"Imitate Love"

Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment. I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me. (1 Corinthians 4:10-16 NLT).

Today’s devotional announces a little bonus as well as an important truth. Soon I will be able to email you an mpeg file of some highlights of messages I have preached through the years. The entire sermon seems to be too big to email and I have not found a way to post them yet. We will be working on that also. That’s the announcement, here’s the truth: There is far more power in imitation rooted in love than blind obedience rooted in fear.

My favorite activity as a youngster was accompanying my Dad fishing. He was either incredibly lucky or very skillful. We always caught as many as we wanted. He always caught more than I did. I remember those days as if they were yesterday. We would rise early and drive to the pier to get some live shrimp for bait and then make our way to the flats off the coast of Galveston. The water was always warm, so we merely waded into the water with our bait boxes in tow. He always wore a baseball style cap, cocked to one side. I never knew why and never thought to question it. I would watch his every move. I tried to imitate each one. I wore my cap the same; waded out to the same spot; baited the hook the same; cast to the same place; and worked the line just as he did. I remember when he’d catch a fish and I wouldn’t, I’d ask, “What’s wrong?” He’d smile his crooked smile and with a glint in his eye, he’d reply, “I guess you’re not holding your mouth right!”

I never did outfish him, but I still tried to imitate his every move. The interesting thing is that I did that not because of some rule or law that he had issued. He never said that I must do the things he did in order to be successful. He simply led the way and my love for him made me want to follow. That’s the point of being a disciple of Christ. He didn’t give us laws and rules; He gave us Himself in grace. Paul caught that and led others the same way. My great hope for you is that you will stop working on your “checklist” of right things to do and begin falling in love with your Savior as never before. If you do that, you’ll do all the right things, but they will come far more easily to you and bring far greater results. Give it a try! Imitate Love!