THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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The pastor invited a man to church.
The man said, "Can't go....too many hypocrites there."
The pastor said, "Well, come on, one more won't hurt!"
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1 John 2:6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
KJV
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What a statement to Christians: To live like Jesus lived .... WOW!
To have our conversation as clean as His.
To have our walk in faith as strong as His.
To have our character as impeccable as His.
Is this possible? Of course not. But it sure should be our GOAL!
One reason we "miss the mark" is because we don't AIM high enough!
Three simple reasons why we should strive to be as Christ in all we do:
For OURSELVES. The mark of maturity in a Christian is keeping Jesus as the "measuring line" and trying to live up to the Measure. And the happiness that is found is in knowing that we have sweet communion with Him.
For CHRISTIANITY's SAKE. Inconsistency in our character does more harm than the critic or the infidel. The more we "mirror" Christ, the more likelihood someone will be drawn to Him.
And especially for CHRIST'S SAKE! Remember Jesus' question to Peter, "Lovest thou Me more than these?" Of course Peter failed! We all do. But Peter's fidelity was proven by His constant growth to maturity, his consistent behavior that mirrored Christ, and His determination to keep Christ first in all he did.
His "banner" over us is LOVE!
Let us be bearers of that banner!
Love ya,
Bruce