To imitate God may seem like an altogether daunting if not impossible task, however, we are not left without guidance in this verse as to the prescribed method of imitation: as beloved children. I think of a child holding mommy's hand through the grocery store, or the father carrying his son on his shoulders.
Emulating God as children begins with following Christ fully. No way around this one: Jesus is who we imitate. We will imitate Christ in character, sacrifice, and devotion. In character we will imitate Him in love, mercy, compassion, patience, wisdom, and justice, etc. In sacrifice we will earnestly strive to lay down our lives for the people around us. And in devotion we will seek out the Father with sincere and fervent devotion. This is what it means, at the very least, to imitate God as beloved children.
Emulating God as children begins with following Christ fully. No way around this one: Jesus is who we imitate. We will imitate Christ in character, sacrifice, and devotion. In character we will imitate Him in love, mercy, compassion, patience, wisdom, and justice, etc. In sacrifice we will earnestly strive to lay down our lives for the people around us. And in devotion we will seek out the Father with sincere and fervent devotion. This is what it means, at the very least, to imitate God as beloved children.
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