Ephesians has given us the backpack of our faith, the flashlight of God’s love, binoculars from the Holy Spirit to look at our faith differently, and a compass to keep our faith moving in the right direction. Now Ephesians gives us the hiking boots we need for our journey.
The fifth chapter opens with a command for us. What is it? Why should we do this?
If we will go on a journey we need to wear boots on our feet to protect them. These boots can be a reminder of how our feet work together. It would be very difficult to move if we walked only with one foot or if one foot did not match the stride of the other.
Just as our feet must work in tandem with one another for us to have success, so it is with our faith. As we move forward in our journey we must match ourselves with our Savior. Ephesians 5:1 is clear. “Be imitators of God.”
If we can imitate God we will be in step with God. Just as one foot works equally with the other our life of faith must keep the pace that has been set by Jesus. We are told to act like God. We are told to live a life of love. Living a life of love means that we will care about other people and assist them in any way we might be able.
Ephesians 5 reminds us that we are children of God, and as such we are to “live a life worthy of the calling.” (Ephesians 4:1) This may require sacrifice on our part. It may not necessarily be the sacrifice of money and material items. It may be the sacrifice of our time or simply the sacrifice of caring about others.
Whatever the sacrifice, we are again given the example of Christ as the guide, the pacesetter for our spiritual walk. Through his love for us Jesus was willing to give himself up for us. If we will walk in tandem with the Lord, being imitators of God, then we must also be willing to give of ourselves to express love to others.
In this way we will be walking spiritually side by side with the Lord in our faith journey. We will have Jesus as the guide, the footsteps we should follow.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you imitate God?
