Copycat – October 4, 2023

Read: Philippians 2:1-11

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1-4

Copycat

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Ben was driving his older brother, Donn, crazy. Ben would copy everything Donn did. Donn stood up; Ben stood up. Donn waved at a neighbor; Ben waved at the same neighbor. Donn said, “Stop copying me.” Ben said, “Stop copying me.” Everything Donn did, Ben copied.

Donn didn’t like it so much when his younger brother copied him. It was a little annoying. Ben did it because he loved his older brother and wanted to be just like him when he got older.

Did you know that Jesus calls himself our brother? It’s true! At our baptism, God not only washed all our sins away, he adopted us into his family. And as part of God’s family, Jesus is our brother! That is why in the Bible reading today, Paul encourages you and me to copy Jesus, our brother, in our lives.

What does it mean to copy Jesus in our lives? Well, when we think of Jesus, we can think of how much he loved us. He loved you so much he did everything, even dying on a cross, so that you would know that he is your Savior and that your sins are forgiven. He really loves you a lot! Because Jesus loved us so much, now we can copy Jesus and show love to the people around us.

Or think of how Jesus always put you and me first in his life. His whole reason for coming to earth was that he could serve us and forgive all our sins. He put what we needed—forgiveness—before anything else. We can copy our brother Jesus by putting other people and what they need before our own needs because we love Jesus and them. We can seek to serve and help them in their needs.

And the best part is—Jesus doesn’t think it is annoying or silly when we copy him. In fact, he loves it. It is what he wants us to do—to copy him as we love and serve the people around us!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for putting me first in your life and forgiving all my sins. Help me to copy you in how I live my life and how I show love to others. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What was Ben doing that annoyed his older brother Donn so much?
• Who did today’s devotion encourage us to copy?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Can you think of a time when you tried to copy what someone was doing because they were doing a good thing? When was it? What were they doing?
• Normally, we might think of being a copycat as something annoying. How does being a copycat of Jesus show love?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Reread today’s Bible verses. What is the goal of “being united with Christ, being comforted by his love, and enjoying fellowship with the Spirit”?
• True or false: When you copy Jesus in life, you’re being a little Christ to others.