“1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2
In the beginning when God created us, He created us in His image and likeness. We are to be like Him or shadow his ways, personality, character, etc. We discovered in the last blog that God is love and this love is to hold others in high regard. This particular verse instructs us to live, abide, stay, remain, persist, endure in holding others in high regard just as Christ held us in high regard when he gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God
This blog will deal with how to ‘live a life of love’. The verse tells us that Christ’s ultimate display of love is when He sacrificed His life for us. Sacrifice becomes a key to how to live in love. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice in the sense of giving up one’s life for another, but the Bible does admonish us to sacrifice ourselves. Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” We are to offer ourselves unto God as living sacrifices – in other words, submit to the Will (way, likeness, image) of God.
As God has endured our insubordinate behavior (and continues to endure our insubordinate ways), we should endure others who may disrespect us or take us for granted. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek when others are gruel to us. Many times it seems natural to retaliate harshly to those who have hurt us maliciously or even intentionally. That might feel good, but the harder task is to love or hold them in high regard by respecting, protecting, caring for them.
If we offer our will or nature to God and sacrifice them on the Altar is the deep, intimate act worship God seeks after. This is the moment when we say to God, ‘please help me with this one, because my flesh is rising up in retaliation, but I know, trust, and rely on you God – You know whats best!’ Then God sends/activates the Holy Spirit in you to lead, guide, and direct us in the the way(s) to respond or react.
Apostle Paul stated that he had to die daily to himself in order to remain in the love of God. He teaches the Romans church to die from the flesh and the desires of the flesh and replace the desire of the flesh with the desire of the Spirit. The flesh cannot please God, because it will always want to retaliate negatively to any negative actions toward itself. This is why we offer it up to God to receive His Spirit. ‘They that worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth’. Therefore, in order for us to live the life of love, we must sacrifice our flesh, will, and nature on the Altar so that we may receive His Spirit that will lead, guide and direct us in how to imitate God – and this is a daily act of worship!
“I will truly look like you when I my love is your’s…”
-rodney.
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