“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1)
A friend was recently telling me about her daughter’s wedding. When I looked at some pictures from the event, I stated how much the daughter resembled the mother. My friend smiled and said that when she first met her daughter’s maid-of-honor, she immediately stated – “You have to be Stacy’s mom. As soon as you got out of the car and walked this way, I knew without question who you were because of your mannerisms.” It’s like that old expression. You know the one: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” That can be a good thing, as in, “He graduated at the top of his class, just like his father. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Or it can also have a negative connotation. “She has the same nasty disposition as her mother. As they say, the apple . . .” You get the point!
Imitation is a part of growing up. As children, we try on mom’s jewelry or attempt to fit into dad’s shoes to be just like them. As we get a little older, it becomes fashionable to wear a particular style or look a certain way. This has not significantly changed over time. If you were a flapper or wore a zoot suit, you lived in the 1920’s. Donning a poodle skirt or a Beatle cut? Then you must have grown up in the 1950’s or 60’s. A decade or so later, you would have worn bell-bottom anything. Big hair and denim jackets were part of the 1980’s. Grunge, fanny packs, bleached hair and pierced everything highlighted the culture of the ‘90’s. As we rolled into Y2K and beyond – crocs, low-rise jeans, and whatever would enhance your ‘selfie-image’ took precedence. While fads like these come and go and the memory pictures surface to haunt us years later – in most cases, they are simply a passing fancy. Ultimately, it becomes more about the people we allow in our lives that will make an indelible mark on who we turn out to be.
In Jesus’ day, there is perhaps no better example of imitation than the education of Jewish boys who desired to become a rabbi. Only the most outstanding young men were given the opportunity to do so, at times being required to leave home for a period of time to intensely study under one. In these cases, it was not enough to acquire the knowledge of the teacher/rabbi. The disciples of the rabbi noted everything he said and every action he made. Doing his best to imitate it, the successful student would replicate the lifestyle and mannerisms so as to become like him in every way. John the apostle gave the same instruction for followers of Jesus in that “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (1 John 2:6.) The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible states it this way: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
This instruction should give us pause to reflect on who it is we are modeling or with whom we are spending time. Unfortunately, many find themselves ‘guilty by association” rather than “redeemed by grace”. The themes of political candidacies serve to remind us that whatever we did, however we acted, or who we might have hung out with will later haunt us as the photographs, records, and statements are openly released in every attempt to turn a future constituency away from us. Why anyone, these days, would want to run for public office is beyond my comprehension! Lucky for we who recognize that we are sinners to also know that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). So, who or what is it that you cherish above all others? Is it the latest craze, the love of money, or the attention you receive from others? Or is it something even worse? None of these will protect and preserve your very being. As part of a prayer, David echoed these words – “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). In assessing our relationship with God, would anyone venture to look at us and say, “the apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree?” Let it be so in your life. For whenever we make the decision to walk with Jesus, we will find that we are in pretty good company and not at all far from a life-saving, well-rooted tree.
REFLECTION: Who and what is influencing your life habits? Are these influences drawing you closer to or further away from God? Is there anyone who could say that the time they spent with you was the closest experience they have ever had to walking with Jesus?
A NEW LOOKUP DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., AUGUST 6, 2016. COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.