Imitate!

Imitate!

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1‭-‬2 NRSV

Imitation is art. The reality is that great art is expensive. There are people who are skilled in the art of copying the works of great artists like Picasso and Michelangelo. This takes time and effort. You sit down for weeks and study every stroke, every brush, the canvas, the background and everything the eye can see or the hand can feel. If crime can be this tasking, imagine how much time and resources God expects me to put into imitating Him, Life Himself.

That is the charge today: the only example worth copying is God. You study his manual which is the Bible and you depend on Him daily for strength and grace to live right. No other person should take our attention, as they also should be imitating God, just like us. And of course, who you follow so closely will always reflect in your life's choices and decisions. If I truly follow God, one of the 'fruit' my life must produce is love.

And as we have said, God doesn't ask us to do what He has not shown as an example or left us to grope in the dark about how to proceed. He gave us His own best: His life- as a perfect sacrifice for sin. Through His life, we also have life now, and we are set free to love freely, knowing who we have become and what we have received. This is the life God accepts. The fundamental question is this: who am I following? Well, the truth will be shown by my life's pursuits and priorities. His time of favour is here.