Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? To live, speak, and function as He did while on the earth? What quickly comes to mind may be His many miracles, or His powerful teaching through parables. But what if we looked at His operating focus? Were there specific strategies underlying His purpose? Can we imitate the same? Following are 5 key points from the Scriptures that give us insight into how the Son of God operated while on the earth: Jesus did nothing of Himself. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly,…
Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified. That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He spells out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him. John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: “I am the…
Beautiful butterflies flitted all around me, silently gliding through the air and softly landing on nearby plants and flowers. Not just a few butterflies, mind you, but more than 7,000 butterflies flying freely in a large five-story tropical conservatory. This spring I visited the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition,[1] featuring more than 40 different species imported from the Far East and Central America. Seeing the kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, and patterns of these delicate creatures, and observing the various stages of their growth was truly breathtaking! …
Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified. That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He lays out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him. John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: “I am the…
One of the most exciting realities of the Christian life is that when we enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a divine work to produce Christ’s character within us. In doing so, our whole outlook on life changes. His thoughts become our thoughts. His actions become our actions. His purposes become our own. We become more Christ-like. No longer living by the old sinful nature, we now live by the Spirit, and in doing so, we bear fruit. Fruit is mentioned many times in the Bible, both literally and figuratively. The concept of bearing…
