To Be Like Jesus

It isn’t easy to be like Jesus. He never claimed it would be. If it were, the world would be a different place: our churches would be a different place. Imagine if we all cared for the poor like Jesus did; or for the sick, or the children. It’s easy to see sweet little babies and stand up in church and agree to help raise them in the Lord, but when those babies grow up to be teenagers, are we being like Jesus? How about when those teenagers begin to curse you or hang out with the wrong crowd or adventure into a lifestyle that looks too much like the world? Are we being Jesus to them then? The popular cliché seems to fit best here, “People need loving, when they deserve it the least.” That’s what Jesus did. That’s who Jesus is. How about you? Who are you when Satan gets ahold of one of those teenagers and he or she starts to act out? How about when people personally offend you? How about in the church? Jesus loved when we didn’t deserve love. Jesus loves, when we don’t deserve love. How about you? As Christians, as Christ followers, as His children, we can’t back down when things get hard or uncomfortable or scary. It isn’t about our happiness, or our comfort, it’s about Jesus and being like Him. Doing the Lord’s work is more than just baking cookies for the church bake sale, or attending the spaghetti dinner to fund a ministry or feeding the hungry. It’s love. Being like Jesus means sharing His love; even when the people needing it, don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve His love; you don’t deserve His love, but we get it freely because that’s who Jesus is.

These are the end times; the beginning of birth pains. Satan is fighting. Hard. We have to fight harder to save Jesus’ children from Satan’s clutches. The battlefield stretches farther than your workplace, or the grocery store. It’s in our churches. When people push you away most often it’s because they need you the most. You have the opportunity to love them the way Jesus does. You have the opportunity to be like Jesus. And you can’t just stand idle. The Bible says you are either for or against Jesus. Lukewarm isn’t okay (Revelation 3:16). So if you do nothing, then you aid Satan in His fight against our Lord. If you push them away just as they are pushing you away, you are aiding Satan in His fight. If you don’t do something to show Jesus’ love, then you are no better than Satan and His followers and you are aiding them in their fight against our Lord. Who are you? Are you a warrior of the King, or of the loser? We know the outcome; the King wins. Who are you? Who do you want to be?

It’s not an easy choice and no one can make it for you. But Jesus isn’t going to give up on that person who doesn’t deserve love. He won’t turn His back and dismiss them, like we too often do. That difficult teen, that frustrating church member and that stubborn child are all loved by the King of kings and Lord of lords. If you don’t do something, we may lose them because of your actions. Being like Jesus isn’t easy but it’s worth it. All of Heaven rejoices when one lost is found. Are you going to help them be found? Or are you going to be the one to push them away forever? Jesus isn’t giving up, maybe you shouldn’t either.