Skip to main content

Follower or Imitator- Conclusions and Final Thoughts








Ephesians 5:1-2 “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.”


Follower. Imitator. 

After a careful review of the previous six posts that allowed us to dig into the characteristics that Christ manifested in flesh - can you now see the stark difference between these two terms?

A follower is one who simply goes where another leads.


An imitator is one who strives to become like the one they follow.


I believe that the early church was full of disciples, those who truly desired not only to follow Christ, but to become more like Him every day.

They were passionate pursuers of the truth that He lived out, and proclaimed it with boldness. They learned to lay their lives down in sacrifice and humility and faithfully serve one another as they served Jesus. And they worshiped- oh did they worship! For the freedom they had found in Christ. For the life they lived. For the love He so freely bestowed upon them. 


Shall we not live to do the same?


Father, may our lives be a fragrant aroma, constantly being poured out for you. May the path of true discipleship be the goal of our lives. Let us remain steadfast in pursuit of this. May we pursue you passionately. May we be people of boldness, unafraid and unashamed to proclaim the truth of your name. Let us sacrifice in love, with no thought of recompense. May we walk in humility before you and others, in an honest assessment of who we are in light of the cross. And may we worship - for You alone are worthy of our highest praise and glory. May every moment of our lives be a stream of praise rising to the heavens, and may we join our voices together in one accord to you! ~~ Amen



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eternal Choices

Beautiful Gates- Eternal Hope The story posted below is a true account of the night I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I pray it will minister to you. Allow yourself to get swept into the truth of Heaven, the beauty of Jesus, and the reality that we all must make that decision- what will we experience...Heavens' Gates or Hells' Flames? A Decision Made in Eternity           “Can you even understand what he is saying?”, a fellow student whispered to me. It was the fall of 1997, and we were sitting in a college algebra class listening to a first-generation Chinese professor attempt to holler instructions across the vast auditorium of nearly 150 teenagers. “Um…no…sorry. I can’t make out a word.” I answered back sheepishly. Truth-be-told, I had not been able to grasp one concept he had droned on about in the nearly three-week eternity that was the class so far.           As he continued to r...
2 comments
Read more

Follower or Imitator- Where is Your Worship?

All we are...All we ever will be...found only at the Cross One of the greatest blessings of Christian fellowship is the mystery of worship.  The God of the universe, creator of all things, ruler of the stars, longs and desires to fellowship with us. In fact, He is jealous over His time with us; seen in Exodus 34:14 as we are told “you must worship no other Gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you”.  What an honor and privilege to worship.  Worship is inherent in creation. Luke 19:40 shows Jesus answering the Pharisees who commanded Him to silence the disciples from offering worship, and Jesus stated “I tell you, He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”  All creation was designed to offer worship and praise to the creator. The winds blow praise. The waves crash in praise. The mountains stand majestic in praise. The creatures of the earth and see proclaim...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shack- A review of the controversy

Not all things can be taken at face value- sometimes you must dig a bit deeper *** Spoiler alert- I am going to be writing my thoughts about The Shack , by William P. Young. In this review/discussion, some of the details of the book will be revealed. Some may not have read the book, some may not care to. I pray that my discussion will at least pique your curiosity to investigate it for yourself, but I do apologize for any plot revelations. *** Things are not always what they seem. At least that has been my experience in life. As soon as I think I have a situation/person figured out, they shock the daylights out of me. Some things in life are predictable; we know the sun will rise each morning, most of us have our "routine", but there are times when life just surprises. I was given a copy of the book, The Shack  by William P. Young, from a friend at church who told me, "this book has changed my life; you should read it". I took it from her happily, bei...
5 comments
Read more