Throughout the New Testament
it is clear that our model for life is the life of Jesus. We are called to be like him; we are chosen
to follow Jesus’ ways and character; to be transformed into His image. I see that in two pictures:
Jesus was a miracle and He wants
that for us too
Jesus' resurrection was a
miracle of God. The only way we can be
like Him is to follow in His steps. Some
have said that the age of miracles is done.
That is categorically untrue! The
greatest miracle of all is when God, in response to our childlike faith,
reaches down and saves a human soul.
The Bible says that you can
have that if you will accept it (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus offers it as a free gift. His offer to anyone is the miracle of faith,
with which you may believe, and receive eternal life.
Jesus was a martyr and we also
must give ourselves
Being a miracle is one thing
-- martyrdom is quite another.
But Jesus said we would be martyrs
(Acts 1:8). The word "witness"
comes from the Greek base "martus."
It means to spread the word (see John 12:17). To be a Biblical martyr is to share the good
news with others. That is what Jesus
did. That is how we can be like Him.
About being like Jesus (following
Him)
I still have relatives in my
home state of New York. We moved south
of the Mason-Dixon Line almost forty years ago; some changes are
noticeable. After 5 or 6 years of living
in Florida, I called my New York cousin to chat. It had been a year since we'd heard each
other. I thought: My word, he sounds like a Yankee! I was just about to remark about his "accent"
when he blurted out, "Y'know, Rus, youse is stawtin' ta tawk
funny."
That conversation turned on
a light switch in my brain, and I realized that some changes had taken
place. I said things like some of my
native neighbors. And those neighbors
had begun to lose their accents and speak correctly!
When you stay close to Jesus
– and remember what He did for you – you will begin to be like Him. It happens mostly without flashes of
lightning and dramatic announcements.
You just grow alike.
There is only one
requirement in all this. In order to be
a martyr
(martus, witness), you first have to be a miracle – you have to be raised
from the dead.
For You, Today…
Have you had your
miracle? Has Christ come within?
And if so…are
you being his martus?
You’ve been
raised from the dead; spread that news!
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