As I was reading my friend Alan Kearns’ daily devotional post from Charles Spurgeon (from May 17th) I was struck by Spurgeon’s opening words: “Why should Christians imitate Christ?”1
But before I comment on this thought, I would like to introduce you to Alan Kearns’ great daily devotional website – Devotional Treasure2 (see the footnote below to access his website). Alan has been posting daily devotionals since 2020. He is from Scotland and I have been greatly blessed by his simple but powerful devotions. Please check his blog out – you will be blessed! I encourage you to subscribe to his website.
According to Spurgeon: “Why should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul-if they would escape the sickness of sin, and enjoy the vigour of growing grace, let Jesus be their model.”3
I, along with Spurgeon, contend that when we imitate Christ in everything we do in our daily lives we will lead a life filled with constant joy, amazing peace, and blessings both now and on into eternity. I believe there is only one way to live life with “a healthy state of soul,” and that is to “let Jesus be our model.”
When we imitate Christ, life may not always be easy, but it will be so rewarding, that I can’t think of a more wonderful lifestyle, that I like to call, the adventure of a lifetime. Just think of it this way: When we live our lives imitating Jesus we will be advancing the kingdom of God, helping bring souls out of darkness and into the light, enjoying sweet fellowship with the Lord, rejoicing in seeing our prayers answered, accruing an eternal weight of glory when we depart from this life, and knowing that we are bringing glory to the Father! With a list like this is it any wonder Spurgeon believes, that for the Christian – the blessings are simply out of this world.
Another way to look at the great value of imitating Christ is to see what we will forfeit if we choose not to imitate Christ and live life as Christ would want us to live. For the Christian to not follow Christ’s teachings and commands the following can be expected: Our prayer life will be ineffective, the sweet fellowship with the Father will vanish, joy will be replaced with mere fleeting moments of happiness, worrisome and sleepless nights will become the norm, the struggle to find meaning will become almost impossible, and the only glory that we will see accrue to the Father will be zero!
For a Christian to say they follow Jesus, but live as if He doesn’t exist, will only lead to a most tortured existence, where true joy, peace, and meaning are replaced with a bunch of counterfeit experiences that constantly leave us feeling unsatisfied, unfulfilled and void of any real meaning in life.
My friends, if you want to lead the abundant life that Jesus promises us, we must imitate Him in all our ways. Yes, this means living a life of sacrifice and often self-denial, but this is paradoxically the only pathway to the abundant life. When we truly die to self, as Jesus expects us to do, we will then find true meaning, abundant joy, and lasting peace – the choice is up to you!
1 Spurgeon’s Morning – 17th May – Devotional Treasure
2 Devotional Treasure – Christian devotional reading. Bible discoveries. Gems from the Word of God for everyday life.