Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 195 – Ephesians 5:1-2 – Imitators Of God – Growing As Disciples
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV)
An Example
That is what I want my life to be. What’s that? I want my life to be a living and fragrant sacrifice to you. What does that mean? I want to go and do what you ask of me. I want to be at your service. I want to know and do your will. I want to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. Will that be very difficult for you? Will going and doing my will be demanding of you? Will serving me require giving your all and very best effort? Yes and no. How can your answer be both yes and no? Serving you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength will never be easy. Giving myself to you as a living sacrifice and fragrant offering will always require my very best. This is the yes part of my answer. But giving my all and best effort to serve you is the desire of my heart. There is nothing I want more than to be a fragrant offering to you. So, how difficult and demanding can it be to do what is the desire of heart? I have great joy in loving and following and serving you. That is the no part of my answer. No, it will not be difficult to serve you because I love you. Yes, it is difficult to serve you because it will require my all and very best effort. Your answers are very good.
What has helped you in giving your all and very best effort to me? I have had an example to follow. I want to think and speak and act like Christ. I want to follow His example. I want to love like He loved. I want to give like He gave. I want to serve like He served. I want to go and do what He did. That is very good. How is it that you are coming to know and live out Christ’s example? Your word has shown me what He thought, what He said, and what He did. Your Holy Spirit has taken your word and applied it to my life. So, as I have listened to your word and followed the guidance of your Holy Spirit I have been coming to know and live out the example that Christ has set before me. That is very good. Keep on meeting with me in my word. Keep on listening to my Holy Spirit speaking to you. Then you will keep on offering yourself to me as a fragrant offering and living sacrifice to me. That is what I want. That is what I will do. That is very good.
Lord, thank you for giving me an example to follow. I want to become like you in all I think, say and do. Help me to live like you lived. Help me to live as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Help me to go and do what you did. Help me to love like you loved. Amen
Key Question… What have you gone and done for God as a fragrant offering to Him?
Living It Out… Imitate the life of Christ as you offer yourself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to imitate Him as you offer yourself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are imitating Christ and offering yourself to God.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you live as an imitator of God in all you think, say and do.
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