JANUARY 24, 2013
Like
Jesus
Read: 1 John 2:5-11
He who says he abides
in [Jesus] ought himself also to walk just as He
walked. —1 John 2:6
During
a children’s church service, the teacher talked about the first of the Ten
Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). She
suggested some ways for the kids to keep this command. She said, “Nothing
should come before God—not candy, not schoolwork, not video games.” She told
them that putting God first meant that time with Him reading the Bible and
praying
should come before anything else.
An
older child in the group responded with a thought-provoking question. She asked
if being a Christian was about keeping rules or if instead God wanted to be
involved
in all areas of our life.
Sometimes
we make the mistake of viewing the Bible as a list of rules. Certainly
obeying
God (John 14:21) and spending time with Him are important, but not
because we
need to be rule-keepers. Jesus and the Father had a loving relationship.
When
we have a relationship with God, we desire to spend time with Him and obey
Him
so we can become more like Jesus. John said, “He who says he abides in [Jesus]
ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). He’s the example we
can
follow.
When
we want to understand how to love, or how to be humble, or how to have faith,
or even how to set our priorities, we can look at Jesus and follow His heart.
Lord, as I look ahead to another day, I give myself
to be led by Your Spirit. Give discernment in
priorities, but most of all a sensitive heart to live like
Jesus did—filled with Your love and power. Amen.
Jesus calls us to follow Him.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
