Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

By Tom Shanklin

I once heard a story about a minister who was unjustly convicted of a crime and ended up in prison as a cellmate to a hardened criminal. Naturally, the minister shared the Gospel with his fellow inmate, but had little success reaching him for Jesus.

Finally, the Lord gave him an idea. He asked the man, “Do you know what Jesus is like?”

The man replied, “No.” 

“He’s like me,” the minister replied. 

“Then I want to receive Him,” the man said. Apparently, the minister’s witness was not limited to the Gospel message that he spoke, but also to his godly character and the way that he treated people. 

I’m convinced that the best thing that we can do for our families, communities, and nation is not only to preach the Gospel, but also to live like we believe it. Jesus died and rose again so we can be forgiven and transformed.

Lately, I find myself crying out to God to make me like Jesus. The more I see how desperately the world needs the Lord, the more I realize that it’s time for us as Christian believers to conform to the image of Christ in our daily lives. We can’t just talk about how dark the world is; we must be a bright light in this world through our actions. 

When Jesus walked the earth, He was pure love, pure Word, and pure anointing. He healed the sick and set the captives free. He said that we who believe would do the same works that He did. I want to be like Jesus! 

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He poured out His Spirit so that we could be like Him and continue His work. We are new creatures in Christ. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are anointed to “re-present” Jesus to a needy world. 

What is God saying to you today? Do you have a cry in your heart to be like Jesus? Do you want His life to permeate your being and flow through your lips and fingers?

It can happen as you look to the Lord and absorb His glory. He says:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Yes, as we allow Him, the Holy Spirit will do a mighty work in our lives. Little by little and day by day, we are transformed. When we turn to Him, the veil is removed, and we can see His glory, and our faces will shine with the glory of God. As we spend time with Him, we will become like Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions. Let us press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

You can pray a prayer like this:

Dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die for me. I believe He is risen. I confess Him as Lord of my life. As I look to Jesus, change me day by day. Help me to be a bright light in this dark world. Help me to share Jesus with others both through my words and the life that I live. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.