Starting with a question: What is it that you most admire about personhood of Jesus? What is it about his character that draws you closer to him? Is there something in Jesus that is lacking in your life…something that your heart yearns to be made manifest in your own life?
If I were to answer this question today (and I’m sure my answers could change for every day of the year!), the first thing that comes to mind is in regards to how Jesus loved all people. I relate well to the statement that Brennan Manning describes in The Ragamuffin Gospel where one professor is describing to another one major thing that in his mind sets Jesus apart from himself. What he went on to describe was that when he (the professor) sees the crowds he is repulsed by them…but that when Jesus saw the crowds he loved them…and looked at them as sheep without a shepherd. I confess, I don’t love the crowds very well. Frankly, I find it most difficult to love the crowds that sit in the pews of our church buildings. Still, I love that about Jesus…b/c I know that I could be one of those who are difficult to love at time. If Jesus doesn’t love the crowds…where will I find his love?
I encourage us all to think about those traits that exist in Jesus where we find ourselves lacking and/or are traits that we long to characterize our lives. I’m sure we don’t have to think long to discover that we find ourselves wanting Jesus’ faith, boldness, prayer-filled life, wisdom, knowledge of the Scriptures, compassion for others, missional vision, etc., etc., etc.
The wonderful news that 1 John brings to us in the context of these thoughts is that in our current state (even though we are NOW children of God) what we will be has not yet been made known. Then he follows it up with the greatest promise of Scripture…. “But we know that when He appears (Jesus) we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is!” (1 John 3:2).
I don’t think that John is telling us that we are not going to be able to discern one person from another when Jesus appears…that everyone is going to look physically like Jesus. He is most definitely saying that the perfection we are striving for today will be ours when He appears, that the compassion we wish we showed today we will show when He appears, that our desire to be Holy as He is Holy today will be a reality when He appears, that the battles with sin & the world will be won and done with when He appears! The list could go on and on, couldn’t it?
Listen up, dear children! If this is your hope in Christ…PURIFY YOURSELVES towards this goal. LIVE LIKE THE ONE YOU ARE BECOMING…JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF! Everyone who has this hope purifies himself…EVERYONE. There is no option B for those who have the hope of these words…if this hope is in you…there will be a purification process…you WILL live like the one you are becoming. Maybe we need to spend a little more time thinking about, meditating upon, rejoicing over our hope rather than what we don’t have or what we are unhappy with in this life. John believes our HOPE to be a source of life for the child of God in this AGE…right NOW!
So…what is it about Jesus that you long to have made complete in your life? Christian, it will be so…when He appears!
1 Comment
June 3, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I love His wonderful ability to be in the moment. He came from eternity…and was headed back there. Yet He was able to so fully be in the moments of His earthly life that He could actually enjoy a meal with His friends while the pressing needs of the world around Him continued. He could lay down His head (even though He often didn’t have a fit place to do so) and rest in this world of scattered, distressed sheep. He knew how to put His hand to the plow and give it all His strength and attention and then could bend his knees to scoop up the little children…to laugh and play with them…to bless them…to enjoy that time. I envy that. I seem to often miss the present opportunities by escaping to the past or the future or by getting lost in the details.
And this is only one area where I wish I was more like my Lord.