Imitating Christ

[Daily Devotional]

Imitating Christ 

     Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
who was faithful to him that appointed him. Heb. 3:1, 2.  

     In giving to men an example of what they should be and do, Jesus,
the world's Redeemer, did not have a smooth path to travel.... Jesus had
been the commander of heaven, yet on earth He was as one that serveth.
Uncomplainingly He endured privations, and lived the life of a poor man.
He did not indulge in the luxuries that many who claim to be His
followers surround themselves with; He studied not at all His pleasure,
ease, or convenience. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
His whole life was one of self-denial, expressing the prayer, "Not my
will, but thine, O God, be done."  

     Christ is our pattern, and those who follow Christ will not walk in
darkness, for they will not seek their own pleasure. To glorify God will
be the continual aim of their life. Christ represented the character of
God to the world. The Lord Jesus so conducted His life that men were
compelled to acknowledge that He had done all things well. The world's
Redeemer was the light of the world, for His character was without
fault. Though He was the only begotten Son of God, and the heir of all
things in heaven and earth, He did not leave an example of indolence and
self-indulgence....  

     Christ never flattered any one. He never deceived or defrauded,
never changed His course of straightforward uprightness to obtain favor
or applause. He ever expressed the truth. The law of kindness was in His
lips, and there was no guile in His mouth. Let the human agent compare
his life with the life of Christ, and through the grace which Jesus
imparts to those who make Him their personal Saviour, reach the standard
of righteousness. Let him imitate the example of Him who lived out the
law of Jehovah, who said, "I have kept my Father's commandments" (John
15:10). Those who follow Christ will be continually looking into the
perfect law of liberty, and through the grace given them by Christ, will
fashion the character according to the divine requirements. 

>From That I May Know Him - Page 156