Monday, July 18, 2016

We Should Strive to Be Imitators of God (Excerpt from "Things I've Learned From the Word")



Sometimes, there are verses in the bible that simply do not require explanation. If I read Mark 12:30, where it says “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all of your strength”, that means that in everything that you are and in everything that you do, you should love God. There is really nothing to explain. If I refer to Psalm 37:4, where it says “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart”, then the bible is saying that if you place God first in your life, and you do it out of love not out of obligation, then God will reward you with everything that your heart desires. The first verse of Ephesians Chapter 5 is similarly self-explanatory.

Ephesians 5:1 says “therefore, be imitators of God”. While some might know exactly what that verse is referring to, others might ask how they can be imitators of God because God knows everything, sees everything and can do everything. Well, if you read further into the scripture, the bible explains the meaning of that verse.

The second verse of Ephesians Chapter 5 says that we should walk in love, meaning that we should show love for everyone in every situation all the time. Consider this; if a person walks in water, with every step that the person takes, his feet are going to get wet. If a person walks in mud, with every step that the person takes, his feet are going to get dirty. So if a person walks in love, with every step that the person takes, love will flow from his very being. This doesn’t mean that we have to be push overs, but it also doesn’t mean that we walk around looking for a fight. It means that we should be polite, respectful and understanding, and treat people the way that we would want to be treated.

What this means is if someone is nice to us, then we should be nice to them. However, if someone is mean towards us, we should try to understand that they might not know God the same way that we do. In this instance, we would show them some kindness and believe that God can soften their heart, and that God can help them to realize that they are living a life filled with hate and anger.

As we read further into Ephesians 5, the text says that immorality and impurity should not be a part of who we are because, as it says in verse 5, the immoral or impure have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Verse 6 says that we should let no one deceive us with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, so therefore we should not be partakers with them.

As we live today, the world would have us to believe that certain things, things that the bible says are sins against God, or that God would be unhappy with, or that violate the Ten Commandments, or that will not allow you into heaven, are acceptable. However, Luke 11:28 says those who hear the word of God and obey it are blessed. That means that God will bless us more if we hear the word AND live according to the word. Romans 12:19 says that the Lord will enact vengeance against those who have wronged us, so we do not have to seek our own revenge when we are wronged. Just as we turn to God when things are difficult for us personally, we should also turn to God when things are difficult socially.

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