Like father like son

By nature, we are all born sinners. Sinners, not by what we did, but, by who we are – descendants of Adam. No wonder Paul exclaimed “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”. This is true for only those, who through a proper understanding of Christ’s explanation found in John Chapter 3, are now born again.

Becoming a child of God transforms the believer, making him distinct from those who do not walk with Christ. Thus they grow in Christ, the world becomes less and less able to recognise or even relate to them. At salvation, a believer is delivered from the lies, selfishness, ungodly desires and hatred propagated by Satan.

At salvation, sinful actions become detestable and are rejected. When sin does occur in a believer’s life, it is not excused or ignored, but dealt with through repentance. It is a call for believers to embrace a lifestyle that actively shuns sin and pursues Christ – a dramatic change from their lives before salvation. Those who continue to allow Satan’s works to exist in their lives will soon begin to resemble him, not only in their actions, but also their desires.

Just as a parent passes certain traits to his or her children, being born of God has a fundamental impact on who we are, how we live and what we value. Genuine faith results in transformation, and we become dramatically different from those around us. Yet it is easy to become apathetic, and forget that putting our faith on display demands a daily decision to love.

Take a moment to think about those people in your life who might be moved by a display of Christ’s love in action. Is there a neighbour in crisis? Perhaps a sceptical co-worker who dismisses Christians as hypocrites. Or someone at church going through a time of discouragement.

Resolve to look for opportunities to put Christ’s love on display for those people. Make a personal sacrifice of time or resources to impact someone’s life this week. The bible said that the love we have for one another would identify us as God’s children. Are you experiencing a strained relationship with a fellow Christian? Take the initiative to begin the restoration process. Ask God for direction and help in demonstrating His love no matter the response.

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