feed them daily. Are you not worth much more than they?”

I knew where the words were printed: Straight from the Sermon of the Mount, one of Christianity’s most beloved passages. The sermon is the longest continuous section of Jesus speaking in the New Testament, and it includes some of Jesus’ most famous teachings, such as the Beatitudes, as well as the widely recited Lord’s Prayer.

In my Bible, the subtitle of this particular passage of the sermon is “The Cure for Anxiety,” a passage often quoted as a reminder that nothing escapes the omniscience of a loving and caring God.

This happened 15 years ago and I’ll never forget it. The question often replays in my mind when I see sparrows lining up on electric wires:

“Are you not worth more than these?”

Whether it’s unemployment, illness, or any other trial or need that we may face, the question remains. And although at times the magnitude of the trouble that assails us is such, that it becomes almost impossible to grasp this truth within our hearts, the answer never changes.

Yes. We’re worth more than those.

We’re the apple of His eye.

That’s Jesus’ point, really.

At the end of the passage, He invites us to, instead of fretting and worrying, seek God’s presence, His kingdom and righteousness …

And then let God be God.

The job didn’t come right away. As a matter of fact, my husband was out of a permanent job for 18 months at that time. But God kept sending small jobs here and there, and often provision came from unexpected places. We never missed a meal. God provided for each one of our needs, even if at the eleventh hour.

While walking through that desert and many others I’ve faced since then, “seeking His kingdom and righteousness” has become my main focus.

No, it’s not always easy. It’s often a struggle to believe past the hurt, pain and confusion. But just as He provided to that bird that joyfully chirped to a distressed young mother on a cold winter morning years ago, I choose to believe He will keep taking care of all my needs, protecting and guiding me through the hard times I face.

He’s done it so far.

Why would He not do it again?

This article was published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – August 5, 2017.

Anxious about tomorrow? A Small Sparrow... and a message I'll never forget. Read this!
Click To Tweet

The post A Small Sparrow and “The Cure for Anxiety” {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.