Seed for Jan 28

It is often said "Try to be like Christ." "Or WWJD," meaning we are to try to act like Jesus. You have probably heard people say, "Just follow in Jesus footsteps" here again here the meaning is imitation (pretending). Try to imitate Christ. Try to be like Him, etc. It is my opinion that here is where we have failed in communicating the "good news" to the Church. We have churches full of pretenders. The Gospel was never about us being "like" anyone, or trying to copy Jesus! But as Paul said in Romans, it is about us "seeing" ourselves dead and Christ Jesus alive in our own living bodies now. Living and walking in faith is not about us pretending anything. It is not about me being "like" anyone. Even the thought of “following His footsteps” is wrong. We are not following behind Jesus, He is in us, looking out of our eyes, speaking out of our mouths, and reaching out with our hands. Christian living is about us making an active presentation of our bodies to the Spirit of God (which is our reasonable service), and allowing God to live out Himself in and through us. If I pretend to be anything that I am not, it will not be long before the truth shows up and you and I will both know I am pretending. Why do so many Christians fail? Because they are pretending to be Christ-like and then trouble comes and the truth comes out of their mouths. It was never about me pretending, but it was always about Him living in me, a reality. It was never about what I can do, but what He can do in me. I must decrease so that He may increase, means less of my will and more of His will in me. Be blessed