Mission Briefing
From the moment you were born, you’ve been a copycat – and that’s not an insult! Copying is actually how humans learn. You learned to talk, to eat, to walk, to laugh, all by watching and imitating people around you. In 3 John 1:11, the apostle John says: “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.” He’s not telling you to stop copying. He’s telling you to be really intentional about WHO and WHAT you copy.
What you imitate shapes who you become – slowly, steadily, without you even noticing most of the time. If you copy the most popular person in your class, you start to think and act like them. If you copy what you see on screens all day, those patterns become part of how you see the world. So the question isn’t whether you’ll imitate – it’s who. Choosing to imitate what is good, what is kind, what is true, is choosing the shape of your own character.
What This Means For You
You are surrounded every day by things worth copying and things not worth copying. The brave mission is to look past what’s flashy or popular and ask: “Is this actually good? Is this something Jesus would do?” When you find the good – a generous friend, a patient parent, a brave hero in the Bible – copy that. Imitate it on purpose. Let it become part of who you are.
Mission Activity
Make two lists on paper. On the first, write 3 things that seem cool but pull you away from good. On the second, write 3 people or things you genuinely admire and want to be more like. Circle one thing from the second list and write one specific way you could imitate it this week. Put it somewhere you’ll see it.
♥ Mission Prayer
Dear God, help me to be careful about what I copy. There's a lot in the world that looks cool or normal but isn't good. Give me eyes to spot the difference, and give me the courage to imitate what is good — even when that looks different from what everyone else is doing. I want to be someone who reflects You. Amen.
