If only I could remove my pride like removing a dirty garment.
In this edition of my blog, I am reflecting on a song by Zach Williams, Less Like Me. Click HERE to see the lyrics video.
Sometimes it takes a long time to realize we are not the center of the world. We are not here by chance, and every life has a purpose. Life is not about us; it is about the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator, and how we can bring Him glory and honor. We should be following Him, pointing to Him, looking up to Him, not focused on ourselves. Our goal in life should be to renew our minds and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to draw disciples to Jesus Christ. Yes, I am writing this to myself first.
Two problems hinder this goal:
Pride and Arrogance
Thanks to God for Christian wives. My lovely wife is my conscience. She constantly reminds me to be less like me and more like Jesus, especially when driving. Can I get a witness? Sometimes I revert to my old nature at home, and my wife admonishes me and requests that the “old man” go away and the “new man” come back.
We walk around like we know God in society, and the next person does not. Sometimes we look down at the lost and think we are glad we are not like them.
In church, we become jealous of other Christians, and during bible studies, we quarrel like the world. If those that need redemption see us like this, how can they be drawn to Christ?
We need to become united in Christ and allow Him to transform us. We should be boastful only in the cross of Christ, not in what God does through us, which makes us proud and brings attention to us, not Jesus.
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
What does the Word of God say about this topic?
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
John the Baptist explained that Jesus’ work in us must constantly be increasing. If we do not decrease, we limit His increase in us.
For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29.
God wants to shape us in the image of His Son; like His son, we need to say, “I do the will of my Father!” But, instead, the world says, “I did it my way.”
But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
God shaping us into the image of His Son is a process that does not happen overnight. From glory to glory, even if we stumble, we get up and try again until we are changed.
If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. Philippians 2:1-4
Humility and Unity in Christ! Not looking for our benefit, but the benefit of others first. This unity is how the fallen world will be attracted to Christ by seeing our changes compared to how we used to be; selfish, boastful, arrogant, angry, looking for our pleasures first.
What does this mean?
As a retired Army sergeant, I remember my first days in Basic Training as if it was yesterday. I was a young man with a way of thinking similar to those not in Christ at the moment. Basic Training days were very harsh, and I wanted to quit at times. It was not until I graduated that I fully understood the goal of Basic Training, which was to take away my civilian thinking, and start thinking militarily, focused, and disciplined. To be a team member and win in battle, I had to decrease, and my discipline increased. Nevertheless, basic training brought unity of thinking, purpose, and policy.
The followers of Christ must do likewise. We must seek unity in Christ. We must judge ourselves through the eyes of Christ, not thinking that we are so special:
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Roman 12:3
We start by doing what Paul meant in this scripture:
Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2
What does this mean to me?
From the moment we were born, our desires, the evil one, and the world around us seek to mold us into what the system wants us to be, contrary to what God wants for us. The word “conform” in Romans 12; means a “cookie-cutter” molding. To escape this molding, we must start to think differently, to renew our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like in the army basic training above, we have to renew our thinking to survive on the battlefield, and believe me, we are in battles daily. This change will place us in conflict with the world, and some will call us enemies of the state.
For Jesus to discipline us, transform us, and make us who He wants us to be, we must vacate our throne room that is His. We must remove our crown and cast it at His feet in royal submission. We must cease desiring our way, let the Holy Spirit reside in us, and make Jesus the King of our hearts and minds. Jesus spoke about the Comforter that He would send after His departure to help us accomplish the task of transformation.
He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. John 14:21
In the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will begin to change us from the inside until we start to talk, listen, and do as He did here on earth.
As we change and grow in Christ, we will start to conform to His image so much that we will begin to sound like Him in our talk, faith, hope, love, trials, etc. Jesus will guide us from glory to glory in our walk. It will not be easy because our sinful nature will attempt to control us and resist our changes. But, as my wife will say, please bring the new man back.
Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, Colossians 3:9-10 NKJV
It will not be easy, but we will trust that Jesus is capable of sustaining us, guiding us to victory in Him.
To say the same things as He did is to be His witnesses, to give testimony of His life here on earth and His wonderful works. Thus, in Romans 10:9, it is written that if we confess the Lord Jesus, we will, by faith, attain salvation:
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV
Some translations say, “if you confess that Jesus is Lord.” The word “confess” in the Greek language here means “to say the same thing as” not just to declare He is Lord, but emulate Him in speech, action, love, faith, and hope.
We are His ambassadors here; if we represent Him here, He will represent us in front of the Father in heaven.
Every night, let us look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Have I represented Jesus today?” Did I let Jesus work through me, or did I decide to sit on His throne and do my will?
Let us ask ourselves these questions to determine our spiritual standing with God.
Do we consider Praise and Worship of the Lord done every day?
Or only on Sundays?
What is our passion in life?
Is God in it?
Let us strive to be His hands and feet, His mouth, His hugs, His smiles, and His love.
My friends, let us be less like us and more like Him today.
Again I say this blog is directed at me first.
God bless!
To God, be the glory!
Everything was created By Him, For Him!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Disclaimer
I write my blogs as I get inspired by God. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans In Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may be. However, I try my best to write as efficiently as possible.
Your brother, In-Christ, Ricardo
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