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He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. I John 2:6 (NKJV)
Jesus walked with purpose. When one walks with purpose, they neither jog or saunter. They are not wandering around, but have a purpose in mind, a destination to get to and a mission to accomplish. Those who walk with purpose are seldom distracted by their surroundings. Throughout the gospels, especially in the book of Mark, verbs define Jesus’ life.
Jesus also walked with passion. His purpose was fueled by the passion he had for his mission. And people were his mission. His passion for people empowered him to love them. His passion attracted those who lived a lifestyle completely opposite of what he stood for. His passion for others rose above politics, ethnicity, and gender.
Jesus walked with wisdom. He knew what he stood for. He knew what his father, Jehovah God, wanted from him. He did what needed to be done, while at the same time taking care of himself physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Abiding in Christ means that we walk with passion, purpose, and wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit.
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1
Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to pray. Prayer is the power behind our living for Jesus. It’s been said, that even atheists pray when the plane is going down!
Sad to say, I think we believe in prayer far more than we practice prayer. If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s easy to pray for loved ones, for ourselves, and maybe the occasional prayer for the stranger on the Internet.
What about people, that we know who dislike us, abuse us or ridicule us for our belief in Christ? Hard as it is, Paul challenges us to pray for them. Later on, he’ll say pray for our leaders as well. Not to pray for their demise, but to pray and intercede on their behalf, before God.
Paul urges to should pray for their good, not for their evil. and then he says something really hard. We should thank God for those in leadership no matter how godless they may seem.
Remember, Paul wrote this during one of the most cruel, godless, violent governments in the history of the world. The same government that would later have him beheaded!
Throughout history, God has proven that he can even use godless leaders to accomplish his will. Make it a habit to pray for those who are different than you. Ask the Holy Spirit’s help in knowing how to pray.
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:12
The legalists of Jesus day (like the ones in our day) overloaded people with a bunch of do’s and don’ts. Not Jesus. He had one command. Just one rule to live by that can change the world, at least the one you live in. Love like he loved.
How did Jesus love? He saw people not problems. He saw opportunities not obstacles. He valued others not vilified them. He was passionate yet purposeful. He remained true to himself rather than losing himself. He remained faithful to Gods word, not fickle by following culture. His true identity didn’t hinder his sociability.
Loving like Jesus did is impossible without the Spirit within Him, the same Spirit that lives within every believer. Love like Jesus did in the power of the Spirit Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Philippians 2:6
You walk into your bosses office one day. He tells you he has an amazing opportunity for you. It’s something he knows you will love! It doesn’t involve a raise in pay. It doesn’t come with more status or stature. In fact, some would call it a demotion. But he promises you a retirement plan out of this world. Would you take the job?
That’s what Jesus did for you. He had a corner office. He had all eternity in front of Him. He was Lord of the universe. There was nothing He could not have.
But He gave it all up for you. Most would consider what He did a demotion. Going from living as a king to being a despised pauper. But not Jesus!
Jesus didn’t take the demotion because he wanted to feel the rejection of his creation. Jesus do not step down because he look forward to being ridiculed. Jesus did what he did for you. He did it for live. A live he knows could not be returned at the level He gave it.
He knew the only way for you to experience forgiveness was by his sacrifice. He know the only way for you to see how much he loved you was for him to live among us. He knew the only way that he could experience eternity with you was to die for you.
Jesus also knew another thing. Between his birth, and offering you eternal life, was the cross. The painful, shameful, despised cross. But he did it for you.
He did it because he loves you. He did it because he knew you would fail. He did it because he knew you could not do what needed to be done on your own. What an amazing Savior!
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:11
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus being surrounded by disease, evil, and social unrest. Yet his goal for us in his teachings was to be filled with joy. Not because of those struggles, or to remove those struggles, but to give us strength, through those struggles.
As a follower of Jesus we can have JOY because we are JUSTIFIED through His sacrifice on the cross. Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
We can have JOY because when others fail us and we feel rejected we are assured of God’s OVERFLOWING LOVE. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
We can have JOY because in the midst of life’s struggles, in those times we feel defeated and alone, Jesus gives us a YOKE OF REST. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
Live in JOY today because of Jesus!
