A Prayer to Imitate Christ - Your Daily Prayer - October 11

Your Daily Prayer

Audio By Carbonatix

By Emily Rose Massey, Crosswalk.com

A Prayer to Imitate Christ
By: Emily Rose Massey

Bible Reading:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

Listen or Read Below:

I am a mom of four boys, and I have many nicknames for them, but one of my favorites is “my little monkeys” because they seem to be so good at copying whatever one of them does. You know, monkey see, monkey do? From silly little dances to repeating funny phrases, you can tell these boys are brothers and best buds. Yet, with my youngest being a few months shy of two years old, we have to be very careful what we say or do around him because he is learning all kinds of new words and emotions and how to handle them. It’s my husband and I’s job as parents to guide our children on what kind of words and behavior honors and glorifies God. When they sin and disobey, we lovingly correct and teach them how we must go to the Lord in repentance, asking Him to help us when we are tempted to sin or disobey. We also help them understand this better when we live this out and model it for them. Children naturally imitate those they are around the most. The environment they grow up in truly shapes them as a person. It’s important that as believers, we are continually pointing them to Christ, His Word, and His ways.

This is all true for us as children of God. We are to be imitators not of the world, but of Christ. After the Apostle Paul explains how the Body of Christ is to be knit together and show Christ’s love and mercy towards one another, he echoes that sentiment as he encourages the church at Ephesus to imitate God:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2, ESV).

One of the best ways we can imitate God is to continually love others sacrificially like Christ. This way of living is an offering to the Lord as we learn to lay our lives down for others and prefer them above ourselves. But just like how little ones need to be modeled godly behavior, we need to surround ourselves with others who walk as ones who are Christ-exalting and Christ-honoring in all they say and do.

We are called to imitate Christ, so it’s important that we look to those who have gone before us as we look to the scriptures and heed the instructions of the prophets and apostles and Christ Himself. We also look to the leaders and mentors the Lord has placed in our lives. We can learn so much from the Apostle Paul in the scriptures. His existence was filled with suffering and pain, yet he faced it with joy and bold confidence in the Lord. We see through his life that we can trust that the Lord gives us courage to say no to comfort and ease and yes to suffering for God’s glory. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to follow Him. That was Paul’s mission in life – to imitate Christ. And it is what he and the rest of the apostles literally gave their lives to preach to the world through their words and actions. We may not ever get the honor to literally die for Jesus Christ because of our faith in Him, but by God’s grace, we can ask for His help to imitate His selflessness every day.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Help me to rest in Your grace so that I can be strengthened in my service to the King who came to show us a better way. Thank you for not only saving me from my sins but saving me for a purpose and Kingdom mission, to love deeply, walk humbly, and boldly proclaim your truth. Help me to run the race set before me and live a life motivated by glorifying Christ. Remind me to fix my eyes upon Christ, abiding in His Word, and link arms with those who He has placed in my life, as we learn how to walk in Christlikeness together.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written Word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com

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