Just Like Your Father

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
Romans 12:6-10 NLT

As children, we learn by the examples lived before us - good or bad. That's why as adults, we must be so careful about what those coming after us can see us doing. I'm sure all of us have heard at one time or another, "You're just like your father" or "You're just like your mother", and perhaps it wasn't because we were being so good! 

Some families, you can walk into a room and pick out the members of their family just by looking at them. Then there are those who have been adopted, like my grandchildren. Who are they like? What traits are inherent within them? Which ones are learned from their adoptive parents? You have to know at least one set of parents, birth or adopted, in order to make that determination.

Our Heavenly Father is a Giver. John 3:16 - we all know it - For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son... He gave His best to us for us and for those around us. But He didn't stop there. Our text for today explains how in His grace, He has given us gifts for doing certain things well. And we are encouraged to utilize what He's given us for those around us and to do it well. We don't each have all the gifts, but He gives some to everyone. 1st Corinthians 2:12 tells us that we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God so that we would know the things that are freely given to us by God. That's pretty amazing. Gives it to us and then gives us the Holy Spirit so we don't miss it.

That's so great! That means you CAN be just like your Father!

Prayer:

Father,
          We want to be more like You. Enlarge Your Spirit within us, so the world will know we are Your children just by looking at us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen