Living in the Spirit
August 10, 2018
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. –Ephesians 5:1-2
How do we imitate another? To imitate well we must be very attentive to the other’s every act or way of being. To do our best imitation, we cannot assume that other people’s interpretation of the actions of the one we are trying to emulate are correct for us. We must discern it ourselves. Sometimes we see only what we want to see and thus we miss nuances of behavior that are very important, maybe even more important than what is popularly perceived by all.
When we take in the violent acts of God described in the Bible, do we discern them through the act of one caring for beloved children? I am always troubled as I read commands of God recorded in the Bible that require God’s followers to destroy all their enemies and all their possession. Would I be taking my understanding of God’s acts too far to compare such destruction when helping someone win the battle with addiction throw out all drugs and drug paraphernalia while disassociating from people who might be a bad influence on sobriety? Can we move what is described as happening 5,000+ years ago to the status of allegory for a way of being in our world today?
How do we imitate One we perceive to be all powerful, always present, and always righteous? Merely considering doing so is a humbling experience. Out of a realistic assessment of who we are and whose we are, could trying to imitate God give us the strength to stretch ourselves to the full use of the power God has gifted us, to be as present as possible to all with whom we interact, and to strive for righteousness as we practice justice through all aspects of our lives?
Prayer: Lord, guide my imitation of you. Amen.