To be More like Jesus. I was ten years old when I informed my parents that I wanted to be baptized. I said that I wanted to be like Jesus and follow in His footsteps. Years later, I still want to be like Jesus, but what does that look like? Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will here on earth, so how must I live my life so that I am walking in His will for me?

Thankfully, the Lord has given us the answer (in a variety of ways) in the Scriptures. One rather straightforward response from the Lord is found in Micah 6:8. What does He require or want from us and our lives? He wants us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Going a little deeper, I looked up some synonyms for the key words to gain a better understanding:

Do: produce, create, act, accomplish

Justice: truth, integrity, honesty, fairness

Love: cherish, treasure, be captivated by

Mercy: kindness, grace, gentleness, forbearance

Walk: lead, run, march, stride, step

Humbly: gently, contently

All of this but with God.

Two thoughts struck me as I studied these words. First, many of these words are verbs – they require action. And second, these words brought to mind the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

What a relief to know that we have been given everything we need to live our lives in a way that follows God’s will for us – making us more like Jesus! Not only do we have the plan (the Bible), but we also have the power and the tools given us by His Spirit. We are not expected to be like Jesus on our own, but rather we have the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us. Praise God!

In Christ,

Shireen