Thursday, May 31, 2007

Bits & Pieces: Biblical Saints called Beloved Children

"Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma," (Ephesians 5:1,2).

* It is the general nature of a child to imitate the actions and attitudes of his parents. As children beloved by the Father, we are to imitate His giving nature by a life-style of love. We could have no more perfect a model of sacrificial love than the Lord Jesus.

* The two basic commands Paul gives in these verses are (a) to imitate God, and (b) to walk in love. In a child-like copying of God's giving nature, His beloved children are also to be other-oriented. Our Model is the One who sacrificed Himself as our substitute.

* Beneath the surface simplicity of Paul's commands to imitate God and walk in love are depths of application that challenge for a lifetime. To genuinely demonstrate the love shown to us as beloved children calls for a life-style of sacrifice.
Ponder what such love cost the Lord Jesus...

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