Have you ever been unable to find your shoes in the morning -- only to discover that one of your children is walking around the house in them? Just as our children often imitate what they see or hear in us, the Lord calls us to be imitators of Himself. "Be holy," He says, "for I the Lord your God am holy." Since we have been adopted as God's own sons and daughters, there should be some sort of family resemblance. But this imitation is expected from us because we are already His children; it is not something that we do in order to earn His love and favor.
What is one way in which we may imitate our Savior? "Walk in love," the Apostle tells us, "as Christ has walked in love!" In John 15, we read that there is no greater love than a person laying down his life for his friends. Jesus sacrificed His life for us -- not just when we were His friends, but even when we were His enemies! And surely, if He has done that for us, there ought to be some sort of practical response from us! What would that look like? That is what the latter portion of Ephesians 5 will show us.
Holiness is something which we must daily strive for. It is something for which we must continually cry out to God in prayer. If we find ourselves becoming too familiar with the world, and not desiring holiness -- then we must pray for grace to imitate our Savior! |
