Happy New Month.
Welcome to September 2020. Please, do me a favor. Stop whatever it is you are doing, stretch your right hand over your shoulder and pat yourself on the back☺☺☺. Done? Let out a loud shabach, jump up and down and dance as hard as you can. See, you've made it through 8 months of 2020. No matter how crazy it has been, the Lord has sure kept you and here you are heading into the last quarter of 2020.
Isn't God amazing??
Now that I have pleasantries outta the way, allow me get into this week's devotion - Christ Like Character. This has been on my mind lately especially now that the church is entering into a very interesting season. If you are sensitive spiritually then you can tell that there is one sound coming out of the church - "Time is running out, we need to depopulate hell & populate heaven". Matthew 9:37 "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest". I'm here for it. It is no longer the responsibility of the Pastors on the pulpit or the Evangelists or the Missionaries in the field. Now more than ever, it is every Child of God's responsibility to fulfill the great commission. Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age". May you settle it in your heart that it is a joy to witness and spread the good news of the cross - Jesus saves & Jesus is love. Share the grace that you have received. I love what my Pastor says, "Grace is just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread". As I was thinking of how one can effectively fulfill the great commission, one constant that I found was developing Christ Like Character. It is virtually impossible to share a Christ whom you are not emulating.
"Kama wokovu ndio hii naona na wewe, siitaki"{If salvation is what I'm seeing with you, then I don't want it}. Sounds familiar? Well, this statement has been said over and over again of "church/christian folk" and it breaks my heart every single time. I must admit it's a legit fear - may it never be said of me. May someone never encounter me and cancel having a relationship with Jesus. It is by far one of the most beautiful and fulfilling relationships you will ever have. One of the main characters of Christ that we see throughout His ministry on earth is LOVE. Christ summarized the laws into one - LOVE.
Matthew 22:35-40 "Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets".
As you draw people to the Kingdom and share Christ's love I'd love to share a couple of the things I've learnt and always keep at the back of mind. I hope that you can draw from them.
Love gives - John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". Before you roll your eyes at me thinking I'm talking about money, kindly hold your horses. There are numerous other things which you can give aside from money. You will be required to put in time - lots of time. Interesting thing is, you may encounter someone who you need to share with over and over again before they grasp the message. Don't give up. There are times you may encounter someone who hasn't eaten in a few days and you want to share with them the gospel of the cross. What better way to demonstrate love than to get them something to eat first then go ahead and tell them about Jesus. It may not be food they need though. They may be hurting and you are in a position to offer relief which you do before you can share with them the gospel. Christ was always moved with compassion when He encountered people and we see Him feeding 5 thousand people after ministering to them. Matthew 14:14 -16 "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and but themselves food". But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
Love covers - 1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins". Reminds me of the story of Jesus & the woman caught in adultery. She was brought before Jesus by men baying for her blood for she had committed an abomination. John 8:3 "Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned". As you go about winning souls and sharing the love of Christ, you will come across characters that mirror this story. For sure, the person is guilty and deserves "punishment". Cover them. Do not expose them - just as Christ covered this young lady and dismissed the Pharisees and those who had gathered to condemn her John 8:7 "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said the them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first". Let it not escape your mind that the same grace that saved you can also save others, no matter how filthy/crazy their lives may be.
Love does not discriminate - 1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and all have been made to drink one Spirit". The Gospel of the cross is for all. Anyone who believes in Christ and what He did on the cross will be saved. Jews & Gentiles alike. Never be limited to who you can share the gospel with. Takes me to the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Their interaction at the well always fascinates me. The woman at the well was even shocked that Christ was talking to her. John 4:9 "Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans". The resultant effect of Christ's action is amazing - imagine He, a Jew stopping to chat with a Samaritan woman - she ran to go and call others. John 4:28 - 30 "The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him". You will easily draw others to Christ by extending a hand to those perceived as "outcast" or "not good enough for the gospel". If for nothing else, they would to "come and see". Who is this who has stopped to pay attention to them and share with them the love of Christ ☺☺☺.
Developing Christ-like character is not easy but as I always say, even the most difficult things are doable when you set your mind on them. I don't have a formula or 7 steps to developing Christ Like Character but one of the surest ways I have found helpful is developing a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. Love actually is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and mold you into the likeness of Christ. My desire is to have a very close relationship with the Holy Spirit to an extent that He can influence the atmosphere around me. A certain M.O.G that I love listening to once said something that resonated with my spirit and created an unquenchable desire to work it to reality - if you spend considerable time with someone and get acquainted with their character & even their fragrance, when they walk into a room, you instinctively know. You don't need to even look/be told so and so has walked into the room. Same thing with someone who has spent time with the Holy Spirit, when they walk into a room, you can tell that there is something different about them, the atmosphere shifts. If there was heaviness/gloominess, it lights up just by their mere presence. It is a work in progress. I'm I there yet? No. I'm making strides every single day just to make sure that I can fully embody who Christ is - LOVE ❤❤❤❤.
God cannot move on the earth by Himself, He requires vessels. Ready, available and purged vessels. Would you be that vessel that God can count on to express His love on earth? I definitely would want to be that vessel. I desire to be the voice that God can use to minister to His children. I desire to be the hands that God can use to embrace His children. I desire to be the legs that God can use to spread His love.
Almighty and everlasting Father thank you for this week's lesson. May you continually teach us how to develop Christ Like Character. Holy Spirit we allow you free reign in our lives. May you teach us & remind us of this valuable lesson that Christ embodied - Love. In areas where we have fallen short, may your grace redeem us. In cases where we have hurt your children by our words/actions Lord we plead for mercy. May we be an extension of your love on earth. May we bring light & love to a hurting world that is wounded and in need of your compassion. As we start this new month, Lord we commit it into your hands and pray that you may be our guide and be our ever present help even as we look to finishing 2020 strong. Thank you. I bless your name. In Jesus Name.
Amen.