Whom Do You Resemble?  

Recently we spent a few days in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the Annual Meeting of our church association, the National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals (NAWE). While there, we enjoyed some of the area’s attractions with two of our grandchildren. At one such location, there was a machine that utilized some form of facial recognition software to match you up with celebrities with similar features. It was your chance to find out which famous persons you look like. I wasn’t surprised with my top pick because over the years I have had several people suggest such a resemblance. I was a 90% match with late actor, Robin Williams. However, my wife preferred thinking of me more in line with the third choice among my listings – Harrison Ford. At any rate, it can be interesting to explore such comparisons, some which may be flattering and others not so much.

   More important than whom we resemble physically is the question of whom we are similar to when it comes to our character and inner being. On one occasion Jesus declared that some of His fellow-Jews who pridefully boasted about their special connection with Abraham and with God shared less similarities with those admirable figures and were actually more like the devil himself due to their rejection of truth and their persecution of God’s prophets. Needless to say, that comparison didn’t go over well. The Bible also reminds us that we have to guard against simply becoming a reflection of this world, exhibiting its sometimes-ungodly attitudes, actions, and values. We are warned, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Instead of allowing the world to squeeze us into its mold, we should be letting God transform us into a different image. What image is that? As followers of Jesus, we should be looking more like Him as time goes by, exhibiting to a greater degree the same qualities He possesses. I don’t know of any more flattering compliment than the assertion that you remind others of Jesus. Is that the case with us?

In order to answer that question, we need to know what that image of Jesus looks like. Unfortunately, we live in a day when many are distorting the true picture of Christ as revealed in scripture. I have long asserted that one of the best descriptions of Christlike qualities, apart from the Gospel accounts of His life, is what the scripture refers to as “the fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Doesn’t that sound like Jesus? In contrast, the previous verses describe the works of the flesh, which include various forms of sexual immorality, uncleanness, selfishness, angry outbursts, hatred, and overindulgence. Which of those lists better describes us?

No doubt, all of us could be a better reflection of Jesus than what we are. Nevertheless, His basic qualities ought to be present in our lives if we are trusting Him as our Savior and have His Spirit residing within us. Notice that those preferred qualities are “the fruit of the Spirit” – they come from our having the Holy Spirit living in us and working in us to transform us more into the image of God’s Son. The more we yield ourselves to the work of the Spirit as He molds us and purifies us, the more we will look like Jesus.  

Do people see more of the devil, this world, or Jesus in us? Whom do we really look like? We may not be able to alter certain aspects of our physical appearance, but we can let the Lord change our character. Let’s cooperate with His efforts to make us more like Jesus.