Do You Look Like Jesus?

I don’t know what’s wrong.

I’ve tried and tried to write a Bible study on God’s love and it just won’t come out right.

I mean, I get insight on it but something’s missing.

I replied to Vicky’s comment on whether we are holy in the last Bible Study and said that the next Bible study will answer that question fully. I had the study done(or so I thought) and it had to do with God’s love but then this study took over.

Maybe I’m still missing something in the love of God and till I get it, I just may not feel free enough to post anything on it. So, I apologize for saying I will answer that question indepth on “being holy” and then, now doing something else.

 

But before we move into our time in the Word today, I must thank you all.

Some of you played Jackie stunt on me and nominated my blog for best faith-based blog in the Nigerian blog awards. Hehe! Thank you all!

I mean, I didn’t ask for nominations because I just never thought about it and when I got the email, I struggled a bit with whether I wanted to be involved in it.

I’m very careful with matters of God’s work and my motives.

And I tell you all the truth, I’m scared of getting wrapped up in stuff of men, forgetting whose commendation matters most -God.

But it’s ok, my motive’s all clear so we will ask for votes yeah?

The floor’s open for votes now, you nominated this blog so let’s win this.

Just click here to vote for Imperfectly Perfect Lives as best Faith-based blog and please do share with your friends and get them to vote too.

And oh, I apologize about the bar down there on the blog, I hope it doesn’t disturb your smooth reading of the blog. It will be there for the duration of voting in the blog awards so people can see and vote when they come onto my site.

Thank you.

 

*******************************

So let’s go on with today’s #OnlineBibleStudy.

I was at work when the “do you look like Him” question hit me.

I opened “crazy love by Francis Chan” on my phone and the question on being like Jesus just started ringing in my head.

You know, as seen in our about page, this blog is all about changing our imperfect lives(character, attitude, renewing our minds) with the perfection that God gives.(into God’s perfection-Himself)

So I was asking myself “do I look like Jesus?”

If people around me could study me for a bit – the way I talk, act and live, would they come to the conclusion that I am a Christian?

Have I been transformed by God’s love?

Do I have enough Jesus inside of me?

What does it mean to made in the image and likeness of God?

Let’s go to the book where it all began…

Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, TO BE LIKE US. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

 

God said…let us make human beings…TO BE LIKE US.

Now this can be framed into a question right there.

What does it mean to be like you Lord?

I don’t understand.

You know, I was studying the new testament one time and got so wrapped up in Jesus and I wanted to write about Him being the perfect mentor (but again something was missing here, I haven’t gotten the full revelation here, I can’t write on it yet)

I was trying to dig deep into how Jesus was – into knowing Jesus.

Now, get this, God is a truine God. The invisible one.

And when they made man, the amplified version says “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness…” – Genesis 1:26(amp)

See that?

God – Father, son and Holy Spirit.

Now, we can’t see God (the invisible one) but then God in His mercy made the Word flesh, made God flesh and He lived and dwelled on earth as Jesus.

Colosians 2:9

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

If you back up for a bit there, you will see that that was Jesus Christ being spoken about.

So in Jesus, dwelled the Godhead even when He was on earth.

Twas why He told Phillip “Don’t ask me to show you the Father, if you have seen me, then you have seen the Father” – John 14:9-10 paraphrased.

And the Bible also says in John 3:34 that…

“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”

So Jesus was the entirety of the Godhead while He was on earth

You want to know how to live in God’s likeness even while on earth, then study Jesus.

God in His mercy made Jesus live on earth and in so doing gave us an example for how we should indeed live in Him.

Now, I was listening to a message on prayer last week and even before the Pastor started speaking, I was bawling my eyes out. I later understood why that was so.

That man carried Jesus in Him.

He loves Jesus, loves Him so much, when he speaks, you don’t even see him, you just wanna know God more.

Have we gotten to that extent?

Do people who have never met Jesus/given their life to Him..do they see Him in us?

Do they look at us and say “I want what that guy has, your life is just so different”

Are we reflecting Jesus?

 

Now, God said let us make man in our own image…

Dictionary says that an image is a representation of a real object or picture

In this case, we are supposed to be a representation or reflection of God – the real one from whom we were made.

God also said in Genesis 1:27:

“Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

 

Now, when people read that verse, they only get the “be fruitful and multiply” in terms of wealth and abundance and that’s correct too but look at what Genesis 1:21-22 says…

“So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird— EACH PRODUCING OFFSPRING OF THE SAME KIND. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

 

And He told the birds to be fruitful and multiply too..in what?

In producing offspring of their own kind.

 

Now, let’s come back to us, be fruitful and multiply, producing offspring of your own kind… this is true for us having children of our own kind but let’s look higher for a bit.

We are images of God – the real deal from whom we were made.

We are not even to be fruitful in ourselves alone, we are to be fruitful in Him, producing others of God’s own kind.

And God’s own kind not only of our own children, but in whoever we come across, we can reflect Christ so greatly, we become fruitful and reproduce Christ in that person.

#The power of being like Jesus!

If we are truly godly, we reproduce after God’s own kind, so what we have eventually/see on earth, will be godlike people all over the world, living like Jesus!

The answer to this downtrodden earth isn’t our lambasting that girl that sleeps around, it’s in shinning God’s light so brightly, she can’t help but be multiplied into being like God through us.

And that is God’s wish because He doesn’t wish that anyone would come to destruction, but that they will be saved.

There is a mighty power in living like Jesus on the earth.

Nicodemus couldn’t help but come in the night to ask Jesus howfar? How can I get what you have?

It should be so with people around us.

They should be so blown away by what we have – Christ, so much so that they want Jesus in their lives also, so they can then be true images of Him.

But the question is “do we look like God?

Do we display the character/attributes of God?”

Do we love like He loves?

Have we even bothered to search Jesus life and see how we should be living while on this earth?

People should leave every conversation with us thinking “there’s something different about you, I love the way you think”

Why?

Because our minds have been so renewed in God.

Oh yes, then we would be just like Jesus, loving, full of wisdom and the Spirit – just like Jesus.

Now, we don’t have to worry that we aren’t there yet, but this study simply calls us to start caring about what truly matters.

God deals with us progressively and builds our lives little by little in Him.

Matthew 5:48

“You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

Emphasis on GROWING in that passage.

It takes a while to fully grow into the likeness of God but the important thing is that we are growing. Don’t be stagnant.

 

So we are BEING conformed into His image.

Being is continual, progressively.

This study is simply a call for us to back to the one true mentor for our lives – Jesus.

Study Him, study His life.

He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Before we act, think what would Jesus do (a cliche? But we have seen that this is what really matters)

In our work places, homes, ministry, we should reflect Christ.

People should read what we write and go all “I need to know God more, I need to just go all out with God”.

The reflection we give out in everything should be all God and nothing but God.

I want to get to the point where my love for God ignites someone else to love God because it just shows in me that God is more than worth loving.

In every aspect of our lives, we can be conformed to God’s image and likeness.

The certificate, the job, all should reflect God not ourselves.

It’s simply time to do a heart check and walk in changes that we need to make.

I ask again…

“Do you look like Jesus?”

 

Prayer – Lord, work in us, conform us into your image. Let us live and walk in your path, in your ways, let us be fruitful and multiply in your likeness…in Jesus name, amen.

 

 

Just a few things…

I thought that someone would mention James 5 in our last Bible study on prayer.

DesiringGod.org has an article on prayer that would help us, you can see it here

And that same day, I listened to a message on “Prayer as a way of walking in love” (God was just getting the message over to me on prayer that day, even Mayowa’s post here too)

And you can download the message here (trust me, you need it, it’s one of those messages I couldn’t wait to share)

 

And you all know that your comments are like sugar to my tea on wednesdays… So please share anything at all that struck you as you studied along.

I’m ALWAYS eager to hear from you all. Having pleasure in God’s Word is amazing I tell you.

 

Till our next #OnlineBibleStudy,

Much Love,

Frances.