WHO ARE YOU? WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?

SCRIPTURE:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  
(Philippians 2:5)

MEDITATION:
If someone asked you whose life you would like to mimic, 
how would you answer them?
The one we would like to imitate is a good indication 
of not only who we are, but also the person we would like to be.

We should think about the positives of the one we want to be like.
What are their positive characteristics 
and how will our life be improved by developing those same characteristics.
We should also consider the negatives of the one we want to be like.
What are their negative characteristics 
and will they be detrimental to us and who we would like to be?

When we want to be like someone else, 
we need to weigh the entire individual and include the bad with the good.
Will our life improve or get worse 
if we adopt the characteristics and habits of someone else?

More importantly, we should ask ourselves if developing the characteristics 
of another person will increase our fellowship with the Lord.
That is the best measuring stick for anything we think or do, isn’t it?
We may like the charisma or talents that someone else has, 
but our main concern should be, what can we change in our lives 
in order to increase our fellowship with the Lord.

It’s not about what can improve the short time we live, 
it’s about what will be best for us eternally.
The best thing we can do is ignore the attractive traits in others 
and focus on developing a pure heart.
When we do, we can be confident 
that we will have pure motives, pure desires, and pure actions.
Purity of heart is a giant step toward becoming more like Christ.
The more that we mimic Jesus, the more we will please God.
God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. 

When we become more like Christ, we create a desirable environment 
for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
What a great reason to choose Jesus as our model 
and try to become like Him in all we do and say.

ACTION:
What are the characteristics of Jesus that you want to imitate?
What habits, words, thoughts, and attitudes of yours 
would you like to replace with His?
What does a meaningful relationship with the Lord mean to you?
What are you willing to give up 
in order to improve your relationship with Him?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the example Your Son established 
for me to follow. Show me the importance of having the same attitude 
as Jesus. Help me to purge my life of unrighteousness and fill the voids 
with His righteousness. Guide me Lord in developing the same mindset 
as Jesus. I know that when I do, my usefulness to You will be much 
better while I live, and I can look forward to spending an eternity with 
You when my life is over. Cleanse my heart and make it a clean home for 
Your Holy Spirit.”