IMITATE THE BEST

Ephesians 5:1-10

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. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

The Louvre in Paris is probably the world's most famous art museum. It is filled with the paintings of the masters--Rubens, da Vinci, Delacroix, Michelangelo, Ingres, Vermeer, and others. During the off-season, the Louvre opens its doors to aspiring artists who come in to copy the masters. Hour by hour they sit in front of a painting and try to reproduce it exactly. One young woman from California was doing a Delacroix. To observers it may have seemed that she had copied it exactly, but she was dissatisfied. "It's the hardest copy I've ever done," she said.

Amal Dagher, a 63-year-old man who has been copying paintings at the Louvre for 30 years, continues to learn from the masters. He said, "If you're too satisfied with yourself, you can't improve."

The Bible tells us to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1). We are to become as much like Him as we can possibly be. We are to use the canvas of our lives to reproduce Him in holiness, love, and truth. We can never do it exactly, of course. But I'm sure that we can be better than we are. Our responsibility is to keep trying, keep improving, keep getting better and better. Our problem is that we are inclined to give up too soon. We despair so quickly. We feel like such a beginner compared to His model. So we just give up.

We can't afford to be satisfied where we are. All of us still have a long way to go. Choosing Jesus as our example, let's do all we can to live as He lived and do as He did. He's the Master. --Dave Egner

DESTINATION POINTS
* Why is it so difficult to live like Jesus? Is it because I spend so little time reading the Gospels?
* Is it wise for me to choose a fellow Christian as a role model? What's good about it? What's the danger?

LINKS:
So What Would Jesus Do?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c6/8c6018.html

bottom line: Jesus is the Master we should imitate.

soul journey