Today's encouragement comes from Ephesians 5:1 & 2a, where we read these words:
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love . . . "Paul is telling the Ephesian churchmen—even as he still speaks to the church today—that we are to "imitate" God. The first and clearest way we do this, is by "walking in love." The ability to do both of these otherwise-preposterous commands, is found in what sandwiches in between them: "as dear children."
. . . As the children of God, true Christians will imitate their Heavenly Father, even as natural children imitate their human fathers. But *how* do we do something that does not come naturally to any of us (because of our sin)? Through our living faith in Jesus. The Son of God is the One who connects us, the children of God, to our Heavenly Father. Can we walk in imitative love today? Yes; but only in Christ our Lord.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Inward grace is wrought by outward means; the preaching of the Word is the engine that God uses to work grace; it is called 'the rod of HIs strength,' (Ps. 110:2).” —Thomas Watson, in his sermon, "The Beauty of Grace"]
