Verse 1: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
My wife and I got involved in a puppy-raiser program for a guide dog school; this school would breed puppies to become guide dogs for blind people. From 3 months old to 1 year, families would take the puppies into their homes, raise them, care for them, teach them basic obedience and commands (with school help, of course), socialize them, and love them. We had a 3-month old Labrador puppy named Elcon to raise; Elcon had plenty of personality! We were despairing if we would make it through the nine months as Elcon just wasn’t “getting” the basic obedience part. Our best friends were a couple who were raising a puppy as well alongside the wife’s guide dog (the wife was blind). They suggested we bring Elcon over and have a group obedience session. When they would give their dogs a command, they would obey. Elcon began seeing this and started imitating their behavior. It wasn’t long before Elcon started obeying commands very well…the trick was his imitating the behavior of other dogs doing the same commands.
Paul was concluding the previous chapter in his letter to the Corinthian church, encouraging the flock to serve Christ and live their lives as Christ lived His on earth. He wanted them to be concerned with the salvation of others, and to live their lives to reflect that. Having done that himself, he was urging them to imitate the way he lived his life, because he lived his life to imitate the life of Christ.
Remember, we may be the only Jesus some people see; these same people may never enter a church building or open a Bible. So whom do people see? Do they see you…or do they see Jesus?
Something to think about.
Combing The Word 