There's no denying that one.

Have you ever had someone say to you, “There’s no denying that one!”? If you’re from the south, you surely have. The person offering that statement is usually talking about how one of your children looks or acts just like you, so they must be your child. My Pastor one day came up to me in the hallway at church and said, “Aly, I just saw that little one in the nursery, there is no denying that baby she looks just like you!’’. It honestly made me so happy. I was proud. It brought me so much joy to know that my baby girl looked just like me. Within minutes the Holy Spirit said to me, “God feels that way about you.” Boom. Tears. I mean uncontrollable emotions came out of me.

First, I felt joy. Joyful tears, rolled down my checks thinking about how my Heavenly Father loves me more than I love my baby girl, and I love her a lot ya’ll. Then, thoughts of doubt came creeping in. Not doubt in the fact that my Heavenly Father loves me, doubt in myself. I had to think, “Do I look like my Father?”. Now the tears looked more like a mud slide with the mascara and eyeliner running down my face.

Do you look like your Father? It convicted me and encouraged me at the same time. We need to live in a way that people say, “There’s no denying that one, she obviously belongs to Jesus!”. The world should, without a doubt, know that we are believers by how we look and act.

How can we practically demonstrate this? Jesus tells us in the book of John, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). In these two versus alone, Jesus tells us to love other people three times! This is how there will be no denying, we belong to Jesus.

Bible Verse: “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Something to think about: What are a few attributes of God that come to mind today? Do you have those same attributes? How can you practically demonstrate those attributes today to those around you?

Prayer: Father God, I pray that I will look like you by how I look and act in my daily life. May others look at me and see you God. May they know that I belong to you because I am like you. Reveal to me when I am not acting like you and soften my heart to change. Make me like you God. I love you. Thank you for loving me.