Dare to be like Christ

“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')" Mark 15:33

I love Jesus because He gave up His life for our salvation in a most peculiar way. Dying not through the natural course of life, but at the hands of sinful, unworthy and unlovable men who nailed Him to a cross! All because of false accusations. His death was not a quick one. He was mocked, beaten and paraded through the streets like a criminal. But, the King of glory, the one through whom all things were made, did not utter a word to defend his innocence.

If you have ever known the pain of false accusation and ill-treatment you know that in such times our innate desire for freedom conjures the feeling to speak up and defend ourselves. In stark contrast, Christ Jesus was not moved by any of those natural human instincts. This shows me that to be like Christ there are times when we have to be silent so God can defend us. This may be a long time coming, but like Christ we are to be still in the presence of God. In those moments, we are to muster the courage to exercise self-control, patience and endurance through the Holy Spirit. By doing so we give God the opportunity to speak for us so we attain the victory only He can give. Even when darkness fell upon the earth between Jesus’ crucifixion and death, He still pressed on to obey His Father. He finished the race for which He had been sent on earth.

So I encourage you not to give up walking in obedience as you endeavour to be like Christ. When the journey of obedience demands even your very life and treasures held so dear, dare to be like Christ!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, give me the grace to rely not on you for strength and wisdom when I am falsely accused. Give me a discerning heart to know which battles I am to fight and which ones I am to totally trust you to fight on my behalf. In everything, let me know your peace and be surrounded by your presence. Amen

Written by Dora, Compassion UK. Drawing by Sebastian, a Compassion-assisted child in Kenya.