“Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us” (v. 17).

Children learn almost everything by imitating their parents: how to pronounce words, how to hold a drink, how to throw a ball, how to pray. Sometimes, they may imitate older siblings, and later their friends, as well.

Brother or sister, who are you imitating? Are you following the example of your parents? Of your peers? Of what you see in entertainment? Are those examples imitating the example given to us by the apostle Paul? We will all imitate someone, so we must be careful to imitate faithful followers of Christ. There is a warning for those who do not – their end is destruction. To imitate the world is to inherit its future, but to imitate Christ is to inherit His. Citizen of heaven, live like you belong to Him today.

• Who is influencing you, and whom might you be influencing?