Who Do You Look Like?

By Stan Dean

Have you ever been told that you look like someone else? More than likely you have. We have all heard that we have a twin somewhere else in the world. Of course, that is not exactly true, but we get the point. It seems that everybody reminds somebody of someone else.

 There is a trendy word that is used every now and then that describes this identity situation. The word is "doppelganger." It comes from a German origin and means: "double walker," which simply translates, "someone who looks like someone else."

The thought that I would like for us to consider is: when we move beyond the physical appearance, who do we resemble in our words and actions? In Acts chapter four, there is an interesting account of two apostles, Peter and John. They were arrested due to offending many in Jerusalem by the preaching of the Gospel.

As these two gave an explanation of their message, their captors "saw their boldness and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men [i.e. 'not trained like the Jewish rabbis'] and they recognized they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Thus, the words and actions of Peter and John reflected the Christ within them which led to only one conclusion: they were doppelgangers of Jesus. 

Now, moving back to you and me- - who do we resemble? Our words and actions clearly reveal who controls us from the inside. However, spiritually, there are only two choices. We are either a doppelganger of Christ or a doppelganger of the world. The Bible teaches that if we desire to look like Jesus, there is one unmistakable trait, the cross. Jesus bore His own and we must take up ours and follow Him without reservation (cf. Matthew 16:24). 

It is not important that you remember the word "doppelganger," but it is important that we all remember that we "look like" the one we serve.  May we resolve to live in such a way that others would see us as "those who have been with Jesus."