Imitators of God (Part 1)

Verse of the day: Ephesians 5:1-2 Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

Our relationship with God is grounded in faith. It is by faith that we accept Jesus Christ as Savior. It is by faith that we receive eternal life that is only found in Jesus Christ. It is by faith that we are called to live each day. However, our Christian life is also a life of practical application. We cannot use faith as an excuse or justification for a refusal to put into practice the actions, attitudes, and deeds that demonstrate the faith we claim. In this chapter, which is a continuation of the previous, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to be followers, or imitators, of God. As little children desire to imitate, copy, and act in the same manner as their father, so we ought to be imitating our Heavenly Father in the way we live and treat one another. In the previous chapter, the Apostle reminded us to walk in unity by using our gifts to complement one another, and put off the old behaviors of the old man, putting on the new man. He also exhorted us to put away those things that grieve the Holy Spirit of God. To be an imitator of God is to do that which God would do in response to how we have treated Him. Jesus told His disciples that to see Him was to see the Father (Jn 14:9), and the Scriptures tells us that Jesus is the express image of the Father (Heb 1:3). Jesus is our Living Example of who God is, and of how we are to respond to life and its challenges. He is the ultimate Example of how we are to interact and respond to others, even when we suffer persecution and are mistreated. As Jesus loved us, we are now to walk in love and love others as He loved us, especially those we call brothers and sisters in Christ (Jn 13:34-35). 1 Corinthians 16:14 tells us to do all things with charity, or love. It was God’s love for us that allowed Jesus to be nailed to a cross for us. It was God’s love that allowed Jesus to lay down His life for us. It was God’s love that allowed Jesus to be the payment for not just our sins, but the sins of the whole world (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 2:2). As He laid down His life for us, so we are now to lay down our lives for the sake of being obedient to God, and for the sake of unity amongst the brethren. Romans 12:1-2, tells us to be living sacrifices to God, renewing our minds and not being conformed to this world. In other words, dead to sin and the world’s ways, alive to God to serve Him; blessing God and others in our service. When we offer ourselves up to God by taking up our crosses daily (Lk 9:23), laying down our own desires and putting God’s commands, and our brethren’s well-being before our own, we are offering to our God, in Christ and by faith, a sacrifice that is acceptable and a sweet-smelling savor. If we were to just stop and think about how God treats us, even when we offend Him, and then copy that behavior toward one another, the world would see a church that is united, loving, and one that truly represents Jesus the way we are called to represent Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 tells us that as new creatures in Christ we are now ambassadors for Christ. To be imitators of God in Christ means to love our enemies, forgive others (regardless of the offense) as God forgave us for Christ’s sake, be kind to others, be patient and long-suffering, seeking the good of others first, and not looking down on others, but like Jesus, in humility submitting to one another. What a transformation would take place amongst God’s people if we truly made a real effort to imitate our God. Imagine what God would be able to accomplish in our midst if we were careful to be more like Jesus. The revival that would begin in our hearts, and spread throughout the church, if only we were as concerned about the eternal destination of others as God was about ours. Let us put off all that hinders our walk with, and growth in, Christ; and do all that we can to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, and through us, to be imitators of our Heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God desires that not one of us perish, and that we all be imitators of Him. However, this cannot happen outside of a true relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today, He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).