God’s will is for us to become more and more like Christ
Published 8:13 am Wednesday, August 9, 2023
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Dear Rev. Graham: It is said that Christians make up the body of Christ and are to be like Him. How is this possible seeing that we are still in the flesh? – L.C.
Dear L.C.: Jesus prayed to His Father for those who would belong to Him, “that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22).
God’s will is for us to become more and more like Christ. It is that simple – and also that complex. We have all heard people say, “You look just like your mother!” or “You look just like your brother!” They saw a family resemblance.
Grandparents often spend hours trying to decide whom a newborn baby resembles in the family (usually with little success!). Some may have seen married couples who looked more and more like each other as the years went by.
In a far deeper way, God’s will is that we would bear a family resemblance to His Son. In other words, God’s plan is for us to become more and more like Jesus – not physically, of course, but in the way we think and act and treat other people. Do others see something of Christ in our lives?
The Bible says, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). It pleases the Lord when we make it our goal [by the power of the Holy Spirit] to become more like Christ; pursuing that which is pure and good in the sight of God.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)