Imitate God

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” -Ephesians 5:1

When my oldest daughter was about three years old, my brother came for a visit. The three of us headed off to town, but we needed to make a quick stop at the gas station. We all got out of the car. My daughter was hanging out with her uncle while I paid for the gas. When I turned around my brother was leaned up against a wall with his hand on his hip and one foot crossed in front of the other. I looked over and saw my daughter leaning next to him in exactly the same position. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Paul tells us in Ephesians to imitate God in everything we do because we are his children. Imitating God is more than flattery. God has set a perfect example for us, a pattern for us to follow. We read in the book of Acts that Paul and Barnabus spent a year among the people of Antioch. Paul and Barnabus were imitators of God. Their behavior and actions so reflected that of Jesus that the people of Antioch gave them the nickname Christians, meaning like Christ. When we imitate Christ, we show the world a little bit of what God looks like.