“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A.W. Tozer
- You become like the God you worship
“Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 CSB
“The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7 CSB
- Jesus is what God is like
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 CSB
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” John 14:8 NASB 95
- Worship and imitate the God revealed in Jesus Christ
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,” Ephesians 5:1 CSB
“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB
To Imitate Christ
- I need to strive to live compassionately
“And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32 CSB
- I need to practice living graciously
“You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.” Acts 10:37-38 MSG
- I need to learn to be slow to anger
“But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 NASB 95
“A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11 NASB 95
Do I get angry at the same things Jesus does?
- I need to walk in love and faithfulness
- “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV
- I need to resist being wise in my own eyes
“Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:7 CSB
“You can rationalize it all you want and justify the path of error you have chosen, but you’ll find out in the end that you took the road to destruction.” Proverbs 14:12 TPT
“God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.” Galatians 6:7-8 TPT