RePete

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my GRANDsons!! They are so precious to me and I really enjoy spending time with them. They are 21 months apart with the oldest being 3 1/2 and the youngest almost 2. The most fun we have with them right now is seeing the younger trying to imitate the older, in words and actions. It is just hilarious to see a clumsy 2 yr. old trying to copy a more adept older brother. We call them, "Pete" and "RePete."

Thinking of "RePete" brings to mind a scripture in which I always thought the apostle Paul to be a little boastful, maybe having a little swagger in his pen when he wrote it (Oh, come on, he was a man after all!):

Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (I Cor. 4:16-17)

Can you imagine asking someone to imitate you with their Christian walk? I can't, God forbid! But what if they did? What if everyone participated in Christianity the same way you or I do? Would there be a church anywhere? Would anyone accept Christ as their Savior based on your witness and testimony? Providing quality, secure childcare during worship services? What about missionary support ... Sunday School, Bible study, small groups? ...monetary support of the Kingdom? ...help with the homeless, unfortunate, widowed, orphans, those who've lost jobs? ...those dying or grieving for a recent loss? Of course, I could go on and on...

What would others learn from how I treat people ...would they hear criticism, gossip, inappropriate humor, racism, hatred, bitterness ...Or would they hear positive thoughts, kindness, clean humor, compliments, forgiveness, support, truth, mercy, grace, love...

I've heard it said statistically, we influence 7 people in our lifetime (on average), either for the good or the bad ...what are your 7 people doing? What about mine?

Paul was certainly bold and probably not arrogant. If new Christians can't imitate seasoned Christians, what are we in the business for anyway? Of course, we ultimately need to point everyone to Christ, but could we say, "Imitate me" ... scary words ... who's imitating us?

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (Amplified Bible)