2, 4, 6, 8, Who Do You Imitate?

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." – The Apostle Paul

The Christian life is designed in such a way that much of our growth in Christ comes through imitating those who are more advanced in the Christian walk, imperfect though they be.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul calls on the Corinthians to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This call for imitation is contained in the notion of building up the body of Christ through seeking the improvement of others rather than one’s own benefit. Therefore, this call of imitation demanded that the Corinthians sought the well-being of others rather than their own.

How is this going for you? How are you doing at looking out for the well being of others? You see, for most of us our focus is on “self” and not on others. But that is not what Paul is encouraging us to do. Instead, we are being called into a life of imitation, which means a life of sacrifice, a life of service, a life of forgiveness, a life of caring for the poor, and a life of love, even love of our enemies. So, how is it going for you in imitating Paul and Christ in this way? For me, not so good! I often find myself imitating those who have success in this world, rather it be with money, popularity, a nicer home, or a fancier car. But, that’s not my call and it’s not your call. We are to imitate Paul and imitate Christ by looking out for the advancement of another rather than the advancement of our self.

~ Tim Hall https://twitter.com/1timothy12 (I encourage feedback, questions & comments - email me at 1timothy46@gmail.com)