“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6)

It’s that simple. If you claim to live in God, if you claim to be a Christian, to be a believer, to be a Christ-follower, then you should live your life as Jesus did. It’s one thing to claim it, it’s another to live it. Actions speak louder than words, as the saying goes, and if you truly are a follower of Christ, then living like Him is almost an after-effect.

“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” (2 Peter 1:10)

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:17)

“‘Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’” (John 13:35)

If you wanted to improve your basketball shot, you would find a ball and a goal and practice, repeatedly shooting the ball, and as an after-effect, your shot would improve. If you seek after Jesus and aim to follow Him, you will begin to live like Him—but just like practicing the basketball shot, it’s going to take work and effort on your part and it will show whether or not you are putting in the effort. It will show if you have faith and are a follower of Jesus in how you love other believers and the good deeds that you do in your life.

“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-15)

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

“So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7)

We’ve got work to put in if we as sinful creatures are going to aim to live as our perfect Savior lived. If we aim to live like Jesus then the best way to start is to study how Jesus lived. Reading the gospels is the best way to grow in living like Jesus lived. If you read about four chapters per day, you can read one gospel per week, all four in one month. If you do that, you will find yourself growing closer to Christ and understanding how He lived so you can better live like Him.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.