TODAY IS…

an ideal day to follow God’s example.

“And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.’”  Mark 1:11 NIV

One of the reasons that Jesus was baptized by John was to set an example for us.

As Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and His Father told Him that He loved Him and was pleased with Him. God set an example for us all that should play a big part in how we raise our children and live our lives. The example is a good one to keep in mind even for those who do not have children. It is an example of who God is, and it is an example of who He wants us to be.

Whether or not we have children ourselves, we all were children at one time and much of who, and how, we are came about as a result of what we heard and saw as children.

Many of us know people, especially men, who have some degree of difficulty expressing their love. Some find it difficult to say the words privately and as far as saying them in public? Forget it.

But God always wants us to learn from His example and Jesus was certainly not alone when God told Him that He loved Him and was pleased with Him.

Many parents are disappointed when their children do not exhibit the same interests as theirs. Rather than encourage their independent growth and development, the child is led to believe he or she is doing something wrong merely because they are not being us. They must be loved and appreciated, for who they are, not who we would like them to be.

If we teach them kindness, respect, integrity, honor, compassion, fairness, generosity and tolerance, combined with demonstrations of our love, verbal signs of our appreciation, and knowledge of God, we should be able to sit back and watch them mature into beautiful men and women with good hearts who are eager to make a place for themselves as productive members of God’s family.

If we love them enough, they won’t be just like us. They will be even better. If we follow God’s example and tell them we love them on a daily basis, it becomes a part of who they are.

And when we teach them that we tell them we love them because God told Jesus the same thing, then they also learn to follow God’s example.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson