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“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Luke 6:40

God has used many people to help me become the servant I am today. I wouldn’t be wherever I am today without the guidance of others. I praise God for the works of dedicated Bible scholars, commentators, translators, preachers, and teachers who help me understand God’s word better.

Whether we know it or not, we ultimately become our teachers. Their words become our words, and oftentimes, we even replicate their actions. That’s why choosing who to follow is critical. If we follow a person who is willing to compromise the truth for the sake of their personal interests, we may regret ever walking behind them. But if we go after someone whose life reflects Christlikeness, we will be more like our Lord every step of the way.

To conclude our series on Christlikeness, let’s see what the Lord Jesus has to say about this topic. Luke 6:37-42 talks about judging others and seeking reconciliation. Verse 40 is a reminder for us that we cannot take others to a place we’ve never been to, i.e., Christlikeness. He may be alluding to the self-righteousness and pride of the Pharisees, who thought they were godly but their actions proved otherwise. As a matter of fact, they displayed piety but their hearts were bent on killing our Lord! Jesus warns that if we follow someone who is not in the light, we will stumble along with him. Therefore, we should choose our teacher carefully.

In our time, countless churchgoers prefer preachers who teach human tradition and opinion over God’s Word. They’d rather listen to a motivational speaker or an entertainer instead of a solid Bible teacher. They give low priority to reflection and application of Jesus’ teaching and emphasize self-worth and rule-keeping. But true followers of Christ hear His voice; they won’t be deceived by religious posers because Jesus Himself keeps them safe.

Christlikeness is a life-long process and it’s the Holy Spirit who does most of the work. However, God sovereignly uses people to help us reach spiritual maturity. We are to exercise wisdom and discernment in choosing spiritual influencers, because the deeper we are in somebody’s teachings, the greater their influence on us becomes.

Pursue the Saviour today!