I wrote yesterday of a verse in Ephesians. Another caught my attention this morning. It is Ephesians 5:1. "Therefore be imitators of God."
We typically don't hear encouragement to be "imitators." In our self-made world, we are more likely to be encouraged to "be our own person." Perhaps we will observe another, in an attempt to pick up a skill set or capability; but we are seldom encouraged to "be imitators." TV ads poke fun at imitators, as in "imitated but never duplicated."
Perhaps this is one of the reasons Christianity has a difficult time catching on in our society. We find it difficult to embrace Ephesians 5:1. Too few have read (or applied to their lives) the devotional classic of Thomas a Kempis "Imitation of Christ." We want to be our own person. Somewhere along the way, we have confused being self-determined with being faithful. We ignore the call to imitation, replacing instead our innovation.
"Therefore be imitators of God."
What would that be like? We would surely be patient and understanding of others. We would love them - even those who did not love us in return. When things go badly, we would step in to take the heat upon ourselves, relieving the suffering of the other. And, of course, there is the sacrifice - of our time, our energies, our money.
"Therefore be imitators of God."
Give it a try, today. See how it goes. If you can, share your experiences as a response to this post. And when the day is over, express to God how it went - was it easy to imitate Him? Perhaps those same prayers might include appreciation for what God (and maybe God alone) is able to do.
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This may seem small, but when God is in it, nothing is "small." This morning I dropped a can of Mt. Dew which then proceeded to bust and honor me with a sugary Mt. Dew shower - all over my pants and jacket - and this just moments before having to be in a class to help young students with their semester exams. Normally, this type of thing would, yes, set my day in a very wrong direction, which would include focusing more on myself and the situation than on the children. But this time, a determination to continue walking in the Lord's love helped me to fight off the lure towards falling into this type of funk. Even though it was over exams, I had a good time being with the kids; they were not negatively affected by what might have been a down-cast/self-absorbed mindset; and later, when it really hit me how the Spirit had taken control of the situation, I said in my spirit, "way to go, God." Thank you, God. In His Love, Terri
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