Be Like Jesus (part 1)

The Lord has repeatedly directed my attention to Psalm 44:3 lately: "It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them." (NIV) When I pondered why He was leading me to this passage so often, I realized it was because the Father wants me to "be like Jesus." Let me explain...
     

Most followers of Jesus quickly learn that our destiny is to become more and more like Jesus. Romans 8:29 says becoming like Him is our God-determined destiny; see also Matthew 10:25, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 2:5 ff., 2 Corinthians 3:18, etc.
     

But before we go further, I remind you that any change in our lives happens because of God’s work in us and our trusting response to Him, not our own, independent, self-effort! We don’t become like Jesus by trying to apply His teachings or by trying to copy His example; instead, we allow Him, through His Spirit, to live His life in and through us. As we surrender to His guidance and trust in His power, we are transformed. It’s a simple, childlike way of living that replaces independent human effort with childlike trust, dependence, and obedience in our relationship with Jesus.
     

So, having discussed “the how,” what does it mean to “become like Jesus"? Most Christians answer this by saying we are supposed to become like Jesus in His character—loving, compassionate, kind, and so on (Galatians 5:22-23 comes to mind), and that's certainly true. But I believe there are many other ways we are meant to become like Jesus. A few notable ones include "doing what Jesus did" (supernatural signs and wonders, see John 14:12), living in close community as Jesus did ("All men will know that you are my disciples by your healthy relationships--John 13:34-35"), discipling like Jesus—by example, demonstration, leading to discovery, and sometimes through words—living in faith as Jesus did, and the list could go on.
     

But there is one way we are to be like Jesus that's more important than all others and serves as the foundation for everything else. Can you guess what it is? It is to have the same intimate, love-filled relationship with Father God that Jesus shared. If we want to become like Jesus and "do what Jesus did," we must first learn how to live in the Father's love the way Jesus did. In fact, this is the core of “the how” I mentioned earlier—you can't become like Jesus without learning to live in the Father's love as Jesus did.

     

We know that Jesus did nothing apart from the Father and that He lived a life of total obedience and dependence on the Father (see John 5:17-30), but do we truly understand why and how He lived such a submitted, obedient life? It was because of the intimacy He enjoyed with His Abba. From the time Jesus was a young child, He knew God as His Abba, and what He experienced most of all was Abba's love for Him.
     

The love relationship between Jesus and His Father was deep and passionate beyond our understanding, and I am convinced that Jesus' perfect love for His Father was, above all else, what motivated Him to perfect obedience. Jesus' love was a direct response to His Father's love for, and delight in, Him. It’s no accident that the Father said, "You are my Son; I love you and I delight in You," before Jesus had begun any ministry! (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22). Think about that for a moment, and you will see why it's so important for you to have the same relationship with Abba that Jesus had! Can you hear God affirming you apart from what you do?
     

In addition to John 5, we see Jesus' close relationship with His Abba across all the Gospels. Two passages that particularly catch my attention are Mark 1:35-39 and Luke 5:15-16. Both describe Jesus during times of very successful ministry. In the first passage, Jesus leaves behind highly successful ministry after spending time with the Father — how many of us could leave "success" like that? In the second passage, in the midst of the crowds and success it says of Jesus (my literal translation): "But Jesus was withdrawing to lonely places and praying." Most translations miss the meaning here, rendering it as "But He would often withdraw," but that's not what it says. It states that, even in the midst of crowds, Jesus was (always/continually) withdrawing and praying. Think about this for a moment, and you'll see the implication: Jesus was constantly doing whatever it took to stay in close relationship with His Father. Can we less?
     

I believe that Jesus lived His life gazing at the Father's face! He saw what the Father was doing (John 5:19), not because He was seeking His next move, but because He loved His Father and couldn't help but look at Him! It was His deep love for His Father that motivated everything He did and enabled Him to trust His Father completely. In my opinion, there is no other way to become like Jesus than to enter into the same kind of intimate love relationship with Abba.
     

Too idealistic, you say? Maybe you should read what David wrote in Psalm 27:4 (look it up). You might also consider a proper translation of 2 Corinthians 3:18. The NRSV gets it right: "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." The background of this passage is Moses' request to see the glory of the Lord in Exodus 33-34. Both David and Moses were consumed with a love for God that drew them to a place of simply wanting to gaze upon His beauty (and His beauty includes His love for us/you).
     

Want to be like Jesus? You can't! Not unless you first enter wholeheartedly into the Father's love. Romans 5:5 states that the Holy Spirit pours Abba's love into our hearts experientially. My prayer is that as you read this, He will do that very thing for you in such a way that you can see "the light of His face" (His smile!).

Tom, one of Abba's children