Monday, January 7, 2002
 

Be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2, New International Version

    Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. If we are to sincerely flatter God by being like him, imitation may be the most costly form of flattery as well. You see, love for God is never something that occurs just in our minds or our hearts. Love is something we do for another -- it is action. John said that we must love with more than our talk; we must show our love through our deeds. (1 John 3:18) This kind of genuine love means that we give ourselves up -- what we want, our rights, our desires -- to honor God and serve others. This is a kind of love that can change the world, or a marriage, or a family. This is the kind of love that God has given to us! Now let's imitate our Father in the way we love.