Over to Ephesians 5 now. Service and devotion to God always comes first. But we cannot separate it, right? We cannot separate our worship and devotion to God from our required service to man. Service to God, service to man, go hand in hand.
So we are called here to follow, to imitate, Paul says, Christ's example of daily sacrifice and service and devotion to God and devotion to man. These are the sweet-smelling aroma offerings to God.
Mike begins this by stating in Ephesians 5:1, that Paul is urging us to imitate or follow God, and it is not an easy thing to do, and it takes many qualities, not the least of which is good character.
By the way, character does not happen overnight. It is a process. It is something that we build over time by making serious, courageous, and right decisions. Mike ended his article with the line, character is what we do in the dark.
So sweet-smelling aroma here is a clue; it tells us this is referring back to the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering.
How do we become imitators of God as dear children? Paul tells us we walk in sacrifice as Christ [sacrificed], as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. We complete the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering. That is how, brethren.
