Imitation...

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.  
-- 1 Corinthians 11:1

It is a bold statement: Watch me... do as I do...

We all know its tongue-in-cheek counter statement: Do as I say, not as I do. (And the reality is, we might be more comfortable with it!)

A golf instructor may say to the student, "Watch me... do as I do." 

The professional on Dancing with the Stars might say to the star, "Watch me... do as I do."

We say to our children often (whether it's teaching them to mow a lawn, fold a sheet, or to shave), "Watch me... do as I do."

But what about praying? How about serving others? In matters of faithfulness, charity, worship and discipline, will we say, "Watch me... do as I do?"

Someone... somewhere... is watching. And someone will do as we do. The fact is, we may be the closest thing to a church they will ever observe. We may be the only scripture text they ever read. We may be the closest representative of this Christ with whom they come in contact.

Now, there is grace. We will fail. We will at times be poor examples - marred portraits. But that should not extinguish the desire. The depth and completeness of God's forgiveness should only fuel the passion to:

Be imitators of God, as beloved children. -- Ephesians 5:1

God, I will watch you... and do... Forgive me when my words and life don't match.

For now...

D