Being a Mimic

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

BEING A MIMIC

Eph 5:1-2

5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 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.

NIV

Like father, like son, is an age-old adage spoken because of so many sons both looking like their fathers as well as taking after them in their mannerism and sometimes in their professions, or trades. In the case of the Divine, it is most definitely, like Father, like Son. Jesus is just like the Father. He even said:

 John 14:9

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

NIV

Of course, he was making the point that he and the Father are one, which is what he continued to say to Philip when he asked Jesus to show him the Father. But now comes the rub. We are told to be imitators of God, to be a son, just like our Father. To look like our Father, to have the same mannerisms as our Father. To be in the same profession or trade as our Father. To follow in his footsteps. We do this by living a life of love. The example of love we are given is Christ giving himself up for us. Jesus loved us so much he went to the cross to die for our sins and thus giving eternal life to those who believe. With all the self-centered attitudes and behaviors the people in Ephesus were engaging in and all the corrections this letter contained regarding their former way of life, it seems it might be difficult for them to change to living a life of love. Then we thought about ourselves and how well do we live a life of love. Have we changed enough from our former personalities and traits? Do we still think more about ourselves than about others? Do we really give ourselves up for others? We say, “I love you”, but what does that really mean? It certainly is a lot more personal than saying, “love ya”, but how do we demonstrate that love we profess? As well, is that love just for a select few we choose to love, like our parents, spouse, children, and extended family members? Even then, it does not seem we get along so well with some of them. Why is that? Is it because we are still a little too self-centered, rather than being imitators of God? Then we have to consider the whole assembly of believers in the local church we fellowship in. How well do we show the love of God there? We might fail a little too much there, but then we have to consider if we imitate God in the world. When people, non-believers, look at us, observe how we live, our personality, our conversation, our behaviors, do that see God, do they see Jesus? Sure, we can never be God, or even be exactly like him, but we are to imitate him. The Greek word translated as imitator is the root word for mimic, mimeetai. So we may not be able to be God, but we are told to mimic him. That is doing what he does, saying things how he says them, speaking like he speaks, acting like he acts, loving like he loves, then we will be a mimic.