We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and as long as we are following His lead, we should never be anxious that what we are doing isn’t good enough or that we are somehow being fake.
Who do you follow? Your answer might be quite different now than it was years ago. Before social media and the internet, this question would be applied more than likely to students. We might ask them, “Are you following the wrong crowd?” or “Are you going to follow in your Dad's (or Mom’s) footsteps?” Today, in an age of Instagram and TikTok, it’s all about how many “followers” a person has or “Who do you follow on social media?”.
The term "influencer" has also become a very prominent feature of social media. These are everyday people sharing things that they like whether it be interior decorating, make-up, hair, gadgets, cooking, etc., etc. Some may eventually find themselves with a large following where they either build a business or a brand from their influencer status. As a consumer of their content, there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with curating an Instagram feed of people who are posting about things of interest to you or who you admire and want to emulate in style, decor, or activity. But it does become problematic when the people you follow create within you feelings of jealousy, inadequacy, and general discontent.
To avoid such feelings when looking through my social media feed, I mostly follow content creators who also happen to be Christians or Christian women who serve in ministry. When I open up a social media app, I am edified through these posts and enjoy the content I am consuming. Many of these women encourage me in my own Christian walk and make me desire to imitate that which they are implementing in their own lives.
Whether you realize it or not, the people you follow affect your behaviors either in an insidious way or in a consciously intentional way, which is why it is so very important to be mindful of who you are following.
Let’s look at how to ensure that who we follow and imitate as believers in Christ will only bring about behavior both in our thoughts and actions that will showcase the peace and contentment that we have through the Holy Spirit and what it means to be an authentic imitator.
Be Imitators of God
As Christians, we are called "followers of Jesus Christ," and as such, our behaviors should imitate Him first and foremost. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." As we see here, love is the primary feature of being an imitator of God.
So how do we “follow” Jesus? Certainly, we must first recognize our need for a Savior by confessing our sins, recognizing that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, and asking Jesus to be our Lord and Redeemer. We must understand that He died for our sins on the cross and rose again to eternal life, making a way for us to be with Him in Heaven. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We must then spend time in the Bible, consuming the very Word of Life. After all, how can we imitate Jesus if we don’t know anything about Him? Because the Word of God is alive and active, our lives will begin to be transformed, and we will walk as new people. Colossians 3:10 says, "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." I love this verse as it perfectly represents what it means to be an imitator of God.
Some pieces of art are imitations. I own a piece of art that is an imitation of a famous Monet painting. In the same way, as we read the Scriptures, we will behave more and more like our Savior, being renewed in the “new self.” Remember, when the Heavenly Father looks at us, He sees Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
It is our calling to be imitators of God. We are His holy people, set apart for good works and for His glory. When we show the love of Christ to others, all subsequent behaviors will flow from love, and we will indeed experience peace and contentment.
Be Imitators of Godly People
"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1
The Apostle Paul was talking to the church at Corinth reminding them of the message he had shared in the past and highlighting that what they see in him is Christ working through him.
I have always been a huge advocate for mentoring. Over the years, I have had the privilege of mentoring several young Christian women. I also championed for my own daughter to have a godly woman mentor. It is so important to have someone come alongside us as new believers to guide us as we navigate the early days of our Christian walk.
Our natural bent is to sin. The hymn Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing, written by Robert Robinson, says it best, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Knowing His people’s weakness to sin, God told the Israelites to drive out the nations and utterly destroy them and to not intermarry with them, but the Israelites did not listen and intermarried. Proximity created imitation and imitation was their downfall in that circumstance.
Whether a new believer or one for many years, it is always good to surround ourselves with godly people and to imitate those characteristics that we may be weaker in or that we would like to cultivate.
Years ago, during a busy season of life, I found it difficult to make time to read my Bible. A friend of mine told me that “before her feet hit the floor in the morning, she picks up her Bible and reads.” I imitated her in that regard and no longer struggled with finding time to read the Word because I did it before the busyness of the day. By following her lead, I was then blessed by having uninterrupted time in the Scriptures.
Throughout the Bible there are verses that encourage us to imitate those who do good works and teach with integrity, dignity, and sound speech; those who lead pure lives; those who receive the gospel with joy; those who show joy even in the midst of suffering; those who work hard; and those who suffer for the sake of the gospel.
When we imitate godly people, our lives will shine forth with the peace of Christ and the contentment that only comes from Him.
Be Authentic Imitators
So what is an authentic imitator? Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? I admit, as far as I know, I coined this phrase, but I do believe I can prove it. Lol!
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” And Romans 12:6 says, “We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us.”
Indeed, we are individuals in the Body of Christ, all gifted uniquely with specific work to do according to those gifts. So does that mean we shouldn’t imitate others because it falls outside of our spiritual purview. No, not at all! The way I see this is kind of like a college student who majors in a certain subject but minors in a different subject. Their expertise and strength might lie within the major, but they will have knowledge and ability when it comes to their minor. In the same way, when we are drawn to imitate a godly characteristic in someone else, it could be that it is an area where our strength lies and we want to hone it even further or it could be a God-placed desire that may not be a gifting per se, but it's one that can be used just the same for the Kingdom of God.The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “But earnestly desire the greater gifts.”
Even as we imitate fellow believers, we don’t want to develop imposter syndrome. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and as long as we are following His lead, we should never be anxious that what we are doing isn’t good enough or that we are somehow being fake. God made us authentic and unique. We share the same characteristics as other believers, but our gifting is uniquely chosen for us, and that’s where our authenticity lies.
May we all choose wisely who we follow and imitate because it will affect our behavior and what people ultimately see, follow, and imitate in us.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Philip Steury
