Friday, 27 September 2024
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” – John 15:13 KJV
Albert Einstein discovered that light travels at 300000 km/sec. Experiments have been designed and they have all proven this value. To get to this value, you have to replicate these experiments exactly the way they have been described. This means, to get to the same value you have to replicate the experiment without deviating or omitting any steps. When you follow the instructions, you will also come to the same conclusion. Trying to do the same experiment and not arriving at the same conclusion means you have deviated or omitted essential steps that would have led you to the same conclusion.
We all know that Jesus, in His ministry on earth, walked and conducted Himself in a manner that was pleasing to the Father. He is our role model and we all aspire to walk in the same manner. His character has been proven, and everyone knows, that He is a perfect representation of a godly character, the godly life. As His disciples who have been predestined to conform to His image, we also ought to walk with integrity, holiness, and humility. These are all traits that Jesus embodied, and those that claim to be His disciples or followers have to exude the same traits. Now that we know our end target, how do we then go about achieving this objective?
The above scripture (John 15:3) shows that, like Christ, we have to sacrifice and inconvenience ourselves for the betterment of others. For the love of His friends, He laid down His life so that they may be restored to their godly form. With every strike, He persevered knowing the end target (Hebrews 12:2). At Gethsemane, He surrendered His own will and crucified His flesh for our benefit.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” – (Mark 10: 45 NLT). Though He was GOD, everything was created through Him and everything owed its existence to Him. He laid down His own crown and chose to be a lowly servant. Though He is the Word and He was in the very beginning, He embraced the scorn and the disgrace of the cross that we might be called the righteousness of GOD. This is another way to fully embody the godly life, by imitating His walk. We ought to take other people’s burdens and offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the LORD.
“Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives” – (Galatians 4:19 NLT). Apostle Paul also embodied this godly life by what he endured for the gospel. His goal and his daily preoccupation weren’t popularity or worldly acceptance. His obsession was that those the LORD had placed under his tutelage would be FULLY transformed into the image and character of Christ. His desires weren’t selfish or self-seeking, but were for the betterment of the brethren. This is another way of attaining a godly character, fully submitting yourself to the advancement of the gospel. These are just a few examples of people who walked in the perfect will of GOD, because they looked not to their own needs, but to the needs of others. As a result, GOD exalted them and they were fully clothed with the godly life and character.
Apostle Paul also embodied this godly life by what he endured for the gospel. His goal and his daily preoccupation weren’t popularity or worldly acceptance. His obsession was that those the LORD had placed under his tutelage would be FULLY transformed into the image and character of Christ. His desires weren’t selfish or self-seeking but were for the betterment of the brethren
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