What Will Make You More Like Jesus?

By Rick Warren

One of the things Christians desire is to be more like Jesus. And becoming more like him is often found in a place you and I wouldn’t expect: the trials we face.

Let’s face it, we’re all going to have challenges, stress, problems, difficulties, and trouble in this life.

But we know the end of the story: Jesus is coming back! When he does, he will make all things right and just. And if you are his follower, you will spend eternity with him.

Knowing how the story ends should influence our thoughts, attitudes and actions. It should motivate us to use adversity to become stronger spiritually.

In the time between now and when Christ comes back, you can use those trials to become more like Christ in character.

That’s what James says to do while we’re here and waiting for Jesus’ second coming: “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:3-4 NLT).

These days, you may feel like you’re falling apart a little—and that’s okay. You’re not supposed to have it all together. You’re not perfect, and you won’t be while you’re here on Earth. You can’t change that.

What you can do is get to work on getting spiritually fit in preparation for the coming of your Lord, Jesus Christ. How do you do that? Here are a few ways . . .

• By being part of a church family and regularly attending church or watching online.
• By getting some Bible teaching every day.
• By doing a Bible study and working to incorporate what you learn in that study into your life.

The start of a new year is a great time to commit to starting a new daily habit that helps you grow spiritually. This includes connecting with others in a small group, spending time daily with God in prayer, and most importantly, spending time reading and meditating on His Word.

You don’t have to be the strongest or fastest or healthiest when it comes to being spiritually fit. You just need to keep working on it and recognize that many times the trouble you face is an opportunity to grow in faith.

It doesn’t matter if you’re out of work, if you’re sick, if you’re feeling the weight of the world, you can still turn to God’s Word and his promises and grow to be more like Jesus Christ.

When it feels like you’re falling apart, remember that God is still working to make you more like him, and he can use even the difficult circumstances in your life to do it.