BIBLE READING: EPHESIANS 5
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
There are so many wonderful things in Ephesians chapter 5. There is a lot of wonderful marriage material that you would think I would have concentrated on in this chapter, but I think before any of the marriage advice would work, this simple command in verse one must be followed. If we are not really followers of God, then we certainly will not follow His Word. We must determine that we will be followers of God, not changers of men. We must determine that we will be followers of God, not criticizers of others. We will not submit ourselves to each other, as this chapter asks us to do, if we will not submit ourselves to God. Husbands will not love their wives, wives will not submit to their husbands, and we will not be led by the Spirit of God if we are not followers of God.
This word followers, in verse one, is the Greek word “MIMETES”. This word means to imitate, or to follow. It’s where we get our word mimic. Mimic describes someone who imitates characteristics or actions of another person. It’s also where we get our word “mime”. These are individuals with painted faces that never say a word but follow around other people and imitate them. Now if you’re like me, mimes freak me out. But that is another story. So, if we are followers of God, it means that we will try to imitate God. We will try to do what He would do, and think what He would think, and say what He would say.
Paul then says that we should follow God like an obedient child would follow a parent. “As dear children” literally means a child who is greatly loved by his parents. That word “dear “is a Greek word that comes from the Greek word agape. We are to follow God like a child who knows from the bottom of their heart that God loves me as his child, and because of that I trust God with my life. By the way, God is our father, and he dearly loves us as his children. Because we know we are loved so much, that should make us want to imitate our Father.
Dear friend, you are dearly loved by God today. For our relationships, and marriages, and purposes, and families, and life to not just be blessed but to be used for God’s purposes, we must determine that we will be followers of God. Who are you following today?