What Does God's Image Matter?

Ephesians 5:1-2
"Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God."

I remember as a child watching an actor/imitator by the name Rich Little. I was always amazed at how well he could imitate other people. He was so good that you had to keep looking at him to remember he was just imitating. The fact that he still looked like Rich was the only thing that did not represent the other person. The way he talked, the way he used words, and moved all made it able to see the other person through the actions of Rich Little.

The Bible commands us to do the same thing with the image of God. "Be imitators of God" The Bible calls us to be mini Jesus' imitating everything about God. To the point that the only thing others have to know it is still us is our physical appearance. To imitate is to reproduce someones's behavior or looks. Therefore the Bible commands us to reproduce God's behavior in our lives, to the point that we look like Him. This is interesting because it goes back to the purpose of our creation which is to be the image bearers of God. On this we all say "yeah!"
But the question is, "What Does God's Image Matter?" Maybe in a deeper sense we could ask, "Are we truly imitating God?"
Do our actions reproduce the behavior of God? Are we using the model of Jesus the Messiah as our example so others can see God? Are we imitating God so much that people around us are having to bear in mind our physical appearance to be sure it is not God Himself. I think we would all be honest to say "no" to some degree.
Image bearing does not simply apply to the "looks" of a child of God, but more the character of God's image. So then our character comes into focus. Character determines behavior.
Rich Little would study a person until he knew the person's character better than the person being imitated. He learned how he spoke and how he moved. So much so that when Rich would do an imitation the behavior came natural.

So what can we learn from this:
1. We need to study God if we are going to imitate Him.
This is important because if we act like we "think" or "assume" God would, chances are we will be misleading and they will see us and not Him. We must imitate what we know. We will not know unless we study.
2. We need to be conscience of this command.
Paul is not suggesting that the children of God be imitators but that they BE imitators. That means we have to think about the concept of imitating God. It has to be a consistant thought in order to be a consistance behavior.
3. We need to act like God.
The Bible is clear about what we can know about who God is. For examples, God does not lie, God does not commit adultery, God keeps His promises and covenants, God does not steal, God does not gossip, God does not react; he is proactive, God loves, God encourages, and the list goes on. If God does not do these things, it must be of high priority for us not to do what He does not do and do what He does do.
4. We need to understand the importance.
People watch our every move. As  people watch the children of God they will assume the character of God as they see the children act. Godly and righteous or evil and unrighteous. God uses the image bearers who consciencely study to act like God to share His gospel and His image with a world that need both.

It is time to hear the Father and show the world who He is, not who we are. Yes it requires work.