Be Like

There is a popular meme going around supposedly indicating what the Christian life is supposed to be like. It lists the following:

• Pray like Nehemiah
• Obey like Daniel
• Lead like Moses
• Serve like Martha
• Believe like Mary
• Fight like David
• Educate like Paul
• Build like Noah
• Love like Jesus 

My first instinct was to say, "No." This is another way to create laws to motivate our flesh rather than to live in response to the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our life in Christ is a direct reflection of our growth in the grace and knowledge of our God and Savior as He lives His life in and through us. Six of the nine people mentioned in the list did not even have the indwelling Holy Spirit living in them. Mary and Paul lived on both sides of the Cross, were born under the Old Testament, and lived during the beginning of the New Covenant where they received the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not much is mentioned of Mary after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but Paul wrote most of the New Covenant and he tells us that we are not to live by the law, any law, whether that be God's law or one we make up. 

Pray like Nehemiah

Nehemiah wrote, "I beseech you, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments ... (Nehemiah 1:5)" For those who understand the New Covenant, I could not see myself praying like this. Nehemiah is referencing the Old Covenant in his prayer. There is nothing wrong with the Old Covenant, but Nehemiah did not know what it was like to live under the new. He also didn't understand that nobody is keeping God's commandments to the extent He requires, not even Nehemiah. God was faithful to Israel not because they obeyed Him, but because He loved them and kept His promise to them. Perhaps that is why Nehemiah praised God as the one who "preserves the covenant," not him or the people. My prayer would be more about honoring God "who loves us and gives us His grace and mercy."

Obey like Daniel

When Daniel learned that King Darius issued a decree to only pray to him, Daniel had a choice to make. Obey the decree or obey his God. In Daniel 6:10, it says, "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Daniel was found out, betrayed, and thrown in the lions' den. Of course, we know the rest of the story. God forbid there comes a time when we have to choose between praying to God and praying to a human leader. But, we can make that choice when the time comes. I am secure in the knowledge that whatever I choose, my God is with me regardless. It is also comforting to know that I don't have to get down on my knees and pray towards Jerusalem three times a day. I can pray anywhere, at any time, and in any manner that I choose. For what it is worth, that may help conceal my prayers momentarily and the knowledge that my God is with me is further comfort to me. 

Lead like Moses

When it comes to Moses, the Bible says, "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel (Deuteronomy 34:12)." It is said that comparison is the thief of joy. What goes through the mind of your average Christian if they must compare their leadership to that of Moses? It would have to be an absolute failure. How many of us, whether leaders or not, are assigned a task like that which God gave to Moses? Has God performed signs and wonders through us? Has God sent us to a foreign land to lead the slaves out of captivity? Not likely. That was what God tasked Moses with doing. And, if we remember, Moses did everything in his power not to lead his people out of Egypt. There are various forms of leadership ranging from Moses leading the exodus, a pastor leading a church, a husband leading his family, to the individual leading their life as a reflection of the Lord's guidance, and many in between. Choose to do what God is leading you to do rather than judge your life based on what He had others do with their lives. 

Serve like Martha

When Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha. we read that "Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:40-42).” To state that we are to "serve like Martha" is proof that the creators of this list of what Christians are to be like doesn't understand the New Covenant. Christians are called to rest. And in the story of Martha and Mary, it is Mary, not Martha that we should emulate. She is the picture of rest and Jesus refers to her actions as having "chosen what is better." We are called to rest in Christ Jesus. Resting is a form of serving because we are told to make our bodies living sacrifices. You can't sacrifice yourself if you are busy working. Therefore, for what it is worth, serve like Mary.

Believe like Mary

Shortly after Mary was told she was pregnant with Jesus, she visited Elizabeth. Elizabeth said to her, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her (Luke 1:45)!” What people don't realize is that to believe God is to be obedient to Him. Therefore, anybody who is in Christ believes like Mary because they accepted what the Lord has said about their spiritual condition and His provision for that in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, and let's be honest here, who wouldn't "believe like Mary" if the angel Gabriel revealed himself to you and delivered a message from God? Through the ministry of Jesus Christ, He is seen numerous times talking about belief. He asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" when talking about the resurrection. When He appeared to Thomas after the resurrection He told him, "Stop doubting and believe." God presents us with many things to believe. It is not faith to believe it because Mary believed what God presented to her. We have to be convinced in our minds that what God has said is true. 

Fight like David

I admit it is better to fight like David than to fall like him. His victories in the battle over Goliath and overcoming his enemies to become King are only matched by his failures like that of committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband to cover it up. While our battle with our flesh will continue until death, our real fight is the battle between the truth of God and the lie of Satan. We are told to put on the full armor of God, to stand firm in our freedom, and to fight the good fight of faith. These are not battles against flesh and blood like David is known for fighting against. No, these are the battles we fight for our mind, heart, and spirit over what we believe and who we will listen to. Our Goliaths are those that want to put us back under the law. Those who want us to keep our focus on our flesh and off of Jesus Christ. Those who want us under their control and not controlled by God. We fight with spiritual slingshots because the Goliaths we face are not giant, enemy warriors, they are wolves in sheep's clothing. 

Educate like Paul

Peter was referring to Paul's teachings when he said, "And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:15-16)." It may not be clear what Peter meant by Paul's writings containing things that are "hard to understand," if you understand the New Covenant it may become more clear. The early church mixed a lot of law and grace. They believed that Gentiles had to be water baptized to become Jews before they could accept Jesus Christ. They argued about the role circumcision played with believers. James boasted about certain Christians being zealous for the law as if that was a good thing. Therefore, what may be hard to understand in the teachings of Paul is that he didn't teach any of that. He was accused of teaching people not to obey the law. Therefore, if we are to educate like Paul it is to first mature in our understanding of the Gospel, the forgiveness we have in Christ, and our identity in Christ. It is this foundational aspect of the New Covenant that we must understand, believe, and teach. That is how we educate like Paul.

Build like Noah

Similar to leading like Moses, to build like Noah begs the question, "Is God asking any of us to build a boat because He is about to destroy the earth?" No, but what is God telling us? Peter said, "God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ... (1 Peter 3:20-21)" Noah's Ark was a picture of the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Ark that saves and we can fit more than eight people on this "boat." God is the one who builds His church with Jesus Christ as its foundation. All Christians do is give a reason for the hope we have in the Lord in hopes that people will take us up on the invitation God is offering them through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Love like Jesus

Are you loving your neighbor as yourself? Do you make sure they have food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over their heads, and a warm bed to sleep in at night? Have you laid down your life for your friends? If you are reading this, the answer is "no." Are you loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind? How do you measure that anyway? The bottom line is that you are not loving like Jesus. Before you can begin to love others like Jesus Christ, you have to accept His love. Jesus said we are the branches and He is the vine. Do branches work? Do they leave the vine and wander around? No, branches simply bear the fruit that the vine is producing. And the vibrant colors and the wonderful aroma of that fruit bring those who desire to partake of it. So, it is with Christians. "We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)." When we are receiving the love of God that meets the desires of our hearts, we will bear that love to others. Some may say we are loving like Jesus, but we are letting Jesus love others through us. We become the beautiful, sweet-smelling fruit that everybody desires.