IMITATORS OF GOD

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1, 2 ESV)

There is a TV commercial that I remember seeing a number of years ago of a boy walking with his father along a trail by a stream of water.  If I remember right - the Father reached down and picked up a rock and threw it toward the water.  The boy, seeing this, copied and did the same thing. The father did other things which the boy tried to copy and emulate also.  Finally, they sit down against the base of a tree and the father took out his cigarettes to light up and put the cigarette package on the ground next to him.  The boy looked up at his dad with admiration and then down at the cigarettes and picked them up and took one out as if he was going to smoke it also.  The point of the commercial was that your children will emulate what you do in your life - good or bad.  

For some reason - that really made an impression on my life as a young father that I need to always watch what I do and say because little eyes are always watching me in what I do.  

In this passage we are encourage to be imitators of God and follow Him as "beloved" children.  Our eyes are to be so tuned in to Him and His ways.  We should be students of who God is and how He operates in our lives.  Our driving desire should be to be more like God in every way.  To, walk in love as Christ lived and walked on this earth.  Paul tells us also to "Follow me as I follow Christ."  In otherwords, find those people who are on the path of following God and imitate them as they are learning to imitate God.  In doing so, Ephesians states that we will be "a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." 

I have heard it said that when we were born - that was God's gift to us but the way we live our lives is our gift back to God.  May I encourage you today to look at God closely and discover who He is and what He wants and then follow Him fully and become that fragrant and acceptable offering which is pleasing to God in every aspect of your life.  It is then that you will discover the most joy and contentment you could ever have.  It a life filled with peace.