Living Like Jesus
“[Throughout his lifetime] “Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
The Grammy award-winning country song “Live Like You Were Dying” tells the story of a man who experiences a profound shift in perspective following a life- threatening diagnosis. The inspiring lyrics remind the listener that life is finite and should therefore be lived intentionally and purposefully. And this is exactly how Jesus lived every single day of His life, right up until the time of His death, on purpose and on mission with God.
The Heartbeat of Jesus
You don’t need to consult a Bible scholar or commentary to understand the heartbeat of Jesus. Instead, you can read the words He spoke of Himself recorded in Scripture:
And Jesus said,
“My Father is always working, and so am I” (John 5:17 NLT).
“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work” (John 4:34 NLT).
“...I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will” (John 6:38 NLT).
It couldn’t be any clearer. The heartbeat of Jesus was completing the work assigned to Him by His Father. Even in the final weeks of His life, He didn’t shrink back one iota from doing the Father's will. Instead He continued the good work of healing the sick, training His disciples, teaching the crowds, rebuking the religious leaders, and proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom.
Fully God, Fully Man
It’s tempting at times to think of Jesus’ stellar life as the result of His Deity. Yet this is not only faulty thinking, but also wrong thinking. The truth is that although yes, Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man. And this meant He experienced everything we do, including pain, fear, disappointment, anger, hurt, loneliness, exhaustion, hunger, and the temptation to quit, give up or bail all together. But because Jesus lived in full dependence upon His Father's strength, He was empowered to live on purpose and on mission with God.
Living Like Jesus
Jesus provided us with a model for living. While we are not God, as Jesus was and is [we were] “created in [Him to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). And further, as believers in Jesus, we’ve been empowered by His Spirit to live as He did.
In fact, the apostle John said, “we live like Jesus here in this world” (1 John 4:17 NLT). And Jesus Himself said, “anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 NLT). By this we can know and be confident, that we too can live as Jesus did, on purpose and on mission with God.
My Friend Hal
A prime example of someone who lived like this was my friend Hal McNeely. Hal was a man of great faith. He loved Jesus, his family, friends, and the church he humbly served for many years. Hal had a big heart, a beautiful, generous heart, but unfortunately, he also had a diseased heart that caused him to become oxygen dependent. However, Hal didn’t let that stop Him. Instead, he lived His life fully committed, surrendered, and on mission with God, preaching His Word faithfully, and encouraging others. Hal now resides in heaven where he no longer requires oxygen, and lives like, and with, Jesus every day.
And my friends, we can live like this too. We can live like my friend Hal, powerfully, and purposefully despite a life-altering illness. And most significantly, we can live like Jesus did—fully committed, surrendered, and on mission with God, today, tomorrow and every day of our lives.
Pray
Jesus, thank you for showing me how to live effectively in this world through the example of your life. I am grateful for the model you’ve provided for me, and for Your Spirit that works in and through me, empowering me to live on purpose and on mission with God. Amen.
Reflect
What does living on purpose and on mission with God look like for you in this season of your life?
Encourage others with your response to this week’s question HERE!