"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Ephesians 5:1, 2
Imitate God and live a life of love - King James says "walk in love."
To do the loving thing is constantly the challenge and keeps me ever before God. Because sometimes the loving thing looks and appears as loving and sometimes the loving thing does not appear loving at all.
Sometimes the loving thing is setting boundaries; sometimes the loving thing involves chastening; and sometimes the loving thing is simply walking away.
But to know which loving thing is appropriate for which situation requires dependence upon a God who always does the loving thing. The One who always knows exactly what the loving thing is in any given situation.
Imitate means to "copy the actions, appearance, function or sounds of; to model oneself after; to reproduce, copy; to look like, resemble."
To imitate someone, we have to first know them. Then we have to spend time with them; study them; view their mannerisms; listen to them talk; watch their every move. In order to "model" ourself after another, to "look like" or "resemble" another, we have to know what we seek to resemble.
We need to 'resemble" our Father God and do the loving thing as He would do the loving thing.
What loving thing did He do?
".....just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Seeking the best for another, rather than ourselves is doing the loving thing. Preferring one another in Christ is doing the loving thing.
As I seek to do the loving thing in relationships that can be very challenging, it keeps me going back again and again to God and His Word; seeking His guidance by the Holy Spirit to know how to best "imitate" Him in the situation before me.
I throw myself on His mercy because often doing the loving thing that He directs me to do is NOT what I want to do in that circumstance. My flesh makes it's own plans. That's where following His example in "giving myself up" comes in. As I die to my own fleshly desires and choose to pursue His, I imitate Him in doing the loving thing.
As I strive to be an ambassador of Christ, reflecting His true character at any given time, I can be assured that where He leads me, His grace will keep me and prove more than sufficient.
Join me in my pursuit to be an imitator of God.
Seek to do the loving thing.
As I seek to do the loving thing in relationships that can be very challenging, it keeps me going back again and again to God and His Word; seeking His guidance by the Holy Spirit to know how to best "imitate" Him in the situation before me.
I throw myself on His mercy because often doing the loving thing that He directs me to do is NOT what I want to do in that circumstance. My flesh makes it's own plans. That's where following His example in "giving myself up" comes in. As I die to my own fleshly desires and choose to pursue His, I imitate Him in doing the loving thing.
As I strive to be an ambassador of Christ, reflecting His true character at any given time, I can be assured that where He leads me, His grace will keep me and prove more than sufficient.
Join me in my pursuit to be an imitator of God.
Seek to do the loving thing.
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