If imitation is
a form of flattery, are we Christians flattering the culture or the Creator?
Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to “be imitators of God.” So let’s examine our lives
to see whether our words and actions resemble God’s character and ways or the
character and ways of an antichristian culture!
What drives our
actions? Are we obsessed with wealth and possessions? Do we neglect what is
eternal in a relentless pursuit of what will soon pass away? The culture tells
us to put ourselves first and obtain what we “deserve.” God commands: “Do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each
of you regard 0ne another as more important than himself” (Philippians 2:3).
What
characterizes our vocabulary? Have crude, vulgar words seeped into what we say
and write? If so, we have flattered the culture instead of God. Either by
osmosis or deliberate choice some Christians have copied the language of their
pagan contemporaries. If we want to flatter God, we will abhor ungodly words
and, instead, pray as the psalmist did, “Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Let’s imitate
God at home, in the workplace, in the neighborhood, and even in Facebook!
