How to be like Jesus

When are we most like Jesus?

When we...

give to the poor?

go to church?

are kind to others?

study His Word?

We are most like Jesus when we do what he did on the cross...

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." {Luke 23:34}

At the moment we forgive, we become like Jesus. What agony to forgive in the midst of such suffering!

How did Jesus forgive? If you listen to His words you will find the clue. He forgives them on the basis of their ignorance. They truly don't understand what they are doing.  They don't realize that they are killing God! In fact, many of them scoff at the idea that He claims to be God.

We, too, can forgive on the basis of ignorance. Isn't it true that when we sin against another person we really have no idea the fallout that may occur? One careless word or action can lead to devastation beyond belief! God's Word attests to this in Hosea 8:7 that we "sow the wind and reap the whirlwind." 

Each time we are faced with an decision to forgive, we have an opportunity to be more like Him and to say, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."