Strong spirits: want to be like Jesus?

Who did you look up to as a kid?  Who did you want to be like?   How about now?  Who would you most like to be like?

I suppose that for those of us who follow Jesus, the answer is easy - we want to be like him!  But how?

Even though the apostle Paul encourages us to "imitate Christ" (Ephesians 5:1), just trying harder won't be enough.  We must first yield to him, and "abide in (him)" (John 15:4), not once in a while, but all the time.  It is when we allow Jesus to live his life in us and through us that we become like he is.  It begins with surrender, a surrender we must repeat day by day, and moment by moment.  Then it continues in obedience - doing whatever he asks of us.

Want to be like Jesus?  Give yourself to him... always.

Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.