Like Father, Like Son
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. -Matthew 5:44-45
Throughout Scripture, we are continually told to behave in the same way that God behaves. No, we’re not all-powerful, all-knowing, or the like. But, we are made in His image, and we take after our Father in a lot of ways: and, not surprisingly, we can imitate His character in our everyday lives.
God blesses those that honor Him
Be ye holy; for I am holy. -1 Peter 1:16
In God’s laws and commandments, you’ll notice that God rewards those that exhibit character that is like His own, and He punishes those that act contradictory to Him. Since we are made in His image, it makes sense to take after and imitate the One that created us.
Here are some ways we are similar to God, and how we can honor Him in our everyday lives:
Authority and stewardship:
As mentioned above, we’re not all powerful, so we’re not equal to God in power. But, we are similar to God. We are made in His image, and in the same way as God is “the boss” over us, God has given us authority over things in His creation. We’re “the boss” over the animals, the birds, the fish, and the earth.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. -Genesis 1:26
In addition to this, we can honor God in other positions of authority as well. For instance, in our employment situations, we can honor God by being far employees, and for those in a leadership role, by being a fair boss.
Sabbath day resting
Just as God worked for six days, and rested on the seventh, so too ought we to honor His commandment—for our own health and good—and set aside a day to rest, and a day to honor the Lord.
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. -Exodus 20:11
Forgiveness and mercy
God is very patient with us, and bears with us despite all our faults. So too ought we to bear with others, and look at them through the eyes of Christ’s love. We ought not to hold any grudge against anyone for wrongdoing: would we want God to hold a grudge against us? And surely if He were to hold a grudge, His consequences and anger would be much more detrimental and severe than any small earthly grudge that we might hold against our brother or sister.
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. -Matthew 18:35
Purity and righteousness
Would God ever make a promise, and then utterly turn His back on us? The Bible says that it’s impossible for God to lie, and He always remains true and faithful to His word. So ought we to remain true and faithful to our God. If He has given us His very own Son as a payment for our sins, what would be too much to ask in return? If He has loved us with such a selfless love, shouldn’t we also love others with this same love?
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:12-13
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