How many of you have had or have role models? Probably all of us. When I was younger there was a person that was a couple of years older than me and I wanted to be exactly like him. I dressed like he did, combed my hair like he did, and I even tried to talk like he did. I thought he was the coolest person in the world, I put him on a very high pedestal.

One day I was around him and I heard him cuss. Most of you are like no big deal, everyone cusses, but I was very surprised I didn't think he was like everyone else. I thought he didn't sin, I guess I thought he was perfect. I kind of shook it off and thought well that's not that bad. I then started to hear that he drank and he did this and that. Everything changed in a matter of seconds. I had put so much faith in this one person, and he had let me down. I was devastated, I had tried to be exactly like this person and it turns out he wasn't any different then anyone else.

I learned a valuable lesson that day, be careful who you imitate. Once you start imitating someone you become that person. The only problem with that is people mess up and let you down.

In Ephesians 5:1-2 (Read It) Paul tells us exactly who we should imitate, God. Who better to imitate than someone who can't sin. God will not let you down and he will always be there for you. As Christians we must imitate our heavenly father. In 3 John 1:11 it says, "Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God." We must "walk in love" like Christ did. If you are imitating God you are going to be different than the world. You won't hate people, get drunk, have premarital sex. God didn't do those things, so why would someone who is trying to imitate do those things.

We are to give God everything just like Christ did. Christ gave his life for us, so we could have eternal life. The least we could do would be to live our lives according to God's will. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. Not to just give him the parts of ourselves that we really don't like, but to give him even the stuff we do like. Our addictions, the things we treasure most, so that nothing is greater than God in our life. Until we do that we can not have a relationship that is pleasing to God.

Take a good look at your life and ask yourself who are you imitating? What does God want you to give up? What is holding you back in your relationship with him?

-Ryan