Summary: Bethany laughed as she watched her little brother Shawn playing in the living room. He had climbed up into Dad's favorite chair and was pretending to read the newspaper. As he crossed his feet and tried to make them reach the footstool, he shouted, "Look at me! I'm just like Daddy!" Bethany couldn't resist giving Shawn a big hug. "Wait right there so we can show Mommy what a big boy you are!" she said. By the time Bethany returned to the living room with Mom, Shawn had put the paper down on his lap and was pretending to fall asleep. He was even leaning back with his hands behind his head, the way Dad did when he finished reading the paper. "Isn't that cute, Mom?" whispered Bethany giggling. "He's trying to be just like Dad." Mom nodded. "That's how children learn," she said, smiling. "They imitate the people they see." "Did I ever do that?" asked Bethany. "Did I imitate you?" "Sure you did," replied Mom. "You used to pretend you were making dinner. You would get the pots and pans out of the cupboard and tell me you were making mashed 'tatoes!" Bethany laughed. "That sounds like me," she said. "I still like to make mashed potatoes." "Actually, this reminds me of my Bible reading earlier today," continued Mom. "Kids imitate parents and other adults, and God says Christians are to imitate Jesus." "But we can't see Jesus! How can we imitate something we can't even see? We . . ." Bethany began. "Oh, wait a minute! We have the Bible. It tells us how Jesus lived!" "Yes," agreed Mom. "That's one reason we need to study it. It tells us how Jesus responded to people. We learn something about His relationship with God, the Father. We see characteristics of His personality and how He acted in various situations. As we study His life, we learn how to live like He did." How About You? Who do you imitate? A parent? A teacher? A sports figure? Or are you learning to imitate Jesus? Kids--and adults, too--often imitate a variety of people. That's okay if those people honor God. But don't limit yourself to imitating them. Be sure to make Jesus your prime example. To find out how He would act and what He would say, study God's Word. Then try to think of what Jesus would do if He were in your place in any situation. Imitate Him. Today's Key Verse: Be imitators of God as dear children. (Ephesians 5:1) Today's Key Thought: Imitate Jesus
