Fully Devoted: The ConclusionSample

Becoming Like Jesus

“If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation ... in nearly every story, the protagonist is transformed. He’s a jerk at the beginning and nice at the end, or a coward at the beginning and brave at the end. If the character doesn’t change, the story hasn’t happened yet. And if story is derived from real life, if story is just a condensed version of life, then life itself may be designed to change us so that we evolve from one kind of person to another.” —Donald Miller

One of the biggest mistakes we can make when reading the Bible is to assume the primary goal is to collect more information. While that’s certainly part of it, even more than that, the goal of reading the Bible is to encounter Jesus and be transformed in the process. It’s less about collecting information, and much more about character transformation.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he makes it clear that one of the primary purposes of the Scriptures is so that the servant of God will be built up and equipped for the work God has called them to—in other words, to become more like Jesus so we can do the work of Jesus.

Too often, we can find ourselves tempted to approach the Bible in search of finding the right answers, instead of approaching the Bible to be made righteous. We can read the Bible hoping to collect truths, when what God really wants is for us to be made true.

To be clear, knowing the truth is vital to our journey of becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus. But it can be argued that becoming true is just as, if not more important, than knowing truth.

Look at what Paul wrote to his apprentice, Timothy, in his first letter:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:12-16 NIV

Notice what Paul does in verse 16. He instructs Timothy to watch his “life and doctrine closely.” Not one or the other, but both. Paul is reminding Timothy that how he lives is just as important as what he believes. Paul understood that how we live cannot be separated from what we believe. If we truly believe that Jesus is Lord, then we will do our best to live according to His teachings. If, instead, we simply call Jesus Lord but still believe we know best, then our lives will be directed by our will and not His.

As followers of Jesus, if we really want to know what we believe, all we have to do is look at how we live.

If we truly believe the Good News of Jesus, then our lives will be shaped by a growing awareness of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, a practice of confession and repentance, and increased dependence on God’s Spirit to direct our steps as we chase after Jesus and the life He’s given us. And when we do, others will take notice.

In the fourth chapter of Acts, after miraculously healing a man, being thrown in jail, and threatened by the religious leaders, Peter and John boldly proclaimed the gospel to the very men who orchestrated the death of Jesus. As Luke recounts it:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 NIV

“These men had been with Jesus.” When people see your life, do they see someone who has been with Jesus?

Is your life marked by a love for your neighbors and your enemies that other people find baffling? When you’re forced to choose between protecting your reputation and standing up for someone else, do you sacrifice for the good of others? When tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t, do you give in to that temptation, or do you tap into the power of God’s Spirit to overcome it? When you sin, do you try to defend your actions and pretend it wasn’t a big deal, or do you humbly admit your mistakes and submit yourselves to the correction of God and others?

When we follow Jesus, we will become more like Him. When we open ourselves up to the transforming power of God’s Word, we will be changed in the process.

Reading the Bible isn’t just about collecting information, it’s about character transformation. It’s not about collecting truths. It’s about becoming true.

What is the Bible? It’s a story that leads to Jesus and invites us to become like Jesus.

Journaling Questions

• What verses stand out to you the most in today’s reading? Write them in your journal.
• What do you think it looks like, practically, to watch your life and doctrine? How can you be someone who pays attention to what you believe and how you live?
• In what ways might God be wanting to transform you based on what you’re learning this week? Pray and ask Him to show you parts of your life that don’t yet look like Jesus.

Memory Verse

“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 NIV