Читать книгу @stickyJesus - Toni Birdsong - Страница 18

We are thankful that God designed His plan to be replicated. Jesus came so that you could see and learn how to be just like Him. Because of His example, you're poised to do what He did.

Jesus maintained a primary connection with the Father, and that connection shaped everything He did. He knew who He was and whose He was. That clarity grounded and shaped His perspective. One of the things Jesus' baptism announced was His intention to follow God's will and His recognition that He belonged to God alone. Jesus knew how to live only in a state of obedience.

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"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him."

..................................Matthew3:13-1S, NKJV ..................................

When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Jesus clearly demonstrated whose He was (and is). He held tightly to the Word of God and countered every temptation that Satan dished up. He emerged from the wilderness victorious and overcame forty days of intense testing and torment (see Matthew 4). He showed us it's possible to overcome any temptation in our paths.

When communicating in a Web-based world, it's critical to choose the authority of your life before you engage in meaningful conversations with others. Be assured, this new mission field is ripe with land mines, some with your very name on them. Remember, for all the lip service the Israelites gave the "Lord" of their lives as they fled the slavery of Egypt, it wasn't long before they were whipping out the golden calf for some home-style worship. They didn't fully realize who or whose they were and soon returned to their old ways.

You must maintain a holy, heavenly perspective, just as Jesus did, which is perhaps the most critical mandate for a Christ follower online. This connection to the Father is immensely important, and it is a topic we'll delve into much deeper later.

When Jesus started His ministry, He began to call individuals to "follow" Him.

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"Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea;for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" ................................Matthew 4:18-19, NKJV ..................................

You will see and hear the expression "follow me" or "I'm following." a lot in the social networking realm, but to date, no one has yet to offer the return on investment (eternity) that Jesus offered. Once the disciples began following Him, Jesus proved worthy of their trust by being consistently genuine and authentic. Basically, He cared, and it showed as He walked, talked, prayed, ate, and lived out the highs and lows of daily life with His beloved tribe of twelve.

That same trust, built through consistent, real, one-on-one dialogue, is the goal in your online relationships. It will be a steadiness of character, a showing up, and a reaching out with a Jesus brand of sticky compassion that will touch hearts for eternity.