A Prayer to Become an Imitator of Christ

　　By: Emily Rose Massey

　　Bible Reading:

　　“I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31, NASB).

　　Listen or Read Below:

　　Change the baby’s diaper, take the dog outside, feed everyone breakfast (including said dog), start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher, fill the dishwasher with more dishes, fold and put away the laundry, clean counters, vacuum, sweep, mop, snack-time, school-time, nap-time, lunch-time, snack-time, dinner-time, snack-time, bed-time. Do it again tomorrow.

　　As a wife and mother to four boys, I am given countless opportunities to set aside myown wants and give my love, time, and attention to my husband and children. Pouring yourself out like that on a daily basis can sometimes be physically exhausting; Ioften find myself praying for supernatural strength! Yet, at the end of the day, even though I am tempted to wonder where my “me time is,” my heart is always full.

　　This is when I begin to see more clearly what the Apostle Paul meant when he said:“I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily”(1 Corinthians 15:31, NASB).

　　The Biblical principle of dying to yourself has always been true, but I didn’t always live it or even understand it. Becoming a stay-at-home mom has challenged me in more ways than I can count in the area of putting others before myself, and I am always learning and finding that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

　　As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to follow Him. That was Paul’s mission in life – to imitate Christ. And it is what he and the rest of the apostles literally gave their lives to preach to the world through their words and actions. We maynever have the honor of literally dyingfor Jesus Christ because of our faith in Him, but by God’sgrace, we can imitate His selflessness every day.

　　To imitate Christ, we must look to Jesus as our example. Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He still leaned upon God the Father for everything He said and did while He walked this earth. Jesus would rise early to pray and seekGod'swill for the day.

　　In addition to seeking God in prayer,Jesus obediently submitted Himself to the will of the Father, even unto death. Each day, we are faced with the temptation to satisfy our flesh and go outside the boundaries of God’s perfect will. We discover what that will is when we read theBibleand study it for ourselves to learn God’s ways. We are not perfect, but thankfully, Jesus was, and because of His sacrifice on the cross, we have been given the precious gift of the Holy Spirit as born-again believers.

　　Ultimately, Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve others (Mark 10:45). Jesus ministered to thousands upon thousands of people during His time here on earth. John 22 tells us that if all the things Jesus did were written down, the entire world could not contain the books that would be written!

　　Dying daily definitely isn’t easy, but it is worth it because Jesus promises us that whoever loses his life will find it and find it abundance (Matthew 10:39, John 10:10)! But remember, we cannot die daily in our own strength, friends. The Holy Spirit is who empowers us to choose God’s way through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). With each passing day, by God’s grace, we mature and cultivate a life worth dying for, a life found in Christ alone!

　　Who is God asking you to serve? What selfish desires do you need to lay aside to put someone else’s life before your own? Are you too busy or too distracted to serve others? Take some timeto write down those who come to mind whomyou can minister to, even if it is just a simple phone call to encourage someone. May God empower us to imitate Christ daily by sacrificially loving others more than ourselves.

　　Let’sPray:

　　Heavenly Father,

　　My flesh wants nothing to do with denying it of anything. I don’t want to experience suffering. But it is in those moments of dying to self that I become more like Christ. Help me to embrace those trials and sufferings so that I may grow closer to You. I want my life to look like Christ’s dying by learning to be humble and sacrificial. Instead of resisting those difficult times, help me to find great opportunities for sanctification to be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus. Thank You for Your Spirit that empowers me to die daily.

　　In Jesus’ name, Amen.

　　Discuss today’s devotional with others in theYour Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.

　　Photo Credit: © Getty Images/grinvalds

　　Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a homeschooling momma of four boys, while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.

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