I am the mom of a 14-month-old boy. A few weeks ago, I had my headphones in while listening to something and I had my son on my lap. What happened next was so surprising. He took out the earpiece from one of my ears and plugged it into his ear. I was floored! I started to wonder, “Who taught him this?” He did it so efficiently. Then I realized: he had seen his father and me over time with our headphones in our ears when we wanted to listen to something. Because he is always with us, he views us as role models. He copied us. He imitated us!
It was so profound to me. What if, over time, I was doing the wrong thing? He would have easily imitated that, too.
The Apostle Paul encourages us today in the book written to the Ephesians to imitate God, who is our Father. If we say we are children of God, then we should imitate Jesus in everything we do and everywhere we go. There shouldn’t be off-and-on seasons. In all things, we should imitate Christ.
We live in a world where everything goes. People call themselves Christians, but their lives look nothing like Christ. Everything they do is out of character with the person of Jesus. They are unkind, brash, difficult, hoarders, and more. Jesus did not display any of these characteristics. If we’re not careful, it can be very easy to begin to look like the world.
Jesus sacrificed His life so that all who believe in Him can be reconciled to the Father. This type of sacrifice is hard to imagine, especially since we don’t ever see love exemplified like this in our lives or in our world. People only tend to be nice as long as they can benefit. Immediately after their needs are met, they discard a person without thought. Kind words are rare. Everyone is out for themselves, climbing over anyone to get what they want. People hardly pause to discover how a person is truly doing.
But it shouldn’t be the same for us. We are children of God. Our lives should overflow with the love of God. If a smile is needed, it should be found on our faces. If a hug is needed, it should be found in our arms. If a kind word is needed, it should be found on our lips. It doesn’t mean we do not have these needs ourselves but, like Christ, our purpose should be to shine the light and life of Christ daily.
We don’t follow God’s commands because we want a pat on the back. We do it because it is what gives glory to our Father and it is how He desires His children to live. We are His light!
Impurities of any kind are not fitting for saints. God views us as saints, children set apart for His glory. We are to showcase to the world what it means to live as children of God.
We have the Holy Spirit, sent to us by the Father, who helps us fight against the subtle or blatant temptations of the devil. In these moments of temptation, the Holy Spirit nudges us not to fall for the tricks and to cling to the truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is always present to expose the works of darkness, so we don’t fall prey.
His help is available to all of us always so that we can truly be imitators of our Father as the dear children that we are.
Stand strong, head held high, chin up with the scepter of royalty in your hand. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, choose to daily live as the child of the King of Kings that you are.
Blessings,
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