Almost a week ago I had the opportunity to go for a quick walk around Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater just outside of Denver in Morrison, CO. I got there early and walked around before the sun came up over the eastern plains of beautiful, colorful Colorado. It was a moment that I will remember for a long time. I was alone but yet so close to my God. I prayed, meditated, and cried out to my God for help, salvation, deliverance, and endurance. I ended the prayers praising Him for blessing me with everything I need and never failing me for one second.
While walking around I was able to go into the visitor center and see the model of the park that was presented many years ago to the board of people who took on the task of creating it. The model, of course, is a scaled down version of what the real thing is. There I was, at the real thing, looking at the model. The model gave examples of what the goal was in constructing the real life-sized park. It was a pattern for what was to be built.
What models do we have of the real thing in our Christian life? Well, Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-5, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
If we are to be imitators of the real thing here is a break down of what we need to model according to this text:
- Decide to be imitators of God and nothing or no one else.
- Follow the example as children looking to our Father.
- Follow the model of love as demonstrated in Christ.
- Model good behavior by making sure that sin is not even mention in connection to our daily lives.
- Model proper language by removing dirty, silly or crude joking from our lives.
- Model words that are thankful showing our gratitude towards the Father who allows to be in the Kingdom if we have removed immorality and sin from our lives.
Let’s get closer to God and be the models we are tasked to be! But not a scaled down version of the real thing. Let’s pattern ourselves according to the real thing! Let’s be imitator-models of God!