I am made in Gods image. We all love saying that. It sounds good. Heck…it FEELS good and you know what, no matter where you are in the world, no matter what your level of faith is, it IS true. Yes. You ARE made...created in Gods image. HOWEVER...There is a small but big difference we often miss. Small in the sense that it could so easily be missed, but big in the sense that it makes such a difference when we understand it.

So what is it? It’s the fact that:

There is a difference between being MADE in Gods image, and FUNCTIONING in Gods image. (TWEET THAT)

They are worlds apart.Being made in Gods image means that you have the DNA…the inbuilt latent similarities. It means that your design was inspired by him….literally, like a child is born with its parents features. But that doesn’t mean that child will behave or function like its parent.

THE GOOD NEWS …THE PLEASANT SURPRISE IS THAT NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE WITH YOUR FAITH…WHETHER YOU ARE JUST KINDA STARTING OUT IN THIS “GOD” THING, OR YOU NEVER WENT TO CHURCH A DAY IN YOUR LIFE, YOU MIGHT (ALREADY) BE ACTING LIKE GOD MORE THAN YOU THINK!...AND THIS IS A GOOD THING…THAT’S A RELIEF!

Why? Because sometimes it’s good to be reminded that being like God is not always this uphill…impossible spiritual battle that is soooo hard. Some of this stuff can come quite naturally! What a relief!So what’s the difference? What does it mean to FUNCTION in the image of God versus just being MADE in the image of God?You see, being made in the image of God is great and all…but its in our FUNCTIONING that we really execute and show that resemblance.Watch this very short clip before you continue reading: I was driving and had to pull over and record it. I was so inspired by a song on a friend’s album. (Amazing album-details of the song at the end of article below)So what does this mean in a practical way? How does this “functioning like God” thing show up in our everyday lives? How do you know if you are functioning in Gods image? I’m sure there are tons…but here are a few ones that give me the warm fuzzies:

1) You are creative:If you are a creative in thought or in action, if you are great at thinking outside the box, you are like God. Creativity is one of the greatest ways you show your resemblance to God. Think about it! NO one is more creative than he is. More special still, is his ability to create something completely out of nothing and his ability to bring ingredients that seem totally unrelated, to form something great and beautiful. If you are doing this in any way at all, if you are thinking up ideas at work ….in your business, church or personal life. Any time you are a creative solution to a problem or do any of these things, you are behaving like God. So go ahead… do your happy dance.

2) You love like crazy:This is going to sound a bit crazy. So maybe you’re the type of person that loves and goes all in? That’s very much like God. That doesn’t mean people should take advantage of you or that you should blindly enter relationships that are not for you, but loving totally…making a commitment to love even when it hurts, is one of those ways that we function like God. Or maybe you’re the person that just gets the urge to be super nice to strangers and random people who have never met you. Yes…you guessed it. In that area of your life, you are literally functioning like God. Happy dance? I say go for it.

3) You have impact on people…you make people feel like they matter:No one has ever had a true encounter with God and walked away thinking “eehhh… he was so so” or “eehhh that was just kinda alright” oh no. People meet God, and their life gets a juice boost, it gets an infusion of positive energy…it gets a new perspective. It gets new hope. See what happened when Jesus met Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus was so moved by the fact that Jesus announced he wanted to have dinner his house, that he voluntarily vomited that he will give half of his possessions to the poor, and if he has cheated anybody out of anything, he would pay back four times the amount. It was so simple. Jesus simply made Zacchaeus fee like he mattered and that changed everything for him. He could not believe that he mattered that much. If you know how to make people feel like they matter, if people are encouraged when they spend time with you. If they feel hope for their future when they communicate with you…then yes….you are functioning like God. So go ahead and shake it. :o)

4) You are Forgiving:This is by far one of the most direct ways that you can function like God. Why? Because the ability to forgive…it is so unnatural. It is so inconvenient that the only explanation possible is that it takes a supernatural power (no matter how subtly it may manifest) to truly forgive someone who has hurt us. When you forgive those who hurt you…when you forgive those who “trespass” against you….you are acting just like God. If you have ever done that before…you have acted like God. It doesn’t matter if you are a reverend, an usher, a worship leader or you’ve never stepped in church a day in your life. When you forgive, you behave like your creator. Yes. Let that sink in. Ready? Set? Dance.

5) You don’t write people off:This is a direct character trait of God. Think about it. His love...his message to the world is that no matter how bad you are, no matter how “sinful” you are or feel, no matter how “far gone” people think you are, you are never written off. You always have a key to come home. Your life can always be turned around. You can always be better and you can always change for the better. You may curse people today but you might be a blessing to people tomorrow. You might be a murderer today but end up a preacher tomorrow. Not writing people off as lost causes is a very powerful way we reflect the image of God. If you are like this, you are like God. I heard your middle name is “Happy Feet”? Show me.

6) Dependable:God is reliable, he is steady….committed. In the game for the long haul. God created us and is comfortable...in fact takes pleasure, in having us rely on him. If people can rely on you, if when you say you’ll do something, you actually do it…If people can trust you and trust what you say….if you are reliable…if you don’t like letting people down and you are comfortable with playing an important role in someone’s life or in a noble cause…. If that is you, you are literally functioning like God. You are now allowed to show off your moonwalk.

7) Your words carry weight: God is not flimsy with his words. His words carry weight. He backs up his words with action. His words are deep. Meaningful. Impactful. He doesn’t just speak for the sake of hearing himself talk. He doesn’t just speak without consideration. He speaks truth and he speaks life and positivity into dark situations…and then he BACKS IT UP with action. He tells people in the Old Testament that he is going to send a Savior and then delivers on that promise thousands of years later. He says he loves you, and then blows your mind by giving his only son to die for you. He doesn’t just speak to make you feel good. He means that stuff. Its scary good. He says what he means and means what he says and what he says is good. If that is like you, my friend, you are acting just like your creator and that is AWESOME. In fact, forget dancing…FLIP OUT!

So there you have it…I love the sometimes simple perspectives we can use to see the gospel. I love moments like this where I realize that being spiritual doesn’t have to be intimidating….moments where I realize that the DNA already exists…the character already exists. I simply have to acknowledge it, and allow it to shine.I love those moments when I realize that by his grace, I am already doing better than I think in acting like he created me to be.

Being like God isn't always a spiritual mountain that's hard to climb. You might already be far up there and not even know it. Tobi Atte (CLICK TO TWEET THAT)

So keep up the imitation….its doing the world some good.That song in the video is by a friend of mine Harry Manny, titled “Identity”. Listen and free download available here: https://www.reverbnation.com/harrymanny