What amazing blessings our heavenly Father has bestowed on us! By faith we are blessed with every spiritual blessing, chosen to be holy and blameless, adopted into His family, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, forgiven and reconciled with the Father, who has shared His wonderful mystery with us that gives us eternal hope, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, to show that we belong to Him, guaranteeing our eternal security, and we are now seated with Christ.

So how do we live our life? “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love” (Eph. 5:1-2a) How do we imitate God? The first thing is to know where to place our focus: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:2) We start our days with the Lord in mind, we thank Him for His many blessings, and we ask Him to lead us in our steps for the day. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). We are already seated with Him in heavenly places — let’s keep our focus there!

Ephesians 5:2 explains how the believer is to imitate God. We are to “walk in love.” To “walk in love” is a constant ordering of our behavior within the sphere of love. The child of God is to order his behavior within the sphere of this divine, supernatural love produced in his heart by the Holy Spirit. After a while it becomes a good habit, and we be become more and more like our heavenly Father.

Let’s be careful to note the context of the admonition. A couple of verses earlier he wrote, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (4:30). How do you grieve Him? The next verse says by bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice (v. 31). Let’s put it away from us because it causes pain, grief, and distress to the Holy Spirit of God, who is in us.

We can please Him by being “kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you . . .” (4:32-5:2).

Act and behave the way He acts. How did our heavenly Father treat us? He dealt with us in kindness, compassion, and He forgave us. Praise God that He has not dealt with us with what we deserved–His wrath. In grace He has chosen to love us and forgive us of every sin if we come to Him by faith. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us of all our sins. That is love. That is how God treats us. “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-15)

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