Watch and Do

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that. - Ephesians 5:1-2 (Message)

I don't often quote from the Message Bible but today it expands upon these verses well.  It does leave off the end of verse 2 as interpreted in NKJV and NIV which indicate that the love of Christ to sacrifice for us was a pleasant aroma or fragrant offering to God.  Matthew Henry comments "that the sin-offerings were never said to be of a sweet-smelling savour, but this is said of the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world."  God was pleased and accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.  God was pleased in the love of Jesus to love us as God loves us and to serve us through His own sacrifice.

"Watch what God does, and then you do it."  I like this.  It has very Henry Blackaby 'Experiencing God' feel to it in referring to the idea of watch where God is working and join Him there.  It also has tones of "What Would Jesus Do" in its delivery. 

"Keep company with Him ... observe how Christ loved us."  In the way that Jesus loved us as God loved us, so shall we strive to love as God loves.  In this way will our sacrifice, with Christ with us, be a pleasant aroma to God.  It is very important for us to read and talk with God so that we might be able to allow more and more of Him to rule in our life.  While we speak of our own sacrifice, I find that when we are more closely aligned with God, this that we consider "sacrifice" changes and we begin to consider it our necessary service.  It is what we do because we love others.  And it is that love, the love of God, that rules our hearts on the behalf of others.