Day 22

You were Created to Become like Christ

From the beginning you were created to be like HIS Son.... this is your destiny and you third purpose - God announced those intention - The bible says that all people not just believers possess part of the image of God that is why murder and abortion are wrong

but the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin so God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that we have lost. - What does the "full image and likeness" of God look like ?

" the visible image of invisible God" and "Exact representation of HIS being "

2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 1:3

let it be clear

YOU WILL NEVER BECOME GOD ... or a god

this desire to control, circumstances of our future and people around us but as creatures we will never become a creator.

HE wants you to become godly

Gods ultimate goal for you on earth is not comfort, but character development He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ doesn’t mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone

God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus

the fruits of the spirits(Galatians 5: 22-23)

Pauls great chapter of love (1 Corinthians 13 )

and Peter’s list of the Characteristic of an effective and productive life( 2 Peter 1:5-8

Many Christians misinterpret Jesus promise of the "abundant life" John 10:10 To mean:

perfect health

a comfortable lifestyle

constant happiness

full realization of your dream

instant relief from problems through faith and prayer

(Basically they expect life to be easy)

this self absorbed pictured treats God as a genie who simply exist to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment - But God not your servant - it is the Holy spirit Job to produce Christ like character - you ca not do it on your own - Mention "the power of the Holy Spirit" and many people think of miraculous demonstrations and intense emotions But most of the time the Holy Spirit power is released in your life in quiet unassuming ways that you aren’t even aware of or can’t feel He often nudges us with a soft whisper.

*** We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to work

Throughout the Bible we See an important truth illustrated over and over the Holy Spirit and over the Holy Spirit releases His power the moment you take a step of faith

God waits for you to go first Don’t wait to feel powerful or confident move a head on your weakness doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings... The Bible compares Spiritual growth to a seed a building, and a child growing up

Each metaphor requires acts of participation

Seeds must be planted and cultivated building must be built - they don’t just appear and Children must eat and exercise to grow

While effort has nothing to do with your salvation has everything to do with your spiritual growth

Ephesians 4:22 -24 Our 3 responsibilities in becoming like Christ

1 choose to let go of old way of acting

"Everything connected with that old way of life has to go it is rotten through and through get rid of it !" Ephesians 4 :22

2 Change the way we think "let the Spirit change your way of thinking " Ephesians 4:23

3. Put on Character of Christ "put on the new self Created to be lie God I trust righteousness and holiness" Ephesians 4:24

God use His word People & circumstances to mold us - All three are indispensable for character development - Gods word - provides truth we need to grow - Gods people - provides the support to grow and circumstances provides the environment we need to practice Christ likeness

If you study and apply God’s word connect regularly with another believers, could learn to trust God in difficult circumstances I guarantee you will become more like Jesus

***Becoming Like Christ is along slow process of growth : Spiritual growth: neither isn’t nor automatic it is a gradual progressive development that will take the rest of your life

Jesus Did not Die on the Cross Just so we could live comfortable well adjusted life His purpose is fare deeper He wanted to make us like HIMSELF before HE takes us to Heaven. This is our greatest privilege our immediate responsibility and our ultimate destiny

Day 22

Think about my purpose

Point to ponder I was created to become like Christ

Verse to Remember " as the Spirits of the Lord works with in us we become more and more like him and reflect HIS glory even more 2 Corinthians 3 : 18

Question to Consider: In what area of my life do I need to ask for the spirit Power to be like Christ today?

From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. God announced this intention at Creation: "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.'" What does the full "image and likeness" of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! The Bible says Jesus is "the exact likeness of God," "the visible image of the invisible God," and "the exact representation of his being."

God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn't want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality. Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us. "For this is the secret: Christ lives in you." How does this happen in real life? Through the choices we make. We choose to do the right thing in situations and then trust God's Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God's Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking.

Sadly, a quick review of many popular Christian books reveals that many believers have abandoned living for God's great purposes and settled for personal fulfillment and emotional stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship. Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted lives. His purpose is far deeper: He wants to make us like himself before he takes us to heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny.

from the journal

from the very beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his son, Jesus. This your destiny, and the third purpose of your life. What does the full image and likeness of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! On earth, God’s ultimate goal for your life is not comfort, but Christlike character.

Only the Holy Spirit has the supernatural power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives this process is called sanctifications. It’s not a matter of trying really hard to be like Jesus, but trusting and listening to his Spirit. Who lives inside us However, the Holy Spirit releases his power the moment you take a step of faith. He waits for you to act first. God also uses his Word, his people and circumstances to mold us, God’s Word provides the truth we need to grow, God’s people provide the support we need to grow, and circumstances proved the environment to practice Christlikeness.

Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. Our transformation into Christlikeness will be complete when we get to heaven or when Jesus returns. When we are to see Jesus perfectly, we’ll become perfectly like him. Jesus wants to make us like himself before he takes us to heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny