For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. 1 Peter 2:21
People have always told me that I look just like my dad, and I have to admit that they are right. When I look at pictures of my dad when he was the age I am now, I realize that it probably would have been hard to tell us apart if we had grown up at the same time. What I am beginning to notice is that the older I get, the more I not only look like him, but the more I act like him. His mannerisms, his actions, his quirks – those are the things that I find myself mirroring the way he does them. I will be in the middle of doing something, and I will just stop and say to myself, “You probably looked just like Dad when you did that.” Doing things the way my dad does them is nothing that I am ashamed of. I look up to my father, and I am proud to be his son.
As Christians, we should find ourselves mirroring the image of our Heavenly Father as well. It is sad to see so many young adults, most of them saved at a very young age, actually acting less like Christ as they get older instead of more like Him. The longer we are Christians, the more we should imitate Jesus Christ. One of the reasons my mannerisms and actions so closely resemble my father’s is because I spent so much time around him while I was growing up. I naturally picked up on the things he does just by watching him and being with him. Perhaps a reason why people today do not imitate Christ is because they have spent no time with Him. They have never studied His Word or spent time on their knees communing with Him. They cannot imitate him because they hardly know His likes or dislikes. They are unfamiliar with what pleases Him and what cause Him disappointment. In a lot of cases, it seems they don’t even care to get to know Him.
I suppose another reason I look and act so much like my father is that his genes are running through my body because he is my father. It is, therefore, just natural that I act and look as he does. I would have to make a conscious effort to not look and act like my dad. Christians have Jesus Christ living in their hearts. It should be natural to look and act like Christ. When that is not the case, it is obvious rebellion against looking and acting like a Christian.
A Christian who is proud to call God his Father will be proud to be His son and will live in a way that would emulate Him closer and closer each day.
Read also: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Quote of the day: "Christianity is not just Christ in you, but Christ living His life through you.”