Imitating God… A Life of Love

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 | Lent Meditations

One evening when I was visiting a friend’s home for dinner, we were in the middle of an animated conversation. I was making a strange face about something when I noticed their son looking up at me and twisting his own face into a perfect imitation of my funny expression. A child’s special ability for imitation must be something built-in, because nearly two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul picked up on it and wrote:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. -Ephesians 5:1-2

Just like a little child copies things his parents do, Paul says we should copy God. Specifically, we should live the same sort of life of love that Jesus lived, sacrificially loving others as God gives us opportunity.

The “fragrant offering and sacrifice” Paul mentions is a picture from the Old Testament. Exodus 29:23,25 says:

…take a loaf, and a cake made with oil, and a wafer… and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD….

In the same way that the smoke from the Old Testament burnt offerings made a “pleasing aroma” to God, our lives of sacrificial love, imitating Jesus, are a sweet fragrance to God.

Father God, please make clear to me how I can show Your love to people around me today. Help me experience Your love so deeply that it flows out from me to the people around me, especially to people who are hard to love. I want my life to be a sweet-smelling offering to You.

Tags: Lent 2010