Bible Reading: Daniel 3-4; 1 John 3.
Memory Verse: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 (KJV)
I do not know about you but, I want to be like Jesus Christ. And the Bible assures me that this is possible. 1 John 3:2 (KJV) says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” But there are conditions to fulfill to realise this hope. The following verse makes this explicit: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3 (KJV)
Everyone that desires to be with Christ when He returns to the earth must not only accept Him as his Lord and Saviour, he must continuously purify himself by living a life of holiness. If you commit any sin, you need to repent speedily as you must not leave this earth a sinner or rapture should not occur while you have just committed a sin if you want to be like Him. This means you should examine yourself not just daily but every moment to ensure you do not have the seed of the devil in you ( 1 John 3:8). A quick way of checking yourself regularly is by observing the nature of the fruit you bear: Are you always joyous, showing love, peaceful with everyone, patient, gentle, good to everyone, full of faith, meek and self controlled as in Galatians 5:22-23 or you often exhibit the opposite as in Galatians 5:19-21?
You can always work on yourself to change the fruit you bear by studying the word of God more daily and heeding the direction of the Holy Ghost as you go about your daily activities! At the initial stage it may be a bit difficult but you need to be determined and focused on your desired goal. This can only be achieved, however, if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and get baptized in the Holy Spirit because the latter is the one to help you achieve your desire ( John 14:16-17; 26). If you have not accepted Jesus yet but you want Him to be your Lord and Saviour, please pray the following prayer solemnly: “Lord Jesus Christ, I accept you as my Lord and Saviour, please forgive me the sins in my life and I promise not to go back to them anymore but to trust and obey you for the rest of my life.” Thereafter promise to set yourself apart for God and ask him to baptise you with Holy Spirit. Whenever you are baptized with the Spirit, you begin to speak in tongues!
Prayer: Father let your light shine on me and in me and illuminate every darkness in my life so that I become purified in Jesus name.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero