When my son was about 2, he got into the habit of repeating pretty much everything he heard. This was adorable when I’d tell him he was my favorite and he’d respond that I was his favorite. It was less adorable when his dad would smack my butt, calling me a hottie and my son would attempt to do the same.

As time has gone on, he has continued to copy things that he hears. I’ll tell him, “Your mom,” he’ll reply “No– your mom”, pause, and then tell me, “Wait – YOU’RE my mom!” He’s recently started copying my husband and me repeating punny jokes that we’ve told him. Just ask him why the chicken crossed the road.

The person he will one day be my son will be because of copying what Dan and I say and do. If my son will learn how to be a good Christian, it is most likely because he sees us living our faith out daily. He will become the result of being like Pastor and me because he is our child.

We, as God’s children— as saved saints— are to strive to be like Jesus. We are to grow more like him until Jesus comes back or we go to heaven, like it says in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

We know we are supposed to be like Jesus… but how do we become more like Him? What does that look like in our daily lives? God gives us some very clear instructions using the specific words, “Be ye.”

The 1st way we can be like Jesus is found in 1 Peter 1:15-16 which says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

The word holy here is used to describe humans and things that are separated (or devoted) to God. It means to be without sin or to be perfect. To be holy is what you are, not who you are. It’s what you do, not just a title to keep. We are Christians, not because we asked Christ to save us one day, but because we obey our God’s commands. He commands, “be ye holy for I am holy.” If He commands us to do something, He also gives us the ability to obey His command.

To be holy, we must be willing to accept God’s way of thinking, speaking, and acting as our own. To be holy, we have to be willing to admit when our thoughts, speech, and actions do not mirror Jesus. 

To be holy is to be without sin. But how do we have no sin— by being perfect?

I am sorry to shatter the image some of you may have had of what a pastor’s wife should be, but I am not perfect. Unfortunately, you are not perfect either.

But if we’re not perfect and we still sin, how can we be holy?

Through covering. Proverbs 10:12 tells us that love covereth all sins. God is Love. Our natural, human instinct though is to try to cover our sins ourselves. We often try to cover it with blame. 

Finish this sentence: it’s not my_____. We’re really good at blaming others for our sinful choices, aren’t we? We so often refuse to take responsibility when we sin and as a result, we are not holy.

Sometimes, we just try to cover up our own sin. If nobody sees what we do wrong, then it didn’t happen. If I call it a prayer request, then it’s not really gossip. If I never say bad things about my pastor to his face, it’s not really slander. But covering up sin rarely works for very long — Numbers 32:23 tells us, “and be sure your sin will find you out.”

‭‭God in His goodness will not allow you to cover your sin for long.

So how do you cover sin and become holy?

Through confession. 1 John 1:8-9 tells us, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

‭‭When is the last time that you asked God to forgive you for a mean thought? For an unkind or cranky word you spoke? For disobeying Him? We are commanded to confess our faults to receive His forgiveness: our goal should be to keep a short list of sins we haven’t asked Him for forgiveness for. 

It’s funny because I have found the more often I ask God to forgive me for something wrong I’ve done, the more aware I become before I sin that I can make the holier — more godly— choice.

The 2nd way we are commanded to be like Jesus is found in Ephesians 4:32: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

I think that if Christians would only show kindness to others around them, be tender hearted towards others around them, and forgive the way Christ does, our churches would be full.

The world often presents Christians as unforgiving, bitter, and rude. The truth is we really are that way sometimes and we shouldn’t be.

To be kind, we must decide on purpose that we’re going to love others more than we love ourselves. 1 John 3:16-17 says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”

We should love one another sacrificially because of the love of God. That means that we show kindness to those who are unkind without asking if they deserve it. That means showing kindness to those who will never return that favor. We all know someone— or more likely more than one someone— who is a Woe-is-me Debbie Downer constantly criticizing those around them. We’re to be kind even, and especially, to those people in our lives.

We are also to seek forgiveness when we have wronged someone and to offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us. 

If God is willing to forgive us for every petty thought we can come up with, why would we think we have the right to hold any wrongdoing against someone else?  Sometimes, I wonder if God doesn’t look at us and say, “What is that girl doing this time? Holding a grudge because someone didn’t smile at her? Man, this kid!” 

We need to admit and apologize to others when we know we have done wrong. And I have to say this takes a lot of humility sometimes. It’s hard to walk up to my son and tell him, “Buddy, this morning I was very impatient and I raised my voice at you because I was angry, but that was wrong. Will you please forgive me?” 

Just like it’s important to keep the list of sins we haven’t asked for forgiveness for with God, our list should be short with one another, too. Some of us in here have been holding a grudge against another daughter of God for years. And it’s time to apologize and it’s time to forgive.

If we are to be like Jesus — and I mean really be like Him— we have to confess our wrongdoing to God, confess our wrongdoing to each other and show kindness through forgiveness to one another.