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Hey! Watch Me!
“HEY! WATCH ME!”
Do you remember growing up as a child and yelling to your parents or friends, “Hey, watch me!” Generally, you were going to do something that you thought everyone needed to see. Most of the time you were probably imitating others and doing what you had watched them do. Thinking that you had done something spectacular, there was always that one friend who yelled out “Copycat!” Being called a “copycat” as a youngster was hurtful. Being labeled a “copycat” was bad because it usually meant that you were trying to mimic someone, and you could not come up with your own ideas.
However, to be a true disciple of Christ we must indeed be imitators or “copycats.” Paul writes in I Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” Paul also writes to the church in Ephesus and tells the Christians in Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” The apostles who walked with Christ became true “copycats” as they shared the teachings, the Words, and the examples of their teachers. They became true disciples, pupils, students, and apprentices by sharing the Master’s example.
John, one of the original “Sons of Thunder,” wrote in I John 2:3-6, “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him. Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” Knowing and abiding point to the love of a disciple for his teacher and a faithful obedience to his teachings, commandments, and examples. It is this respect and adoration that leads to a desire to be like him in every way. It shows evidence that we have studied and learned all that we can about the teacher and pattern our lives after him.
It is not a bad thing to be a “copycat” of the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ. May our lives be centered upon imitating the example of our Lord. Are you living your life in a way that shows that you are imitating the Lord?
Written by Larry Schneider
