Imitate God’s love through Christ and love like that

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG)

This is the only time in the Bible we are commanded to imitate God. We are never commanded to imitate his wisdom, knowledge, power, righteousness, or judgment because that would be impossible. But we are commanded to imitate his loving kindness for us to those around us. Yes and Amen!!!!

Because God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you, therefore be ye followers of God, imitators of God. Resemble him especially in his love and pardoning goodness, as becomes those beloved by their heavenly Father. In Christ’s sacrifice his love triumphs, and we are to consider it fully. –Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

• Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
• Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)
• so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky (Philippians 2:15)
• Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, (Ephesians 5:15)
• Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
• And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:14)
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