The Plumbline

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT) If you want to imitate someone, you must first come to really know the one you want to imitate, don't you? You could see someone walking with a slight limp on their right side and quickly imitate the limp, but to understand the injury that resulted in the limp you'd have to really know that individual. In order to imitate Christ in all things, we must come to know him intimately - not just on a superficial or casual level. A child will begin to imitate some of the things the parent does very early in their development. If they see the parent sitting a particular way, they may cross their legs like the parent has theirs crossed. They observe and then they incorporate what they observe into their lives. If we want to incorporate what Christ does into our lives, we must do more than just observe him, though. We need ...

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) How do we best 'imitate' God? We aren't called to be 'little gods' on this earth, but we are asked to 'imitate' the love and grace of God. Regardless of how another may act, our actions should reveal the grace of God. Easier said than done because THEIR actions seem to evoke a response from US that may not always be grace-filled! The truth of the matter is that THEIR actions are THEIR responsibility - OUR actions and responses are OURS. Grace begins in OUR response to THEIR actions, remembering that grace if GIVING another what they clearly did not deserve. I know how easily our defenses can go up when someone says or does something we don't agree with. Trust me, I have had my share of my hackles being raised by th...