Paper Jam Faith: Removing Life’s Blockages to Imitate Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Imitate God in Everything You Do

To live as true children of God, we are called to be imitators of Him, letting our lives reflect the love, kindness, and sacrificial nature of Christ. Just as a copier produces an exact duplicate of the original, our daily walk should mirror Jesus, not the patterns of the world. When Jesus is at the center, His love and light flow through us, shaping our actions and attitudes so that others see Him in us. [00:56]

Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV)
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Reflection: In what specific way can you intentionally imitate Christ’s love to someone in your life today, especially where it might be difficult or inconvenient?

Day 2: Remove the “Paper Jams” of Sin

Just as a copier cannot function properly when jammed, our spiritual lives are hindered by sin, wrong attitudes, and behaviors that do not reflect God’s character. Paul urges us to live as people of light, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us and produce what is good, right, and true. When we recognize the “paper jams” in our hearts—those things that keep us from pleasing God—we are called to bring them to Him for removal, so that His Spirit can flow freely through us. [05:37]

Ephesians 5:8-10 (ESV)
"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord."

Reflection: What “paper jam” (sin or attitude) is currently blocking God’s work in your life, and how can you bring it to Him for removal today?

Day 3: Don’t Give Up on Your Marriage—Seek Restoration

Marriages, like copiers, sometimes need repair and recalibration rather than being tossed aside when problems arise. Paul teaches that marriage is a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church, calling husbands and wives to mutual love and respect. When stress and conflict come, instead of giving up, couples are encouraged to seek restoration through Christ, submitting first to Him and then to each other, allowing God to renew and strengthen their bond. [08:36]

Ephesians 5:21, 31, 33 (ESV)
"…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ… 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' …However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to show love or respect to your spouse (or, if unmarried, to support a marriage you know) in a way that reflects Christ’s love?

Day 4: Surrender Control and Imitate Christ’s Humility

In relationships, especially marriage, the temptation to control or manipulate can arise, but true Christlikeness is found in surrender and humility. Jesus never manipulated or coerced; instead, He served and loved sacrificially. When we let go of the need to control and instead submit ourselves to God and one another, we create space for genuine connection and growth, reflecting the heart of Christ in our interactions. [12:08]

Philippians 2:3-5 (ESV)
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: Where are you tempted to control or manipulate in your relationships, and how can you choose humility and surrender to God’s way today?

Day 5: Let God Produce His Love and Grace in You

We cannot produce the love, joy, and grace needed for healthy relationships and daily living on our own; it is God who works in us to bring about His character. By inviting Him to remove the “paper jams” and fill us with His Spirit, we become vessels of His love and grace to those around us. As we depend on Him, our lives and relationships can reflect His glory, bringing health and vitality to our families and church community. [13:13]

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you most need God to produce His love or grace today, and how can you invite Him to do that work in you?

Sermon Summary

In Ephesians 5, Paul calls us to be imitators of God, to let our lives reflect the love, kindness, and light of Christ. Just as a copier produces an image of the original, our lives are meant to be a clear copy of Jesus, not a smudged or distorted version shaped by the world. The foundation of this imitation is a real relationship with Jesus—without Him at the center, we cannot hope to reflect His character. The analogy of the copier reminds us that the quality of what we produce in our lives depends on the source we are copying.

But even the best copiers can get jammed. In our spiritual lives, these “paper jams” are the sins, attitudes, and habits that block the flow of God’s Spirit and prevent us from living as people of light. Paul urges us to clear out these jams by being honest about our struggles, confessing our sins, and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill and guide us. When we do this, our lives become a pleasing aroma to God, and we are able to produce what is good, right, and true.

This call to imitation and clearing out the jams extends into our relationships, especially marriage. Paul’s instructions to husbands and wives are not just about roles, but about mutual submission, love, and respect—a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church. Marriages, like copiers, sometimes need repair and recalibration rather than being tossed aside. The temptation to give up or to control one another is real, but the invitation is to let Jesus restore and guide us, making our marriages a living picture of His love and grace.

Ultimately, the challenge is to examine what we are copying, to clear out what hinders us, and to let Christ’s love shape every part of our lives. Whether in our personal walk, our marriages, or our community, we are called to be authentic reflections of Jesus, producing lives marked by love, light, and grace.

Key Takeaways

1. The call to imitate God is not about following a list of do’s and don’ts, but about letting our lives be a true reflection of Jesus. When Christ is at the center, we naturally begin to mirror His love, kindness, and sacrificial spirit in all we do. The authenticity of our faith is measured by how closely our lives resemble the original—Jesus Himself. [00:56]
2. Spiritual “paper jams” are the sins and attitudes that block the flow of God’s Spirit in our lives. Just as a copier cannot function with a jam, we cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit when we allow unresolved sin or bitterness to remain. Clearing these jams requires honest self-examination, confession, and a willingness to let God do the necessary repair work in our hearts. [05:37]
3. The temptation to settle for a “smudged” or cluttered spiritual life is real, but God invites us to pursue a life free from the things that hinder us. We must not accept mediocrity or spiritual stagnation; instead, we are called to continually seek the fullness of what God wants to produce in us. This means refusing to settle for less than God’s best, even when it requires uncomfortable change. [06:28]
4. In marriage, the easy option is often to “toss out the copier” when things get hard, but God’s design is for restoration, not disposal. Mutual submission, love, and respect are not just ideals but daily practices that require humility and grace. When we invite Jesus into our marriages, He brings the repair and recalibration needed to reflect His love to one another and to the world. [08:36]
5. The struggle for control in relationships, especially in marriage, is a sign of our need to surrender to Christ. True imitation of Jesus means letting go of manipulation and embracing a posture of service and humility. Our relationships flourish when we stop trying to control outcomes and instead trust God to shape us and those we love. [12:08]
** [12:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:31] - The Copier Analogy: Who Are You Imitating?
[00:56] - Imitate God as His Children
[02:26] - Grumpy Burger Story: What Are You Known For?
[03:44] - The Foundation: Relationship with Jesus
[04:08] - Clearing Out Spiritual Paper Jams
[05:14] - Living as People of Light
[05:37] - Being Filled with the Spirit
[06:03] - Two Copiers: Authentic or Smudged?
[06:49] - Don’t Settle for a Jammed Life
[07:04] - Marriage: Don’t Toss Out the Copier
[08:14] - Love and Respect in Marriage
[09:01] - The Danger of Giving Up Too Soon
[10:13] - Lessons from Saul and David
[12:08] - Control vs. Surrender in Relationships
[12:46] - Prayer for Reflection and Restoration

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-10, 21, 31-33 (ESV) —
> 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
> 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
> ...
> 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
> 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
> 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
> ...
> 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
> ...
> 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
> 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
> 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Observation Questions

According to Ephesians 5:1-2, what does it mean to imitate God, and what example are we given to follow?
In verses 8-10, what does Paul say is the result of living as “children of light”?
What instructions does Paul give to husbands and wives in verses 21 and 31-33?
In the sermon, what is the “copier” analogy meant to illustrate about our spiritual lives? ([00:31])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon compares our lives to a copier making a copy of the original. What does it look like in real life to be a “clear copy” of Jesus, and what might cause our “copy” to become smudged or distorted? ([01:32])
The pastor talks about “paper jams” as sins or attitudes that block the flow of God’s Spirit. Why is it important to identify and clear out these jams, and what are some examples given in the sermon? ([04:08])
Paul’s call for mutual submission in marriage is described as a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church. How does this challenge common ideas about marriage roles or control? ([07:27])
The sermon mentions the temptation to “toss out the copier” when marriage gets hard. What does the pastor suggest instead, and why? ([08:36])

Application Questions

The sermon says that the quality of our spiritual “copy” depends on our relationship with Jesus. Is there an area of your life where you feel like you’re copying the world more than Christ? What would it look like to shift your focus back to Jesus this week? ([01:32])
Think about a “paper jam” in your own life—maybe a recurring sin, a negative attitude, or a habit that blocks God’s work in you. What is one step you can take this week to address it honestly before God? ([04:08])
The pastor warns against settling for a “smudged” or cluttered spiritual life. Are there ways you’ve become comfortable with spiritual mediocrity? What uncomfortable change might God be inviting you to make? ([06:28])
In your marriage or close relationships, have you ever been tempted to “toss out the copier” or give up when things got tough? What would it look like to invite Jesus to repair and recalibrate that relationship instead? ([08:36])
The struggle for control in relationships is real. Can you think of a recent time when you tried to control someone else’s actions or responses? What would it look like to surrender that situation to God and choose humility instead? ([12:08])
The sermon talks about mutual submission, love, and respect in marriage. If you’re married, what is one practical way you can show love or respect to your spouse this week? If you’re not married, how can you practice these same attitudes in your closest relationships? ([08:14])
The pastor prayed for marriages and families to reflect God’s glory. What is one thing you can do this week to encourage a healthy, Christ-centered relationship in your family or church community? ([14:11])

Sermon Clips

And so Jesus is, well, when he's at the center of our lives, when he's in our daily walk every day, we are to be an exact copy of God, and not a copy of the world. So having the right copier really matters right from the start in our everyday living for Jesus and our walk with God. It starts with him. [00:01:35] (25 seconds) #CenteredOnChrist

But we, hopefully, we're not known being grumpy Christians. You know, we're to be imitators of Christ, full of the love, right from the get-go. If you don't know Jesus, that's where it starts. You know, it starts with our relationship with Jesus Christ. [00:03:39] (23 seconds) #StartWithJesus

Let’s make sure that we’re not lying, sinning, you know, and doing things that dishonor the Lord. Instead, Paul talks about being filled with the Spirit. Being led and controlled by the Holy Spirit. He talks about that we should be singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Let’s live a life that truly is free of paper jams so that these things can flow through us. [00:05:22] (29 seconds) #SpiritLedLiving

Let’s live a life that truly is free of paper jams so that these things can flow through us. Whenever you find yourself stuck or there’s a sin in your life, that’s a paper jam that needs to be removed and we need to give that to the Lord. [00:05:43] (18 seconds) #BeginWithJesus

But when you go through marital strife, marital problems, don't give up easy. Don't toss it out. Don't toss that copier out. Sometimes we just need repair. We need restoration, recalibration. And that's what Jesus can do. Going to a counselor helps, but going to Jesus really is what sets the things right in order. [00:08:17] (23 seconds) #RestoreDontDiscard

So during the retreat that I was just at, the men's retreat, I don't know if Connie remembers this, but I shared with the guys. Because I told them in the morning I was sharing three lessons from Saul. And the main speaker in the evenings would share lessons from David. And so the first two I shared was obedience versus disobedience. And the second was disconnection versus connection with God. And the third one was control versus surrender. [00:10:13] (33 seconds) #FreeFlowingSpirit

Because we can all relate perhaps in our marriages to those times when we want to control. The other person, have you ever tried to control me? She says, I don't think so. I don't know. I have to really think hard. But I've tried to control Connie. And one of the worst times was in our first year marriage. Maybe it was like maybe the fifth, sixth month of marriage. Connie's getting red. Maybe I should finish this story. [00:11:02] (28 seconds) #ControlVsSurrender

So I thank God for a wonderful life and I told him this my wife is a gem so baby I speak highly of you I'm sorry if your face turned red I didn't want to get into details after I saw your reaction. [00:12:18] (16 seconds) #LessonsFromSaulAndDavid

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