Imitators of God

The most impersonated person in the world is, of course, Elvis Presley. There are currently more than 400,000 professional Elvis impersonators in the world. Interestingly, at the time of his death in 1977 there were only 170. As of 2010, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31 percent) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth,”*

The Apostle Paul wrote two short letters to the Church of the Thessalonians. In his first letter he writes to all believers in the Church, his brothers and sisters in Christ, to remind them of their purpose as part of God’s family. “You became imitators of us and of the Lord” (1:6), “And you became a model to all the believers…” (1:7), “For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches…” (2:14). The question that needs be asked is this, what were they to be imitators of? What were they as believers called to model? Paul, in this letter and others provides the answers to these questions. We are to be imitators of the Lord, living a life that is upright and holy, filled with integrity, faith and love so that others will be built up in the promises of the Lord. We are called to care for each other thorough toils and hardships – to be encouragers, comforters and leaders who live lives worthy of God. “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (4:7-8)

Imagine for a minute that the 2.2 billion adherents of the Christian faith lived their lives according to the prescribed model that Paul describes. Imagine the impact that we could have in the world today if all of us (you and I are included in that 2.2 billion) lived a life that imitated that of Christ. A life filled with an unbridled passion for God that sparks a fire of compassion for His people in all walks of life. Paul concludes his letter with these powerful words, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify (purify, cleanse) you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (5:23-24). As believers in Christ, I pray that this is who God has called you to be.

*(stats have not been fully verified, they are based on a basic internet search and are for illustrative purposes).