Is your Christ-likeness recognizable? This is our goal. We want to act like Jesus so much that the world around us might actually see and notice that we resemble the Lord. One day, we will be made like him in glory, but for today, let’s love the world as he does…
28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
1John 2:28-3:3 NLT
The people of this world don’t recognize us as God’s children. This might not be far from the truth today also. I love how John gives us this future vision of our heavenly appearance. We will, when Jesus returns, be like him for we will see him as he is.
Romans 8 speaks of the redemption of our bodies when our flesh is redeemed to match our souls. I imagine this is what John is referring to. But what perhaps concerns me more today is that we don’t look enough like Jesus for people to recognize us as his children.
I get that part of the reason is that people without the Spirit have a hard time recognizing people with the Spirit. That is part of the explanation. But one day, we are going to be like him and look like him. Today, we do not.
As we do right (vs. 29) and keep pure (vs. 3), we will like him now. Focus on that. If the reason we are not recognizable is spiritual blindness in our neighbour, so be it. But if it is because we are not righteous and pure in our conduct, not loving the world the way God does, shame on us.
It wouldn’t hurt us at all – it would help greatly – if we determined to look more like Jesus every day as we wait for his coming. The more we look like him, the greater impact we’ll have on the world around us. And that’s why we’re here…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
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