Be Imitators of God

 

     In our home, there is always laughter, or tears, or some constant combination of both. Levi leads the pack as a funny, silly two year old with endless energy and personality to spare! Levi's greatest aspiration in life is "to be bigger like Daddy." I am always reminding him that it is fun to be little. Little people can sleep late and play all day. Little people can get muddy, make messes, and not have to worry about the hours of laundry that will have to be done later to make up for it. Little people have it pretty good, at least from my perspective. But nonetheless, Levi still gets up every morning and insists that he put on his "button shirt (a long sleeve button down shirt) and his belk (belt)," just like Daddy does. He wants to go to work like Daddy, mow the grass like Daddy, read his Bible like Daddy, and the list goes on and on.

     Earlier this month, Matthew preached a revival for one of the churches in our area. Throughout the messages, he did a great job of reminding us that revival was not something he could bring, but it is something that has to happen in our lives as believers. Revival is when God's people turn our hearts back to him, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrew 12:2). He preached a series of sermons from the book of Ephesians and challenged us, just as the Apostle Paul challenged the believers at Ephesus, to be imitators of God, as dear children (Ephesians 5:1). He encouraged us to walk in love, walk in light, to love because God is love, to give because of all that God has given us, and to simply imitate the character of God, just as children imitate the parents that they love. And ultimately, even when things don't go the way we intended, when we have a bad day, a difficult season in life, or a broken heart, display an attitude of long-suffering, by having patience that endures until the trial ends. This is the very same kind of patience that God has with us.

     For now, Levi will have to settle for being little, a "little imitator" of the man he wants to be just like one day. This is my prayer for us as believers as well, that even though will have to settle for life in this fallen world, that we would be imitators of the God we want to be just like one day.