Spiritual imitation of our spiritual fathers

14I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Corinthians 4:14-17)

Thoughts: Paul is their spiritual father- he brought them the faith.  He is asking them to return to their first love- and the Gospel as it was presented.  He also wants them to leave the false teaching that immorality is okay- and return to what is right.  To do this, he asks them to imitate him, their spiritual father.  We too are called back to imitate those who brought the faith to us today.  

Prayer: Lord, let me learn good things from those who brought me the gospel.  Help me to imitate their work and their faith.