Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

In products, the imitation is rarely better than the real brand. We call them “knock-offs” because their manufacturing quality is typically poor. But in areas of behavior and mindset, imitating the behavior of an older and wiser mentor is smart.

Imitating another’s way takes intention, dedication, trust and resiliency. This is what the disciples attempted to do with Jesus — the students learned from the Rabbi. In today’s world, it is popular in some circles to “stick it to the man”. This is a motivational statement that employees or citizens make when they are trying to make someone pay for the way their life has turned out.

The Bible says a different approach is better. Instead of a “take no prisoners”, ruthless climb up the corporate, church, or life ladder (taking out those that stand in your way), the Bible tells us simply to find righteous role models and imitate their model of living life. We are to honor our mentors and respect our spiritual parents in the faith.

The Philippians passage is a great one. First it commands us to control our thoughts, by focusing on a godly mindset. Then, we are called to observe godly behavior from the righteous and imitate it in our own lives. And there is a corresponding blessing for us — “the God of Peace will be with you.”

The battle against sin and our sin nature is a tough one. But God is on our side. He can transform our hearts and minds to be more and more like the heart and mind of Jesus.

Lord, thank you for your truth here. The godly life is quite simple: think righteously and follow godly people, imitating them. Help me to commit to this each day, I pray.