Daily Devotional: I Wanna Be Like Christ

Read Ephesians 5:1-2

There was a commercial from 1992 for Gatorade – I Wanna Be Like Mike. It had a snappy song as a video showed the amazing moves of Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls basketball star).  The commercial also showed kids trying to do the same things as Mike – pass a basketball behind their backs, jump up high enough to dunk a basketball or do some fabulous dribbling maneuvers.  I can completely relate to this concept.  Gatorade wanted us to think that drinking their sports drink would make us like Mike, but I’m sure even Mike would tell you that there is a lot more to it than that.  When I set a goal for myself, I take a look at others who have achieved that same goal.  How did they train?  What did they eat?  What books did they read?  What is it that got them to where I want to be? Once I have a sense of that, I work to do the same thing. I’ve applied this method in both business and sports.  Those who have achieved big goals in life will tell you that it wasn’t easy, but it was totally worth it!  It is so worth all that effort and sacrifice, and anyone who has achieved a long sought-after goal will tell you that they’d do it again in a heart beat.

There is one goal that I have been working on for most of my whole life and will continue to work on till the day I leave this earth – I wanna be like Christ.  I want people to come to know our amazing Savior by getting to know me.  The best way for me to do this is to study Him.  Naturally, the Bible is the best place to start, but a number of years ago I also read a book by Chuck Swindoll titled So, You Want to be Like Christ.  Reading that book showed me how long I was going to have to train to achieve this goal. I understand it won’t be until I’ve arrived in Heaven for eternity that I will come closest to this achievement, but God has given us this time on earth to be excellent training ground. Swindoll focuses on eight specific skills of Jesus – prayer, humility, self-control, sacrifice, submission, solitude, silence and hope.  I need further training in all areas, but there are a few areas that need some heavy focus.

Why did Jesus leave the glorious environment of Heaven to hang out on earth for about 33 years?  One reason is to give us a living example of how we should live our lives. He served others, showed great care and concern for people – especially the poor, put others ahead of himself, and shared the message of God’s love and hope to all who would hear. The most amazing reason He came was to pay the price for our sins through His death on the cross, so we could live in peace and joy with Him forever.

I hope you will join me in my training to be like Christ.  It’s so much better to train with others than to train alone.  Join me in my goal!  Let us know how you are doing.  I’d love to hear about what you are doing to accomplish this same goal. Who knows, your words could be great encouragement to many who wanna be like Christ.