Ephesians 5;1 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."
Did you know that not all people are God's children? I know that it may take the wind out of a few sails but when the Bible references God's children, it is talking about only those who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ and are born again. There may be many people who will argue this point because you could say that we are all God's children by the mere fact that He created us; however, John 1:12-13 clears up the issue. "“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
God adopted us which means He chose us before the foundations of the world knowing all the while that we would be sinful and rebellious towards Him. Just thinking about that one fact floors me. Knowing all that He knew about me, He still chose to love me. By grace alone He gave us a new life and the privilege of becoming His children and it is greatly humbling.
If you knew me personally you would know that I absolutely love and adore my children and grandchildren and consider it the greatest privilege of my life to be their mother and Gigi. And though the depth of my love for them is exhaustive, God loves His children even more.
Ephesians 5:1 tells us "therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." In other words, watch what God does and do it. Children learn by imitating their parents, but you can not truly imitate someone that you do not know. God has revealed Himself in His Word so if we are going to imitate Him, we first must get to know Him through His Word. A child who does not spend much time with His father will not be greatly influenced by him. A child who nestles in the warm embrace of his;/her father and spends time with Him will learn His mannerisms, how he treats their mother, how he treats others and how he lives out His faith. They will see his standards or the lack there of and hear his speech and begin to replicate it. The depth of this kind of love is only gleaned from spending time getting to know the one who loves you. When we spend time with God and in His Word we are taking steps to develop that relationship. It is only when we know Him that we can imitate His love towards others.
A precious little boy was walking in his father's footsteps in the freshly fallen snow and he called out, "Daddy, look at me, I'm walking in your footsteps!" Jesus Christ laboriously walked in love all the way to the cross for us. The least we can do is walk in His footsteps imitating His sacrificial love to others.
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Personalize this prayer.
Dear Lord,
What an example You have laid out before me to follow! There is absolutely no way that I can love others like You without Your help. I need You. I need You every second of every hour of every day to be able to do all that You want me to do. Apart from You I can't do anything of any value and I so want to be able to love like You. Please give me a heart that feels what others are going through, eyes to discern what they are facing, and ears to listen intently to all that they have to share. Close my mouth and help me to reach out to those who are suffering and fulfill their needs. May I be able to be the needed balm to the brokenhearted and a breath of fresh air to those who have no hope and are depressed. What an honor to be able to worship You and be used by You! Lord, I'm ALL IN! Let's do this!
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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