DAY 40

My Ultimate Prayer: Xerox Me, Lord, Your Life Repeated in Mine!

Elijah said to Elisha, "What can I do for you before I'm taken from you? Ask anything." Elisha said, "Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you." —2 Kings 2:9 MSG

When I first read Elisha's request in The Message, Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you, it shaped the ultimate prayer for my life-purpose: "Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do." If God will accomplish that in my life, I will feel that I have fulfilled his awesome plan for me.

In a study I did in Ephesians, I found thirty-nine variations of "In Christ," "Through Christ," and so forth. In reviewing all of those occurrences, I discovered the ABCs of being in Christ. There is at least one "In Christ" concept for each letter of the alphabet. The letter X represents the fact that in Christ God Xeroxes us. Paul said, Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24 NIV). Put your face down on a copy machine and push the copy button. What prints out? A likeness of your face. As Christ followers, we were created to be like God, Xeroxed—an image of his likeness: his true righteousness and holiness reproduced in us. When people see us, who we are and how we act, they should see the likeness of Christ in us. It's like God Xeroxes us.

This is what I have been praying on my wooded prayer trail, "Xerox Me, Lord. Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy person just like you. Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become the all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do." That's being Xeroxed by God, being the likeness of Christ, a eflection of his image in us to other people.

After Lee Strobel became a Christ follower, his five-year-old daughter Allison said, "Mommy, I want God to do for me what he's done for Daddy."10 That's Christ's life repeated in a person's life—God Xeroxed Strobel, and even his five year old daughter recognized the transformation.

This is my ultimate life-prayer: Xerox me, Lord. May your life be repeated in my life, the image of Christ reflected to others! Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do. Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,
Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Member, Transformation Team
Connect/Refresh