Vol. 7, No. 09 – March 6, 2022 – Imitating
I urge you, then, be imitators of me –1 Corinthians 4:16
I used to like to go to the movies. I do not go to them much more often than once every two years or so now. They just lost their appeal. They still make movies; I just very rarely go. Violence. Immorality. Crime. Lies. Murder. Nope, not interested.
We are living in a day when large numbers of criminals are portraying these very things every day. You can catch the reporting on the Internet news programs. I have considered the contribution that our news programs give for the folks with criminal hearts to act in the way movies portray. Criminals follow; very seldom are they leading on their own.
Notice the number of homes that criminals break into while the owners are at home. Notice the number of break-ins occurring while just the mom and child are there. Notice the number of illegal guns that are used to bring harm to law-abiding citizens. It is like that which was portrayed in the old movies and TV shows. It must be worse now.
And we have numbers of prosecutors that suppress the charges so that the jails and prisons do not get filled to overflowing. What is with that?
Listen to what Paul writes:
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed, and buffeted, and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me –1 Corinthians 4:10-16
So, we are not to imitate the TV role players, nor the Hollywood role players. That is fake, even though it looks real. It is what the ungodly do. They eat the same way. Wear the same outfits. Color their hair the same way. Like the same weapons. Imitate the same rebellious spirit. Destroy others’ properties. Steal their stuff. March for fewer police officers. Reject authority.
It will only get worse as we come closer to the end of days.
Some people’s lives are consumed by soap operas—the day kind and the evening kind. Life is a dream. Life is as unreal to them as the things they watch. What they see is a fantasy and bizarre imagination. But there is coming a time when the reality of life hits one in the heart, in the mind, in the gut; the reality will be difficult to deal with in our present culture.
We can be imitators. However, our imitation needs to transform into reality. Paul says to be imitators of him.
We should be, for he is an imitator of Christ. My dad used to tell me that I could be more like him if I tried. Jesus is saying that we need to be like Him. To be like Him, one has to follow Him. If one follows Him, it is because one obeys Him. It is the best of choices.
Life Application
Have you ever eaten artificial chocolate? It tastes the same, doesn’t it? Not!
Why look for a life substitute when you can have what is real? Why settle for being a fake? Why live in a fashion that allows you to play a role for your own pleasure? How worthwhile is that?
The reality for us is faith. It is vested in the Lord. It is free; you do not even have to pay the price of a despicable movie. Your life will be forever different. To be like Christ, in following Him, requires doing what He expects, what He teaches.
When I gave my life to Christ, I was changed. Forever different. Right now, I have the privilege of being sent into the world to share the truth of the Gospel. It would be great if you would join me in the privilege.
