LUKE 6:36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

TO PONDER

Family resemblances. Most of us have some kind of physical characteristic or perhaps a personality or behavioural quirk that, to those in the know, very quickly identifies us as part of our family.

For example, I have a tendency, once I have finished eating dinner with my family at the table, sit back in my dining chair and rest my hands/arms behind my head. This is something, which my wife often lovingly reminds me, is something that my own father always used to do at the end of a meal. I never consciously set out to emulate my father in this way, I just find myself doing it without thinking.

Just to keep things equal though, I should mention that the men in my wife's family all tend to have a very distinct and prominent nose that quickly identifies them as family members.

It shouldn't surprise us then that there are characteristics of God's nature that we, as his children, should also exhibit.

It might not happen over night - in fact, those who come to faith later in life often take some time and practice at following Jesus before the habits of their old life begin to transform into something that more closely resembles life in the family of God. The key here is staying close to Jesus and remembering the love and mercy he has first shown to us. The closer and more deeply we recognise and understand the depth of that mercy, the more power it has to transform our own attitude when it comes to showing mercy to others.

So whether it is mercy, or some other characteristic, like loving one another as Christ has loved us, or serving others the way Christ served us, or forgiving others as we have been forgiven, a good question to ask ourselves each day when we get up and look in the mirror could be, "How will my identity as a child of God be evident to others today?"

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thank you for opening the way for me to be part of your family through the life, death, and resurrection of your son, Jesus. Please help me each day, to grow and develop the kinds of attitudes, behaviours and characteristics that will help others know that I belong to your family and that you are my Heavenly Father. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle