Two summers ago I attended my family reunion on my father’s side. Many of us stayed at the same hotel and on the first day there, I passed one of my great aunts while getting into the elevator. When she saw me, she smiled and said, “I don't know who you are, but I know who your daddy is. Your daddy is Willie James!" She knew my father and despite not seeing me for years, she was able to see him reflected in me.
Throughout my life, I've often been told that I look or act like one parent or the other. In my younger years, I fought the comparisons—viewing them as an infringement on my own identity. But now, I am touched when anyone sees them in me.
Despite how much this pleases me, the image I truly desire to reflect is that of my Heavenly Father. Just as a relative who hadn't seen me in years could so easily find my natural father in my features, I want others to find my Heavenly Father in my actions. In a crisis, I want to respond with His wisdom. When afraid, I want to reflect His strength and when crossed and forsaken...I want to reveal His love.
People need to be touched by who God really is. Yet, fellow imperfect humans are the face and hands of His ministry. Oftentimes, we feel inadequate because we haven’t taken the time to let Him truly touch and mold us. Take courage—God uses mere women and men.
We can be conformed to His image, only to the degree that we are convinced of the necessity of pursuing and obeying Christ. His “musts” for our lives cannot be treated as “maybes.” We must put an end to half-hearted obedience, so that we experience the deeper blessings that come with complete submission.
As we study the Word, we see that Christlikeness is possible when we:
1. Pursue It Intentionally: In the Word, we are instructed to "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans13:14) and “…walk worthy of the calling” (Ephesians 4:1). It is clear that we must be deliberate about manifesting the nature of Christ. The gospel is a message of action!
The Word is a seed that is planted and watered within us. We must be diligent to dig out the weeds of our old nature by refusing to indulge in attitudes, thoughts and behaviors that dim His light within us. If we are to ever grow and really change, it will require grace-fueled action!
2. Participate In A Sub-culture: It is easy to get swept up in the negative tide of the world’s culture. However, we must choose to act scripturally in circumstances.
Many times, if we truly examined our behaviors, we might be surprised to find that the criteria we use to respond to life is often based on social norms, rather than Kingdom principles. How much energy do we spend defending ourselves when He said let it go? Do we really bless those who despitefully use us?
It’s going to take more than Sunday church service to keep us razor sharp! We must be active in a daily community of faith in which we can share our expectations and strategize our challenges.
Spirituality wasn’t taboo in Biblical culture. God wasn't a Sunday conversation, reserved for special occasions. Nowadays, luck and horoscopes are greeted with more acceptance than the idea of a seeking God. Left unchecked, we can allow this attitude to influence us and even create discomfort when discussing our personal beliefs.
3. Spend time with the Father: Spending time with someone provides insight to how they act, think and respond in various situations. It gives access to the heart. Such closeness can develop, that you understand what they mean, even when they don’t express their intentions well. But it takes time and fellowship to reach that point of intimacy.
Little girls and boys often go through a phase where they mimic the behaviors of their same gender parent. It’s almost as if without being told, they are looking for someone to show them who and how they should be.
Over time, we naturally adopt some of our parents’ behaviors and mannerisms while integrating them into our personalities. Yet, we still maintain our own identity. Our transformation is the same when we pattern ourselves after Christ. He won’t make us all identical; we will still have our same likes, dislikes and personalities. However, He can create a new heart within all of us that can respond to the needs of the world.
Live It! Choose one of these three areas and focus on applying it over the week. For instance, if you choose to focus on making Christlikeness a goal, challenge yourself not to make a decision without gathering scriptural support from the Word. Be creative about finding ways to work a principle into your life.