"To be like Jesus. To be like Jesus. All I want is to be like Him." So begins one of the old time hymns of the church. But are we really ready to set aside our own self-directed lives to daily commit to following Jesus Christ of Nazareth?

John the Baptist recognized his relationship with Jesus when he proclaimed, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) John's joy was immediate, "...Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled." (John 3:29)

"We wish to see Jesus." (John 12:21) At the end of Jesus' life, some Greeks were there asking to see Him. Enough of just seeking Him, the time had come for Jesus to be glorified.

He needed dedicated individuals who would leave behind them their hold onto the past and deny self-loved lives to follow Jesus. He needed people then, as He does today, with commitment to walk and grow in the Spirit so that only Jesus is being glorified. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27)

Jesus spoke to His disciples, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39) Ponder that one!

The Apostle Paul wrote often about being "a new man in Christ." "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"...you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him..." (Colossians 3:9,10)

This month, as we go stepping into a new year, are you ready to let go and allow Jesus to release you into the year flowing with new life? It's a worthwhile commitment.