Just Like . . .

Galatians 6:12-13
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

There are those, even in Christendom, who want to be popular. Hey, we all want to be liked, right? But these people will take it step further – maybe even two or three steps. Or one giant leap. These are the people who are going to start preaching to us and teaching us that we need to be like them. They want a little fan club, with people they can point to and say, “Look at all the people who are just like me! See how much they love me?”
You and I need to be cautious when we come across teachers and preachers who begin to set themselves up as the standard, instead of Christ. When these people begin to tell us that we need to be just like them, and try to step-up as the example we are to live up to, great big bells and whistles should start sounding in every cell of our bodies. Christ, alone, is our standard, and we need to seek to be like Him and no one else. Of course, if we all are trying to be like Christ, then it seems to reason that we’ll start looking similar. However, it is Jesus we look to, Jesus we praise, Jesus we look like, and Jesus who gets all the credit. No one else.
You and I need to steer-clear of those teachers who would tell us to look and act like them. And we need to watch ourselves, that we don’t get drawn into the game of wanting everyone to look and act like us. Jesus loves diversity, and so should we!