My Monday Morning Cup | Living Life Under Christ

May I ask you a hard question? Are you a Jesus hobbyist? In other words, is Jesus something you’ve simply added to your overcrowded schedule and bulging list of interests or have you fully submitted your life to Christ? I think that our present culture likes the idea that Jesus was a generous and kind man who taught others how to live better with their neighbors. We even enjoy the Christmas story though we don’t fully accept the miracle that it contains. We’re okay with Jesus on our terms. Sometimes it seems like Jesus has been added to our recipe for successful living cookbook like someone might add carrots to a pot roast while expelling any mention of sin into the dark recesses of the cellar. We define God according to our wants rather than accepting Him as the God we need.

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There is a God we want, and there is a God who is—and they are not the same God.

Patrick Morely
Devotions for the Man in the Mirror

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In his various letters, the Apsotle Paul makes it clear that given what God has done for us we must align our lives under Christ if we are to truly experience living a life of abudance and true freedom. Paul promotes a Jesus first attitude and approach in how we live our daily life. The other writers of the New Testament support this view of the Christian life also. As believers, failing to completely surrender our lives to Christ causes us to fall short of experiencing the spiritual blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

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For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Romans 8:29 (NIV)

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What does it mean to conform to image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ?

Bible scholar Tom Constable points out that holiness is God’s will for each and every believer. God has elected (chosen) us to become Christlike, restoring humanity as it was at the beginning of Creation. Jesus is the first-born and as believers we become His brothers and sisters, sharing in all the benefits of belonging to the family of God.

Essentially, conforming ourselves to the image of Jesus means becoming more Christlike. When we act more like Jesus in this world than we are becoming more like Him and therefore living our life under Christ.

5 Ways to Be More Like Jesus

1. Be Humble-set aside your own ambitions and focus on the needs of others.
2. Do Right-you’ve studied God’s word. Now, apply it to how you live.
3. Be Kind-treat others with the same grace and mercy you would like them to show you.
4. Love Others-demonstrate the love God showed you when you needed it most.
5. Be Thankful-be grateful for each breath you take regardless of your present circumstances.

7 Charcteristics of Christ

1. Faithful
2. Prayerful
3. Obedient
4. Loving
5. Patient
6. Gracious
7. Generous

Reflection Questions:

1. In what ways do you order your life under Christ?
2. What other characteristics of Jesus can you think of to add to the list?
3. What are ways that you can practice being more like Jesus?
4. Do you delight in Jesus the same way that Jesus delights in you?
5. How can I pray for you today?

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for the gift of Jesus and the miracle You worked in me through His life. May I reflect Christ in my thoughts, words, and actions as I seek to be more like Jesus every day. In His name. Amen.

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Thank you for reading my post. If you are new here, be sure to follow my blog. If you have a minute, leave a comment, share a thought, or respond to one of the reflection questions. I love hearing from readers and engaging with you.

A friend and blogging brother recently told me that my posts were like manna from Heaven to him. According to the Free Dictionary, the phrase “Manna from Heaven”, if you’re not familiar, is an idiom referring to something being “an unexpected benefit or assistance, especially when it comes at the time when it is needed most.” I couldn’t think of a more beautiful, encouraging word my friend could share with me, especially in a time that I myself needed to hear it. That’s really my hope for my blog: that you would find something that sustains you during the times you need help the most.

May the Lord shower You with His grace and mercy.  I pray that you continue keep the main thing the main thing and make Jesus a priority in your life.

Blessings,

The Devotional Guy™

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I personally believe that in order to experience life the way God intended, you and I must receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God has made this gift available to all who ask.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

Will you personally receive the gift of eternal life so that you can experience the total forgiveness from your sins that come through believing in the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9