JESUS IS THE BENCHMARK FOR THOSE WHO CLAIM TO FOLLOW HIM…
Everyone who follows Jesus is not a son. Everyone who claims to be a son does not always understand what that means. It is my desire that the following series of articles will help the simplest of us to understand what a son is; how will they know they are a son and what is expected of them. In this same study we will define the role of the Fathering Leader and God’s expectations of the Leader.
Moses tells us in Exodus 17:15b that THE LORD IS MY BANNER.
The word “banner” is defined from the Hebrew language as “The Standard.”
It is from this thought that all thoughts are either based on “what is above” and either pleases the Father or it pleases us and our own thoughts.
We like the idea of thinking that we have great control over our thoughts, emotions and reactions. This is only true when the Word of God is at the forefront of all we think, see and do. If this were not the case, there would not have been a need for Jesus to be driven into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tested by the enemy, nor would it have been a need for Him to go to the Garden of Gethsemane to be tested, even by some of His disciples as well as the enemy. Both events affected His response to His physical and emotional needs or His response to the commitment He had made to His Father.
Jesus going to the cross was Father’s desire and Jesus commitment. Jesus left the Heavenly surrounding, agreeing to become a member of the human race. I do not understand how this works, but by making that agreement He would forever be of the human race and forever would He be the Christ, the anointed priest, members of the sacred God Head. Yet, He still has the scars on His hands, feet and side to prove His humanity experience.
It is not Father’s desire that we become like Him once we leave this earth and return to heaven. It is His desire that the image (all that Jesus did in the earth) becomes a normal part of our everyday walk with Him. Once this thought becomes flesh, we will function much differently in the earth and in the heavenly. After all, we are seated with Him in Heavenly Places, so we must be able to function in that atmosphere.
As He is the Benchmark our actions are based upon what He has already done; completed and has sustained for the Father. We do not celebrate the Passover…we live the Passover daily. It is not an event on the calendar. God’s people find it easier to celebrate and commemorate an event rather than live it out as an eternal happening. This is what has made being a son so difficult. We learn to do this by placing Jesus at the forefront of our tutorship as we learn and enjoy becoming a joint heir with Jesus as the Son of God.
Jesus is the first born of many brethren. We do not know how many brethren. We know, however, individually our inheritance rests on being one of His brethren.
If the sum of everything is in our knowledge of going to heaven, our life in the earth has been minimal in comparison to what Father intended because of His Son. Jesus is the Pattern Son. The Apostle Paul said he prayed for the image of Christ to be formed in us. If He is not formed in us, what is our foundation for going to a place where you may not be recognized? Salvation is not your ticket into Heaven. Being Born again is. Salvation teaches us how to develop into the righteousness we have acquired through the blood of Jesus so that we will understand the language and lifestyle of the Kingdom.
As we continue this study, which is quite light in comparison to the full biblical details, we will discover why John was called the “disciple whom Jesus loved” and why He did not give that same affection to the others.
This series will be posted on my blog as each article is completed. You may get to the blog by going to [https://ireflekt.com](https://ireflekt.com “Jesus The Benchmark”).
