Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1916 — IMITATORS OF GOD [ARTICLE]

IMITATORS OF GOD

In All Ways His Children Should Strive to be Like Their Heaverijy Father. “Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children." —Eph. 5:1, (R. V.). Where shall we begin our expression of these words? Where shall we place the emphasis? Everything depends upon our point of view. We must not begin with the word “imitators,” or the ideal may paralyze us. We must begin with the word “children,” and imitation will appear as the natural and inevitable fruit. We are the “children” of the Father, with the large privileges and enjoyments of "at-homeness” with God. We are “beloved” children, the life of the eternal God flowing out toward us in affectionate goodwill and ministry. “Be ye therefore imitators of God.” Why, if we realized and utilized the privileges enfolded in the two words “children” and “beloved,” we should not need to be counseled to imitate the Father. Imitation would become inevitable; we could not help it! Take a little child; let her be set in a home of perfect freedom; enswathe her with a conscious possession' of parental love, and what will happen? The ministry of imitation inevitably begins. We speak of our little ones as “perfect little mimics.” They mimic our ways, our words, our tones, our accents. In them we find ourselves repeated. One little trait appears, and the father says to the mother, “That’s you,” or another little feature is produced, and the mother discovers the father repeated. Well, now, this word “mimic” is the literal word that lies behind our English word imitator. In the profoundest and most deeply spiritual sense we are to be mimics of God; we are to catch his ways, his tones, his accents. We are to repeat and reproduce him. Vigilance Essential. What, then, are the essential factors if beloved children are to be imitators of God? Can we fruitfully analyze the mimicry of a little child? I think we can mention two or three elements which enter into a little child’s imitativeness. Before a child can imitate a parent it must observe him. Vigilance is essential. We say of little children that they are “all eyes and ears.” They are alert, observant, receptive, ever watching for unveilings. But they are more than observant. They are aspiring. They want to become like that which they see. The child notices its mother’s attire, and wishes to wear it. She delights in putting on her mother’s gloves, or hat, or ribbon. Ah, but the aspiration proceeds to deeper and more vital ends. They not only wish to imitate in external attire; little eyes can see through the vesture of the body and can perceive the habit and garments of the mind and the soul. What they discover they desire to reproduce. They want to wear our clothes!

But they do not rest contented with the mood of aspiration, They make ceaseless endeavors to repeat us. They are forever trying to be like us. Almost unconsciously they seek to obtain our likeness. Now, cah we carry over these suggestions into the realm of the spirit, and find in them any help to express our relationship with God? If we are to be imitators of God we must certainly watch him. We are to have a similar vigilance in the spirit. We must fix our eyes upon the revelation of God in Christ, and mark every line and feature and color in the unveiling. But we must not only fix our eyes, we must set our desires upon the Lord. And let us remember for our encouragement that a desire can be trained, taste can be acquired. To wish to be like the master is to intensify desire. To express a wish’is to confirm it. To be in the presence of God, even to wish to desire is to have the beginnings of heavenly aspiration. And like the children, in their imitativeness, our aspiration must be registered in endeavor; we must seek to repeat what we see. Deliberately and strongly must we attempt to reproduce the lines and colors of the glory we have witnessed. His Love Everlasting. And let us not forget that all this time the Lord is loving us; the affectionate energy is flowing from his heart, and is working upon us for our redemption. While we are looking love is strengthening our eyes! While we are endeavoring, love is strengthening our wills! “Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.” I am to move like a child among all this, and I am to imitate the walk of the master. I, too, am to go down the ways of life, distributing myself to the right and to the left in ministries of love. . I, too, am to use my gifts and powers in generous offering. If heed be I, too, am to shed my blood. Let us watch and listen and then confidently Imitate. Let uslive with him as children, and we shall begin to imitate his life. We shall not rise into his likeness in ai day. The glory will come line by line, color by color, until the fashion is perfected.