It starts with knowing Jesus himself; reading the gospels and meditating on his words, his actions, and his passions. If you don't know Christ, you can't very well imitate him. So, it begins with knowing him.
But it doesn't end there. You can't just know Him and walk away feeling content. Step 2 is to actually do what he did. Live like he lived. And that, my friends, is where it gets dicey.
The more I read about Jesus, the more I realize that walking like he walked is going to make me very, very different from the average Joe today. My words, actions, and passions will probably appear to be borderline outrageous to most average Americans. But what looks outrageous to them translates into obedience, faith, and joy to my Father - and my Savior.
I long to walk as Jesus walked. . . to stand so closely behind him on this journey of life that I am covered in his dust. Its hard, though, and it goes against the grain of this world in which I live. I have to be completely dependent on God's strength and power working in and through me to actually see any success. I have to pray every moment of every day for God to give me the courage and grace to boldly be Jesus.
And I fail. A lot. Oh, how I fail. . . But the deepest desire of my heart is for Jesus - and I truly believe that when I get back up, refocus on Christ and once again begin running after him, that his grace is enough and his love does not end.
I am so excited for the day when I will never fail again; when my faith will be made sight and the only way I will know to walk will be as Jesus does.
Until that day, we keep striving! We keep trying. We always get up when we fall and we look to Jesus to guide us home.
I am crying out for you to join me on this journey. Don't be afraid to be covered in his dust. And don't be intimidated by the people who look at you like you've lost it. The truth of the matter is, you kinda have lost it. That's the whole point of this Jesus thing anyway, you know. . . And I can promise you that losing it for Christ is the greatest, most fulfilling decision you will ever make.
"Whoever find his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." -Jesus, Mt 10:39
"The more I read about Jesus, the more I realize that walking like he walked is going to make me very, very different from the average Joe today. My words, actions, and passions will probably appear to be borderline outrageous to most average Americans."
ReplyDeleteCan I have examples please??? =)
Also, how did you get music on your blog?
I figured out the music thing...so never mind about that!
ReplyDeleteyes - I'll def give some examples!! I was actually thinking about that earlier yesterday anyway. . . I'll write a new entry sometime in the next couple days! =)
ReplyDelete