A High Calling

Eph 5:1-2, Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I think all parents understand that their children are watching them and imitating them in some way, or you see in yourself a reflection of your parents whether it be beliefs, activities, character, etc., you name it. 

If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are a beloved child of God. Not just a child, a “beloved” child. As God’s beloved child, it is natural (and biblical) to expect that we would imitate our heavenly Father just as children imitate their earthly parents. If you’re a parent, it is no surprise that children seem to demand (or need) a lot of attention. This means there is a good amount of interaction and proximity between the parents and children. This is the relationship in which imitation happens. To be sure, the amount of attention demanded can be a load at times and difficult, but that is not what this spotlight is about.

As believers, we need to be in proximity to our heavenly Father if we are going to imitate Him. There are many ways to intentionally get in closer proximity to God – studying scripture, prayer, church life, fellowship, etc. and just practicing the presence of God, after all, He is omnipresent. 

Imitating means doing and we have our example in our passage – walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. If we imitate God, sacrifice is needed, just as Christ sacrificed Himself for us. Walking in love is difficult, but necessary, we have a high calling and a God worthy of imitating.

Ron Duvall, Elder