Read Romans 7.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18)
I definitely don’t have the grace Paul had. I’m sure I’m a greater sinner than Paul, and I’m guessing you feel the same way. So, what shall we do then? Because we, like Paul “. . . have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
We need help.
While I was reading Romans 7, I was reminded of how Peter and John conducted themselves in Acts chapter 4.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:5-13)
Peter and John were such amazing communicators and such remarkable virtuous human beings because “they had been with Jesus.” (If you’re interested you can check out a related post here: The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do to Become More Like Jesus?)
So as a Jesus follower, the solution to the problem Paul raises in Acts chapter 7: our lack of ability to follow Jesus closely and live sin free lives, and the answer to how we can be transformed into the likeness of Jesus the way Peter and John were, is, to do what Peter and John did.
For all that to happen, I need to do what those leaders recognized in Peter and John. I need to be with Jesus. The more I can be with Jesus, the more I’ll become like Jesus. The more I’ll be transformed into his likeness, the way Peter and John were transformed.
Of course, we can’t be with him physically, but I thank God He has provided ways for us to be in his presence. Below you’ll find 10 ways you and I can be with Jesus.
Kurt Cameron Bennett best known for his book Love Like Jesus. After attending church and studying the Bible for most of his adult life, he was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven-year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote Love Like Jesus for himself as much as for others. He currently lives in Hillsboro, Oregon, just a few miles from his son Gabe, daughter (-in-law) Charise, and grandson Andrew. He has another son Nate and daughter (-in-law) Anastasia who live in Sammamish, Washington. His blog, God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.
Featured Image by Bryan Craddock from Pixabay
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