Jesus, our Pattern for Living | HealthWealthVictory
Do you want to accomplish much, with less effort, in less time? Jesus impacted the world so much, even until now, in just 3 years of ministry. Let’s make Jesus, the Heavenly Man, our pattern for living.
45 So the first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; and the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit.
47 The first man, being made of earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven.
48 The earthly man is the pattern for earthly people, the heavenly man for heavenly ones.
49 And as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so we shall bear the likeness of the heavenly one.
First Corinthians 15:45-49, 2nd reading Sunday Mass
Adam, the Earthly Man, the Pattern for Earthly people
Let’s examine how Adam lived to be a pattern for Earthly people.
Adam let other people around him influence his decision and his actions
God gave him a direction:
Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He said to him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.” Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.”
But he listened to his wife instead:
The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.
Genesis 3:6 GNBDK
When we are pondering on an issue in our life, most of the time, we consult our parents, our best friend, and every other important people around.
We ask everyone, except God.
Adam hid from God
That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.”
Genesis 3:8-10 GNBDK
Oftentimes, we feel so unworthy. Insignificant.
How can God care for me? Why would my life matter to Him? I am just one of many. Can God really be looking for me?
Adam toiled and hustled hard to live
And he said to the man, “You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants. You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again.”
Genesis 3:17-19 GNBDK
Adam disobeyed God. He was not faithful to the covenant God made with him. So God cursed the ground on which he stands.
All his life he will have to work hard to make a living.
Hustle is the name of the game for him in order to live and achieve success.
Work work work is the anthem of his life.
Adam died and returned to dust
You were made from soil, and you will become soil again. Genesis 3:17-19
Every sin has a consequence. And that was how sin entered into the world. “The wages of sin is death.”
Jesus, the Heavenly Man, the Pattern for Heavenly ones
Now let’s look at how Jesus lived.
Jesus let God guide and influence his decisions and actions
Very early the next morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and left the house. He went out of the town to a lonely place, where he prayed. But Simon and his companions went out searching for him, and when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus answered, “We must go on to the other villages round here. I have to preach in them also, because that is why I came.” So he traveled all over Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.
Mark 1:35-39 GNBDK
Jesus spent the day before healing people in that town.
Now everyone was looking for Him. Everyone wanted Him to continue healing the many people there already waiting for Him.
But Jesus did what God told Him to do. He knew His purpose in life.
He did not let anyone influence His decisions and his actions.
How did Jesus know what God wants Him to do?
This brings us to the next point.
Jesus regularly sought God and spent time with Him.
We can read this from the above verse:
Very early the next morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and left the house. He went out of the town to a lonely place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35 GNBDK
You can see this as a pattern in Jesus’ life.
He would go out by himself early in the morning to pray.
And then at night after a whole days’ work.
On occasions when He must make important decisions like when he was about to choose His 12 apostles, or at Gethsemane before the Passion, he spends the whole night in prayer.
Prayer first, then decision, then action is the pattern of His life.
Blessings followed everywhere Jesus went
Read the gospels and you will see, Jesus healed the sick, gave life to the dead, multiplied food, ceased the storms, cast out demons.
Abundance and miracles were the marks of Jesus’ ministry. Blessings follow Him everywhere.
God’s power was clearly at work with Him, in Him, and through Him.
Abiding, not striving or hustling, is the name of the game with Jesus.
He definitely practiced what he taught:
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus died and rose from the dead
Jesus not only died and resurrected, He ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the Father in glory, the first fruit of all creation.
He showed us what we could become. Death doesn’t have the final say for us.
Two patterns for Living
Can you see it clearly now?
We have before us two patterns of living for us to follow:
- Adam got his direction from people, Jesus from God
- Adam hid from God, Jesus sought after God
- Adam hustled and toiled by his own strength, Jesus abided and remained in God.
- Adam died and returned to dust, Jesus died and returned to God the Father.
The earthly man is the pattern for earthly people, the heavenly man for heavenly ones. First Corinthians 15:48
Now your turn
Do you want to live as Adam did, or live as Jesus did?
Live as Jesus did.
Remember that Encanto song, my version?
He told me that the life of my dreams is promised and already mine. He told me that my power would grow like the grapes that thrive on the Vine.
You will bear much fruit with less work in less time.
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 NASB1995
- Be like Jesus
- Do like Jesus
- Have like Jesus
Dear Lord,
I want to be like Jesus so I can do like Jesus has done and finally have what Jesus has – eternal life in glory with God, the Father. In Jesus’ Name. Amen
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This is it for now. Till next time.
To our health, wealth, and victory – GODSPEED!
