PASTOR’S CORNER: Imitate your heavenly father

First, we all know that most children look like their parents, and in some cases, they act like one parent or the other. With one glance at some children, you know who their father or mother is.

I had a lady tell me a couple of years ago, “You look just like your daddy!” She tells me this every time she sees me. Being the same age as my older sisters, she remembers him. More than one person has told me that and some of you have been told that you look like a parent, a sibling, an aunt, or an uncle. The resemblance is evident.

Then some of us have been told that we act like a relative and some do. They laugh alike, talk alike, and they have the same mannerisms. Athletes’ children want to be like them. Celebrities’ children want to be like them. Some follow in their parent’s footsteps and some parents want their children to be like them. “Imitate me” is what they’ll say. “Do what I do!”

But, I think, that we ought to live so that our children, relatives and others will want to imitate us, especially our walk in Christ. I hope that we don’t live in this world and not influence somebody in the right way. I say that because we are all influencing somebody. They are watching us whether we know it or not — those in our circle, the children, friends, co-workers, the spouse — they are watching the habits we have, the temperaments that we have.

They are watching our attitudes. Spiritually they are observing the things that we do and how we do it because they know that we profess Christ as our savior. If we are cheaters, they are watching. If we tell lies, they are listening. If we are wearing two faces, they see that too. If we are one way at church and another way at home, they are observing. They may not say anything but they are observing. If we don’t ever pick up our Bibles, they see it, and if we do, they see that too.

As Christians in 2024, we have to be conscious at all times that we are being watched and that we are influencing somebody around us in our circle. That’s why we have to walk “circumspectly,” carefully, according to Ephesians 5:26.

We are influencers. Fathers who physically and verbally abuse their wives are setting a pattern for their sons. If he won’t work, won’t keep a job and looks for easy money, he’s setting his sons up for failure.

Mothers who disrespect their husbands and belittle them in the home are setting a pattern for their daughters. If she brings in all kinds of men in her home with her children or spends the money the government gave her for her children on a man, she is setting her daughter up for everything bad that has two legs. We all have influence, but my brothers and sisters in Christ we have an opportunity this year to influence somebody the right way if we imitate our heavenly Father.

This also applies to politics. I say that because I am deeply disturbed as many are by the hatred, disrespect, destructive and unchristian criticism for those in authority from some in the faith community. Throughout the history of our country, there has never been this level of disdain for some who serve in public service. To my Christian friends, we don’t have to agree with those elected to public office. We may disagree with their policies, moral values and their mannerisms and we have a right to voice our concerns in public forums. We may not like what they stand for but human government was established by God, according to Genesis 9:6.

And those who serve are acting on God’s behalf since the powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1). They must give an account to God for how they serve; to disrespect any official in a derogatory way is the way of the world but Christians are the LIGHT of the world, according to Matthew 5:13.

Plus, where is the love of Christ in that? So even if we don’t like the person in the office, we must respect the office! Christians speak through their prayers and their votes. My community friends, we are to “imitate our heavenly Father” and ask ourselves “What would Jesus do or say?”

Jesus taught his disciples in his sermon on the mountain kingdom principles. He told them “You are the light of the world … let your light so shine before men that they may SEE your good works.” He teaches about loving one’s enemies Matthew 5:44, which is a hard pill for some people to swallow. Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us and exploit us selfishly.

See, Christian love is not just an emotion or a sermon, but it is an act of the will, and God has a right to command us to love our enemies. Why? Because after all, He loved us when we were his enemies, according to Romans 5:10. Plus, you can’t hate somebody and love them at the same time!

Imitate your heavenly Father! When it rains, it doesn’t just rain on his children and their crops, it rains on his enemies and their crops as well (Matthew 5:45).

Christian friends, when people look at us, do they say we resemble our heavenly Father? Is how we talk and act a giveaway as to who our Father is? In our behavior in 2024, let’s imitate our heavenly Father.