How to Look Like Jesus
by Tonja Taylor

"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." --Leviticus 20:26 NIV

God Commands Us to Be Holy

Ever entered or seen a look-alike contest? That is where two people who are not related look so much like each other that hardly anyone can tell them apart! And our goal is to look like Jesus!

We do that by becoming holy--by following all of His ways, by reading and hiding His Word in our heart that we might not sin against Him; by praising Him; and by talking to Him all the time in prayer; and, of course, by not doing what we know is wrong. All of these things help us to look more like Him!

To become holy is a command in the Old Testament, and, just like the Ten Commandments, it is true for today, for every person who has accepted Jesus. He died so He could have many, many little brothers and sisters, or "Christ-like ones," which is what the word, "Christian" means.

What It Means to Be Holy

But to be holy, we first have to understand what it means. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew. So I looked in a Strong's Concordance, which is a big book that has Hebrew and Greek words to help us understand our English Bibles. Strong's says that the use of "holy" in Leviticus 20:26 means "sacred (morally)" and also holy as God, an angel, a saint.

When we believe by faith in Jesus, our spirits become one with Him. We become saints; we are seen as holy by the Lord!

Just as your parents love you and are proud of you just because you are theirs--even when you mess up--how much more God loves us and is proud of us no matter what. They usually see their children as righteous, just like God does, through the blood of His Son, Jesus.

In Webster's Dictionary on the Internet, I found that "holy" comes from the Old English word "whole" and means "one perfect in goodness and righteousness" and "divine."

To truly look like Jesus--to truly become holy in our bodies and minds and keep our spirits right before the LORD--we must become like Jesus. He is perfect in goodness and righteousness. We are not, but as we continue to submit to His Word, He perfects us.

The best way to become holy is to act like Him—in wisdom, purity, faithfulness, gentleness, and love, to name some of His qualities.

The Gospels, which are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, show us how He acted when He was on earth. The more we read them, and the entire Bible which is filled with how God is and wants us to be, the more we will understand how to please Him.

Rewards of Being Holy

Our loving Father God loves to reward us for good behavior--even though every single thing we do that's right and good comes from Him to start with! Not only did He give Jesus to save us from death and hell, but He also loves to bless us with special gifts all the time. And the more we look like Jesus by becoming holy, the more pleased He will be.

He will just continue to pour out His blessings, like your parents love to bless you! The best part is, the more holy we become, the more useful to Him we are, and the more we look like Him--and the more exciting things we get to do as His representatives.

The Message Bible says it this way: In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets--some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing (2 Tim. 2:2, The Message).

Let's ask Him to help us look more like Him today!

 

 



Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. They lift Him up in books (P.O.W.E.R. Girl!; LEGACY; Visions of the King; Your Holy Health; more); presentations; service in church, community, and the world; and via the "River Rain Creative" (309 videos) and "POWERLight Learning" You Tube channels.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com







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