Who Do You Wish to BE LIKE?
Does sex appeal sell? What about the allure of wealth? Does it draw mankind to follow after it, pursuing it? Finally, would you be drawn to security above all else, seeking to be safe at all costs? If you were to name one attribute, one quality, one trait that most people seek, that they find appealing and attractive, would humility come readily to mind?
PROBABLY NOT.
However, the Bible reminds us with clarity the actions of Christ Jesus the Savior, the One who came to offer Himself, to provide the way to receive God’s salvation, to the whole world.
Pause to see the apostle Paul’s description of Jesus, the Son of God.
“Being found in appearance as a man,
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians 2: 8 NAS)
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.”
Years ago, there was a popular slogan: “Be Like Mike,” and while fun for a moment, there was no lasting appeal to continue over time to be like this man named Mike, and truthfully, who was this Mike person anyway?
Well, if you are a fan of basketball, then you know Michael Jordan remains the greatest basketball player of all time. Yes, that’s true. He is a legend in the NBA, and the “Be Like Mike” became a highly successful advertising campaign for Gatorade, and the ad featured no less—Michael Jordan wearing his red Chicago Bulls jersey, smiling, and drinking (you guessed it) Gatorade.
Yet, we should ask: Should believers in Jesus aspire to BE LIKE anyone other than to BE LIKE CHRIST?
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians 2: 5-7 NAS)
who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.”
Did we catch that?
- Christ Jesus—God in the flesh!
- Christ Jesus—Emptied Himself & came from heaven to earth!
- Christ Jesus—Came to earth to serve others as a bond-servant!
- Christ Jesus—Even though God, He was made to look like mankind!
Pause. Consider just exactly what the LORD has done for us.
We are reminded how Christ Jesus humbled Himself. In the Bible, we see these words recorded in a letter written to the believers living in Corinth, stating this Truth—CHRIST JESUS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD!
“For I [meaning the apostle Paul]
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15: 3-8 NAS)
delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time,
most of whom remain until now,
but some have fallen asleep;
then He appeared to James,
then to all the apostles;
and last of all, as to one untimely born,
He appeared to me also.”
Just imagine if you had been standing at the foot of the cross the day Jesus was crucified. Consider what you would have been thinking when you saw the beaten, bruised, bloodied, and tormented body of your Savior hanging there, between two notorious thieves. You stood there until the very end, and you even heard Jesus proclaim: “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (The Gospel According to John 19: 30b NAS)
You did NOT hear Jesus say, “I am finished,” but “It is finished!”
Maybe you did not move but remained, standing there, at the foot of the cross, seeing your Savior give up His last breath. Quite possibly, you would have noticed the stillness, the audible in-take of every believer’s breath, as well as the silent scream of every believer: LORD, WHAT NOW?
- Just maybe, you stayed there at the foot of the cross as the religious leader, Nicodemus and a secret disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, came and gently took down the body of Jesus as the dusk of the Friday night settled into the area outside Jerusalem.
- Quite possibly, you may have watched the two men prepare Jesus’ body for burial as they laid His body in a shroud, placed the burial spices Nicodemus had brought, and then followed close behind as they carried the dead body of Jesus to the new tomb purchased by Joseph.
- Maybe you even saw the Roman centurions roll the massive stone in front of the tomb opening and post themselves in front, daring any follower to even try to steal the dead body of Jesus.
Today, let us ask ourselves these questions: Who Do You & I Wish to BE LIKE? & Who Do We Really Wish to Follow?
While it is true, some secrets must be and should be kept, but there is ONE SECRET WE SHOULD NOT EVER KEEP!
- The Gospel is TOO IMPORTANT to keep to ourselves. & TOO PRECIOUS to ever be ashamed of as we share with others.
[JESUS CHRIST APPEARED IN HIS RESURRECTED BODY]
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15: 7-8 NAS)
“then He appeared to James,
then to all the apostles;
and last of all, as to one untimely born,
He appeared to me also.”
Thank You, Jesus—for ALL YOU have done.
May we desire to serve in humility—Just like You!
May we Wish to BE JUST LIKE YOU, CHRIST JESUS, in all that we do and speak.