Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Ephesians 5:1-2 (TPT)
Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as His beloved sons and daughters. And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for He surrendered His life as a sacrifice for us. His great love for us was pleasing to God, like an aroma of adoration—a sweet healing fragrance.
The footnotes of The Passion Translation say, “The Greek word translated as ‘imitators’ is ‘mimetes’ it frequently depicts an actor playing a role. God wants us to ‘mimic’ Him and be filled with His thoughts, His love, His deeds, and His character.”
As born-again believers we are children of God, we are made in His image and likeness… in addition to being a child of God, Jesus ‘made us to be’ kings and priests in Him. He said, “the words that I do, you shall do also.” Jesus wants us to ‘observe and mimic’ what He did, why He did it, how He did it, and what His priorities and values were in all that He did.
Firstly, God is ‘agape love’, everything that He says or does comes out of agape love. I specifically say ‘agape love’, because the world has redefined love… agape love is defined in part in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (TPT)… “[Agape] LOVE is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated, or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving.”
God creates with faith filled words, when He gives something, He never takes it away, He does not condemn, He imparts life and blessing into everything and everyone that He touches, He sees every challenge as an opportunity to show His love and power, He cares far more about people than projects and He has an answer and a solution for everything. He walks in unconditional agape love that overflows, joy in every situation, peace that passes and goes beyond logical understanding, enduring patience, kindness, goodness, faith that carries His creative power, gentleness of heart and strength of Spirit that never wavers.
How can we mimic, or imitate such an awesome, powerful God? The answer is, by His grace, through His faith, according to His ability and His power. God has revealed Himself to us completely in His Word… as you meditate upon the Word, look beyond the teachings and the stories, and see the God behind the teachings and stories… see the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and then be an imitator of God by grace, through faith!
Allow His agape love to flow through you, then allow the faith given to you, to begin to work by love… create with your words of faith, step out and ‘do’ what Jesus did by grace, through faith, in His supernatural ability and power. He will take you by the hand in the same way that as parents we take our toddlers by the hand and teach them to walk as we do… selah!
In His amazing love, Nick
