Ephesians 5:1-2

"Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well- beloved children [imitate their father]." Ephesians 5:1

With all of the work of Christ that Paul described in chapter four beginning to transform the believer now, we should "therefore" begin looking more and more like the Jesus we read about in the Gospels. Although this verse refers to God, Jesus told His loved ones on many occasion, "If you have seen Me, you have seen The Father". Without looking at the next verse, it would still be easy to see where Paul is going with this "imitating", because we know that Christ's Love for God and everyone God created was how He lived. Everything Christ did was motivated by God's love. Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, once wrote, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3:14).

2. "And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance."

Since my very first moment with the Holy Spirit in me, I knew love had finally and for the first time been felt in my heart. I read and studied for a long time about how important love was, however, for a long time, I kept using my own understanding of love to administer to everyone. I was not giving them the same thing I had received, but only things I thought were very loving things to do and say. It wasn't until one day that I was studying Mat 22:34-40, that I realized how serious love was OVER all the other things that we should do. I saw in that moment in history when this event took place:

Mankind was asking their own Creator... "What is most important to You"

I realized that, regardless of their purpose for asking that question, Jesus answered the question the same way He answered all questions... in truth and light! And so, whatever His response would be, I knew I had to run after that. Whatever He said next would be my life's challenge! And so, He tells all of mankind to Love God and then one another. The very next thing I had to find out was, "What does love mean to Him". That is when I turned once again to 1 Cor 13:4-8, but this time I read it with the kind of passion that was required to really receive it. Today, that section of my bible is the most worn pages of God's Word. It's not the only part of God's Word that I study... No, but it is the most important thing for us to understand. In fact, the more we understand of God's love, we find it is in and behind every word spoken in the bible.

In our relationship to and with The Holy Spirit, it is His constant "mode of operation". What He says to our heart and what He leads us to do or not do has everything to do with this Love Paul refers to, here in verse 2.

Let's pick up with Ephesians verse 5:3 next time.

I love you.