Are You Modeling Jesus?

 

Do your words and actions model Jesus? In other words, do your words and actions line up with Jesus? Do you portray Christlike characteristics, or do you portray characteristics of the world? Does being extremely rude to a salesperson at the door show others that you are a follower of Christ? Did you ever think that maybe you could have planted a seed in that person’s life when you opened the door? Now that opportunity to share the Truth with that person is lost because you chased that person away. Does being rude to people at a grocery store show others that you are a follower of Christ? How would you want to be treated? Would you want someone to be rude or mean to you, or would you want someone to treat you with grace and love? There is an important verse to remember in Luke 6:31 (NLT) that Jesus shared with his followers and the crowds of people at the sermon on the mount  “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

That is a powerful verse - "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." And the greatest role model for us all is Christ Jesus. Throughout his ministry he treated others with love, grace, mercy, and kindness. Jesus loved even those who persecuted him and mocked him. As Christians, we need to model these same characteristics. Remember, all of us are sinners, all of us were once difficult people, and all of us do not deserve His grace.

Human relations can be difficult, but we all have our faults and shortcomings. We are all like broken vessels that have many cracks. But now, Christian brothers and sisters, we have been made new by the Master Potter. We have a chance to be used by the Master Potter to help grow the seed or to help water the seed. How? By showing love to others, by being tolerant, by showing grace to others, by being kind, by having empathy toward others, by being humble, by giving of oneself, by practicing hospitality, by being fair and reasonable, and by striving to be holy. And it has been said that the best manual on human relations - is the Bible. There are many passages in the Bible that can guide us in how we are to treat others. For example, Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Or another great verse is in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

We are accountable to God for all of our own actions and words. How we respond to others bears witness to this. Will you practice what you read in the Bible; or will you practice what the world has taught you? What can you model that will show others how great Jesus is and might soften their hearts to want to get to know him? In Ephesians 4: 17-24 Paul testifies how we are to model ourselves as new vessels, 

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

We are new vessels now. We no longer have impurities that can weaken a vessel. We have been made new, created after His likeness. How can we, who have received forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace from God, not show godly characteristics towards others? If we do not, how can we call ourselves Christians.

As Christians, we are to love and show grace and mercy towards others, even to those who are non-believers or those who are difficult. We cannot do this on our own. We must seek God and his Word. Lean on Him. Only with His help will we be molded and shaped into followers that model Him. Perhaps in showing love and kindness towards others, hearts will be softened, and seeds will be planted, and our words and actions will show others what the Gospel message is all about - love and redemption.

Heavenly Father,

You know our hearts and minds. We who fail time and time again, yet You continue to show us love, mercy, and grace. Help us to do the same. Help us to be models that exemplify You. We humbly thank you Lord for allowing Your Son to die on the cross all those years ago. Just as Christ Jesus was nailed to the cross, so were our sins nailed to the cross. We praise You, we thank You, and we love You. 

Amen.

Faithful in Prayer and Prayer Tools

 

Stock photo from Light Stock.

A Christian thought to ponder...

Is your prayer life faithful and consistent?

My answer to that question is no. I fail so many times by letting things in this world distract me. Many times, when I am praying, whether at night or during the daytime, my mind will drift. My mind will not stay focused, and I get sidetracked from praying reverently to the Lord. It is similar to when you are in a deep conversation with someone, and then suddenly you get sidetracked by your cell phone or something else, and you abruptly turn away from the conversation. It is rude and disrespectful. So the same principle applies when you are praying to the God only ten times more. For God is our creator, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, and the great I AM. He deserves one hundred percent of our attention and devotion.

Prayer is powerful, but it is also very personal. It is a way to connect to the Lord intimately. It is a way to cry our hearts out to him. It is a way to show our love for him, praise him, thank him, seek his assistance, strength, peace, direction, or protection, and it is a way to petition the Lord. Many women in the bible sought the Lord out in prayer by praising him, thanking him, and petitioning him. For example, in Mary's prayer (mother to Jesus), in Luke 1:46-55, her words show adoration and thanksgiving. 

46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

In 1 Samuel 1:10-11, we see Hannah crying out loud to the Lord and petitioning him to give her a child.

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

To be faithful in prayer, one needs to pray daily, fervently, and continuously. And just as it states in Philippians 4:6-7, we are not to be worried about anything and pray about everything. 

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

God will give us peace of mind and heart when we free our minds of all anxieties and place all of our troubles at his feet.

Prayer Tools

One way I connect with the Lord is through a prayer journal. A prayer journal is a great tool to reach out and connect with God by praising and worshiping him, confessing sin to him, and petitioning him. In addition, it is a great tool to use for reflection. You can go back and reflect on past journal entries and thank the Lord for helping you through a rough time or thank him when he answered prayer. Also, by writing in a prayer journal, I noticed I get less distracted by the things in this world. I am more intent and focused on my prayer and petition to God. 

Another prayer tool I use when I journal is the ACTS prayer model. ACTS is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. When using the ACTS prayer model, I will sometimes pick one or two verses from the Bible to meditate on and pray over. The Psalms is an excellent book to use for the ACTS prayer model. 

So what does ACTS stand for?

A:

Adoration of prayer: it is paying honor to God, or showing fervent and devoted love to God. It is praising God for who he is. It should focus on God's attributes, God's actions, and the Names of God. 

C:

Confession of prayer: it is acknowledging a sin or a conviction and confessing it to the Lord. 

T:

Thanksgiving of prayer: it is an expression of thanks to God. What are you thankful for, or what has God blessed you with that you are thankful for? 

S:

Supplication of prayer: it is a humble petition to God for needs that you may have or the needs of others. 

An example of the ACTS prayer model in my journal would be like this:

Heavenly Father, 

You are gracious, almighty, faithful, and good. You are the Great Promise Keeper and always promise to be with us. We are never alone, for you are the Good Shepherd always near, ever watchful, and protecting Your flock. You are the Great I AM, and there is no one like You. I praise and worship You and give You all the glory for all things. 

Forgive me for allowing the things of this world to distract me from being faithful and consistent in my prayer life. Please forgive me for placing the things of this world above You. I want a closer relationship with You. Please help me resist those things that tempt me and draw me away from You.

Thank you for taking care of all of my needs and my family's needs. Thank you for all Your blessings. Thank you for Your Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and thank you for the hope we have in him and for calling me into Your family. 

I lift up in prayer our Christian brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in red flag countries. I pray that You would protect them, help them have loving and forgiving hearts towards those who persecute them, strengthen them, give them peace, and provide for their needs spiritually and physically. I also lift up all the non-believers in the nations of the world. I pray that You would open their eyes to the Truth, that they would be humbled, and that they would turn to you in repentance and faith.

I ask all these things according to Your will and all for Your glory and praise. Amen. 

I hope and pray that you find these prayer tools helpful in your prayer life and helpful in organizing your thoughts and prayer requests.

Heavenly Father, 

You are sovereign, loving, merciful, faithful, and true. Thank you for Your Word to guide us, shape us and mold us. Thank you for giving us prayer tools to reach out to You and develop a closer relationship with You. Help us to make prayer a priority in our lives. Help us to stay focus on You and seek You at all times. Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed weekend!

Carol Moore