The Bible frequently tells us, “Be you!”* Be the unique you whom God made you to be. And make sure you remember the asterisk, the terms and conditions that God applies. No one does that quite like Jesus did.
Jesus was absolutely himself. When his family wanted him to calm down with his claims to be the Messiah, he didn’t conform to their wants but rather was true to himself. When the Pharisees demanded he change his message, Jesus pushed back, insisting on being the only-begotten Son of the Father on a one-of-a-kind mission to save us from our sins.
But the entire time Jesus was being uniquely Jesus, he remembered God’s terms and conditions. He was humble, selfless, and constantly obedient to the will of his Father. Paul summarized it well: “[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).
You and I need a Savior like that. It’s hard to be yourself, even harder to remember to be humble and selfless, but Jesus’ life and death are our constant source of forgiveness and hope. Thank God that Jesus was always Jesus!
