Oh, I See



Ephesians 4:29-5:2
29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
5:1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

“Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths . . . ” I don’t know about you, but those are incriminating words for me. Examine the content of your speech for just one day and then decide how you are doing with that one. Corrupt talk includes coarse language (you know – emergency words), gossip, and anything that doesn’t build others up. How’s your percentage rate? While some days are worse than others, this can be a struggle. Not gonna beat a dead horse here. This goes back to intentional living – again.

Now, on to something that is more intriguing. “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” As parents, the first time we see our child imitate an action or repeat a phrase we say, it can bring us up short. Listening to my daughter play before she was even a year old was a real eye opener for me. She kept saying “icy”. She would repeat it over and over again. I could not figure out why she would be saying that. Then my mom pointed out “you say that all the time. Oh, I see.” My daughter had become an imitator of the parent because she already knew me well and spent time watching and listening. “Oh, I see.”

As God’s children, we are to imitate Him. That means we are to be so closely connected to Him that we think as He thinks and behave as He behaves. When the world sees us, they see Christ because we imitate Him. We look like Him. This concept goes right back to the words we examined yesterday. As well as guarding our mouth, we also refrain from harboring anger, we live honestly, and we speak the truth in love. These actions imitate the Father and bring glory to Him. Will we fail at this imitation? Yes, most certainly. That’s why Jesus had to die for our sin. But – we can make it our intentional choice to work on it, allowing the Holy Spirit to grow us up and shine through us. Just as the impressionists on TV had to practice and practice to refine their skills, so we too must constantly and intentionally practice. When we imitate the Father, He receives glory.

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