“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.” — Ephesians 5:1-2
These are certainly some marvelous verses! The Apostle Paul is instructing Believers to live like Jesus — the image of the invisible God.
I have always been a fan of biographical TV shows or movies. It’s an amazing experience to watch an actor transform into a historical figure, like Winston Churchill or Johnny Cash. If done well, the viewers feel transported into the room. Additionally, it’s as if we are actually sitting with the real-life person. After watching, we may also feel as if we even know them. And ultimately, we may want to learn more about them.
In the same way, there’s something else I believe. If we walk, talk, and sacrificially love people as Jesus did, the watching world will want to know Him more.
Unfortunately, a poor impersonation in a biopic can sour your feelings toward the person the actor portrayed. Sadly, that can also happen when we are not living like Jesus. Of course, we will never live perfectly like Him. We always need His grace. But, even in our failures and weaknesses, we can exemplify Christ’s humility. Equally important, we can admit our need for His help. Along with pointing to His perfection rather than our own.
Love Like Jesus
I love that the first attribute Paul pointed us to is to love like Jesus. He did this after instructing us to imitate God. Without a doubt, the greatest way we can live like Him is to love like Him. And in order to love like Him, we must lay down our lives for others.
If we aim to love others like Jesus, it will naturally urge us to live holy lives. We won’t want to sin against others, because that is not loving like Jesus.
Of course, we cannot do any of this in our own strength. No amount of “character study” will do. Nor is this like “method acting” in a movie. Our goal is to live like Jesus. However, we can only do it by God’s grace, freely poured out on His beloved children. It is by His grace, because of His grace, and for His glory.
Grace and peace,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor