Christians everywhere on the planet—of all ages and colors and in different life circumstances—want to deepen their connection with God. They want to grow spiritually to be mature believers. And they want to live a Christ-like life.
That includes me and I’ll bet it includes you, too.
I hear about this frustration over and over again from our ministry’s tribe of 400,000 online followers in nearly 100 countries. Evidence of it comes in many shapes and forms, but one common theme is the struggle Christians face in BEING more like Christ and DOING less of the worldly things that tempt them every day.
Here’s a fresh example I received last night from the planet’s other side:
“Mister Mark, how can I make my faith less about DOING what the world tells me to do and more about BEING what God wants me to be on earth?
I love this one!
Understanding the answer to the BEING/DOING question is essential if we are to strengthen our connection with God and deepen our spiritual maturity.
To that end, here are five thoughts that keep me on track to BE more like Christ and DO less of what the world covets:
SELF-WORTH
Thinking that God could never bless me–to BE more like him–is a lie from Satan to weaken our faith and entice us to DO things that distract our attention and flood our heart with discontentment.
FEAR
Our level of fear and worry is determined by how much we believe that God is in control. The less we believe that truth on the road to BEING more like Christ, the more worldly things we will end up DOING that make us feel less afraid.
HOPELESSNESS
BEING full of God’s hope is a gateway to intimacy with Christ. The more distance we allow to form between us and God, the more we will DO outside of his will to bridge the gap.
PAIN
Our pain is a disguised opportunity to strengthen our faith and help others. The more we realize this truth and act on it, the more we will BE like Christ and the less we will DO like the world.
ANGER
It is extremely difficult to BE like Christ when we are angry. Failure to give our “anger time bomb” to God will prompt us to DO whatever the world says will help us “manage” the urge to be angry.
That’s it. Those are the five ways I stay focused on BEING more like Christ and avoid DOING things like the world.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you consciously attempting to BE in Christ more than you DO in the world?
“In the unity of common faith, and knowledge of the Son of God, we arrive at real maturity–the measure of development which is meant by the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13
