Jesus spoke to His followers, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). When Jesus said this, He made it clear that the key to spiritual growth and the light of life in our lives is the result of His grace. Following Jesus means three things. Firstly, it means patterning our lives on His. Secondly, it means living a life in which we make our life choices and decisions for the glory of God and common good. Thirdly it means letting Jesus empower us through the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches, “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Rom. 5:4). This is not our love for God, but God’s self-giving love revealed in the life, sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, “Jesus was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God” (Rom. 4:25).
In order to follow Jesus we must pattern our lives on His. We must learn all we can about how He lived and meditate on His life. Following Christ means that we are learning to use God’s kind of thinking. When our words and deeds reflect Christ like love, we become a fragrance of Christ in all contexts to everyone.
Having experienced a powerful touch of God and yet choosing to follow the ways of the world is tragic. The loving and compassionate life of Christ must consistently flow through us.
Who is capable of this? While this is not possible in our own strength, the good news is God strengthens us.
When we watch and pray every day, we are empowered to live our life in the love of God. Have you experienced the transforming power of the Gospel of Christ that empowers to live in the love of God?