Morenikeji

Growing up, I always loved it when people told me I looked like my mum. Even now, the delight from people commenting on my mum’s pictures like, “Awwwnnn, you’re your mum’s carbon copy”, has never gone down. It gives me butterflies in my belly every time.

My mum was part of the reasons I took pride in resembling her. She would always call me “Morenikeji” in my native language. It means “I have found a second me”. I don’t think it was just because I looked like her; being the only girl also contributed. I am sometimes amazed at how happy I get when I remember these things and see people’s comments about our resemblance. I also do not think this ”joy” is one-sided. My mum loves it too (maybe more than I do😅).

Then I stopped to wonder how much more I should delight in being told I “look” like God or, better still, God calling me “Morenikeji”. It brings shivers down my spine.

It gives God more joy to find a child of His that “looks” like Him in character, love, speech, life, and faith. I discovered that I look like my mum because I have her genes. There has always been a potential to resemble her from the moment I was born, even though it might not have shown from the onset of my life. I cannot say who I looked like when I was born, but I got to know as I grew. Everyone did.

This brings me to my point: “because God’s seed remains in them…” (1 John‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This Bible verse is very profound because it holds the key to a victorious Christian life and experience. You can read the whole verse if you like. I don’t know about you, but this verse gets me excited. Child of God, from the moment you were born again, God has placed His seed, His nature, in you. Do you know what that means? It means there is potential for you to resemble Christ. Wow! Isn’t that amazing? To put it into simpler terms, you have God’s genes. You might just become the next “Morenikeji” of God.

As I grew older, I resembled my mum much more. In the same way, as you grow in God, you become more conformed to the image of Christ. And, that is God’s delight: that we all should be changed to be more like Christ.

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Romans‬ ‭8:29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭AMP‬‬

What is the secret to this conformity? Here it is:

I call this “The Mystery of Beholding”. It is the secret to holiness. It is the secret to a triumphant Christian life. Or maybe it’s not a secret because it is written in the Word of God for us all to read and apply to our life. We are changed into what we see. It is like looking at yourself in a mirror and adjusting your outfit, face or hair till you get the perfect look you imagined. In the same way, as we continually see Christ daily, we should adjust our lives, character, faith, speech, and actions till we look just like Him.

I can hear you ask, “How do I behold?” You’re absolutely on the right path if that’s the question on your mind right now. The Word of God (Scripture) is our tool for ”beholding”. The whole of Scripture points toward one Person: Jesus Christ, both the New and Old Testaments.

Jesus lived on earth. We could study His life while He was here. This includes the way He responded to people, His desire, His submission to God, His faith, His love and most especially, His teachings. The letters to the churches were written by men of God who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have instructed us on how to live this new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit in us also instructs and admonishes us every day, if only we would learn to listen to Him.

“But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

James‬ ‭1:22-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Doing” the Word makes a more profound impression on our hearts. It makes it hard to forget. Brethren, in conclusion, I would like to reiterate that you have the “seed” of God in you and don’t ever stop until you’re His Morenikeji on earth. Shalom!