Usually about an hour after I eat dinner, I’m back in the kitchen looking for something sweet. I look in the fridge, in the pantry and on the countertop, narrowing down the choices for my sweet tooth. But I’m looking because there something I don’t have. If I was satisfied, I wouldn’t be in the kitchen.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom and live righteously and God will give you everything you need.” Notice he didn’t say everything you want. Jesus is calling us to seek the kingdom or look for kingdom living because he knows we don’t yet have it. We are missing something. We aren’t satisfied and we end up trying all kinds of things that aren’t good for us. Jesus knows exactly what we need to be satisfied: His Kingdom.
So, Paul calls us to imitate Jesus in life and character in Philippians 2:2-3. He calls us as followers to have the posture of Jesus. As followers and believers, we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, the Chosen One, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet, Jesus left all that to be killed for you and me so we could be reunited with our Heavenly Father. See, Jesus posture preceded his position. And we are called to that kind of living as well. Seeking the right posture yields righteousness, not because of anything I’ve done but because of all that Jesus has done and is doing.
So if we are going to be formed into imitators of Jesus, there are some things we can do in our lives to be better molded to look like Jesus. There are four things to know that will help build a Jesus’ posture in your life.
Be a part of community. Robin and I have been married 33 years. I’m grateful for what we have. But since the first week of our marriage, people who are believers have pulled us in and walked with us on our journey. Randy and Robin in Minnesota, Larry and Cindy in Ponca City, John and Sharron who known us since the mid-90s. Being in community or part of a church faith group is paramount. That family of believers gathers around you and helps shape you into someone who looks more like Jesus. You can’t have Jesus without the church.
Secondly, giving your resources helps build a Jesus’ posture. When we talk about money and possessions, we tend to get uncomfortable…nervous. But 15% of Jesus’ preaching was about this subject. It’s clear we are to manage our resources and not them manage us. There is a principle Robin and I use called tithing; giving 10% of our income back to Jesus/the church. We want to do what we can so that other’s can hear the message of freedom…the message of Jesus. When you decide to give back, you’re saying, “God, I think you can do more with my 90% than I can with my 100%.” It’s trusting God will provide and I share the blessings I have recieved.
Jesus said he had come to serve not be served. That’s our third shaping characteristic. When we serve others, we look like Jesus. There are so many ways to serve in the context of a spiritual family but also ways to serve our country, city, and schools. The principle of Jesus in this vein is that others are more important than you, which is a breath of fresh air in our culture. Americanism claims you are number one and you are all that’s important. In Jesus’ upside down kingdom, putting others ahead of yourself is looking like Jesus.
Finally, living an authentic life is how we are called in Jesus. The biggest knock against the church is that we say one thing and do another. That’s called hypocrisy. David Kinnaman, president of Barna, wrote two informative books using data his company collected that measured culture and church. The world doesn’t want any part of the church because we tend to be hypocritical. Three of the six things Barna discovered where the church is judgmental, hypocritical, too political, and too sheltered. There were more findings but these would remind us of the need to be authentic: making our voices and lives mirror Jesus.
As believers, we want a life and story that match our declaration that Jesus is Lord and King. To call for us as believers as that we’d count the cost of following Jesus and sign up. That we would be the kind of people who have a life that looks like Jesus full of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, unconditional love. To help mold us better into that person make sure you are part of a community of believers, that you give freely of your resources, that you serve those around you and live an authentically real Jesus life. Blessings on the journey.