I want to be more Christian

I was at a leaders meeting Sunday night and one of the group shared a story that at the heart of it was the desire 'to be more Christian'. To be more Christian we need to be like Jesus, and to know Him. I agree with that.

But I'm not entirely sure what that looks like. I mean there are a lot of ways that I could develop as a person and in doing so be more Christian, more like Jesus. I could develop the characteristics of Galatians 5:22-23 and in doing so I would be more like Jesus. We like that kind of character development. There are only upsides to this sort of change.

But there are other ways that becoming more like Jesus is less than comfortable. Would I become more like Jesus if I hung around with the down and outcasts of my society more? Probably. If I challenged more stridently the hypocrisy of the religious establishment? If I sold all my possessions and gave the proceeds to the poor, would I become more like Jesus? If I began to preach in the public square of the kingdom of heaven would I become more like Jesus?

If I devote myself to the feeding of the hungry, clothing of the naked, visiting of the sick and the prisoner, the healing of the lame and began to suffer rejection for all of this, would I become more like Jesus?

We live constantly with the danger of making Jesus comfortable, making Jesus safe, making our readings of the Gospels in to some self-help manual. But if I'm called to be like Jesus, to be Christian, to have His Spirit infuse my Spirit with His life, then I need to be open to deeper changes - changes root and branch.

What do you think it means to be more like Jesus?