Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
If someone were to imitate you every day, what are some of the habits they would pick up? What traits would they display? What would that person learn about your character? About your joys or frustrations?
Those of us with children see this play out in real time—for good or for bad. Our children learn to function in the world by watching us. A child naturally imitates his or her parents. Our habits, joys, and frustrations are passed down to our children. So how should we change as we imitate God as His children, as the Scripture calls us to do? God, in Christ, has walked in selfless and sacrificial love. To be an imitator of God is to be an imitator of Christ. Like a child with their parent, we learn to do this by trusting Him with childlike faith and following where He leads.
Jesus loved without conditions or limits. His love was not about what He would get in return but about living in obedience to His Heavenly Father. When we live as imitators of God, the way we love people changes. Our love will begin to look like His more and more over time. We start to love people not just when we feel like it but we love them when its hard too. We start to depend on God to move us toward sacrificial love like He did. This process does not come naturally to us and pushes us out of our comfort zone of love into reflecting the One who showed us perfect love.
- What are some of the times when loving others is hard for you?
- What are some of the ways Jesus loved others? What would change in your life if you started to imitate Him in those ways?
- Pray and ask God to help you keep your eyes on Him as the one you imitate as He equips you to love others.
