On the Imitation of Christ

Several years back, I noticed on the Plaza in Kansas City a Thomas Kinkade gallery. I was excited to think that one day I might walk into that gallery and view an authentic work by this artist. Imagine my disappointment to find there were only digital reproductions. The curator assured me I would not be able to tell the difference. They started with good canvases and paints and were able to duplicate the very brush-strokes of the artist in such a way that these imitations looked exactly like the original art work.

In the Christian's walk, our life must so duplicate the Master's that it is an exact replica of His original work. Just as in the world of art, we must start with quality materials, so every brush stroke must look like His. This is done by complete obedience to His will and commands. We must not think we will even be close to the original by putting in our own ideas in the same way that if the workers who reproduce Kinkade's work were to inject their own artistic ideas. They would ultimately be identified as fakes and thrown out.

Then let your life so imitate the Saviour's that you are an exact replica of Him. Become imitators of Christ. In the next few weeks I hope to share some ways in which we can do this.

(The above picture is borrowed from: http://tinyurl.com/43wjklz)

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