The Power of Imitation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

NKJV

As a child, I used to spend my afternoons playing basketball.  As I would play, I would imagine I was one of my favorite star players and try to imitate their moves.  Even though I never achieved the level of a star player in the NBA, I believe the power of imitation made me a better player.  Ephesians 5:1 encourages us to become imitators of God and even though we will never achieve the level of God in our lives, the power of imitation I believe makes us better people. 

Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth to give us an example of what it is for us to imitate God.  Jesus imitated God in

1)      His speech – No vile language ever came from the lips of Christ.  However, Jesus also spoke words of encouragement to those he came with which he came into contact.  Perhaps the greatest example of this was when the Pharisees presented the woman caught in adultery to him (John 8:2-11).  Jewish law required that she be stoned so Jesus was in his legal authority to assist in stoning her but instead asked those wanting to stone her to only do it if they were without sin.  Since none of us, with the exception of Jesus Christ, are not without sin, the accusing Pharisees had to leave.  After her accusers were gone, Jesus encouraged the woman by forgiving her and telling her to sin no more. 

2)      His service – In the time of Christ, people either went barefoot or wore sandals.  Since there were no paved roads, their feet would become dirty.  Usually the lowliest servant in the household had the duty of washing the feet of guests in the home.  Jesus, however, took on the role of a lowly servant when the disciples came for the last supper by washing the disciple’s feet himself (John 13:1-17). 

3)      His love – John 15:13 tells us that the greatest demonstration of love is when someone lays down his or her life for a friend.  Jesus demonstrated this level of love when he, who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), laid down his life for all of us at the cross.  The many men and women that have served in the military, laying down their lives for the citizens of their countries, are examples of men and women who have decided to imitate this level of love and we all owe them and their families our gratitude.

4)      His willingness to sacrifice his self-interests to help others – As the Son of God, Jesus could have remained in heaven with his Father, but instead chose to leave the comfort of glory to come and live with sinful men and women in a sinful and evil world (John 1:14).  Jesus knew that the only hope of salvation for sinful men and women was for him to die for their sins as the perfect, sinless, Lamb of God.  Jesus willingness to sacrifice his own self-interests in the interest of those he came to serve is something all men and women elected to serve others should imitate, but few do. 

As the 2016 election approaches, we will see many throw their hats into the ring and announce their candidacy for President of the United States.  As these men and women begin campaigning for office, I encourage everyone to support candidates that imitate the qualities Jesus demonstrated when he walked on the earth. 

We must have leaders that speak words of encouragement to those they serve instead of putting them down and apologizing to other world leaders for the greatness of the United States.  We need a President willing to serve those that elected him or her and not spend most of their time on the golf course.  We need a President that loves this country and its citizens and most importantly, we need a President willing to put his or her own self-interests on hold while serving as President. 

There is great power in imitation and I believe our nation is best served by a President that demonstrates the power of imitating God by following the example of Jesus Christ.