The phrase “live like Jesus” is something I feel like we hear a lot as followers of Christ. However, do we really know and understand what that means? Are our lives reflecting Christ so much that when others see us they have no doubt we love Jesus? Are we, as believers, really truly walking away from our human wants and desires so we can instead walk in the direction of Jesus and do as he did?
When I was younger (in high school I think), I once heard my pastor say, “Partial obedience is disobedience.” And while a lot of my friends and leaders around me made little sounds of agreement, or said “Amen,” I sat quiet in my seat. The phrase smacked me across the face and pierced me to the core. It is so true. We cannot go about our lives half-heartedly walking with God in hopes He will give us a full-heart transformation. It just doesn’t work.
If we are truly living like Jesus, then why are we still sinning? The depth behind the phrase “live like Jesus” is so much more than we think. And although this is a great starting point for our relationship with Him, truly understanding its meaning is more beneficial than foolishly trying to accomplish its task.
Rather than trying to run through a meaningless checklist of “good deeds” and “acts of kindness,” what if we spent time learning from Jesus about what perfect love and kindness look like? What if we tried to fill every thought, every word, every action with the love and kindness of Jesus?
Instead of trying to accomplish good works like they are extracurricular activities for a college application, we should try to live lives that God’s grace can flow through. This is possible when we obey.
The reality is, God never intended for us to remain the same; He intended for us to remain obedient. For in remaining obedient, we will not remain the same. In our obedience, we open ourselves up to being totally and radically changed by Jesus.
Jesus wants us to find our divine purpose of living like Him. By practicing obedience, we create space in our lives for Jesus to do His work. In time, I think you’ll find that a life of obedience will have a lot more purpose and a lot less confusion. When we learn to be obedient, only then can we truly find freedom.
In other words, by becoming obedient to God, we free ourselves up to experience the amazing things He has in store for us. Total obedience makes us ready for a truly fulfilling life.
Obedience is a difficult thing to measure. We can easily become prideful in our obedience or despondent at our inability to fulfill God’s instruction. Take some time to think about Jesus’ perfect obedience in our place, and ask God to help you obey Him with a heart full of love and gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice.