Thursday,March 21: Becoming More Like Christ

Begin your prayer time by lighting a candle or by ringing the opening bell in the right hand column at the website here. Allow the ringing of the bell to draw you into sacred space with God. Take a few deep breaths, breathing in God's love and presence, breathing out any distractions, plans or worries.

Lord, Jesus Christ, teach me to pray.

Prepare yourself for the reading of the Psalm by quieting yourself and becoming aware of God's presence. Ask God to speak to you through the scripture. Read the scripture through two time, slowly and prayerfully.

A Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [3:16-19]

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away.  Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom.  And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.  And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.  
What does it mean to you to be like Jesus?  What was Jesus like?  What did Jesus do?  In your journal, make a quick list of some of Jesus’ characteristics and actions.  

There are many different ways to describe Jesus’ way of being in the world.  He was a teacher, a healer, a miracle worker, one who shared great wisdom.  He is the Son of God, our Redeemer, Emmanuel, God with Us.  But as Christians, we understand that what Jesus does and who he is most fundamentally, is Love.  Jesus came to love, to be love, and to teach us to love.  

In the scripture today we read, “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him...”.  What do you think of that statement?  My first response is to search my heart and ask, “Am I becoming more like Jesus?  Am I becoming more loving?”  

I also notice that the scripture says that we become more like Jesus because of the work that the Spirit is doing in us.  Oddly enough, it does not say that we become more loving because of the work that we are doing.  The Spirit does the work in us, but we must open our hearts to the Spirit to allow the work to be done and then respond in loving ways in the world.  We are a channel for Christ’s love in the world.  

As a prayer today, I invite you to read, or if you know the tune, to sing the praise hymn More Like You.

More like you,
Jesus, more like you.
Fill my heart with your desire,
To make me more like you.

More like you,
Jesus, more like you.
Touch my lips with holy fire,
And make me more like you.  

Repeat the prayer or sing the song through several times, offering yourself to Christ, asking for transformation.  

For your journal:  How does it feel to ask for transformation in your life?  Do you really believe that the Spirit will make you more like Jesus?  Have you seen that happening in your life?