Being Christ-like

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13:15).

In the late 1800s overseas in India, a man was studying to be a preacher of Christ. However, he was dismissed from the church because of something that he did wrong. Burdened with shame, knowing that he could never again dare to preach, the man left and went to a far-off area where Christianity was unknown; there, he settled as stranger and made a living as a maker of pots. The church never heard from him again, and it was there that he died.

Years later, it was decided to send a team of missionaries to the same distant place. They rented a house and began to tell the stories of Christ. They were amazed when the crowd of villagers responded eagerly, exclaiming, "we know the man you are talking about; he lived here for years." "Oh, no," said the missionaries, "you don’t understand. We are talking about Jesus Christ." "Well," answered the villagers, "he never told us his name. But the man you’ve described was our potter, without a doubt."

The story of the Indian potter teaches us two things. The first is this: when we follow Jesus, we are to imitate Him with our lives. Martin Luther said that we are to be like "little Christs"; we are to try and imitate His example in everything we say and do. Like Him, we are to be humble, obedient, and always in service to the needs of others. We are to be loyal, honest, and hard working. Most importantly, we are to forgive others for wronging us, and be in constant contact with God through prayer.

But the Indian’s story teaches us something else as well. That man did something wrong, so wrong that the church ejected him from membership. He felt true remorse; he believed he was unfit to speak as God’s representative ever again. Yet the legacy he left was that everyone he met regarded him as Christ-like. Clearly, Jesus had forgiven him for whatever sin he had committed. Jesus forgave him and restored him to fellowship with God, because no one can imitate Christ without the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit living within him. The Indian’s life teaches us that even though we are sinners, our Lord will forgive us for our mistakes and give us another opportunity to lead lives worthy of true disciples of Christ.