Have you ever thought about what it means to be an imitator of God? What about to walk in love?
Recently, I was struggling with something… myself actually. You see, I have this problem where I don’t always act or react out of a place of love. Ever had that problem?
For me it happens most often with the person I spend the most time with, and that’s my husband. It could be something he said that I take offense to or maybe something he’s doing that I find annoying. Whatever the reason, I find myself reacting in a negative way that doesn’t come from a place of love.
I have prayed countless times to God to help me overcome it, and yet, I still do it, and I can’t help but think of these words from the Apostle Paul when I do:
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
– Romans 7:15 (ESV)
Monday night, once again, I prayed for God to help me overcome it, and I asked him to use a little tough love if that’s what it took. Yesterday morning, coffee in hand, I sat outside staring at the mini garden of lettuce and tomato plants on our back patio reading Ephesians, when chapter 5, verses 1 and 2 almost leapt off my smartphone at me.
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.
“be imitators”
“walk in love”
I’ve read this passage more times than I can count, but this time the Holy Spirit prompted me to slow down and really contemplate its meaning.
When we imitate someone, we try to be like them, right? Take professional impersonators, for example. What do they do? They study the actions, speech, and movements of the person they are trying to be like, and they practice, practice, practice. It doesn’t just happen. It takes concerted effort. It’s a choice and a commitment. They regularly expose themselves to the video footage or actual person in order to imitate them.
Likewise, we must regularly expose ourselves to God’s Word to know him. We must study the actions of Christ and how he related to others. We must spend time alone with him in order to learn from him, and then we must APPLY it. The change doesn’t just happen. We must make a conscious choice. Just like we make a conscious choice to accept Christ as our savior and to have faith in God.
Secondly, in order to walk in love, we must first understand what it means to walk. When we physically walk, we make a decision to go in a certain direction. As toddlers, walking took a lot of effort and determination, but with repeat practice and our parent’s encouragement it eventually became second nature to us. So, if we are to walk in (go in the direction of) love, we must also understand what love looks like and what it doesn’t. Christ showed us what love looks like, and Paul further defined it in his letter to the church at Corinth:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
So this question remains for me and for you - as we walk out our faith in our daily lives, are we making the conscious choice to walk in love with everyone we encounter?
If not, will we?
