Family Resemblance (Friday Devotional)

“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

- 2 Corinthians 3:18

As a new parent, there are certain questions I’m getting used to answering: “How’s he sleeping at night?” “How much does he weigh now?” And, of course, “Who do you think he looks more like, you or Lindsey?” To that last question, I sometimes want to sarcastically reply, “He kind of just looks like a baby.” But when I obligingly study his eyes, hair, nose, ears, and cheeks, I start to see features that resemble mine and Lindsey’s. In subtle ways, he’s already starting to look like us.

Faith in Christ has a similar effect—as you grow in faith, you start to resemble Christ more and more. The old temptations, habits, and priorities that once seemed to define you are shunted to the side, suddenly unimportant compared to your pursuit of Christ. While the flesh calls you to selfishness, faith calls you to righteousness; while the flesh calls you to satisfaction, faith calls you to love; while the flesh calls you to idolatry, faith calls you to the cross.

The great struggle of discipleship is determining every single day whether you want to craft your own flawed, ugly portrayal of yourself or be conformed to the perfect image of God in Jesus Christ. When people look at your life, they will see resemblances, either to your old self and all its influences or to Christ—so who do you want to look like?