Our Imitation

"The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth  and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Isaiah 29:13.
How do you worship God? Do you worship Him by being righteous and obeying the law and by going around and doing the Christian things like: going to church, wearing a cross, and owning a Bible? Or do you worship Him by having a relationship with the Lord: by praying, reading and growing in His word, praising His name, loving all others, helping others in need not because you need others to see you, but because you have compassion for your brothers. Do you condemn others because they sin or do you love others and just hate the sin?
When we are only obedient to God, being righteous in our own eyes, we are actually far from God. We have actually forgotten the relationship God wants to have with us; a relationship where we continually grow closer and closer to Him and then begin to reflect Him. In that reflection we will be obedient, not because we are trying but because we have gotten so intimate with Him that we imitate His traits.
Have you ever seen a dog and their owner and thought they actually resemble one another, well that is because they have been in a loving relationship for so long that they do start to take on each others traits. Or have you ever seen a couple that look so much alike that they could actually pass as brother and sister? It probably didn't start that way it just happened over time as they began to grow closer together and reflect one another's traits through their relationship. So, are you just following the law or are you growing in your relationship with God and beginning to reflect Him to the World?!