Walking in Love

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.”  Ephesians 5:1-7

Years ago, the American Cancer Society produced a public service announcement which aired on television stations across the nation. There was a little boy (4 or 5 years old) who copied everything his dad did. He walked around in his dad’s oversized shoes. He stood beside his dad at the bathroom lavatory and combed his hair. He tried his hand a skipping a stone across the surface of the water. Resting beneath a spreading shade tree, Dad reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Do you remember your feelings as the announcer questioningly asked, “Like father, like son?”

That TV announcement did much to make people consider the habit of smoking. But what about other areas of our daily lives? One of the ways we learn is to imitate others - a parent, a friend, a brother or sister. As you grow and mature in your walk with the Lord, who are you trying to imitate? Who is your role model? Do you find the one you want to imitate in the pages of Sports Illustrated or The Wall Street Journal? Is he or she on the stage of screen?

Think about this: I will become like...whatever I focus my attention on the most.

“...be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1).