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 (NLT)
When you were young, you may have heard someone tell you that it’s important for you to be an original. While this is true, we want to highlight an area where you need to be a copycat. As a Christian, it is important to imitate God. God the Father gave Jesus to us as an example of how to live on earth. We need to follow the example of Jesus as outlined in the Bible. The New Testament is filled with the teachings of Jesus and explains His objective while on earth (we encourage you to take the Summer Bible Reading Challenge to read more about Jesus).
Now, imitating Jesus may seem like a broad concept, so let’s get more specific. We need to imitate Jesus in our thinking. Do your thoughts reflect the way that Jesus thought or how He instructed us to think? What types of thoughts fill your head on a daily basis? We often think the emphasis is on the way that we act, but God wants us to imitate Jesus in our thinking as well. As an example, have you ever given someone a “piece of your mind” in your head (you thought about all of the negative things you should have said to them after the conversation was over)? What would Christ have done or thought in that instance? Be imitators of Christ in thought and action!
Prayer:
God, help me to become more like Jesus in my thinking each day. Help me to consistently reflect you to others at all times. God, I thank you for transforming me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen