Be Imitators of God
Children imitate their father—believers are called to imitate their heavenly Father.
Paul exhorts, 'Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.' Children naturally imitate their parents; believers, as God's children, are to imitate Him. This imitation focuses on love, as demonstrated in Christ's sacrificial death. We are made in God's image and are being remade into His likeness. Imitation is not external mimicry but internal transformation producing external expression. Jesus could say, 'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.' Christians become increasingly recognizable as God's children through family resemblance.
Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.
Thomas à Kempis wrote 'The Imitation of Christ,' the most widely read devotional book after the Bible, focused on following Christ's example in all things.
Epistle to the Ephesians