Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - Model Big Brother

"For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, 

so that His Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters."

Romans 8:29

     I have a theory that most of us develop half our personalities in rebellion to other people's personalities while modeling the other half of our traits after people we admire. For instance, Tom and I saw firsthand a self-serving evangelist manipulate, demand, and act obnoxiously during a revival and since that time we've bent over backwards to give a different picture of Christ. For fear of being grouped with this man as Christians, we may have swung the pendulum too far the other way at times by keeping quiet when we should have spoken. We can't model our lives after or in rebellion to other people or we end up with a strange mix of personality traits and quirks that don't always makes sense or serve God's purposes. 

     God provided our Model for us in an older sibling to look up to and imitate in every possible way. Jesus equals perfection and God doesn't hesitate to point to His only begotten Son and say, "Be like Your Big Brother. Do the same things He did; have the same attitudes He had; speak as He spoke; love as He loved, and you'll never go wrong."

     

"Don't  you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? 

Or don't you care? 

Can't you see how kind He has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?" 

Romans 2:4

Lord God, help us know Jesus so we can be like Him in every way. Fill us with Your Spirit and empower us to have the mind and the humility of Christ. 

In the Name of Jesus Who is always interceding to the Father for us

Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe because we have heard Him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He is indeed the Savior of the world."

1 John 4:14

"And in human form He obediently humbled Himself 

even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross." 

Philippians 2:8

"For we are God's masterpiece. 

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, 

so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." 

Ephesians 2:10