Being a disciple of the Lord is not simply accepting His name, nor is it just attending a meeting or reciting a prayer. Being a disciple of the Lord is something more intimate, more profound, more demanding: it is entering the sacred process of imitating Him. It is to look at His life and decide that every thought, every reaction, every decision of mine must reflect what He taught and what He lived. That is why, when I think about what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, I remember the invitation of the apostle Peter: to become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). It is not a poetic metaphor; it is a call for His character to merge with mine until my identity cannot be separated from His.
Imitating the Savior requires intention. No one becomes like Him by accident. It is a daily choice, a constant discipline. Just as a musician repeats scales tirelessly or an athlete trains every muscle with perseverance, so also the disciple repeats the gestures of Christ in everyday life: obeying when it is hard, being humble when the voice of pride wants to rise, being patient when life becomes unbearable. Imitation is not superficial mimicry—it is a spiritual art. Someone may copy external gestures, but only he who truly loves Him manages to let that imitation transform his heart.
When I look at the life of Jesus, I first see His obedience. From beginning to end, His life was an act of total surrender to the Father. “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) was the hymn of His existence. And I ask myself: how many times do I pray with those words, but deep down still fight against the will of God? To obey as He obeyed is to trust when I do not understand, to move forward when the light is not yet visible, to accept even when the soul groans. Obedience is the clearest proof of love. Christ Himself said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Then there is His humility. Not a weak or defeated humility, but a powerful one—the kind that kneels to wash feet and at the same time sustains the universe. Philippians 2:7 reminds us that He “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.” What does it mean for me to imitate that? It means not seeking greatness in the eyes of the world, but learning to bow, to serve, to recognize that everything I have comes from God. Humility is accepting my dependence on Him, not competing with His glory, but reflecting it.
And there is also His patience. Jesus was never rushed, never acted out of anxiety. He waited for the Father’s time. Even in Gethsemane, when anguish crushed Him, He knew how to wait and endure. And me? My nature wants immediate results, quick solutions, easy roads. But if I want to imitate the Savior, I must learn the patience that endures pain without losing faith. As Alma taught his persecutors: “Ye must stand fast, and suffer patiently” (Alma 14:11).
True worship is not measured by how loudly I sing a hymn or how emotional my prayer is. Worship is measured by how much of Christ is in me. The prophet taught that our adoration of the Lord is best expressed through our emulation of Him. And that completely changes the definition of disciple. It is not just someone who admires Christ, but someone who embodies Him. It is someone who, with every choice, every word, every silence, asks: What would He do?
I know that imitating the Savior does not happen overnight. It is a gradual process, like dawn slowly conquering the night. In that process there are falls, setbacks, frustrations. But grace is there too. When I stumble in my attempt to obey, His perfect obedience covers me. When I struggle with pride, His infinite humility lifts me. When patience fails me, His eternal patience sustains me. To imitate Him is not only to strive in my own strength, but to allow His Spirit to transform me.
To be a disciple means being willing to die to myself each day so that Christ may live in me. Paul summed it up with simplicity and power: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). That is the final goal: that my character be a mirror of His, that my hands become His hands, that my thoughts breathe His mind, that my actions testify of His love.
And I think of something else: imitating Christ not only blesses me, but blesses those around me. The world needs authentic disciples, not faded copies. It needs men and women whose humility brings peace, whose patience gives hope, whose obedience opens doors of light. When the world sees us, it should see a reflection of Him. There is no point in calling ourselves disciples if our lives do not transmit His essence.
The path of discipleship demands courage. Sometimes being obedient will mean going against the current. Sometimes being humble will seem like a disadvantage. Sometimes being patient will seem senseless. But in that contrast is where the light shines. Jesus said: “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Light does not imitate darkness; it conquers it. The imitation of Christ is the only way to overcome the world without being of the world.
In the end, discipleship is worship in motion. It is not only about raising my voice in praise, but about raising my life in obedience. It is not only about confessing His name, but about living His character. Being a disciple is not a title I claim, it is an identity I build with each decision.
That is why, when I think about my life and the areas where I still fall short, I do not despair, but hold on to the promise: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). He invites me to imitate Him, but also gives me the strength to do so. He does not leave me alone in the process; He walks with me.
And so, step by step, day by day, prayer by prayer, obedience by obedience, the promise Peter gave is fulfilled: we become partakers of His divine nature. And in that process, the imperfect disciple begins to look like the perfect Master.
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