Influencers Weekly Devotional

Abide with ME

Abiding Emotionally - Part Seven

What Does It Mean To Be Christlike?

Scripture: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 Thought:In this passage, we see both the character and purpose of Jesus being carried out in the form of a humble servant. Of all people who walked on this earth and deserve most to be waited on hand and foot, there could be no greater person than Jesus Christ. And yet, Jesus came not to be served but rather to serve, and His attitude and perspective is the one all Christians should pattern their lives after if they want to be Christlike. It is seeing life through His perspective, and living life through the form He modeled to His followers that we can begin to approach a resemblance of what it means to be Christlike. Until that happens, we are only pretenders. Application: When a person is described as Christlike, it would be good to understand what it really means. I think many times, when the word is being used, it is not describing a true biblical identity with Christ. To start with, being Christlike doesn’t mean someone has achieved some kind of elevated status due to his knowledge, abilities, or spirituality. This would be a common mistake to think this, for the world views success as achieving anything requires hard work and recognition. The fact is, being elevated by the world’s point of view likely stands in the way of truly being Christlike. This kind of adoration tempts our ego and causes pride, and pride destroys Christlikeness in a person. It is a common mistake to put a Christian celebrity, or a recognized personality at the top of Christlikeness in our thinking, when in fact there is as much or more struggle for these believers to be Christlike than ordinary folks. Pride presents a major stumbling stone, and being adored will trip someone up in a hurry. God never created mankind to adore each other, only Him. So what does Christlike mean? I wish I could say the Bible clearly explains it. But the fact is that I could not find the word Christlike in any of the gospels or letters. I have a good idea what it means, and it ties more to our demeanor, humility, and serving someone else’s needs over our own. It is to have Christ’s point of view of God, of Himself, and how His mission to serve others is lived out. For believers it has to do less with our perfection, for we would all fail there, but more to do with a consistent expression of Christ’s attributes. I know one great example of a guy who fails in his efforts to be Christlike every day, for he still has too much of self in his expressions than Christ. I look at him in the mirror every morning, and this appraisal of myself keeps me from throwing stones at others. However, as I learn to abide in Christ and press close to Him, I understand better what it requires to be like Him. I still have a long way to go, but I am encouraged that there is enough advancement toward this expression to keep me from throwing in the towel and giving into defeat. I do believe there are some genuine Christlike people who walk this planet now and in the last 2,000 years. However, to spot these people, one must look through a different set of eyes. We must change our perspective and look through the perspective of Christ. So, let’s look carefully at the life Christ lived in the gospels and read carefully the description Apostle Paul puts before us to describe true Christlikeness. What do we see? Christ abandoned His heaven-given rights as God and became nothing. What does it mean to become nothing? No self-centered demands of others. No rights to Himself. Total submission to God the Father. Christ had no agenda but the one He woke to everyday which God the Father put before Him. So the first criteria for Christlikeness is total abandonment of one’s self to the agenda of God. Next, we see in the passage that Christ took on the form of a servant. To take on a form is to look the part along with being the part. I think we get it wrong sometime and think our role of being a servant only involves attempts at looking like a servant for a limited time, or during select events. Christ lived the role of a servant. This is total commitment, along with abandonment of His own rights to be served. So, the second criteria for Christlikeness is to live out our abandonment. The next attribute of Christ we see in the above passage is His commitment to obey the Father even to the point of death. He is the Lamb of GodWho gave Himself willingly for the Father’s purpose for our redemption. To be Christlike, we too must become a living sacrifice for God’s purpose in our life. When these attributes of Christ begin to show in our life, then we are close to seeing and understanding what it means to be truly Christlike. As I process life and seek God’s wisdom for understanding what it truly means to be Christlike, I have come to understand that Christlikeness is best seen when it runs to tragedy and the needs of others. The Christlike servants who go to places like Tuscaloosa, Joplin, New Orleans and Haiti to simply give themselves for the needs of others are demonstrating Christlikeness. These are ordinary men and women who dig bodies out of rubble, comfort victims who have lost everything, and get on their knees before God to lift someone else up to Him. Their expressions of Christlikeness vary from treating medical conditions to giving someone a drink of clean water. Christlikeness is also seen going to prisons to love and disciple prisoners, to orphanages to adopt a child doomed to starvation, and to the back yard of an old widow simply to mow her lawn, rake the leaves, and serve someone who can never return the favor. Yes, Christlikeness is out there to be seen, but we have to see it through the perspective of Jesus, for it is obscure and often overlooked due to its lack of glamor. Like Jesus, these people look more like servants than royalty, even though they are a member of the “royal priesthood.” Quite frankly, what they are doing looks a lot like Jesus, for it sure reminds me of Him. Reply: Father, I have a long way to go before I could ever become Christlike. To be identified as being like Your Son Jesus is something to which I could never attain by seeking my own needs. Becoming a servant like Jesus is very, very hard to do. To be Christlike, like Christ, it requires that I give total abandonment of my rights to myself as He did to You. Lord, can I do this? I know that Your Spirit must take all of my life that He wants if I am to be like Jesus, and I want to do this. To be Christlike is not an achievement but rather a surrender, and I recognize there are many things that keep me from that place. Even so Lord, I am on a journey with You to become this man and I understand I must begin on my knees before You, by lifting someone else up before I lift up myself. Today, I ask You to send me to this person and place of need, so I can take a step toward what I know You desire for me, which is to be like Jesus. Then, I will be on the right path toward becoming Christlike, not as the world sees it, but best of all, how You see it. It is for Your glory that I want I be Christlike. Rocky TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL, CLICK HERE