Soul Kitchen

My family was sitting around the table talking about what we have inherited from our parents. Two of my children have my fair skin and the other two have my husband's skin tone. Two of them have natural curl like me and two have poker straight hair like my husband. One daughter has my hot temper, which I hate to admit. None of my children have blue eyes but brown like their Daddy. None of my children have my hair color. Some have feet similar to mine, some my husband's. One daughter can turn her tongue upside down like Daddy and the others cannot like me. On and on this dinner conversation went. It was funny seeing what character traits we take with us.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

If God created us in HIS IMAGE, what character traits do we have that show us that God is our Father?

Jesus did amazing things while on earth. He ate with tax collectors... allowed a prostitute to wash his feet... dumped the tables in the tabernacle... turned water into wine... raised people from the dead... healed the blind, deaf and mute... healed a lady that was bleeding heavily... cast out demons.... wept before he died... healed the soldier's ear that was coming to take him away to his death... was tempted by Satan in the desert.... sat with children and drew them into his embrace... cared for the orphans and poor... the Bible gives us many stories of Jesus walk on earth.

We must strive to be like Jesus. We won't physically look like Jesus did as my children will look similar to either me or my husband. The character traits we can take from Jesus are what he did every day in each of the examples above. Some of the traits we pass to our children are learned behaviours. What do we want to learn from the way Jesus walked?

Jesus walked the earth with humility. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, to give up his life as a ransom." (Mark 10:45).

Jesus was compassionate, humble, not embarrassed to socialize with the street people, caring, bold - standing up for what is right as you hear in many parables and see in his actions. Jesus loved!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Jesus walked this way and clothed himself in each of these traits. He was the perfect example of who we should strive to be.

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" (John 13:3) Jesus knew where he was from and where he was going. Do we? Do you have assurance of being with Jesus in heaven? Do our faith and actions line up? Are we only striving or are we living what we believe?

As God's child, how do you want to look more like Jesus?