What would you like to change about your spiritual man? We are approaching the time when many people make “New Year’s Resolutions”. A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. CHRISTIANS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH KEEPING THEIR RESOLUTIONS! Billy Graham said: If I could make only one resolution it would be this: THAT I MIGHT BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST DURING THE COMING YEAR. This, after all, is God’s will for every one of His children. The Bible says: “Do not conform any longer to the PATTERN OF THIS WORLD, but BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND…” (Rom. 12:2). Each day we are tempted to forget God and live for ourselves, but God’s will is for us to become MORE AND MORE like His Son. And this happens as we stay close to Christ and allow His Spirit TO CHANGE (transform) US AND RENEW US FROM WITHIN. When we submit our heart’s, and lives to Christ, the Bible says we will be…
“transformed into HIS LIKENESS…WHICH COMES FROM THE LORD, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corin. 3:18). Being like Christ MEANS TO BE LIKE HIM IN HIS BEHAVIOR–it also means to be LIKE HIM IN OUR CHARACTER– “But we know that when Christ appears, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS.” (1 John 3:1-2)
♫To be like Jesus
To be like Jesus
All I ask- to be like Him
All through life’s journey
From earth to glory
All I ask- to be like Him.
BE LIKE JESUS IN OUR BEHAVIOR AND CHARACTER!
-Bill Stockham