When I was a child, I had the coolest toy! Sitting in our yard was a fire truck. My Dad was chief of the volunteer fire department and with that came the truck. I spent hours on that truck pretending to be a firefighter. I was imitating my Dad and all of the other firefighters I had seen. When I was older, I was allowed to ride on the truck to a grass fire with them. I will never forget the moment I got to fight fire for the first time. We had reached a fence the fire had just crossed. Because I was small enough to do it, I was able to take a wet toe sack and cross the fence to put out the small fire that had crossed. I was probably 10 or so years old, but felt grown up.
It is often said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It is also true, that imitation is a great way to learn. Children watch and imitate the actions of others around them and thus learn many of the social skills needed in life. The same holds true in our spiritual lives. The Apostle Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV Paul modeled the Christian life for the believers in Corinth. He lived a life imitating Christ. He tried to let the character of Christ be visible in his life. He did this so consistently, he could tell the church at Corinth, that they could imitate him and thus would be closer to living as Christ lived.
The challenge to us is to follow Christ, so others will see Him in us as well. Each day, we should ask ourselves if we are living for Jesus. Are we walking as He walked? Are we loving as He loved? Are we preaching repentance as He did? Only when we answer yes, can we say as Paul did, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”
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Ramblings by James 