
I listened as a group of young Christians discussed the first time they really began to understand God’s presence in their lives. Each spoke about their respective “Ah-ah” moment; some, more profound than others. One girl, a fresh-faced young woman, dressed simply in a pink sweater, t-shirt, and jeans, spoke the most candidly about her revelation.
“My moment is not as profound as some of the others.” She said earnestly, “It goes back to when I was a little younger. I’m the eldest of six children, and my parents always dragged all of us to church. -With six children, you can imagine how much chaos it was just getting everyone in the car. One day after communion, as we all piled into the car; there was more chaos than usual. All the kids were yelling, arguing, and just driving my Mom crazy. She finally turned around and yelled, “For crying out loud, didn't you just receive Jesus!” It really made me think; and it led me to understand that we work every day to be more like Jesus. That was my, Ah-ah moment!” She continued by saying, “I realized then that living in Christ is a constant journey. You literally try more and more each day to be like Jesus. It doesn't happen overnight.”
That young woman discovered something that most Christian adults have difficulty understanding. As Christians, the character of Jesus is our life’s goal; we work on it continuously—day by day; for some of us, minute by minute. It is not simply attending church services, and taking communion. It is a level of thinking, believing, and an evolutionary building of our moral resolve. It is a standard of living with the understanding that we are tested daily in our interactions with others, and in the way we live in this world. Not because we are judged by our works; but, because we consider ourselves children of God and have discovered that living in keen awareness of God’s desire for our lives, is much more advantageous to us than not.
We strive daily to be more like Jesus in all we do, because simply put, we believe we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. L.
Study Reference: Ephesians 1:18-20
From: "Becoming More Like Jesus." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
photo: Tungnam HK