JUST LIKE CHRIST

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”

Charles Caleb Colton, an English cleric, was the first to coin the phrase, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, in the early 1800’s. Still today, that statement holds true. So many young children today look up to star athletes, musicians, and actors. They want to be like them. They imitate them on playgrounds and stages all over the world. It is comical now but, when I was a child, I loved watching professional wrestling. It was much different then, just good old fashioned entertainment. I loved Ric Flair. I don’t know why, I just did. I remember pretending that I was Ric Flair and that my friends were my entourage. I imitated him because I enjoyed watching him so much that I wanted to be like him.

As believers, we are challenged by the Apostle Paul to be imitators of God. How can we be imitators of God? By living as Christ lived. No word better describes Christ’s mission on earth than love. His actions were motivated by obedience to his Father and love towards us. What a powerful challenge for each of us. If we are to imitate anyone, let it be God. And let that happen by living out a Christ-like life.

Two aspects of the Christian life are (1) knowing who we are in Christ Jesus and (2) living it out every day. The call to imitate God is a call to walk out or live out the will of God. In the previous chapter in Ephesians, Paul writes how we are different from the world and how we have been made new. Why should we imitate God? Because we are his children.

Every Wednesday my son has chapel at his school and every Wednesday he wears his chapel uniform. The uniform includes a button-up shirt and a tie (a clip-on, he’s only five). I, on the other hand, wear that type shirt and tie (not a clip-on) every day to work. Every Wednesday, my son asks his mother, “I look like daddy, right?” You see, he has connected that he is my son, that he belongs to me. And he wants to be like me, to identify with me.

As children of the most high God, we too, should hunger to identify with our Father. I John 4:8 says “God is love”. So, we are called to live a life of love, just like Christ. What a simple description of the Christian life… “A LIFE OF LOVE”. Everything about our lives should be characterized by love. Our thoughts, our motives, and our actions should be directed by love. From time to time, I must conduct a reality check of my own life. Are my thoughts towards others at my church, my job, or my community motivated by love? Are my words purified by love? This is a challenging truth, but it is our calling as Christians. Imitate God, love like Christ, and live in victory. If you do, you will find that every other guide on how to live is governed by this truth. And life will look much different.