Weekly Devotional- Summer Series: N.T. Wright & Becoming like God

“You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship.” – N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Can you remember the last person you truly admired? Whether it was because of their effortless kindness or a moment of bravery, did you feel an overwhelming sense of respect and love for that individual and a desire to be more like them?

The people that provoke these emotions in us are usually the ones that play rather significant roles in our lives, such as role models, mentors or people we look up to. It’s so important to surround yourself with those that you strive to model your own life after, in an effort to replicate their kindness, work ethic or love for others.

As humans, we are so easily influenced and shaped by the people and world around us, much more that we realize or would like to admit. Though this may hurt our pride or threaten our independence, we can use our adaptability to our advantage! It provides a great opportunity to grow and to become more like those in our lives that inspire or motivate us. Now what if we channeled that same admiration that we have towards our friends and family, towards God? Think about all of the amazing qualities He has and all that He has done for us, shouldn’t that lead us to humble worship and praise?

Theologian N.T. Wright is widely known and respected for his wisdom and genuine pursuit of God. His book “Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense” is a great introduction to the Christian faith, as it reviews and explains the basics and fundamentals of Christianity. Wright is also infamous for demonstrating exactly how Christians can grow to become more like God. As the focused quote explains, if we follow our natural instincts of gravitation and awe towards God, we can deepen our appreciation of Him and begin to take on some of His very own characteristics. For as long as we worship God, we can become more like Him.

Consider how much more lovely life would be if we admired our Creator like we admire our friends, family or loved ones. It can be easy to shift our awe to the different things and people in the world, but it’s vital to remember that God is greater than all of it. If we give him our hearts, He will never disappoint us. He will captivate us and begin to mold us into the people He created us to be and we can live in harmonious union with Him.