Antelope Valley 40 Days Of Purpose

You were created to become like Christ…

What actually goes through your mind when you hear those words, “created to become like Christ?” Does it seem like a theory we are just “supposed” to learn about, or some ancient distant truth? Can we see how becoming Christlike is the the third purpose of a purpose driven life…

God’s intention to create us to become like his Son Jesus is made clear in the Creation. “Let us make man in our image and likeness..” Genesis 1:26 Like God we are spiritual beings, our spirits are immortal, we are intelligent, we can think reason and solve problems. We are relational, we can give and receive love. We have a moral conscience, we know the difference between right and wrong.

All people are created in the image of God, not just believers. We all have his “imprint” on our souls. The real reflection of His life in us has been damaged and distorted by sin though. Being restored to a right relationship to God allows his original purpose in our lives to begin… To be a reflection of his Son and become Christlike.

No one said that this process was easy. There is a lot of “inside-out” building that must go on. Being Christlike is not an issue of having a “devine” personality, it’s an issue of having your character transformed. Character transformation is one of those things that we probably tend to avoid because it tends to be an uncomfortable process. God’s ultimate goal in our lives is character development not comfort.

This area is probably one that we all have a great deal of trouble with. When things are going right and everything seems in it’s place and there’s not a care in the world, it’s easy to feel Christlike. Unfortunately for our dear human fleshly nature, this cocoon of wonderfulness is not where we grow! Real growth and maturity comes with a little bit of a price tag attached to it. It costs us our self absorbed “what’s in it for me” and “why me” attitude. The troubles we go through and the character that it produces is not for us. It’s for God’s purposes.

One of the things that happens as we go through the process is that it causes us to depend on the Holy Spirit. You cannot produce Christ likeness in your own strength. It would be like a seed trying to sprout on it’s own without the damp dark soil surrounding it and the natural pressures that help it to grow. Put into the right circumstances there is a natural growth that occurs. It doesn’t sit there and try to grow, nor does it happen overnight. When we allow the Holy Spirit to help us, we will mature, grow and become Christlike.