Bible Reading: John 15:5-8
Apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
Once upon a time a huge sports-drink company ran an ad campaign encouraging people to “be like Mike,” as in NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan. The phrase “I want to be like Mike” was everywhere. Kids said it. Adults sang it. And the ads made it look like all you had to do to be totally popular, talented, and wealthy like Michael Jordan was swig this sports drink.
Every push of the TV remote buttons bombards you with pleas to be like Mike or Garth or Cindy or Gwyneth or somebody else big. Splash on this cologne, dial that long-distance number, slip into these boxers and—shazzam!—you will be a celebrity.
Talk about it: Can we ever be like those people in the ads? How do we get to be like someone?
Unless you know someone personally, you’ll never really know what he’s like—and if you don’t know what that person is like, you can never really be like him! If you want to be like Mike, you have to get to know the real Mike—not the Mike you spot in TV ads. You have to spend time with him, get thrashed in hoops going one-on-one against him, and let him whisper in your ear the brand of sports drink he actually drinks. You have to know Mike to be like Mike.
Just like that, to get to be like Jesus you have to know him personally. If you want to have Christ’s character, you have to get to know the real Jesus Christ so well that what he is like makes a difference in your life. Jesus said it best: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
So how can you get to know Jesus Christ up close and personal? You can listen to what other people say about him, but is that enough? Not really, because you are only hearing how they know him. Just listening to your pastor or parents or Sunday school teacher tell you about Christ isn’t enough. You have to go further. You have to go one-on-one with Jesus.
Other people can’t get close to God for you. They can’t read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Word of God for you. They can’t make time for you to talk with Jesus.
It’s your choice—and challenge—to get to know him. But when you do, a cool thing happens: You become like Jesus!
TALK: Aren’t you glad that Jesus, the Son of God, wants to get to know you one-on-one? What can you do in the upcoming year to keep getting to know Jesus personally?
PRAY: Jesus, thanks for the invitation to get to know you up close and personal.
ACT: Make plans to spend time with Jesus this week—and in the new year.
