Jesus is really messing me up. I was content just being a right-wing conservative American Christian. I was comfortable with my traditional understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Then Jesus started tearing down my beautiful religious structure one brick at a time. It all began with a simple prayer uttered many years ago – “Lord, I want to be like You.”
Of course I’m not the only person who has ever said that. Many millions of Jesus followers through the centuries have stated that same desire and it cost them dearly, some giving the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
So then, what is it costing me? Not much, compared to others, however I feel like it will eventually cost me my reputation. Not so much my reputation with non-believers, but with some of the church crowd. It will cost me my reputation with some who have come to the conclusion that being a Christian is simply reduced to praying the “sinner’s prayer” and vowing to go to church as often as I can.
Praying that “Lord, I want to be like You” prayer is indeed a dangerous one if you mean it.
Only if you mean it.
How do you know if you really mean it? I knew I really meant it when I finally became willing to shut out all the other voices from western civilization and the American church that clamor for my attention to be turned to a Jesus who has been made in their image. What image is that? There was actually a time in my life, not too many years ago, that I made statements like “there’s no way you can call yourself a Christian and vote any other way than Republican.”
Here in the United States we have a constitution by which we are governed. I have great respect for that document, but there is one I hold in much higher esteem – The Beatitudes, also known as the Sermon On The Mount. I wonder what things would be like if we as Jesus followers here in America held the Beatitudes in higher regard than our country’s constitution. I call The Beatitudes the constitution of the kingdom of God.
Jesus began his teaching by saying
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)
The more I look at this man called Jesus, the more I recognize my need to be like Him. The more I look at Him, the more I begin to look like Him.
I don’t want to be like the ones Jesus spoke to in Laodicea when He said,
“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)
The Jesus I’m discovering looks quite different than the one I seen most of my life. I love Him. I want to be with Him. I want to be like Him. To be like Him might cost me my reputation, but I’ll be in pretty good company.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Phil. 2:5-8)
I have a suggestion for you. Turn off all the noisy voices, open the Gospels, and see Him for who He really is.
Be like Him.
Kevin