#DailyDevotion Be Imitators Of God
Ephesians 5:1–9 As God’s dear children try to be like Him 2and live in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3Sexual sins, anything unclean, or greed shouldn’t even be mentioned among you. This is the right attitude for holy people. No shameful things, foolish talk, or coarse jokes! These aren’t proper. Instead give thanks.
The translation here is a little weak and perhaps ambiguous as to who “him” is if you look at the last verse of the previous chapter. A more direct translation of the Greek would be “Be imitators of God as beloved children.” The Greek word for imitate is derived from the word we translate “mimic.” Sometimes Lutheran pastors may present the law of God as something we cannot do, as if God is giving us impossible tasks but this isn’t really true. Sure, it is true of people who are unbelievers who do not have have the Holy Spirit and have not been regenerated. But Paul is not telling them to do something so they can then fail and confess their sinfulness. He is expecting them, as children of God to do this. He believes it is possible. Yes, we may do it in great weakness and tinged by sin, but he still expects and believes the Ephesians and us can and will carry this out. Jesus and I believe Peter say similar statements like “Be perfect because your Father in heaven is perfect,” or “Be holy as your Father in heaven is holy.”
So Paul wants us be like God and “live in love as Christ love us and gave himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” To live in love is to live in God for God is love. It means we give ourselves to God as living sacrifices. How did Christ love us? By humbling himself and serving others. We too should humble ourselves and serve others, especially our fellow Christians. We should sacrifice the things the world takes pleasure in but are in opposition to the love of God. So we should avoid sexual sins, i.e. all sexual actions outside the bounds of marriage. Marriage being the union of one man and one woman for life. We should avoid participation in all connected to sexual sins i.e. shameful things, foolish talk and coarse jokes. Such things are unseemly for the children of God. They do not benefit us. This probably will exclude us from a lot of activities our culture wants us to participate in.
We should avoid every form of greed. Greed is idolatry. Let us not accumulate things just for the sake of accumulating them. We should not chase after money and wealth. It’s not that God is all opposed to having wealth. He makes one man rich and another man poor. He does not want our heats set on it. Many people to accumulate wealth sacrifice morals, ethics and their souls to get it. We need to be content with what we have. It God gives us more, great. If he does not, that is great too. It is if our hearts are set on God and trust him for our daily bread.
Instead of these things, let us give thanks. We thank God for the love he has shown us in Christ Jesus. We give thanks for the relationship and intimacy we have with friends and family. We give thanks for our daily bread and the strength to earn it. Whatever comes our way we give thanks for good and bad because we know it is from the Father of lights who is looking after us.
O Loving Father, help us to live in love, sacrifice ourselves to you in service to others and live a life pleasing to in thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.