BBD 03.07.18 Being Jesus (Classic)

#1 · March 6, 2018, 11:41 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 6, 2018, 11:41 pm
Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

07 March 2018

Being Jesus

Imitate me,
just as I also imitate Christ. - 1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29 NKJV.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” - Luke 9:23 NKJV.

In Des Peres, Missouri, an uninvited guest attempted to attend the St.
Paul's Lutheran Church. Can you imagine the nerve of someone showing up
uninvited at a church on a Sunday morning? Who was this uninvited person? It
was Jesus, actually it was Neal Thompson wearing attire as most would imagine
Jesus to be wearing. However, there was a glitch in the plan as an alert deacon
spotted Thompson, stopping him short of his goal of entering the church
sanctuary. Thompson was a determined Jesus imitator, and church members called
the police, which convinced him to leave. Reportedly, Thompson who goes to a
different church every Sunday dressed like Jesus, has stayed in character by forgiving
the church.

In a previous pastorate, we actually did have a man show up dressed like
Jesus, who said a few words, and then left. He had been invited to do so by a
member of our church, unknown to me, until a few minutes before the man
arrived. I think that it made for an unremarkable service being turned into a
very memorable one. I can also understand, when in some large churches; with
intricate services being planned, that such an interruption would be unwelcome.

Whatever we may feel about someone dressing up like Jesus, there is a
sense in which all Christians are called to imitate how Jesus would act. The
apostle Paul says that we should imitate him as he strives to imitate Christ.
In Romans 8:29, we are told that we are predestined to be “conformed” to the
image of Christ, the Son of God. Being conformed to His image would I think,
include imitating the actions, and the behaviors of Christ Jesus.

Jesus is not physically walking upon this earth today, but His followers
are. Those who believe in Jesus are His hands, arms, feet, legs, and eyes upon
this Earth today. Every Christian is called to represent Jesus to those around
them. Every Christian is called to act like Jesus would act. That does not
mean, necessarily, that we grow a beard, wear our hair long, dress up in a
robe, and sandals. It does mean that we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit as
we live our daily lives. In Galatians 5:22-23a
we are told, “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” These are
the characteristics that Jesus demonstrated, lived out before those He
encountered as He walked upon this Earth.

Every time you interact with another person in any way you are on a stage,
and you are being observed. Would the person observing you conclude that you
are imitating the apostle Paul as he imitated Jesus? Would the person observing
you conclude that you are being more and more conformed to the image of Jesus?
Would the person observing you conclude that you have taken up your cross,
denied yourself, and are following Jesus? Would the person observing you think
of you in any way as being like Jesus to them?

Copyright © 2010 - 2018. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
20 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000
subscribers across the world.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for healing
for Michelle Abetz, Thelma Lewis and her sister Denise, Brandy, Damon D. &
wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Gary and Glenna Kirk, Amy
Carroll, Caleb Freeman, Chris Ramber and his brother, Toby, E.L. Fowler and
Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our devotions,
we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

07 March 2018

Being Jesus

Imitate me,
just as I also imitate Christ. - 1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29 NKJV.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” - Luke 9:23 NKJV.

In Des Peres, Missouri, an uninvited guest attempted to attend the St.
Paul's Lutheran Church. Can you imagine the nerve of someone showing up
uninvited at a church on a Sunday morning? Who was this uninvited person? It
was Jesus, actually it was Neal Thompson wearing attire as most would imagine
Jesus to be wearing. However, there was a glitch in the plan as an alert deacon
spotted Thompson, stopping him short of his goal of entering the church
sanctuary. Thompson was a determined Jesus imitator, and church members called
the police, which convinced him to leave. Reportedly, Thompson who goes to a
different church every Sunday dressed like Jesus, has stayed in character by forgiving
the church.

In a previous pastorate, we actually did have a man show up dressed like
Jesus, who said a few words, and then left. He had been invited to do so by a
member of our church, unknown to me, until a few minutes before the man
arrived. I think that it made for an unremarkable service being turned into a
very memorable one. I can also understand, when in some large churches; with
intricate services being planned, that such an interruption would be unwelcome.

Whatever we may feel about someone dressing up like Jesus, there is a
sense in which all Christians are called to imitate how Jesus would act. The
apostle Paul says that we should imitate him as he strives to imitate Christ.
In Romans 8:29, we are told that we are predestined to be “conformed” to the
image of Christ, the Son of God. Being conformed to His image would I think,
include imitating the actions, and the behaviors of Christ Jesus.

Jesus is not physically walking upon this earth today, but His followers
are. Those who believe in Jesus are His hands, arms, feet, legs, and eyes upon
this Earth today. Every Christian is called to represent Jesus to those around
them. Every Christian is called to act like Jesus would act. That does not
mean, necessarily, that we grow a beard, wear our hair long, dress up in a
robe, and sandals. It does mean that we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit as
we live our daily lives. In Galatians 5:22-23a
we are told, “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” These are
the characteristics that Jesus demonstrated, lived out before those He
encountered as He walked upon this Earth.

Every time you interact with another person in any way you are on a stage,
and you are being observed. Would the person observing you conclude that you
are imitating the apostle Paul as he imitated Jesus? Would the person observing
you conclude that you are being more and more conformed to the image of Jesus?
Would the person observing you conclude that you have taken up your cross,
denied yourself, and are following Jesus? Would the person observing you think
of you in any way as being like Jesus to them?

Copyright © 2010 - 2018. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
20 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000
subscribers across the world.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for healing
for Michelle Abetz, Thelma Lewis and her sister Denise, Brandy, Damon D. &
wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Gary and Glenna Kirk, Amy
Carroll, Caleb Freeman, Chris Ramber and his brother, Toby, E.L. Fowler and
Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our devotions,
we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org