Chip Off The Ol' Block

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be names among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ephesians 5:1-5


Joe Stowell
I'll never forget the time I was asked to bring my family to a banquet where I was to be the speaker. After dinner, my son Matt came up to me and asked to sit on my lap. "Sure," I said and picked him up. Over the course of his young life, Matt had watched me strike up conversations with lots of strangers. As an unrepentant people-person, in restaurants I would often look at the server's name tag and start my order with, "Hey, Barbara, how are you today?" To which my kids would inevitably say, "Dad, you embarrass us!" But now, sitting on my lap, Matt turned to the "big-shot" organizer of the banquet next to me, read his name tag, and stuck out his little hand saying, "Hey, John, how are you?" A proud moment for me! He was acting just like his dad - a chip off the ol' block! This is exactly what Paul had in mind when he exhorted us to "beimitators of God". But life has a way of making us anything but like God. We are often uncaring, short-tempered, grumpy, and unforgiving - flat out too much like ourselves and not enough like Him! Remember, we are saved to bear the Family resemblance, to become increasingly more like Jesus and less like ourselves.