HOW COULD I POSSIBLY IMITATE GOD? (9 OF 12)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-14
This content is part of a series.
How Could I Possibly Imitate God? (9 of 12)
Series: Unlocking The Mystery
Jeff Strite
Ephesians 5:1-14
I have a 2-year-old grandson who lives with me right now - along with is mom and dad - and he loves being with me. We watch cartoons together, play together, and we work together. We mow grass (we showed a picture of him pushing a toy mower) and we wash the dishes (we showed a picture of him playing in dish suds). We have a great time! And, as you can tell, he imitates me a lot... and that gives me great joy.
In fact, it gives God great joy when we imitate Him.
Our passage today says ''be imitators of God, as beloved children.'' (Ephesians 5:1)
Like a beloved child, be an imitator of your heavenly Father. So... was God saying that simply because it gives Him pleasure for us to do that? Well, no. So, why would God think that would be important?
ILLUS: A writer with ''Parents Magazine'' had this to say about children imitating their parents (I did a little editing on this article for my purposes).
''My husband, Larry, had just come in from a run and was stretching in our entryway. In a flash, Judah (our 14-month-old son) was by his side, copying his dad's every move: touching his toes, stretching toward the ceiling, even pushing against the wall with his scrawny toddler arms. Larry and I cracked up, but our little boy took his workout SERIOUSLY.
Whenever I talk on the phone, he's conversing beside me.
And when Larry pumps his arm in the air to cheer a touchdown on TV, Judah pumps his air up too... mimicking his father.
Sometimes we'd grab the camcorder to record Judah's behavior, but imitation for toddlers is much more than a show. By copying adults during this crucial year of growth, 1-year-olds learn a vast array of skills.
One expert noted ''Imitation is vital to the development of abilities ranging from language to social skills'' explains Lisa Nalven, M.D., a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the Valley Center for Child De ...
Series: Unlocking The Mystery
Jeff Strite
Ephesians 5:1-14
I have a 2-year-old grandson who lives with me right now - along with is mom and dad - and he loves being with me. We watch cartoons together, play together, and we work together. We mow grass (we showed a picture of him pushing a toy mower) and we wash the dishes (we showed a picture of him playing in dish suds). We have a great time! And, as you can tell, he imitates me a lot... and that gives me great joy.
In fact, it gives God great joy when we imitate Him.
Our passage today says ''be imitators of God, as beloved children.'' (Ephesians 5:1)
Like a beloved child, be an imitator of your heavenly Father. So... was God saying that simply because it gives Him pleasure for us to do that? Well, no. So, why would God think that would be important?
ILLUS: A writer with ''Parents Magazine'' had this to say about children imitating their parents (I did a little editing on this article for my purposes).
''My husband, Larry, had just come in from a run and was stretching in our entryway. In a flash, Judah (our 14-month-old son) was by his side, copying his dad's every move: touching his toes, stretching toward the ceiling, even pushing against the wall with his scrawny toddler arms. Larry and I cracked up, but our little boy took his workout SERIOUSLY.
Whenever I talk on the phone, he's conversing beside me.
And when Larry pumps his arm in the air to cheer a touchdown on TV, Judah pumps his air up too... mimicking his father.
Sometimes we'd grab the camcorder to record Judah's behavior, but imitation for toddlers is much more than a show. By copying adults during this crucial year of growth, 1-year-olds learn a vast array of skills.
One expert noted ''Imitation is vital to the development of abilities ranging from language to social skills'' explains Lisa Nalven, M.D., a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the Valley Center for Child De ...
There are 14695 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
