You can walk as Jesus walked when He was here on earth.
Doing so will make you be just like Him. And there are 3 ways to help you do just that.
1. Be a child of God.
Jesus, while on earth, was clear of Who He was: Son of God.
His purpose for coming into this world was to make you and I children of God too.But, to become a child of God requires a combination of two things:
- Faith.
- God.
We become children of God by believing in Jesus Christ. So, here is the question: are you a child of God?
This is not something you get to be because of what you do: prayer, going to church and even being active at your church. They are all good things to do. But, they don’t determine whether you’re a child of God or not.
Being a child of God is the work of God, which was made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Becoming a child of God is activated by faith in Jesus Christ.
Here’s how this works:
- You acknowledge that you’re a sinner (read Romans 3: 23).
- You believe that your salvation from sin was only made possible through Jesus Christ. He died and rose on the third day for you.
- You ask for the forgiveness of your sins from Jesus Christ and invite Him into your life as your Lord and Savior.
When you do that, you’re made a child of God. You’ve become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5: 17). And once you do the above steps, you will also receive eternal life.
As you can tell, all this happens as a result of faith, and through which you receive what you didn’t deserve in the first place.
2. Present yourself as a living sacrifice to God.
Acknowledging you are a sinner and that your salvation from sin comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ should be a daily practice.
It doesn’t matter whether you are assured of your own salvation or not. You just have to humble yourself and thirst (and hunger) for God’s salvation on a daily basis.
You do it by offering yourself up as a living sacrifice to God.
Paul defines it as a spiritual worship in Romans 12: 1. According to him, it consists of presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
The Bible warns us though that what matters to God is obedience rather than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15: 22). What I’m talking about is that what we practice as spiritual disciplines shouldn’t be the goal, but the means to help be more like Jesus Christ.
That’s why prayer, reading of the Bible, being in communion with others and service cannot make you a child of God. God does through your faith in Jesus Christ by making Him your personal Savior and Lord. Doing the above becomes then the fruit of who you are, a child of the Living God.
For everything, you’ve been doing as spiritual disciplines, to be more meaningful, you’ve got to present yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Do it in the morning, in the middle of the day and in the evening.
3. Walk in Love.
A daily practice of presenting yourself to God shapes your everyday lifestyle as a result. You will then learn how to walk in love. Walking as Jesus walked when He was here on earth no longer is something hard to do, but organic. You will not make any effort to love people, even the ones that hurt you.
Walking in love results from acknowledging that why you’re here on earth is much bigger than the things people do to you. The reason God put you where you live now is bigger than any human you have in your life.
The fuel that helps you get stronger everyday and stay focused on your purpose in life is grounded in love.
Jesus demonstrated all of this. For example, on the cross, He said this prayer: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23: 34) He knew why He was here on earth. He always kept the reason for being in the world as His priority, which was grounded in the love of humankind. That’s what led Him to the cross for you and me.
So, this day and always, you imitate Christ by 1)being a child of God, 2)presenting yourself as a living sacrifice to God, and 3)walking in love.
Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5: 1-2)
