Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30).
There’re some Christians who like to model their lives after the Old Testament prophets. Some actually would pray, “O, Lord, I want to be a type of Elijah so that I may initiate a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate your enemies.” Some ask for the same unction Jeremiah had so they can prophesy judgment on people and nations that don’t believe in God. Something is wrong.
Don’t try to be another Elijah or Jeremiah. Emulate Christ. In Luke 9:54-55 (NKJV), when James and John, two of the disciples, witnessed the rejection of Jesus in a Samaritan village, they asked the Master, “…Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” The Lord rebuked and severely censured them. He said, “… You do not know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:55 NKJV).
The Bible says, “You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT). You aren’t to be fashioned after the Old Testament prophets; we have a model, and that’s Jesus!
In Ephesians 5:1, we’re admonished to be imitators of God as His beloved children. We’re to emulate His quiet, gentle, loving and compassionate spirit. This is easy because we have His life and nature in us. Therefore, we can talk and love like Him and walk in absolute mastery and dominion in the earth.
Even in prayer, emulate Jesus. Study the content of His prayer, for example, in John 17, and pray like Him. Have the primary desire and enduring passion to please the Father as He did. His joy was to fulfil the will of the Father. That should be your focus every day.
If you were on the journey to be like the revivalists of old, or to be patterned after the Old Testament prophets or anyone else for that matter, recalibrate your life immediately. You’d be amazed at the profound joy that’ll engulf you, leaving you transformed into a more Christlike personality. Hallelujah!
Confession/Prayer
My life is for the glory of God, because it’s modelled after Christ; my desires align with His perfect will as I live to please Him in all things. His love, compassion and tender mercies are manifested in and through me today. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
Romans 12:2; Ezekiel 36:26; Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV
1-year bible reading plan
Luke 10:1-24; Joshua 20-22
2-year bible reading plan
Romans 7:1-11; Psalm 107