Jesus is the Model..Craig Denison Ministries

 Jesus is the Model

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Loving others is one of the most important and difficult commands Jesus gave us. We are a messy, broken, needy, and sinful people. We constantly deal with our own wounds and those of others. Because there is no perfect person, the foundation for loving others must be based outside of the merit or worth of others. The foundation for love must come from the God who is love. As believers we must be constantly tapped into the love and grace of our heavenly Father so that we can love others selflessly and powerfully. May you receive the love of your Father and be empowered to love others this week as we look to grow in our obedience of Jesus’ command to love people.

Scripture: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” >1 John 3:16

Devotional:

Everything Jesus did was done out of his perfect love for the Father and us. Every word, healing, prayer, and action was done out of unconditional devotion. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Scripture commands us to love others the way Christ did. Jesus is our model for living. And God never commands us without perfectly equipping us. If we are to “walk in love, as Christ loved us,” we must believe God will fill us up with the ability to love as Jesus loved.

The concept of living like Jesus always seemed unreachable. It often reminded me of motivational posters that read, “Reach for the moon—even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” But God’s word is not an unachievable suggestion. His word is perfect and true. And Scripture says in Romans 8:29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” God’s plan is to conform us into perfect reflections of Jesus’ love. His plan is to fashion us into disciples who live, work, and love as he did.

We can live our lives in obedience to God’s command to love others for one reason alone: our heavenly Father is near, alive, and active in us. The same God who empowered Paul, Peter, John, Stephen, David, Daniel, and Esther lives in us today. Romans 8:11 says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” And the Bible says that the fruit of the Spirit who dwells within us as believers is love. We can love like Jesus because his Spirit longs to produce the fruit of love deep within us. He longs to love people through us. He has a perfect plan to use you to reveal to a broken and searching world the unfathomable riches of Jesus’ love.

If we are to look to Jesus as our model, we must first believe that God can and will help us. We must believe that the Spirit is perfectly capable of taking what was dust and fashioning it into the likeness of the Son. Secondly, we must spend time allowing the Spirit to move in and through us. We must make space in our lives to be loved by God so that we can be used by him to love others. I can offer nothing of value that I haven’t first received from my heavenly Father. I can do nothing great unless God has done something great in me. 1 John 2:6 says, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” We have to be children who abide in Jesus so that we can walk in his ways.

God longs to love you and help you love others today. He longs to meet you and heal the wounds and insecurities that have kept you from loving others well. He longs to empower and transform you to live like Jesus. Run to him with open arms, and allow him to do a mighty work in you as you enter into guided prayer.   

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire for you to love like Jesus. Remember that God doesn’t command you to do something you are incapable of doing. Allow Scripture to fill you with desire and faith for what God has for you.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” >Ephesians 5:1-2

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” >1 Peter 2:21

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” >Romans 8:29

2. Where do you need God to do a mighty work in you today? Ask the Spirit to reveal what areas he wants to heal today. Ask him to guide you to a wound or insecurity he longs to speak to and love.

3. Receive the love of your heavenly Father. Allow him to heal and empower you to love others. Ask him to transform you into the image of Jesus and fill you with his heart for others around you.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” >Luke 6:27

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” >1 Peter 4:8

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” >Matthew 5:43-47

It is impossible to be consistently loved by God and not love others. His love has this incredible ability to heal us and empower us at the same time. His heart is always to love us while helping us to love others. As you grow in your relationship with your heavenly Father, allow him to use you in increasingly powerful ways. Allow him to make you selfless and servant-hearted. Allow his love to make you more like Jesus. May you discover the joy and peace that comes from wholeheartedly loving others today.

Extended Reading: 1 John 3

The Need for Friendship..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Need for Friendship

Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 4:9-22

Independence is a prized attribute in our culture, but biblically, it isn't a worthy aspiration. Nowhere in Scripture will you find the erroneous quote, "God helps those who help themselves." The very fact that the Lord formed the church--a community of believers--should tell us that He did not create people for self-sufficiency or isolation.

When we place faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us so we can have a fulfilling relationship with the Lord and satisfying friendships with one another. In God's design, a close, committed biblical friendship between two believers serves to build both toward Christlikeness. Look at any of the saints in Scripture, and you will find evidence of reliance upon a close friend or confidante for support. Paul, in particular, spoke freely and often of his dependence upon dear companions and encouraged others to form intimate partnerships as well (2 Tim. 2:22).

It's interesting to me that our modern culture seems to be headed in the opposite direction. The farther our nation drifts from God, the more pervasive our self-sufficient attitude becomes. Neighbors treat each other with suspicion instead of congeniality, and that mindset has invaded the church as well. We're hesitant to give to others, which in turn makes us reluctant to receive.

Scripture tells us to love one another, bear our brothers' burdens, and confess our sins to fellow believers (John 13:34 ; Gal. 6:2; James 5:16). In other words, we're to give ourselves away to others and receive from them in return. That's how church members can stimulate one another to Christlikeness.

Where Is Your Forever Home?..Lynette Kittle

Where Is Your Forever Home?
By Lynette Kittle

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal”—2 Corinthians 4:18

Countless viewers love watching the house hunting shows on HGTV, where many of the home seekers are searching for their “forever homes,” which maybe is just a term to mean until they pass from this life, because this world is passing away. The truth is there are no forever homes on earth. As much as individuals like to believe they can choose somewhere to stay indefinitely, we are not in control. It’s a false security. 

Natural disasters, job losses, economic crisis, even wars prove we can’t plan for forever living in a world that’s constantly changing. Earthly comforts are fleeting and offer no guarantees of everlasting value. Ancient ruins, along with not-so-ancient ruins, display how things on earth deteriorate no matter how strong and innovative they’re built, or how much we’re assured things will last forever in the world. They just don’t. This world isn’t meant to last forever.

Mistakenly, people spend too much time planning for a “forever home” on earth instead of planning for a “forever home” in the real forever.

How to Plan Your True “Forever Home”

It’s easy to invest so much time, money, and effort into attaining the dream or forever home on earth. But everything on earth is temporal. Although it’s enjoyable on earth, it doesn’t have lasting value in eternity. As Isaiah 51:6 explains, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail.”  

God has created us to live eternally, whether in heaven or in hell, so we aren’t designed to live on this earth forever. Yet, many of us spend so much time, energy, effort, and resources, to achieve a certain type of lifestyle. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

God Gives Us Our Value
Still, so many of us work around the clock, missing opportunities to spend time with those we love, with those God loves, and God Himself to focus on gaining more. We choose gathering up of wealth and possessions over storing-up treasures in heaven. Some of us work to become known, renown, and famous, in order to gain the approval of others, and recognition, and to feel worthy and valuable in the world. 

But God already has given us the highest value possible in this life and the life to come. Hebrews 2:7, 8 describes, “You made them a little lower than the angels; You crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet. In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.”

The only one and true living God gave Himself to save us, giving us the highest value available to humankind. No matter what we gather or attain in reputation, none can outweigh the value God has already given us in this life. 1 John 5:11 reminds us, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:6,7, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Where are you spending all your time, effort, and resources? Are you asking God where to invest, or are you following the world’s leading? Ask God to help keep your eyes fixed on the eternal prize that lies ahead with Him (Hebrews 12:2).

A Simple Way to Think about Sanctification..David Powlison

 A Simple Way to Think about Sanctification

By David Powlison

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:23

The word sanctification is a five-syllable abstraction for the very human process of growing up and simply being and becoming human. When we think about how flourishing humanness is described in Scripture, it operates in two dimensions. One is that we learn how to walk with our Savior. A shorthand of this would be that we become increasingly childlike toward our Father whom we trust.

Then there's a horizontal dimension, that we become increasingly like our Savior. In a whole variety of ways—how we talk with people, what our priorities are, what choices we make, how we approach money, relationships, and decision making—we actually become helpful to others.

I like that shorthand: childlike toward our Father and helpful toward other people.

The 3 Tenses of Sanctification

One word of clarification that's helpful in defining sanctification is that it actually has a past tense, a present tense, and a future tense.

The Bible uses the word sanctification most often in the past tense: it says that you are a saint, that you have been made holy.

The present tense refers to our becoming holy, becoming childlike, becoming helpful—becoming both wiser in walking with and more conformed to the image of our Jesus.

And then sanctification has a future tense. On the last day when the battle is done and the race is run and we see him face to face, then we will be like him.

A Prayer to Stop Looking Back..Meg Bucher

 A Prayer to Stop Looking Back

By Meg Bucher

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

“One …two …three …four …”

The painful consequence of looking back increased in intensity with every push-up.

“five …six …seven …”

One of my nicknames was “Chicken Wing” in high school …

“eight …nine …ten …”

Resembling a stick figure, my hyperextending elbows bent under my weight as I struggled to push myself off the ground over and over again. Scoring points for my team, I’d raced a good mile, but I couldn’t resist the urge to see where the rest of the field was behind me. I owed my coach ten push-ups for every time I looked back. 

Even when we unlock a talent the Lord has given us and work hard to be the best we can be, it’s human nature to struggle with confidence. Doubt causes us to look back while running full speed ahead. The Apostle Paul made it a habit to forget about the past and instead focus on what’s ahead. Forget means to cease or fail to remember, be unable to recall, or omit or neglect unintentionally.

Paul wrote about the finish line of our faith, eternity with Christ. The English Standard Version reads: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The ESV Global Study Bible explains: “The Greek word for a goal can mean either the finish line in a race or an archery target. The prize for Christians is the blessings and rewards in the age to come.”

God blessed me with incredible distance coaches. They taught me to focus on the finish line, helped me learn how to pace myself and break the bad habit of looking back. It takes a lot of faith to put your head down and exhaust every ounce of energy in your body, trusting someone to pick your wobbly, passed-out self off of the ground at the finish line. Coach’s voice still rings in my ears today, layered with more belief in me than I ever had. 

Jesus is calling us. Listen and look for Him in the present and the future. Look back briefly enough to remember how important it is to keep running forward. We’d look ridiculous if we ran backward at full speed. Let’s pray for the focus to keep moving forward. 

Let’s pray:

Father, 
Thank You for faithful servants like Paul! Through his divinely inspired words and life story, we can learn what it means to keep running forward into the future you have planned for us. It’s hard to forget, God. We tend to cling to things that have already happened, wishing they would have gone another way. When people hurt us, it’s hard to forgive but even harder to forget. Father, we pray for Your divine strength today to help us focus on the present. What do you have for us to do today, God? Help us to focus. This is the day You have made, Lord! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! And, in what’s to come. Jesus’ return and eternity with You in heaven. For all who claim Jesus as their Savior, this is what we have to look forward to. God, we pray Your voice echoes in our minds like my coach still rings in mine! Sometimes we need someone to believe in us more than we do! Jesus, You are always that person for us. Our Savior, Messiah, Living Water, and Friend. Thank You for returning the smiles to our faces and lifting the countenance of our hearts. 
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.