PUT ON CHRIST TO LIVE A NOBLE LIFE

The story is told about a man who was born with an awful facial deformity. He grew up alone, rejected, sad and depressed because of his deformity. Everyone in the village looked at him with fright and disgust. No one wanted to associate with him.  

Aggrieved by the hurting behavior of his village, he decided to move to another town to begin a new life. On his way to the new town, he discovered a mask that would make him look handsome.   At first the mask was uncomfortable and he was afraid that people would find out who he really was, but he continued to wear the mask every day.

He could win the favor of all in the new town. He fell in love with a beautiful young girl also.  But one day, an evil woman from his old town came and discovered his true identity. In front of his friends and fiancé, the evil woman forced him to remove his mask. 

When the mask was removed, it revealed a very attractive face. The man’s face had perfectly conformed to the mask he had worn.

Becoming like Christ is similar to this. We are to put on Christ and attempt to live like Christ and look like Christ. At first it may feel unnatural and uncomfortable, and it may be very difficult. But every day, we must put on Christ, and keep striving to be like Christ. Over time, we will grow to look and act more and more like Jesus.  We have to understand and follow the recipe for spiritual growth and success. We have to put forth the effort required to grow and stay on track. The promises and power of God shall be ours in abundance.

St. Peter gives some ingredients for a blessed and fruitful life (2 Pet. 1:1-11). “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.   Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall;   so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”