An English cleric coined the phrase 'Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery'. Although I do not 100% agree with this phrase, I do understand his meaning behind it. We imitate those we highly esteem, and those we imitate will be flattered by this behavior. I think there is something much deeper in this statement, and in human behavior overall. Why do we imitate each other in the first place? What compells many to give up their identity to become impersonators and imitaters of others? The good news is that this very behavior is in The Bible.
The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 says 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. In this verse, as our our unveiled (open) faces behold the glory of Our Lord, we are changed into that image of glory. As we continue to behold Him, we become more and more like Him; His Glory, His Image, His Character becomes imprinted upon us!
I always found the process of 'imprinting' fascinating. Many baby animals latch onto the first movable object they see in those early stages of their lives. We have many instances of this happening in the animal world, and we see instances of this happening in humanity as well. Time and time again, the Bible warns us about idolatry. It is interesting the first two commandments dealt with this very deep-seated problem. Idol creation and worship is littered in almost every book of the Old Testament. The Kings of Israel and Judah were charactered as good or bad by their loyalty to The Only Wise God or to their idolatrous practices. The children of Israel were warned about creating idols and images for them to then bow down to, but they fell into this behavior frequently. We earn to have someone, something to worship it seems.
The LORD knows the heart of man. He knows we are beings who were made for worship. Whether we like it or not, we worship that which we highly esteem. Idolatry comes in many forms: we put people (celebrities, sports figures, etc) on pedestals, we brand ourselves and tattoo our bodies with their names and emblems, we plaster their faces on our walls and make them our background pics, we mimic the way they dress, eat, what they drink and how they talk. We try to live like they live. But the LORD commands us to turn from our idolatrous ways and live like Him. He desires that we walk like Him (1 John 2:6), be perfect like He is Perfect (Matt 5:48), be holy as He is Holy (1 Pet 1:16) and be righteous even as HE is Righteous (1 John 3:7). How do we live like Christ? We must do what He did, so that we can grow more and more like Him. Christ spent hours in prayer and communion with His Father; He fasted, He ministered, He knew the Scriptures and He shared with others and spent time with others. We ought to do the same. Live like Christ today before men and angels.
The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 says 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. In this verse, as our our unveiled (open) faces behold the glory of Our Lord, we are changed into that image of glory. As we continue to behold Him, we become more and more like Him; His Glory, His Image, His Character becomes imprinted upon us!
I always found the process of 'imprinting' fascinating. Many baby animals latch onto the first movable object they see in those early stages of their lives. We have many instances of this happening in the animal world, and we see instances of this happening in humanity as well. Time and time again, the Bible warns us about idolatry. It is interesting the first two commandments dealt with this very deep-seated problem. Idol creation and worship is littered in almost every book of the Old Testament. The Kings of Israel and Judah were charactered as good or bad by their loyalty to The Only Wise God or to their idolatrous practices. The children of Israel were warned about creating idols and images for them to then bow down to, but they fell into this behavior frequently. We earn to have someone, something to worship it seems.
The LORD knows the heart of man. He knows we are beings who were made for worship. Whether we like it or not, we worship that which we highly esteem. Idolatry comes in many forms: we put people (celebrities, sports figures, etc) on pedestals, we brand ourselves and tattoo our bodies with their names and emblems, we plaster their faces on our walls and make them our background pics, we mimic the way they dress, eat, what they drink and how they talk. We try to live like they live. But the LORD commands us to turn from our idolatrous ways and live like Him. He desires that we walk like Him (1 John 2:6), be perfect like He is Perfect (Matt 5:48), be holy as He is Holy (1 Pet 1:16) and be righteous even as HE is Righteous (1 John 3:7). How do we live like Christ? We must do what He did, so that we can grow more and more like Him. Christ spent hours in prayer and communion with His Father; He fasted, He ministered, He knew the Scriptures and He shared with others and spent time with others. We ought to do the same. Live like Christ today before men and angels.
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