Trying to Be Like Jesus

“I’m trying to be like Jesus;

I’m following in his ways.

I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say. …

Love one another as Jesus loves you.

Try to show kindness in all that you do.

Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,

For these are the things Jesus taught.”

These are the lyrics to one of our favorite church hymns.

The scriptures teach us that we need to “try to be like Jesus.”

“…what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…” (2 Peter 3:11)

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)

Jesus asked, “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 27:27).

To become as He is, we must also do the things He did: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do” (The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 27:21)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “As we ponder having been commanded of Jesus to become like Him, we see our present circumstance is one in which we are not necessarily wicked, but, rather, is one in which we are so half-hearted and so lacking in enthusiasm for His cause. . . We extol, but seldom emulate Him.”

What are some of these attributes of Jesus Christ we should emulate?

Jesus Christ mourned with those who mourned. Lazarus was dead. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was met with the anguish of Mary and Martha, some of His dearest friends, who were grieving over the loss of their brother. At the graveside, Jesus wept in sympathy with their sorrow over Lazarus' death. We are trying to be like Jesus when as disciples of Jesus Christ, we covenant to “mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” (The Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:9)

Jesus Christ was submissive to the will of His Father.

Jesus said, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).

His whole life was devoted to obeying His Father. Appearing to the people on this American continent after His resurrection, Jesus declared, “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 11:11).

We are all familiar with the Savior’s teaching, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). What does the Savior mean when he says to “become as little children?” King Benjamin gives the answer when he told God’s people to “humble themselves and become as little children . . . and put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord see fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (The Book of Mormon Mosiah 3:19).

We should try to be like Jesus, be submissive to our Father in Heaven as Jesus was, and keep His commandments. We are humble and submissive like Jesus when we pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was a peacemaker. The Lord taught us how to live, then and now, in a contemptuous world. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” He declared, “for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

A dramatic example of the Savior being a peacemaker was when He was apprehended in Gethsemane. Peter struck and cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. After halting the violence, Jesus reattached and healed Malchus’s ear.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Jesus taught, “Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (The Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 11:29, 30). We are like Jesus when we “Cease to contend one with another; cease to speak evil one of another” (Doctrine and Covenants 136:23).

Jesus Christ expressed ultimate love and joy. He exemplified peace and patience in all circumstances. He modeled kindness to the forgotten, goodness to the wayward, faithfulness to the faltering, and gentleness and self-control in even the worst of situations.

Becoming more like the Jesus Christ is a gradual, lifelong process. We need to be patient with ourselves. God knows that change and growth take time. He is pleased with our sincere desires and will bless us for every effort we make. As we seek to become more like Christ, our desires, thoughts, and actions will change.

The invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation to follow His example and to become like Him. Learn of Him and seek to incorporate His attributes into your life.

Elder and Sister Cromar are senior missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Alaska Anchorage Mission.