Copying Jesus Christ

Chuckle: A blurb in a church bulletin read, "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands. . . .!"

Good Question: "What kind of a church would my church be if all its members were just like me?

COPYING JESUS CHRIST

"Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV).

We often hear the term "role model" when describing someone whose life reflects the good qualities of character that we admire. I'm sure each of us has someone we look up to as a role model. Having worthy human role models is good, but living with Jesus as your role model is best. If we pattern our lives after other humans, we become a copy of a copy, and imperfections and flaws have a way of creeping into copies of copies. It's much better to copy the original than a copy. It is God's desire that we pattern our lives after Jesus Christ, not parents, friends, or even pastors.

We are to live as God's children by imitating our heavenly Father. If you are a born again believer, you are a child of God by spiritual birth and have been given a new nature. You could say you have the spiritual DNA of God, and it's only logical that we should act like our Lord. If you heard a cat bark or a dog meow, you would know right away that something was amiss. Their outward appearance and actions should be consistent with their nature. If you are a child of God, you should act like it by living like Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit from whom your new nature is derived.

Just as children imitate their parents, we are instructed to imitate God, as His children, by living a life of love. Christ's great love for us caused Him to sacrifice Himself to give us new life and His nature. This kind of love for others goes far beyond affection results in self-sacrificing acts of service. To live a life of love means that we are filled, saturated, and permeated by the same unconditional love that Christ demonstrated for us on the cross. As Jesus was hanging on that cross in agony, His love showed through with this prayer for those who were crucifying Him: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34 NIV).

This kind of love is not reciprocal -- it is unconditional and makes no demands. It's the kind of love God showed as described in Romans 5:8 and 6:23. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

To copy the love of Christ is to copy the love of God, the Father, because the Bible tells us they are one. We copy the love of Christ by loving others as He has loved us. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34 NIV). This kind of love is shown when we share Christ with the lost people, and by even loving those who do not love us in return.

Love, Jerry & Dotse