Monday, April 13, 2026
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 CSB
The past couple of Sundays we have taken a break from our We Are The Church Series for Easter. Yesterday Pastor Jim picked it back up for the last few messages in the series, starting with a sermon titled Walk In Love. Paul is getting down to the nitty gritty of what it means to live every day as a follower of Christ. Chapter 5 of Ephesians begins with Paul telling the Christians at the church in Ephesus that the key to living as children of God is to imitate God in everything we say and do. Our key truth for the series, The Church is not a destination but a base of operation, means that we build each other up and then go out from the church, living the Gospel out in our lives for everyone around us.
When we come to know Christ as our Lord and Savior we become a new creation in Him. As we grow in a relationship with Him we are transformed by Him more along the way. Through the process of regeneration, we are changed into a new creation in Him - a new child of God, part of a new Kingdom. The old sinful ways are gone – behind us. We have been forgiven of them and set free and they are replaced by new ways – God’s ways. We are no longer a slave to sin but empowered by His righteousness with new desires, feelings, and a new vision and perspective.
When we become dearly loved children walking in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, we will be different and live different. The first step in being different and living different is becoming imitators of God. As we grow in a relationship with him we will know him and begin to imitate him in our own lives. God transforms our mind and reshapes our desires to reflect his. This Spirit-led formation is ongoing sanctification that reflects Jesus in everything we think, say, and do. He will be reflected in our character, desires, and everyday lives. When God transforms us to look more like him over time, it will be evident to those around us as they will see this transformation in our lives. We will mirror his own love for us to others, the purest form of love we can show to another human being.
How do we intentionally and faithfully love others well?
As his children we are called to look like him to the world. We are his representatives – his hands and feet to the world – to carry on his work of spreading the gospel to all. Our words and actions that mirror him help us to do that. Our lives should be a reflection of his glory that points others to him. It should be a pleasing aroma to God. A life lived in love is a life pleasing to God. A life absent of God’s love will give off an unpleasant odor to God. We intentionally and faithfully love others well by imitating God in our thoughts, words and actions to others and by loving others through him just as he has loved us.
Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Are you living daily to imitate God by imitating Christ? How does your life “smell” before God? What needs to change? What do you need to confess, repent of, and surrender to Jesus today?
