Becoming
Who do you look more like, your mama or your daddy ? Now… which one of em do you “act” more like ? There ain’t nothin you can do about the former but there’s a lot you can do about the latter. We see someone else’s kids and can immediately tell who they favor; right ? Ever now and then we see a slight “blending” of the two … they’ll have one of em’s nose and the others hair color … be tall like one of em and the eyes of the other. As parents, we can’t dictate what our younguns look like, physically, but we CAN dictate the paths they take, mentally and spiritually. We train em in righteousness so they’ll be more Christlike…and when they get older, they’re not be stuck wondering how to act( Proverbs 22:6 ). If we don’t …or if we don’t take the time… they’ll resemble someone else … their “friends”, someone else with opposing beliefs and even the devil, himself. We MUST deliver and teach the truth of GOD, so they’ll have a CHANCE in the life they live on earth and the one they’ll live in eternity ! For them to be equipped for what they WILL face in life, we MUST first, be equipped ourselves ! Only GOD can prepare and equip His people for the daily battles that we face … how we train our kids, how we love our spouses, how we respect our boyfriends and girlfriends, how we respect our coworkers and respond to each other, how we treat a stranger or folks that don’t look like us, and yeah…how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ ! If we’re acting like “the lost”, it’s a good chance we’re still lost ourselves. God’s Word clearly states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ ( saved / born again ), they are a new creation, old ways are gone, new ways have come”…( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ). So…who does your family say you look like ? You know they know you better than most … they see the real you. So who do you resemble ? Jesus or Satan ? If you can’t let go of the past or forgive … chances are you’re not equipped for it. If you’re hangin on to old ways … chances are you haven’t been set free from the trap yet. If you can’t love like Jesus loves, you just might not have the Spirit in you that affords you that privilege . God provides spiritual gifts, leadership and training to His followers to enable them to serve Him, build up the church and mature in their faith to become like Christ ( Ephesians 4:11-13 ). Once we’re His, we have no excuse to not look like Him ! Let’s each one take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and ask God to transform us more into His image. We can’t afford to go around with a “mistaken identity”.