How the Lord’s Prayer Helps Us Resemble Jesus
Who do you resemble?
Were you the spitting image of your mother or father at birth, as a child, or now?
Maybe there’s a resemblance to both parents or not to either one.
Perhaps people think you resemble someone else.
As a twin, my sister is always someone I resemble.
Besides physical attributes, there’s another way we resemble someone—in character.
To grow to resemble Jesus is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. But if we miss this, we miss the purest meaning for CHRISTian.
Yet, how do Christians look like Christ?
After our spiritual birth, is there a way to really grow to resemble Jesus?
In Matthew 6, Christ seizes an opportunity to teach His disciples and listeners how to pray. While the prayer, line-by-line, is beautiful and powerful, we make other discoveries in the text.
It showcases who God is. And we uncover the mission of Jesus. Still further, it reveals how to look more like Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 ESV Click To TweetHow to resemble Jesus through the Lord’s prayer:
1.) Jesus recognized His Father’s holiness.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Hallowed means holy, sacred, and revered (Merriam Webster). Jesus acknowledges, Holy are You, Father, revered is Your name.
Resembling Jesus, we recognize our Father as holy and revere His name. Voicing it to God in prayer. And voicing it to others—My God is holy, hallowed is His name.
2.) Resemble Jesus: Jesus desired His Father’s Kingdom.
“Your kingdom come.” Jesus spent His life bringing heaven’s kingdom to earth. It’s seen in His words, actions, and disciples. And God’s kingdom is displayed in His peace, grace, love, and mercy.
We may spend years building our kingdom. But it often crumbles.
Looking like Jesus, we desire God’s Kingdom over our own. It’s seen in our words, actions, and in how we disciple others. We display the peace, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus.
3.) Jesus busied himself with His Father’s business.
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
At only 12-years old, Jesus focused on His Father’s business (Luke 2:29, NKJV). And there are many other accounts where Christ states His purpose was to do the Father’s will.
Resembling Jesus, we busy ourselves with our Father’s business. We pray and seek His will.
Instead of our life characterized by mere busyness, we make the business of heaven our life.
To resemble Jesus, we desire God's kingdom over our kingdom and His will over our agenda. Instead of our life characterized by mere busyness, we make the business of heaven our life. Click To Tweet4.) Resemble Jesus: Jesus relied on His Father’s provision.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
As modeled in His life, Jesus asked God to provide—daily. These needs included physical and spiritual nourishment. But Christ never concerned himself with tomorrow’s provision. This reminds us of the manna God provided each day to the Israelites (Exodus 16).
Looking like Jesus, we trust God’s provision for each day. We ask Him and we trust Him for physical and spiritual nourishment.
5.) Jesus extended His Father’s forgiveness.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Jesus extended forgiveness for sins to a woman marked “sinful” (Luke 7:48). He asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). And Christ died so that our sins were paid for and forgiven.
Resembling Jesus, we freely and liberally forgive others who wrong us. Even those who are repeat offenders.
6.) Resemble Jesus: Jesus combated evil with His Father’s Word.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Jesus overcame temptation with Scripture, “It is written” (Matthew 4:1-11). Christ freed people with evil spirits. He spoke about abstaining from evil. And Jesus said to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Looking like Jesus, we use God’s Word to overcome temptation. We protect our heart from evil. And we overcome evil with good.
To grow to resemble Jesus is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. But if we miss this, we miss the purest meaning for CHRISTian. Click To Tweet
Which of the 6 ways do you desire to resemble Jesus most?
Or, what would you add?
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*All Scripture ESV unless noted.
*Featured photos from video of Gatlinburg on our YouTube channel, Friday’s Forever.
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This is a great post Karen. You helped me view the Lord’s Prayer with new eyes. I really appreciate how you shared your thoughts. Thanks so much.
Appreciate your kind words, Yvonne. To grow to resemble Jesus is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. But if we miss this, we miss the purest meaning for CHRISTian.
Great thoughts here Ms. Karen. Have often thought about this, and believe that the changes must happen on the inside first. As God completes each phase of my reconstruction (sanctification), my outside begins to show what has happened on the inside. This is how we begin to look more like Christ to those around us. God’s blessings young lady! Another stellar post.
Thank you, J.D. Agree, this is a job of the Holy Spirit from the inside out. We are always under construction as believers. Yet, as we partner with the Trinity to allow these transformations to take place, we grow into the image of Christ more and more.
I pray that I will show the love of Christ in all my words and actions. Sometimes, I fail. I am thankful for His forgiveness and the opportunity to try again.
Yes, Melissa, such a good point. Since God’s kingdom is displayed in His peace, grace, love, and mercy, may we display these as well…through Christ in us!
Wonderful article Karen.Loved it! I am a twin also.
Thank you, encouraged that you enjoyed it. Neat you are a twin, didn’t know that. 🙂
Hmmm . . . new perspective! I hadn’t thought of the Lord’s Prayer as a way to “resemble Jesus.”
Ava, I hope we pray this beautiful and powerful prayer, while resembling Jesus in His vision and mission on earth.
The way I see this in my
life is that I busy myself with the Father’s business. This is one way I walk in Jesus’ steps. I’m a teacher, and so I teach, writing blogs and Bible studies that illuminate Biblical passages.
I see this in your life, Melinda. Your blog series and articles always show how much you walk in the steps of the Savior. And you encourage us to do so.
I really can’t choose just one, Karen, as all of these you’ve featured here walk hand in hand. You have certainly given richer meaning the the Lord’s Prayer with your embellishments here. Just beautiful!
Blessings!
Thanks so much, Martha. Glad this resonated with you. I pray looking like Jesus, we desire God’s Kingdom over our own. It’s seen in our words, actions, and in how we disciple others. We display the peace, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus.
May we become more and more like Him. A wonderful post!
Thank you, Nancy. I pray to resemble Christ more and more every day on this Christian journey.
Thank you for highlighting The Lord’s Prayer and showing us how to relate it to some of our deepest desires. One of my deepest desires (especially in recent months) is to keep His Kingdom in full focus and to hold “mine” loosely. I don’t want to do anything or go anywhere He doesn’t lead or desire. Blessings!
Cathy, love how you said, “One of my deepest desires (especially in recent months) is to keep His Kingdom in full focus and to hold ‘mine’ loosely.” This is a wonderful desire and prayer. Thanks for sharing! God bless!
Thank you for using your love of words to help people know the love of God! You are truly a servant of the Lord!! God bless you!!
Your comment nearly brought me to tears, Kim. I so desire to be His servant and bring His kingdom to earth and my life. Blessings! I pray we desire God’s kingdom over our kingdom and His will over our agenda. Instead of our life characterized by mere busyness, we make the business of heaven our life.
Karen, I have never thought of the Lord’s prayer this way. But of course the prayer shows God’s heart and goals so it would help us look more like him. Cool thought I am leaving with.
Thankful this inspired you in a different light, Theresa. Our God is holy, hallowed is His name.
I like to use this prayer to start out my prayer time, but I never considered that Jesus exemplified everything here. Of course He did! But I just never thought of it that way, and it was neat to think about.
Hey Barbara, glad this gave you a new view of the Lord’s prayer. I like to pray the Lord’s prayer daily as well. God bless!
So good, Karen! I’ve always appreciated the simplicity of the Lord’s Prayer – God is supreme, please provide, help us resist temptation, take care of us, we love you, we believe. It reminds me of the childlike faith I think we SHOULD have.
Karen, this was a great post. I really appreciated how you elaborated on the Lord’s prayer. Probably one of my biggest challenges is this:
“Resembling Jesus, we busy ourselves with our Father’s business. We pray and seek His will. Instead of our life characterized by mere busyness, we make the business of heaven our life.”
I’ve gotten better at not finding my value in being busy, but I love the exhortation and reminder you share to busy ourselves with our Father’s business. I’m learning to live this out daily.
I love saying the Lord’s prayer several times a week. So I appreciate your insights here on allowing these words to help shape us into Christ’s image. I’ll be featuring this post at the Grace and Truth linkup at my blog this Friday!
Isn’t the actual Lord’s prayer in John 17? where Jesus was addressing his father. The prayer that somebody prays to God shouldn’t it be called that persons prayer. In Mathew 6 that was a prayer Jesus was teaching to the Jews, how they should pray since they were the ones who were waiting for a Kingdom. Christians were actually given the Kingdom after the Jews rejected him to bear fruits Math 21:43. To resemble Christ actually comes by renewing our mind using the word of God that is how we are metamorphosed Rom 12:2. The mystery of Christ and the church, we are associates of the God kind, we are sons of God e.t.c.