Have you ever heard those words, as I did from my father when I was a teenager?
At that time, I promised myself that I would not become like my dad. Yet, I still remember the day my wife sat me down and told me that I was just like my dad.
That was a hard blow for me, and it took a while to realize she was right. But I didn’t understand how it happened. I really thought I was different, in that I wasn’t living or acting in the same manner that he did, or so I thought. So what went wrong? Was it something as simple as “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?” Or, was it something more? Was I predestined to be like him without hope of change?
John 1:12, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (ESV)
Romans 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (ESV)
The answer is, when I became a Christian, I received the right to become like my new Father. Praise the Lord!