"Imitate Me"

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” -1 Corinthians 4:16

Do you imitate others?

As we live our lives, we may not think we’re imitating anyone;  we may think we are marching to the beat of our own drum. But the truth is, we are imitating someone.

From advertisements to TV, to school to music, to our parents and relatives, everybody is telling us something. They tell us how to live, what kind of clothes to buy, what kind of food to eat; what to believe. Just the millions of song covers on YouTube will tell us we love to imitate those we admire.  But, are we imitating the right people that will get us closer to the plans of God for our lives?

Paul admonishes the Corinthians to “imitate him.” Why? Because he knew he was their example for how to live as a Christian. In the following verse he tells them he is sending his “spiritual son” Timothy as a reminder and example for how to live life as an authentic follower of Jesus.

It’s been said, who we hang around is who we become. Jim Rohn, who was an entrepreneur and motivational speaker said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  Are we being intentional about who we are imitating and hanging around?

In order to become all that God intends us to be, we need to find people to imitate, who have the fruit in their lives that we want.  A fruit is a RESULT.  Meeting with someone who has been married 5 times for marriage advice probably isn’t the best idea. Conversely, attending a training from someone who has their own successful business when you want your own is!  We need to be intentional.

What do you want to accomplish in life? Do you have an idea about what you are gifted in or passionate about? Find people who have what you want and do what they do.  This is the quickest way to find out how to be where you want to be - to learn from others who have both the experience, and the fruit. 

A Spirit-Fueled Life

“...and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”  -Luke 3:22

Pastor Dean Sweetman, senior pastor of Christian City Church Atlanta, wrote a book called “Direct Connect:  Understanding and Getting to Know the Holy Spirit.”  In this book he describes the “most misunderstood” person of the Trinity:  The Holy Spirit. 

He says of the Holy Spirit, “A vital relationship with the Holy Spirit is, without doubt, the most potent weapon any believer can have today.” (p. 7)

Many in the body of Christ believe that the infilling power of the Holy Spirit was just for New Testament times, for the purpose of birthing the church that exists today.  Some people even believe He is New Age!  However, this belief leaves Christians devoid of power.  It renders us helpless to minister the very thing that can change people’s lives:  The presence of the Holy Spirit. 

How can we live a Spirit-fueled life? Here are a few ideas:

• Hang out with others who have the Spirit working in their lives
• Go to services that teach about the Holy Spirit
• Spend alone time with God - worshipping & seeking Him

The Holy Spirit, God’s presence in our lives, is the oil that keeps us fueled.  Before Jesus began His ministry, He was filled with the Holy Spirit.  We cannot effectively minister to others without the Holy Spirit.

Are you a vessel that is filled with the Holy Spirit’s oil?  Make sure you are filled with God’s presence, so that you can be a reflection of His glory in your life. 

Crazy for God

"Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful." -1 Corinthians 1:27

Have you ever felt God tell you to do something unusual? Have you ever heard God speak on something that would happen, but what was spoken has not yet materialized? This somewhat uncomfortable situation happened to many leaders in the Bible; such as Joseph, Abraham, Noah, Joshua, Gideon, and Jesus.

Abraham and Sarah were promised a son- but were very old. Sarah was so old, she even laughed at the idea! (Genesis 18:12) Joseph was thrown into a pit after his dream, long before his dream would ever come to fruition. Joshua walked around Jerico 7 times...I'm sure the sixth time his men wondered what in the world was wrong with him, and Jesus couldn't do miracles in His hometown because there wasn't any faith. (Mark 6:1-6) Gideon had an identity crisis. "How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest, and I am the least!" (Judges 6:15) And when Noah was instructed to build an ark because "a storm was coming that would wipe out the entire earth" (Gen 6:13) we can only imagine what his neighbors must've thought.

Often times there is a big chasm between our reality and the things we are believing God for, but it doesn't mean we should waiver in our belief that it can and will happen. The reality is, if we cling to God, the dreams and the purpose He's given us will materialize, just as they did for Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, Noah, Gideon and Jesus.

Is there a big chasm between your reality and what you're believing God for? Keep believing for His promises to come true. God can work when we work out of obedience and believe.

A Balance of Grace vs. Works

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." -Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT 

We live in a very performance-based world. Performance can equate to more success, which equates to more money. And although we should be diligent and hard working, is our success or lack thereof all because of us? 

Sometimes we think we can earn our salvation because of our efforts. But the reality is, we received grace - and that's it! We do things Christ would want us to do out of our love for Him - out of our revelation of Him - so that others might experience the same abundant life. We receive our inheritance in heaven this way. "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10 But we've already received His grace. 

It is so easy to come from a place of performance, instead of coming from a place of grace (what we have already received.) Did you know all you received when you chose to believe that Jesus died for your sins? We can so easily think that our success is our doing. Yes we did the "working hard" part - but without God, our efforts would have been fruitless! 

Do you have a good balance in your life between fruit and grace? If we don't, we can become religious or workaholics on the one hand, or if we lean upon grace, we can become lazy, lacking excellence. Do you carry a careful balance between effort and surrender?