The Ruthless Imitation Of Christ
Sam is a Director of 'Open Doors' a charity working for persecuted Christians globally.
Ephesians 5:1 (NIV) —
‘Therefore be imitators of Christ Jesus as beloved Children.’
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) —
‘Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.’
Let's get straight to it: the imitation of Christ requires a relentlessness in our pursuit of him, and a ruthless resistance to anything that would stand in the way.
Years ago I was camping with a group of young people in Yosemite National Park when there was a bear warning. A mother bear with two cubs had been spotted on the camp perimeter. I was up for a bear hunt (not to kill it, but to watch it!) but was strongly warned that if I came anywhere near, the hunter would become the hunted! If a mamma bear senses any danger, she will attack because of her fierce protectiveness over her cubs, ruthless in her resistance of anything that might hurt her cubs or come between them and her. The mama bear is all in, single minded, relentless, no holds barred.
This may be a somewhat extreme example of ruthlessness in pursuit of something. But, in the Letter to the Hebrews chapter 11, we read of people who were similarly 'all in' for God, single-minded in their pursuit of his will.
The writer to the Hebrews has woven 10 chapters beautifully describing the supremacy of Jesus and now, at the beginning of chapter 12, he lands the knockout punch of verses:1-2. To paraphrase:
'therefore go all in, be relentless in your pursuit of Jesus, and be ruthless with everything that stands in the way of living with Jesus and for Jesus’.
Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, writes of the incredible inheritance that they have in Jesus and then encourages them to 'be imitators of Christ Jesus as beloved Children.' He calls for uncompromising devotion and commands the church to live a life worthy of Christ, ruthlessly eliminating anything that stands in the way. Tomorrow we will explore more of what that ruthlessness looks like.
Prayer — Father, renew my heart and mind in the single-minded imitation of Christ.