Imitating Christ
Scripture
Reading: John 13:12-20
You
also became imitators of us and of the LORD, having received the word in much
tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:6 NASB)
My handicapped grandson looked up at me and patted the
floor. Since he couldn’t speak the words, it was his way of saying, “come down
and play with me.” As we sat on the floor together, I noticed that Jonathan
copied every move that I made. If I lined up the cars and trucks, he did the
same. If I pretended to load up the big dump truck with blocks, he would
duplicate my actions. Then I’d dump them out and he would laugh and do
likewise. I kidded him by saying, “Jonathan, you’re a copycat.”
At that
moment I realized what the Apostle Paul meant when he said to the
Thessalonians, “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Th. 1:6)
How does
the message of this verse affect my everyday walk with the Lord? People are
observing my actions, making judgments, and drawing conclusions about the
person of Jesus Christ that I represent. If I want to bear an effective
testimony for the Lord, I must be willing to imitate the actions that Jesus
modeled for us while here on earth. What kind of actions did Jesus model for
us?
Jesus
showed compassion for the lost sheep of Israel. He went out of his way to
provide help for the needy. He feed the hungry and grieved for the dying. He
encouraged the downtrodden and gave support to the weak. He showed kindness to
those who opposed him and offered the grace of God to his enemies. In spite of
all the hate, pain, suffering, and humiliation heaped upon him, he was still
able to say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Jesus
modeled the kind of Christian life that I should follow. What kind of example
do I portray to the grocery clerk, the gas station attendant, the postman, the
delivery boy, the tax collector, or the average person on the street?
Jonathan’s
actions in imitating the different way I moved the cars and trucks showed me
that countless people within the sphere of my influence may be copying my
actions as well. Are you living the type of lifestyle that God wants others
people to copy? If you are, then praise God for a life well lived. If not, then
ask God to help you become an imitator of Christ.
Prayer: Dear Lord, you set the pattern of Christian
living that you want me to follow. Help me to be a copycat for Jesus.
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