3Jn 1:11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
Don’t you think mimes are the most annoying people on the planet? I remember last year I went to the Lancaster Festival here in Lancaster, Ohio. It is a festival that is dedicated to the arts and throughout the week various events are put on around town. The last night of each Lancaster Festival there is a concert that involves an orchestra and a famous singer. I had the opportunity to go to this concert last year and hear some decent music and enjoy fireworks when the night was over. There was one problem though: A mime. He was a gentleman dressed in the normal mime attire: Black pants, black and white striped shirt, red suspenders, painter’s hat, and face painted white. Well, I was walking around the pavilion when the mime spotted me. From across the sea of people, he made his way over to where I was. To do what? IMITATE ME! Ahh, that is the most irritating thing ever! He would move his hands like I did, make facial expressions like I did and even walk and make body moments exactly like I did! Want to hear something ironic though? Would you believe me if I said we could illustrate a great Bible lesson from what a mime does? No matter how irritating it is?
Let’s look at what John has to say. “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:11). As Christians we are not to be imitators of the world around us. Well, what does that mean? If the world is doing things that we know are going against what the Bible teaches, we need to err on the side of the Bible. Be different when we need to. So, what are we to imitate then? We need to imitate what is good! What is good? Anything that is of God! So, let’s simplify this: We need to imitate Jesus Christ from what we know about Him from His Word. Plain and simple. Be like the mime was to me, irritate God by wanting to be so much like Him!
Let’s look at what John has to say. “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:11). As Christians we are not to be imitators of the world around us. Well, what does that mean? If the world is doing things that we know are going against what the Bible teaches, we need to err on the side of the Bible. Be different when we need to. So, what are we to imitate then? We need to imitate what is good! What is good? Anything that is of God! So, let’s simplify this: We need to imitate Jesus Christ from what we know about Him from His Word. Plain and simple. Be like the mime was to me, irritate God by wanting to be so much like Him!
Aaron
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