I Want To Be Christ-like…But Do I Really?

So many times we have lofty ambitions of making ourselves better than we are now…to be more loving, less judgmental, a harder worker, a better helper. In essence more Christ-like. After all, did He not demonstrate, during His time on earth, how to be like Him? I wonder, though, do we consider what it really means to be Christ-like? Yes, we say, its hard work to love the unlovable, it’s difficult to do that little extra for someone after we have had a hard day at work. But do we really consider how it is to be Christ-like? Have you thought of the things that you give up? Hmmm, you think, I give up my time, I give up having things my way….  No, when you become more Christ-like you give up so much more.

To be Christ-like, you have to give up rights. Let me explain. Was Christ angry? Yes, it was a pure and spiritual anger against sin, not against people but against sin. Can you do that? Can you give up the right to be angry? But mine is a spiritual anger. Hmm, not from what I’ve seen. What I have seen is usually judgment disguised as “spiritual” anger. To be Christ-like you have to show love, even when it is the very last thing you want to do. You want to be angry, but anger is not Christ-like.

How about giving up the right to be judging? I know that I have come across this so much within myself. Everyone knows how much I love fashion and unfortunately I have a tendency to judge someone wearing pajamas out in public. Or a driver will cut me off in traffic and I judge them to be on their phone or impatient. I usually don’t consider what they may be going through at the moment. Is the person in pajamas hurrying to the store because their child is sick? Is the driver in a hurry to help someone? Yet, I judge them usually negatively. Not very Christ-like. But, you say, I judge them according to the Scriptures. Nope, again. You are using “spirituality” to clobber someone. There is no where in the Word that says to judge a person, only God can do that, and I hate to tell you but you are not God. He doesn’t need your help in controlling people. And that is what you are doing when you judge. You are putting your values, your thoughts, your way of living onto another person. God has not designed people to live your way.

The right to gossip. What? Me, gossip? Talking negatively about anyone, under any circumstances is gossip. I don’t gossip, I just talk about that person in order to have others pray for the situation. I have heard this one so many, many times. We need to “pray” over this situation. Really. The fact is, you just want to talk about that person and what they may or may not have done. No matter how you put it, if it is negative, it is gossip.

Our job to be Christ-like is so very simple, yet so very hard. We have one job and one job only, love others. That’s it! Just love others. No sermon preaching about the right and wrongs of their life, no lessons to teach, just love. Love only. Give up your rights to be angry, judgmental, vengeful and just love. Like I said, so simple, yet so very difficult. Some people are so difficult to love.

Giving up some of these rights are so hard when you have been hurt and can’t find the way out of the pain. However if we say we are Christ-like, or even if we say we are Christians, we have to work on giving up those rights. Here is another simple way to do that; read the Word. Read it daily. God is there, He loves you so much, He will show you what to do.