I have been trying to memorize some verses that I can use when I need to remember how much God loves me. I'd like to quote this last one:
Eph. 5:1,2 "Therefore, be imitators of God, as dear children and walk in love as Christ has loved us and given Himself as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."
I have realized that memorizing scripture makes you have to really understand what God is trying to say. It makes you "pick apart" the verse and you discover new meaning as you do that. This verse helped me understand how the Old and New Testiment compliment eachother. . . I don't know how to say it. Anyway, my eyes were open to how God gave a picture in the O.T. of the Jews sacrificing a lamb as an offering to God, which they were then supposed to understand the plan of Salvation when in the N.T., He gave His Son, a part of Himself, so that we could be saved.
At first, I kept thinking we were to be imitators of Christ, but then I remembered that Jesus did nothing that He didn't see His Father do first. So, we are to be imitators of God. Because He gave His Son, we are encouraged to "walk in love, which is a sweet smelling aroma" to God.
Thanx, Ray, for giving me all these verses to ponder.