From the Pastor’s Heart…
January 15, 2012

Dear Friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.                                                              1 John 3:2

In 1991 Gatorade ran its first “Be like Mike” commercial. At that time Michael Jordan was the most recognized athlete in the world. Sports announcers couldn’t say enough about the magic he created on the basketball  court. Kids worldwide dreamed of becoming the next Michael Jordan.

The commercial implied that if you drank Gatorade like Jordan did, you would “be like Mike.” Sales skyrocketed. But of course, as with any subtle advertising, we all know that being “like Mike” required much more than drinking his preferred beverage. It required physical attributes and mental discipline.

As Christians, we have a different desire: to be like Jesus. Quite frankly, I’ve as little hope of realizing that goal as anyone had of being like Michael Jordan. I don’t have the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual attributes to attain that status. Not on my own.

But the Bible tells me how that becomes a reality – we become like Jesus through Jesus. Forty different verses in the New Testament tell us what is possible through Christ, including victory over sin (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

The Greek word homois, translated “like” in 1 John 3:2, literally means “resemble.” It’s like an artist who captures someone so wonderfully that you are amazed at the resemblance.

You see, it’s never a matter of what we are able to do; it’s what we allow Jesus Christ, the Master Artist, to do through us and in us. For us, it’s a hands-off process rather than a hands-on project. And that’s bound to be difficult, even humbling, since most of us tend to be do-it-yourselfers.

Nevertheless, the Bible guarantees a successful outcome. What will Jesus have to do to effect that transformation in me? I don’t know. But I’m grateful that He isn’t going to give up on me until I am “like Jesus.” He’s not going to give up on any of us.

It is a joy to be your pastor.