{Be Devoted} Walk as Jesus Did
By Jessica Lauren
1 John 2:5-6 says, “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
Walking like Jesus. What a calling! Jesus has so perfectly navigated through every circumstance in life, and here we are attempting to follow His footsteps. And in that verse, we see this higher calling. A calling to step away from mediocrity, step away from being a good enough person, step away from the average Christian life – and live radically for the Lord. Jesus life was radical – it was set apart, it was completely different from the world. This verse begins to unfold a concept that if we really love Jesus, we will live in obedience to Him. If we are truly passionate about our King, our lives will reflect that.
It’s such a simple, basic concept, but sometimes I wonder if we truly grasp to fullness of our calling. In Philippians 1:27, Paul says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Is my life worthy of the gospel of Christ? That’s a really hard question to answer, because most of the time it’s not. So often I’m desensitized to the seriousness of sin. Jesus Christ gave His life because of my sin. The Lord is broken over the sin in this world, and if I’m going to walk like Jesus did, my heart will be broken as well. Our world glorifies and glamorizes sin and we have to be careful that we don’t find ourselves slowly allowing our hearts to become okay with the things that hurt our Jesus.
God doesn’t overlook disobedience. His grace isn’t a blank check to do whatever we desire. Rather, because of His great sacrifice, His perfect love poured out on the cross, it should be our JOY and our greatest desire to give the Lord our lives. When it comes to things in your life that may be “permissible” but not “beneficial” maybe reevaluate your priorities. Is it more important to please ME or is it more important to love Jesus? Loving Jesus creates an obedient heart. An obedient heart walks like Jesus and bears fruit. It’s a simple equation that is easily lost in the day to day.
It’s not always comfortable or inspiring to talk about sin. In fact, it would be much easier to read a heart-warming, fuzzy blog post. But remember your calling. Remember that you are His. Remember that if we claim to be His, we have to live like it too.
