Unbridled desire to be like other people can ruin one’s peace and joy. It may even ruin people spiritually as the pressure to seek extra biblical means to attain certain ends will keep mounting. Drawing inspiration from what other people are doing is allowed; but making them ideal image of who you want to become can lead to harrowing experience. The only honorable thing to do is to compete against yourself, seeking to maximize your God-given potentials.

What God is looking for is to release people who carry the full nature of Christ into the world. This is what will give Him glory. Your prayer should aim at reflecting more of the beauty of Jesus.

The perfect model to copy is Jesus. He is God’s ultimate plan for everyone to line up with. The Son of God is the plumb line to assess our operations. If you must set a goal of becoming like someone, then that someone should be Jesus. The standard set by Him is so high that you will always find areas of your life that need improvement. If you use human beings as your standard, you will either become envious or proud — envious if you don’t measure up to them, and proud if you surpass them. Either way, you will still fall short of God’s approval because His word does not condone these attitudes. What God is looking for is to release people who carry the full nature of Christ into the world. This is what will give Him glory. Your prayer should aim at reflecting more of the beauty of Jesus.