When I was just a boy, I would intentionally harass my sister by copying her every word. She hated it. I was 3 years younger than she was, and truth be told, at times, I could be the annoying brat. “Stop Copying me! Stop Copying me!”, she would exclaim, to which, I would reply, “Stop Copying me! Stop Copying me!”. This argument would go back and forth to the point where I would think, “Wait, am I copying her, or is she copying me?”. The only way that she could win the argument was to not say anything, leaving me stumped. Unlike my older sister, coping Jesus does not annoy him at all. In fact, scripture is replete with exhortations to do just that. The Father wants us to follow in his footsteps.
Jesus Focused on the Father
In Hebrews, we find that Jesus “. . is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). Given that Jesus does “only what he sees the Father doing“, (John 5:19), we can reason then, that when we look at what Jesus did, we see the nature of the Father at work (see John 10:30). How did Jesus radiate the Father? He focused on the Father. How are we then to radiate the nature of the Father? Focus on Jesus. The author of Hebrews writes, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Again, I ask, how does one radiate the Father? Study the Word. David wrote, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways” (Psalm 119:15).
If one wants to become like the teacher, the student must learn from that teacher. I know that sounds so simplistic, however, too many people try to radiate the Father without listening to the Son. “If I just do this” . . . “If I just do that”. The man who wants to win over a woman by doing things for her, and yet does not listen to her, will never win her over. Similarly, attempting to build a relationship with God by doing things (even good things), for him without investing in the relationship by listening to the Spirit will go nowhere.
Invest in Your Relationship with Jesus
Study his life, not to become a scholar, but to become like him. Read every word he spoke and take it to heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to transform your heart and your way of thinking. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see the truths of his Word like you have never seen them before. Assume a humble posture of heart, and though you may have read a given passage 1,000 times before, ask the Holy Spirit to give you more insight. He will.
The more you focus on Jesus, meditating on his precepts and fixing your eyes on his ways, the more his Word will permeate your thinking to the point that you can’t help but to produce fruit, fruit that will last. This is not theoretical, this is practical. Let me put it plainly. The role of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus. The more time that you invest in your relationship with Jesus, allowing the Spirit to guide you as you ponder the word of God, the more you will radiate the Father. The ball is in your court.