Quote from Forum Archives on November 7, 2010, 5:08 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 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 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

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

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 2636 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

11.08.10

Being Jesus

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

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.

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.

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. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. 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 these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

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

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional 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 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.