Chapter 27 The twenty-second day was created to be like Christ

The twenty-second day was created to be like Christ God planned everything He did from the very beginning, God purposed to shape those who love him, To make their lives of the same quality as his Son's. We see the essence and original idea of ​​our life from him. (Romans 8:29, Msg) From the Son of God, we can see the original intention of God in creating all things. (Colossians 1:15, Msg) God created you to be like Christ. From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like His Son, Jesus.This is your destiny and your third purpose in life.God announced this plan at the beginning of creation: "Let us make man in our own image, in our own likeness," said God.

Of all created beings, only human beings are created "in the image of God," which is a great privilege and dignity.We don't fully understand the meaning of God's words, but we do know a few things about them: Like God, we are spiritual—our earthly bodies are mortal, but our spirit is immortal; like God, we are intellectual - We can think, reason, and solve problems; like God, we are related to each other - we can give love and receive love; like God, we have moral consciousness - we can distinguish between good and evil, so we must be accountable to God. The Bible says that all people, not just believers, are part of God, which is why murder and abortion are wrong.But this image has been marred and distorted by sin, therefore, God sent Jesus to the world to restore our lost image to wholeness.

What does the complete image and likeness of God look like?Just like Jesus Christ!The Bible says that Jesus is "the exact image of God's being" and "the visible image of the invisible God." He is the "symbol of God's essence." "Like father, like son" is a phrase often used to describe family members who look alike.It makes me happy when people say my children are like me.Likewise, God wants His children to be in His image and likeness.The Bible says, "You... were created like God, in true righteousness and holiness." But I'm going to say this straight and clear: You can never be a god, or even a god.This megalomaniac lie is Satan's oldest trick.Satan assured Adam and Eve that if they followed his instructions, "you will be like gods."Today, many religions and New Age philosophies still promote the old lie that we are divine and can become God.

This desire to be a god arises whenever we want to control our environment, our future, or the people around us.However, as creatures, it is absolutely impossible for us to be creators.God does not want us to be gods, God wants us to be godly like God—with his values, attitudes, and character.The Bible says, "Live a whole new way of life—a life of God's likeness, a life renewed from within to outward behavior, just as God has literally reshaped his character within you." The ultimate goal of life that God has set for you is not ease and enjoyment, but character building. He wants you to grow spiritually and become like Christ. "Like Christ" does not mean losing one's individuality and becoming a "replicant" without personality.God made you so special that He would not want to destroy His creation.Christlikeness is a constant transformation of character, not a change of personality.

The character God wants you to develop is recorded in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul's great chapter on love, and Peter's list of the characteristics of a fruitful life.Whenever you forget that character is God's purpose for your life, you will be dissatisfied with your situation, and even question God, saying, "Why did this happen to me? Why did I have such a hard time? There is an answer in life. It is hard! Because suffering helps us grow. Remember, this is Earth, not Heaven. Many Christians misunderstand the "abundant life" promised by Jesus as being healthy, comfortable, always happy, dreams come true, and problems are solved immediately through faith and prayer.In other words, they expect the Christian life to be easy, they expect earth to be like heaven.

This kind of self-righteous view regards God as Aladdin's magic lamp to satisfy personal desires and be at your beck and call anytime and anywhere.But God is not your slave.If you fall into the trap of thinking that life is easy and easy, you will be devastated by disillusionment and even live in denial of reality. Never forget that the center of your life is not yourself!You exist for God's purpose, don't put the cart before the horse.How can God provide heaven on earth, since God has already prepared everything that is true for you in eternity?God gives us time on earth to build and strengthen our character in preparation for life in heaven.

Holy Spirit at work in you It is the work of the Holy Spirit to create a Christlike character in you.The Bible says, "The Spirit of the Lord works in us to make us more and more like him and to reflect his glory." This process of changing us to be more like Christ is called "sanctification" and is the third purpose of life. You cannot duplicate the character of Christ in your own strength.New Year's resolutions, willpower or good intentions are useless.Only the Holy Spirit can change our lives according to God's will.The Bible says, "God works in you to give you obedience to his will and the ability to do what pleases him."

When it comes to "the power of the Holy Spirit", many people think of miracles or scenes of passion.In fact, most of the time, the power of the Holy Spirit is often released in your life quietly and silently, without you even noticing or feeling it.He often reminds us with "a small voice". Christlikeness does not come by "imitation" but by "indwelling".We allow Christ to live through us: "Here's the secret: 'Christ lives in you.'" How does this happen?It is our choice; we choose to do what is right in each situation and trust the Spirit of God to give us the power, love, faith and wisdom to accomplish our mission.Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, he will give it to us if we ask him.

We must work with the Holy Spirit An important truth repeated throughout the Bible is that the Holy Spirit works "immediately" when you take one step of faith.When Joshua faced insurmountable obstacles, the overflowing waters of the Jordan River parted immediately after the leaders obeyed in faith and put their feet into the rapids.Obedience is the key that opens the door of God's power. God waits for you to act first, not until you feel confident or capable.Moving forward in your weakness, taking action to do what is right despite your fears and feelings, is how to work with the Holy Spirit and how to develop character.

The Bible uses seed, house and child growth as metaphors for spiritual growth.Each metaphor emphasizes the importance of active participation: seeds need to be planted and watered, houses must be built, children need food and exercise to grow. Salvation is not due to our hard work, but spiritual growth has a lot to do with hard work.At least eight times in the New Testament we are told to "make every effort" to grow into Christlikeness.You can't just sit back and wait for things to happen automatically. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul explained that we have three responsibilities to be like Christ.First, we must choose to let go of our old behavior patterns. "Eliminate...everything related to the old way of life, they are all corrupt!"

Second, we must change the way we think. "Let the Holy Spirit change the way you think".The Bible says we are "changed" by the renewing of our minds.The Greek word for "transFormed" is "metrmorphosis," (this word is used in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18). Today, transformation describes the transformation of a caterpillar into The wonderful "change" process of butterflies.When we allow God to guide our thoughts, the spiritual transformation that occurs in us is like a beautiful picture: we are changed from the inside out, become more beautiful, and are free to soar to higher places. Third, we must "put on" the character of Christ by developing new and godly habits.Your character is simply the sum of your habits, and your actions out of them.The Bible says, "And put on the new self, which was created in the image of God in true righteousness and holiness." God shapes us with His Word, people, and circumstances All three are essential.God's word is the truth we need to grow, God's people are the support we need to grow, and the situation is the environment we need to learn to be like Christ.If you read and practice the Bible, keep in touch with other believers, and learn to trust God in times of trouble, I guarantee you will become more and more like Jesus.In the following chapters, we will discuss each of these elements of growth. Many people think that reading the Bible and praying will lead to spiritual growth: But some things in life can never be changed by reading the Bible and praying alone.God uses people, and he often works through people rather than through miracles, because he wants us to depend on each other, to have close fellowship; he wants us to grow together. In many religions, the saints who are considered the most spiritually mature are those who live in isolation, isolated from the world, and living alone in temples on top of mountains.This is really a big misunderstanding.A mature spiritual life cannot be achieved by one person alone!You cannot grow like Christ in isolation.You have to be in the crowd and mingle with people, get involved in the church, join the community.why?Because true spiritual maturity is learning to love like Jesus did.No contact with others, no way to learn to be like Jesus.Remember, it's all about love, loving God and loving people. Becoming like Christ is a long and slow process of growth Spiritual maturity is not achieved overnight, nor is it automatic; it is a gradual development process throughout your life.Paul said, "Until we all . . . have grown to the full stature of Christ." You are a work in progress, and it will take your whole life to develop the spiritual transformation of Jesus-like character. Even so, some people may not be able to complete it in this life. It will only end when you go to heaven or Jesus returns.At that time, your unfinished work of character will be concluded.The Bible says that when we see the perfect Christ, we will be perfectly like him: "We cannot even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns, but we know for sure that we will be like him when he comes, because We'll see him for what he really is." Much of the confusion in the Christian life is due to dismissing the simple truth that God is more interested in building your character than anything else.We worry when God is silent about something specific, like, "Which career should I choose?" The truth is, many different careers could be God's will for your life: but His primary concern is, Whatever you do, you do it in Christlikeness. God cares about you more than what you do.Because we are human beings, not human doings.God values ​​your character more than your work, because you will go into eternity with your character, not your work. The Bible warns, "Don't adjust yourself to your culture without thinking, but focus on God, and you will be changed from the inside out...God will bring out the upper Well, develop maturity within you, unlike the culture around you that always pulls you down into immaturity." You have to make a counter-trend decision and focus on being like Christ.Otherwise your peers, parents, colleagues and cultural pressure will mold you into their image. Sadly, as many of the best-selling Christian books reflect, many believers today have given up living for the Lord's great mission and are seeking only personal fulfillment and emotional peace.This is narcissism, not discipleship.The Lord Jesus died on the cross not for us to live a comfortable and smooth life.It has a deeper purpose, He wants us to be more like Him before we go to Heaven.This is our great privilege, our first priority, and our ultimate goal.