Friday 7 August 2015

Character traits of Jesus



Clearly the most effective way to present Jesus to the world around us is to be more like Him. Its not something we can do in our own strength but as we spend time with Him the Holy Spirit guides us and brings transformation into our lives and behaviours.
You probably already have a number of Christ-like attributes so be confident that God is already using you to reflect Him to others.

Here's some of Jesus' character traits that we can aspire to and grow into:

  • Compassion (Matt 9:36) - Whenever people were around him, Jesus understood what their real needs were and sought to address them. He never looked away from people. He always looked upon them
  • Servant (Mark 10:45) - Jesus was the ultimate servant. Although He was praised as a great teacher and even had a decent following, He made sure to teach them to be servants by actually doing it himself.
  • Loving (John 3:16) - Obviously, Jesus had a love for others. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t be compassionate nor a servant. Jesus claimed that there is no greater love than to die for one of your friends—and He did just that. 
  • Forgiving (Luke 23:34) - Even while bleeding and experiencing pain, Jesus had His heart set on forgiveness—even forgiving those who put Him there in the first place!
  • Committed - Jesus was fully in the moment and fully committed to His goals. There were certainly many obstacles during His ministry, but He stayed on track and finished strong.
  • Prayerful - No matter how busy His ministry got, Jesus found time to be alone and pray
  • Gentleness - There were certainly times where Jesus used stern words, but He knew when gentleness was appropriate. Children seemed to love coming to him, and He made sure the disciples knew not to hinder them when they did so
  • Patience - Jesus was surrounded by disciples who constantly doubted him, Pharisees and Sadducees who continually attacked Him, and large crowds who wouldn’t leave Him alone. Despite all of that, He kept His composure and responded appropriately to every individual.
  • Self-control - Before His ministry was launched, Jesus spent time being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. Although He was offered food, power, and many other things, Jesus controlled His desires and submitted them all to the will of the Father.
  • Humble - Jesus had every opportunity and right to demand praise and accolades for His miracles and teachings, but He never did. Rather, He wanted to seek and save the lost and offer forgiveness for sinful people.       (source)
The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we will become like Him. You become the company you keep. We don't need to be completely like Jesus to have an impact for the Kingdom, but its a brilliant goal to work towards! 

In the meantime let's take every opportunity to present the love and character of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to move on people's hearts.

Grace and power for the cause!



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