March 2- Being Like Christ

Leviticus 25:47-27:13
Mark 10:32-52
Psalm 45:1-17
Proverbs 10:22

You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?

In Mark 10, when the Zebedee boys come marching up and asking for a seat of prominence in Jesus' kingdom, little do they know what they are asking. I must say, I've never asked to sit at Jesus' right or left. However, I have asked some pretty bold things. "Transform me. Make me like you. Teach me to serve. Make me humble. Help me to be self sacrificial. Help me to be more like Jesus." And while I know that these sound a lot better than the Zebedee boys' prayer, they are still asking something of Jesus that I really may not be prepared for. Lots of times I compare myself to Christ. After all, I wanna be like him, know him, serve him, and follow him. And yet, the gap between Jesus and me is so big. While I call myself a Christian and speak boldly in his name, I have never had to drink from his cup or be baptized in suffering as he was. I've enjoyed most of the titles, with few of the hardships. And while I'm glad to take on his name, maybe I should humble myself a tad bit more. Just because I share his name, doesn't mean that I have taken hold of his responsibility. To share his name is to share his responsibility. Maybe God is telling me in this story, "Chris, those are fine things to pray for, but do you know what you are really asking? When you say 'make me like Jesus', you are asking for pain and sorrow and self sacrifice. Jesus can not be separated from sacrifice, as this is what he is all about. " Years ago I prayed to be like Jesus, and I must say that this road has been a hard one. However, do I even know how far down the road the Lord will take me? I humbly pray for God to make me more like Christ, knowing that just like the Zebedee boys, I don't know what I'm asking.