Imitate!

Imitate!

Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen (discerned or experienced) God [has enjoyed no vision of Him and does not know Him at all]. 3 John 1:11 AMPC

Everywhere you turn in this present earthly life, there are examples to imitate. The first consideration isn't so much about whether these are good or bad examples, but it is first about the quality of my own heart's convictions. Nothing I do starts from the outer; it is first about my belief and value system, the things I consider important and which I set my heart on to pursue. Whatever it is that you find me doing or copying is a reflection of who I am and who I follow. And let it be repeated here again: there is no middle ground when it comes to these things; you are either all for God or all for the devil. Who does your life look like it is patterned after? Who are you following?

In today's extract, there was an example of bad behaviour by a man called Diotrephes, who just wanted to be the leader, but appeared not to have the required qualities of a leader as instituted by God. In my dealings with people, am I after position or impact? If it is position, it is not likely that I will care too much about how people feel or whether God is glorified in how I do things. When I find myself being praised by some men, I must take stock. When I find myself also hated by some men, I must take stock. It doesn't matter what men say; what pleases God must be front and centre of all I do and how I do them.

What you do and how you do them is a reflection of your allegiances. If you do good by God's standards, it shows you truly know and follow Him. If you don't do good by God's standards, it doesn't matter how many gold standards and medals men give you; God does not reckon with you and it is just a matter of time before the shame of the hypocrisy will become obvious, unless there is true repentance and return.

This is the conclusion: don't crave man's applause; seek to know God. Ask Him for help to know what to do and how to live to please Him. Because your life is precious to Him, He will definitely guide right. His Word is such a rich trove of knowledge of the consequences of every action. You will find rich examples of the good, the bad and the downright ugly. In ALL instances, there was a just reward. If you think you are fully in charge, then you don't need God. Just know that there are eternal consequences to every choice you make today. His time of favour is here.