I Want To Be Like You

Last night I was reading one of my blog entries from May 2014, and a line I wrote grabbed my attention.  I was reflecting on how we are supposed to reflect or represent Jesus, who was representing the Father to the world. My concern was that the world is not convinced that we (the Church) represent God.  As I read that I thought, and the world is equally afraid that we do represent God, and that God is like the Church!  Ouch!

This morning my reflection starts at this point, how can I better represent, or reflect Jesus to our world?  

When I look at Jesus, at the years of His public ministry, at His love for the people, at His ability to walk in lock step with the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, at the miracles, signs and wonders that bore witness to His representing the Father, I realize how far away I am from effectively representing Him.  However, rather than being discouraged, I am filled with the belief that if this is my call and my invitation, then God has made a way for me to be able to represent Him, and that is my pursuit.  Hopefully that makes sense.

Looking at this another way, there are many people with skills and gifts that I greatly admire.  Quite a few of them I am not inspired to try and emulate, for I know their level of giftedness and skill would be unattainable to me.  I will never be a professional athlete, musician, nor singer, nor will I try to emulate them.  That type of gifting and skill doesn't reside in my old and tired body, nor will it ever.

When I look at Jesus, at His ministry of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and invitation to relationship with the Father, I see something I not only greatly admire, but believe myself capable of attaining some small success in representing Him.  What I lack is mostly the experiential reality of walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, something that has no age limit, nor reliance on physical gifting or skill!  I believe that Holy Spirit indwells me, and my main issue these days is how do I get out of His way, so that He can work through me, directing and guiding me?  

How do I surrender my life in such a way that I am literally saying the things the Lord wants me to say and doing the things the Lord wants me to do?

In this pursuit, Jesus is my great model and Holy Spirit my great encourager.

As I was writing that last bit, I was reminded of a song from "The Jungle Book" when King Louie, the Orangutan is talking about how he wants to be a man.  Here are the words to the chorus: 

"Oh, oobee doo 

I wanna be like you 

I wanna walk like you 

Talk like you, too"

If I remember the continuation of the scene correctly, King Louie wanted Mowgli to teach him the secret of fire, for in his eyes that would make him like a man.

In my case, it is this "fire from heaven" that I am in need of!  I am reminded of Acts 2:1-4 NIV:

[1] "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

To be clear, none of what Jesus modelled for us is really possible on our own, under our own strength.  I don't have the natural ability to walk in the level of love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness that Jesus modelled, and I certainly have no natural ability to follow Him, in lock-step with the Father.  That is why I need the "fire from heaven" the Holy Spirit to empower, and enable me supernaturally!  

I want to learn to walk in a consciousness of the Holy Spirit's direction and guidance throughout my day, and in my interactions with others.  I want to be able to  experience the reality of what Jesus promised in John 16:12-15 NIV: 

[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Oh Lord, Help me!  I want to be like You, and in so doing, represent and reflect You to the world!  My prayer is that one day someone might say, 'I do believe you represent Jesus, and He is clearly God, for only God can do the things He has done through You!'

Yes, Lord, I truly want to be like You, as much as I can.  I want to walk like You and talk like you!

Amen!