Steps to a Successful Life

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  The old command is the message you have heard.” I John 2:1-7

Jesus came into the world not to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it.  Every principle in the 10 Commandments was righteously fulfilled in Christ.  But not only those, but all commands in the Old Testament and New Testament were fulfilled in Jesus.  Additionally, all prophecies about the coming Messiah were wholly fulfilled in Him.  Jesus is the beginning and ending of all things.

Thus, the command to walk as Jesus did in verse six is not a new command.  If we walk as he walked, then we will not sin against any other command given in the Word of God.  If we walk as he did, we won’t have to add anything extra to our way of living.  We will be wholly pleasing in the eyes of God.

I love the beauty and totality of the Bible.  Anything foreshadowed in the Old Testament is fulfilled (in Christ) in the New Testament.  It is a breath-taking tapestry beautifully and intricately interwoven throughout time.  The theme of his love, his holiness, his purpose for us and his desire to see us reconciled unto him, all of it is shown in Jesus’ life and in the Word.

I challenge you to begin to purpose in your heart to do it the way Jesus did.  No excuses, no rationalizations.  Just living in his steps. Recently, my husband and I were walking through dense woods with hidden holes, vines and thorns hanging everywhere.  My six-foot-four husband walked in front of me, navigating the landscape, holding the briars and pulling the vines off the path.  As long as I walked right in his footsteps, I was not likely to be harmed.  If we just put our steps trustingly into the larger footprints that he left, we will finish this life knowing we will one day here the much-coveted words “Well done my good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joys of the Lord.

Jesus, help me to pattern my life after you.  Help me to be a true follower of yours, and not in name only.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri