While imitation is a necessary part of our natural and spiritual development, not every imitation is healthy or beneficial. I shared in the last devotional that imitation should happen for a finite time otherwise it inhibits us from developing our own relationship with the Lord.
Furthermore, imitation should happen in the right context. Some believers think that quoting a respected leader would make them appear more spiritual. Others try to copy hairdo, wardrobe, or hobbies to make them look like a spiritual person. Those external factors are not the things that grow one’s spirit, and they become a distraction from the major points. While a person may successfully sound or act like an admired spiritual leader, it does not produce the Godly spiritual maturity that the Lord desires in a believer’s life.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5: 19-21 (KJV)
According to Webster’s Dictionary, the meaning of “emulation” is:: ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others
Paul states that emulation is work of the flesh and in some translations that word is translated as jealousy. While imitation in the right context is encouraged in the Bible, this scripture talks about the sin of mimicking others. If one copies others in order to compete with them or to make themselves feel more valuable, it is considered the work of the flesh. The Bible states that those who practice the above long list of sins, including emulation, will not inherit the kingdom of God. That sounds very serious! Emulation signals that we are not content with God’s design for us and that we prefer to have someone else’s life.
Embracing God’s design and learning from others in a healthy way is the right approach to imitation. It keeps us from being phony, and it makes a believer authentic and unique, which draws others to Christ.
It is important to consider who we are emulating and why we are emulating them. Has the emulation brought about good spiritual fruit? Or does it just produce a fleshly satisfaction?
