January 20th, 2023
by Jon Cochran
by Jon Cochran
Good morning with a word for the day-
Ephesians 5:1-2 says "Therefore be imitators of God."
The pursuit of a life well pleasing to God is one of the most desired things of those who love Him. To be imitators of God simply means to live a sacrificed life, one given over to God, in behavior, attitude, and devotion. Then verse 2 says, "And walk in love," of which we all seem to fall short. There's not one of us that can say that there is no one with whom we have some problem. Whether it comes from a betrayal, an evil deed done to us, from an abandonment, or just out right someone being mean to us. It does not matter the issue, it only matters that we all have been hurt and damaged by someone of which we would rather not see or be around again. It doesn't matter how much we pray or ask forgiveness from those who have hurt us or that we have hurt, it seems never to go away and there seems to always be another opportunity to deal with the same problems over and over again.
So what can we do? First, I must know that a walk in Christ is a pursuit of that which Christ was. I may never always get things right, but it's my daily pursuit to be like Christ. Secondly, to never give up. The desire to be imitators of God is not easy, nor is it as simple as it sounds. But we have the Spirit of God living inside of us that helps us in our weakness. And there is no weaker area in a believer's life than to forgive and love one another. It will be our greatest challenge in our daily walk with God. I think it's a place we need to revisit constantly in our prayer life and within the consciousness of our spirit. Why? Because it is one of the great commandments, to love your neighbor as yourself. To live an unconditional life of loving one another is God's great lesson.
Verse 2 goes on to say, "as Christ also has loved us, and gave Himself for us." The greatest gift we could ask God to bestow upon us, is not the gift of healing, wisdom, or even knowledge, but the gift to forgive.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says "Therefore be imitators of God."
The pursuit of a life well pleasing to God is one of the most desired things of those who love Him. To be imitators of God simply means to live a sacrificed life, one given over to God, in behavior, attitude, and devotion. Then verse 2 says, "And walk in love," of which we all seem to fall short. There's not one of us that can say that there is no one with whom we have some problem. Whether it comes from a betrayal, an evil deed done to us, from an abandonment, or just out right someone being mean to us. It does not matter the issue, it only matters that we all have been hurt and damaged by someone of which we would rather not see or be around again. It doesn't matter how much we pray or ask forgiveness from those who have hurt us or that we have hurt, it seems never to go away and there seems to always be another opportunity to deal with the same problems over and over again.
So what can we do? First, I must know that a walk in Christ is a pursuit of that which Christ was. I may never always get things right, but it's my daily pursuit to be like Christ. Secondly, to never give up. The desire to be imitators of God is not easy, nor is it as simple as it sounds. But we have the Spirit of God living inside of us that helps us in our weakness. And there is no weaker area in a believer's life than to forgive and love one another. It will be our greatest challenge in our daily walk with God. I think it's a place we need to revisit constantly in our prayer life and within the consciousness of our spirit. Why? Because it is one of the great commandments, to love your neighbor as yourself. To live an unconditional life of loving one another is God's great lesson.
Verse 2 goes on to say, "as Christ also has loved us, and gave Himself for us." The greatest gift we could ask God to bestow upon us, is not the gift of healing, wisdom, or even knowledge, but the gift to forgive.
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