God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Upon even a brief examination of the church epistles, it becomes crystal clear in the believer’s mind how close a unity, and how close an identification we have with Christ. As Romans proclaims, nothing shall ever separate us from his love, and a truth that parallels this is how inseparable our spiritual walks should be from Christ’s example. As believers we are not only to believe concerning his accomplishments, but we are to believe who God says we are because of those accomplishments. We are to put on the new man, which is what allows us to lead lives of bold excellence. There are many aspects to this, but at the heart of our spiritual walks is the imitation of Christ.
I Corinthians 11:1 – “Be ye followers of me (Paul), even as I also am of Christ.”
The word “follower” means to imitate, and the word imitate means “to seek to follow the example of.” This verse is an encouragement to imitate Paul, because Paul was imitating Christ. In the world, it is common to come in contact with people who are struggling, and it is often said that such people are “trying to find who they are” or are having an “identity crisis”. Every human being needs an identity, because without an understanding and belief of who you are, life becomes more of an aimless wandering than a diligent seeking. God is aware of mankind’s need for identity, and he has made a more than abundant provision to supply this prerequisite for spiritual abundance.
(more…)
