Step One: Day 2
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Step One Devo Day 2
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DAY TWO
You are wrong.
Mark 3-4
One of the things which will quickly happen for you if you have but one honest bone in your body is you will begin to doubt. Not necessarily doubting the identity of Jesus, no, as you read the stories about him in Mark you will probably begin to have even more faith in his identity, the reality of his presence, and his greatness.
You won’t doubt him. You’ll doubt yourself.
Specifically, you’ll doubt that you could be like him.
You can see why this can happen. He is walking on water, and you are drowning in credit card debt. He is forgiving his enemies, and you are giving the finger to the elderly person taking their sweet time at the pedestrian crosswalk. (You monster!) He is saying just the right thing every single time in the most challenging and complex situations, and you get your best thoughts in the shower about fifteen hours after they would have been helpful. He is sleeping peacefully in the storm, and you wear ear plugs and still can’t sleep. And you aren’t even getting into the miracles, which apparently are something he intends for you to perform as well? Easy to see why you might imagine you can never become like him.
Except you are wrong; for two reasons.
First, because you are trying to become like him, not keep up with him.
You aren’t trying to keep up with your short little strides as he outpaces you. He isn’t going to get frustrated and leave to join a running club. No, Jesus is beside you encouraging, sustaining, and advising. In that way, he is like a training partner who provides motivation, clarity, and accountability. He slows down for you. He doesn’t give you more than you can handle. You can be confident in him being there with you.
But it gets better because he is not just beside you, he is within you.
He is more than just an external motivation because at your invitation he will put his power and Spirit in you to not only motivate you but kind of “propel” you in the right direction. You can become like him, in large part because he is able to “make” you that way as you give him permission to.
The second reason you can become like him is because Jesus wants this more than you.
He wants you healthy, whole, centered on him, strong, and victorious. The only reason you are wanting to know him better is because he has already been at work in you. He has already reached out to you, looked you in the eye, and invited you on the journey of becoming like him.
In that way, you are like the disciples Jesus first called. He phrased his invitation to them as “follow me” but the essential meaning is what I have been describing as “become like me”. He has invited you. You wouldn’t be reading this otherwise. Rest in the fact that he enjoys you more than you enjoy him.
He started all this good stuff in you, and he is faithful to finish what he starts.
You can move on with confidence.
Journal:
1. Add to your list of what you admire about Jesus.
2. Write down the names of a few people you would like Jesus to help. Jot beside their name what the issue is.
Calibrating prayer:
Jesus, I am relieved that you will be faithful to make me more and more like you. I ask you to relieve me of my insecurity about my ability to change and grow. I give you permission to do what you need to do in me to make me like you.