In my last post, I started to talk about loving God. We can’t begin to love Him properly without first experiencing the love of Christ.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…
Ephesians 5:1 NIV
We’re to imitate the Lord as dearly loved children. Notice that he does not say that we’re dearly loved people. He calls us children because it implies relationship. In this relationship is the principle of imitation.
That’s because in order to love God correctly, we must imitate His love. Being a part of God’s kingdom is a family relationship. Imitation is a big part of family life.
Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
1 Corinthians 4:15-16 NIV
Notice that because we’re in a family relationship, we must, therefore, imitate those who are further along than us. That’s what a family relationship is all about. This is why Paul could say, “I became your father – so imitate me.”
When you have a loving relationship between father and child, there’s a desire to imitate.
“I want to be just like him.”
There’s always a desire to imitate those we love. Wherever you place your love, there’s a tendency to imitate. Married couples tend to pick up some of the other’s traits. “Gangs” do the same sort of thing.
Those that you give your devotion to become objects of imitation. But that only comes by time spent with those persons.
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
Psalm 48:9 NIV
This is an interesting verse in the original Hebrew. There’s actually no English word to translate the word, meditate, accurately. It means to consider, resemble, compare, or liken.
It’s saying that when I come into your presence, I begin to think deeply about who you are compared to who I am. Then I start to consider what I can do to resemble you. But, I have to experience His love in order to meditate on it to this level. Thank God, I have His Holy Spirit to guide me.
The more time I spend with the Lord, the more I become like Him. It’s not a matter of trying harder to be like Jesus. Imitation is a natural outgrowth of a close relationship.
It’s just like what happens in a natural family. We pick up the traits of those we live with. This includes attitudes and temperament. It also affects our likes and dislikes. It determines how we view the world around us.
For instance, I don’t really care about watching sports, which some people think is very weird. However, that’s simply because my parents never watched any sports while I was growing up. So it’s something I never got a taste for.
It works the same way in the spiritual world. By spending time with the Lord, I can begin to pick up His attitudes. I will start to love what He loves and dislike what He dislikes. I find myself treating people the same way that Christ did.
It doesn’t happen immediately. But, over time, I begin to recognize the changes taking place in me.
Spend quality time in the Lord’s presence. That’s the way to see lasting transformation.
Question: What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in your spiritual life?
© 2026 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 