When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, everything in your life changed. When you let Jesus into your heart, he went over and cleared the calculator that keeps track of your sins. He didn’t just forgive you—every memory of your sins disappeared like they never happened. And every morning when you get up, God’s grace is renewed to you again.
How does a believer become more like Jesus?
When St. Paul was 30 years old in the Lord he said:
Phil. 3:12-15a
I don’t mean to say I am perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward the day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ did for us. I hope all of you who are mature Christians will see eye-to-eye with me on these things.
Notice Paul said, “I haven’t learned all I should even yet.” Herein lies one of the keys to becoming like Jesus. After 30 years, Paul was more like Jesus than ever, but he humbly admitted there was still some work that needed to be done in his life.
As we listen and as we learn, we will become! Genuine learning and true education will effect a change in our hearts, lives, and attitudes. As we listen to the Holy Spirit and learn from Him through the Bible and God-anointed teachers, we will find a gentle shaping of our lives taking place. God will be doing the work: No strain, no toil, no self-crucifixion.
2 Corinthians 3:18
And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him.
Today, you and I are being conformed into one of two things:
- The image of our Lord Jesus Christ
- Something else
What you listen to and learn from will be great factors in what you become.
During the Christmas season, as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, put your focus on Him. Thank Him for coming to earth, one-hundred percent man and one-hundred percent God, and completing the plan to reconcile humankind to God.
