In what way does a person change to embody Jesus’ thinking, responding, loving, meekness, and sensitivity? This question has been on many minds, including some non-Christians.
One of my favorite songs written by Terry MacAlmon is ‘How Long’. Some of the lyrics say, “How long, /how long, Till I wake in your likeness… How long, how long / till I become like you…” Thy lyrics of a much older song I grew up singing was “To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus. All I ask is to be like Him.” What’s still up in the air is, “Yeah, but how?” No matter how much we hustle to be like Him, God just won’t go for it since He’s all about not trusting human works. They’re what the Bible calls ‘works of the flesh’. Works of the flesh include both beneficial and detrimental actions. Jesus said very clearly said “But I warn you—unless your righteousness (right living) is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” Matthew 5:20 (NLT2)
The Pharisees gained a reputation for strictly observing Moses’ laws, including their added interpretations. So, if their own manufactured ‘right living’ won’t cut it with God, what will?
Jesus’ statement was not against righteousness. He was against how it was achieved. During His time teaching, Jesus brought up the Kingdom of God the most. Each person is born with their own kingdom. Babies cry in a unique way when they aren’t getting their way. It is commonly called a temper tantrum. As we mature, we develop new intimidating skills to force others to do what we want. A major skill is anger or ‘getting even’. According to God’s plan, no one can enter His kingdom without first surrendering their own kingdom to Him.
I have been increasingly intrigued by Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom. Many of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount also appear in Matthew’s collection of His teachings. Luke also collected His parables on this subject and listed a few in what he called the Sermon on the Plains in Luke 6.
I’ve discovered that immersing oneself in and continuously reflecting on Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom is the sole method for gradually becoming more Christ-like. By admiring a hero, you can unconsciously absorb their ways of thinking and behaving. It’s not complicated. Here is how Paul described the process. “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT.
That is how His twelve disciples remained like Him after His ascension into the heavens. The opposite is true when we silently adopt the mindset of our culture’s brainwashing. The fads of each year rub off on us. After all, we feel we need our peer’s or leader’s approval.
Deeper study of the Beatitudes and Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount is transforming my inner values and attitudes toward others. God’s kingdom offers a worldview that is significantly different from contemporary secular viewpoints. as well as that of the church. I’ve experienced personal transformations as I’ve continued to be exposed to the drumbeat of God’s kingdom. Are you able to come up with a more efficient strategy for incorporating Heaven’s beat into your daily existence?