Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, 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.
I have a picture of me when I was 4 years old.
I'm standing in the back yard with a pair of my father's work boots on.
They come up to my knees and are huge.
I remember clumping around in them trying to be like my dad.
I was trying to imitate him, be like him, walk like him.
Paul wrote in Ephesians we are to do the same thing except that the imitation we reveal comes from an inward change not just outward behavior.
In the verses from Ephesians, Paul refers to believers as "dearly loved children". Now some could take offense at that but it is really a wonderful label.
We are to be "child like" in our relationship with God, not childish. Big difference between child like, and childish.
Children have a wonderful capacity to believe what is told them.
We should do likewise in this relationship. Take God at His word and simply be who He has called us to be. God will never steer us wrong or take pleasure in pulling "cosmic" jokes on us.
I have this kind of warped view of how things work.
I have never believed that God has called us to "Do" first.
He has called us to "be". We are referred to as human beings, not human doings. Stay with me here. If I concentrate and expend my energy on being the man God has called me to be, then the doing will follow. This doesn't meant that I spend months or years on learning how to be before I ever do. No! The doing follows as you grow in God. Whereas you use to fear sharing your story with others, you will suddenly find a boldness and a willingness to incorporate what God has done for you into your conversation. The doing comes from falling in love with God, and not falling in love with what He does for us and through us. Don't get me wrong. Nothing inappropriate about loving a blessing from God's hand...just don't let the blessing become the sole reason for your chasing after Him.
Somehow our thinking has been twisted. We bought the idea that if we "do" a bunch of stuff, then God will look at us like we are really growing when, in fact, we have not changed or grown in Him. Wouldn't you be really bummed to have spent your entire life running around making apple pies for God only to discover that God doesn't like apple pies? Sure you would. But what if you spent your life becoming the person God has always wanted you to be? That would be worth the time and energy as you allow the Holy Spirit to truly guide you.
Those who only "act" religious.....are probably just that....religious. They form an idea or construct of what they think a person who really knows God looks like. They develop a language that has words and phrases that are a part of what I call "Church-ese". All the while, they are a poor imitation of a real heart that has been touched by God. A heart that has only one purpose. To be like their Father in heaven. Such is the call for all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus.
As Paul wrote......
"Think on these things."
God on you...
mb
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