1 Peter 2:19-25  For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Maybe you heard about the man who was in Europe and wanted to go to mass, to church, but didn’t speak the language. He decided to go anyway. Not sure of the customs and what was going on, he decided to simply follow the man in front of him. When the man in front of him stood, he stood. When the man in front of him sat, he sat. When the man in front of him knelt, he knelt. You get the picture. Everything was going just fine. However, since he didn’t understand what was being said, his mind began to wander – He was day-dreaming. Then he saw the man in front of him stand up, so he stood. Several women in the congregation gasped. The visitor looked around and realized he and the man in front of him were the only two people standing. It was very quiet, and then the place erupted in laughter. It turns out the priest had just announced a new birth in the congregation, and asked the proud father to please stand. You need to be careful who you follow.

Peter tells us in the passage above that we should imitate Christ! We imitate Christ when we look on Him not only as a perfect model, but also as a perfect Savior. We honor Him most when we recognize that He died for our sins, making up even for our failure to model Him in what we say and do. Too often, well-meaning Christians set up standards for themselves, their families and their fellow Christians that they fail to live up to. I know that is true for me. I have high expectations not only of myself, but also of my family. That can sometimes be a trap that makes you think you are somehow better than others. But none of us can imitate our Lord perfectly because none of us is perfect. We don’t have the knowledge and wisdom He has. It is not just our sinful nature that keeps us from being good imitators of Him. The limitations of our creaturehood keep us from being able to imitate Him as we would. But you need to remember that is it not your own piety or good behavior that makes you acceptable to God. Peter also wrote “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

If we imitate Jesus in our living, others will see that. Of course, you and I are imperfect models of Jesus. But God can compensate for our failures. In fact, He already has through Christ. We know that through Him we have pardon and peace. Following His example is not the cause for our salvation, but the response to it.