March 5 “The Real Deal” 1 Corinthians 11:1
** REMEMBER to VOTE TODAY! **
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Sadly, we live in a world with plenty of fakes, phonies, imitations and “look-alikes!” In the furniture industry, presenting the appearance of “real” wood, while being an imitation, has been brought to an art form! Think about it, jewelry is a perfect example of something that appears to be real yet is simply a shiny imitation! Recently, the news outlets were reporting that a gang of individuals were arrested for selling “knock-off” designer handbags at a local flea market! Over the course of my life, I have come to appreciate and desire to be involved with the “real thing!” Many of you knew a dear lady, Mrs. Kay Chamblee Perry, and when I think about the necessity for being real and using real things, I think of Kay! Kay Perry made the most amazing Chocolate Pie, and, after years of begging, she finally gave the recipe to me. In her instructions, she was adamant that the vanilla extract to be used MUST BE REAL and NOT IMITATION! Wow! Being Real, using the Real stuff, not presenting a “Fake” front is critical and essential in our Christian walk! As a Born-Again Believer, we have a basic task to imitate Christ and to be real and Genuine in everything that we do and say for Him! Jesus Christ is the greatest example of humility, compassion, forgiveness, longsuffering, selflessness, and Divine Love! As we study His Life, we discover a selfless pattern of worship, service and devotion to prayer and obedience! We are to imitate Jesus and the more that we grow in Him, the more we develop into the person that God expects! I love what I heard, many years ago, in a sermon preached by my daddy! He said that there is a paradox of our Faith: Only when we truly imitate Jesus Christ can we truly become the “Real Thing!” Ruminate on that thought! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… THE BEST IS YET TO BE!