Be Imitators of God

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.-Ephesians 5:1 

If you have kids, you know that they love to do and be and think like their parents.  Little boys follow their papas into the workshop and, with their tiny plastic hammers, pretend to build something while dad is fixing a lamp.  Little girls follow their moms around and do the things that mom does.  They want to put on make up or make a cake in their Little Tykes kitchen. (Its weird that most kids don't seem as interested in imitating cleaning).  Regardless, kids follow their mamas and papas.  In fact, imitation is one of the most effective ways that our children can learn.

In Ephesians 5:1, Paul reminds us that we are God's beloved children and then tells us to imitate Him.  Just as my kids imitate my behaviors as a dad, so I am to imitate my Father.  If I am truly His child, I will seek to be like Him because that's what kids do, not because I am afraid of His disapproval, but because He represents what I want to be.  I learn to imitate Him by spending time with Him, talking with Him, and learning from Him. As a Father, He beams with pride upon me and gently corrects along the way so that I might grow more and more into His image.

Commit today to finding out what it means to be like Him and start imitating.  In particular, look to the life of Jesus, the God-man, who is the only perfect example of a completely godly life we have.