Be Like Christ!
"And when He had sent the multitudes away, He
went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now
when evening came, He was alone there."
Matthew 14: 23
It has been said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” But
that’s only half the quote. The complete thought gives us even
more to think about: “Imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery
that mediocrity can pay to
greatness.”
Everyone—athletes, artists, musicians, parents, preachers—are
“mediocre” before they are “great.” When starting out in any new
endeavor, we all look to imitate those who have gone before us.
Even when we don’t understand “why,” we imitate the “how” in
the beginning.
Can we apply the principle of imitation to the spiritual life? Take prayer,
for example. All Christians, whether young or old, should imitate Jesus
when it comes to prayer. The Gospels give us many examples of
Jesus
withdrawing alone to pray, sometimes all night.
He also turned to intense prayer at critical moments like on the
night of His arrest and impending crucifixion. If Jesus, the Son
of God, was committed to prayer, perhaps we should be as
well.
The apostle Paul imitated Christ
and admonished us to do so
too
(1 Corinthians 11:1).
"Prayer is the key of heaven,
faith is the hand that turns it."
Thomas Watson
