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ReVision

More and More about Jesus

Our strength is the strength to be like Jesus.

The Christian’s Strength (4)

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…Ephesians 3.14-17

Into His image
If we had to boil down to one crisp summary the strength God commands His people to seek, it would be the strength of His might, enabling us to be like Jesus. The Christian’s strength is the inward work of the Holy Spirit, transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ, so that He lives His life through us every day.

We come to the glory of God, in His Word and His world, seeking the face of Jesus there (2 Cor. 4.6). We want to see Jesus, and to have Jesus fill our soul and life with His presence (Eph. 4.8-10). We earnestly desire for Him to overflow from us by His Spirit in rivers of living water to heal, bless, and strengthen those to whom God sends us each day (Jn. 7.37-39).

As Christ dwells ever more fully and richly in our heart, we know His love more truly, and show it more consistently. In all our words and deeds, we demonstrate the new life with which He clothes us, a new life of speaking the truth in love and doing good to all people, beginning with the members of the household of faith (Eph. 4.15; Gal. 6.10).

We are to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, from encountering God’s glory to living for His glory, increasingly, in every area of our lives (2 Cor. 3.12-18; 1 Cor. 10.31).

Thus, like John the Baptist, our overarching hope and vision is that Jesus Christ might increase in us and we in all our fallenness and folly, might become less and less visible to the people around us (Jn. 3.30; cf. Eph. 4.17-24).

Contemplating Jesus
But how does Jesus come to dwell thus in our hearts by faith?

For acquiring the strength to live as God commands, there is no substitute for contemplating Jesus. Like those ancient Greeks (Jn. 12.20, 21), we would see Jesus ever more clearly, and have Jesus thus be ever more at home in our hearts.

This is a work of daily meditation. As we set our minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated in the heavens, and meditate on the beauty and goodness of the Lord (Col. 3.1-3; Ps. 27.4, 13), the glory of God emanating from Jesus works to transform us heart, mind, and conscience, so that our lives refract the light of His growing presence in us.

The gospels show us the character and love of Jesus. Here is a four-faceted portrait of Jesus that offers a clear and compelling overview of His character, works, and teachings. Daily reading and meditation in some section of the gospels will provide good grounding for recognizing Jesus in other places in God’s Word. Jesus declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd, and explains what that entails (Jn. 10). When we read the shepherd’s psalm, or God’s promise of a coming Shepherd for His people in Ezekiel 34, we see Jesus, and rejoice to be among His sheep. Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God in the gospels, and when we read the promises to Judah, David, Solomon, and Daniel about a coming King and Kingdom, we see Jesus. Then, as we return to the gospels, our vision of Jesus is greatly enlarged, and we see even more of His great beauty, wisdom, and power.

We can learn about Jesus by studying the lives of the great saints of Scripture – from Abraham to Paul, Moses to Peter, Joshua and David to Timothy and James. Moreover, the types, prophecies, and foreshadowings of Christ in the Old Testament, together with the clear expositions of Luke, Paul, John, Peter, and the other apostles, round out our picture of Jesus, and help us see Jesus more clearly, so that we strain toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Him (Phil. 3.14).

Remember, Jesus said the entire Bible is about Him (Jn. 5.39). Therefore, we should expect our meditations on every portion of the Scripture to yield profitable insights into the character and work of Jesus, and should enable Him to dwell more fully in our hearts by faith. Be patient, be persistent, be prayerful, and let Jesus show Himself to you from every part of His Word.

As you read God’s Word every day, wait on the Lord, looking to see what He is revealing about Jesus. Give thanks for what He shows you. Take it into your soul by thinking often about it, surrounding your growing image of Jesus with your love, and making a point to return there as often as possible throughout the day.

More about Jesus
Set as your goal to become strong in Jesus – in seeing Him, and growing in His character, works, and words. Seek Him daily in every section and passage of His Word. He will make Himself known to you, and will make His dwelling in your soul, so that, increasingly, you think about Jesus, delight to see Him, and submit your will to Him at every moment.

My favorite hymn is “More About Jesus” – “…more of His saving fullness see, more of His love, Who died for me.” More about Jesus let me know! More about Jesus let me learn! Here is a prayer we can take up each day with profit, as we grow in the strength God commands.

For reflection
1.  What is meditation? How does it differ from just reading the Bible? Why is it so important?

2.  Can you think of a passage of Scripture, other than the gospels, where Jesus has revealed Himself clearly and powerfully to you? Explain.

3.  How can you add more meditation in your time with the Lord each day?

Next steps – Conversation: Talk with some Christian friends about the practice of meditation. What do they do to meditate on Christ?

T. M. Moore

Our book, Be Thou My Vision, offers 28 meditations on Jesus, supplemented by comments from great Christians of the past. Here’s a resource to help you bring more faithful and effective meditation into your daily life. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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