I Want to Be Like My Dad

We have all heard it.  Most children go through a time when they think their Dad is the greatest.  He can do no wrong.  We all enjoy watching cute little children imitating their dad's mannerisms and even saying they want to grow up to be just like their dad.  

As Christians we are called to be just like our Father!  Some time ago one of my Bible memory passages was Ephesians 5:1-2. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (ESV) 

I have thought of it often.  We are called to be like children who are loved by their dad and who want to imitate him.  Wow!  How can I possibly imitate God?  My husband and I were talking about this just the other day and I said something like this to him.  He responded with some thoughts sparked by something one of his professors used to say.

 “People complain that ‘be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect’ is an unreachable, unreasonable goal. Well, what does one expect? A religion that has goals that are all reachable would be a human religion. The whole idea of Christianity is that we cannot measure up to God’s standards, that we must have help – his grace and mercy to reach his standards.

“A god that can be fully grasped by the human mind is a god not worth having. A god whose standards are reachable by unaided and sinful humans is not much of a god. Of course, the God of the Bible is beyond our understanding and beyond our unaided imitation. It is the very essence of God to be well beyond what we humans can reach.”

Becoming like God is a theme in the New Testament.  In Matthew 5:48.  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (ESV) Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with these words.  He has just finished giving his disciples instructions for how they are to live and this is how he sums it up.

Consider 1 Peter 1:15-16 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (ESV)  This passage quotes from the Old Testament (Lev. 11:44).  The idea of imitating and striving to become like God is not exclusive to the New Testament.

Notice 1 John 3:1-3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.  The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (ESV)  We are God's children and some day will truly be like Him.  This hope motivates us to imitate Him.

This striving to be like Him will never be completely fulfilled during this earthly life.  It is a continuing task.  It is a daily attempt. We must keep this goal before our minds.  We cannot do it alone.  It is God Himself who will help us.

What can we do?  We must get to know God if we want to imitate Him.  Read His book daily.  Meditate on the words you read.  Learn about God's actions toward humanity.  Read about the incarnate God, Jesus Christ.

Some years ago it became popular to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?"  Many people took to wearing bracelets with that question printed on them to remind themselves to ask when they faced a decision or a difficult situation.  The question is a good one and can be helpful, but only if we know what Jesus did.  How can we expect to know how Jesus would respond in a given situation if we have never learned or studied how He did respond to the situations he faced on this earth?  Read the word, study the word, join others in studying the word, read books by those who have studied the word.  Get to know God.  Then begin the lifelong task of imitating Him.