Courtney Gilmore When children are young, they imitate their parents. They want to dress like you, talk like you, and do everything you do. We have a picture of my little brother with his hands behind his back, just like our dad, walking directly behind him. Both of them are looking at the ground. He was literally walking exactly like his dad.
God gave us parents to love and guide, protect and provide. If the father is doing what he’s supposed to, it is wise for his children to continue walking in his footsteps all of their lives.
When we accept the sacrifice of God’s Son on our behalf, He becomes our Heavenly Father and we become His children.
As many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13
So, if God is our Heavenly Father, we should walk in His footsteps, imitating him as a small child. As we learn and grow, we should look more and more like our Father every day. We want to make Him proud by living up to our family name. If we call ourselves Christians, which means Christ-follower, then we must live up to that name by following Him.
Be imitators of God, as dear children.
Ephesians 5:1
A Warning for God’s Children
Just before Moses died, God gave him a song to teach the Israelites. He knew they would not live up to their name, and the song testified to that. It was meant to be a warning to them and it should be to us as well. Before Moses recited the song to them he told them to listen up because he was about to tell them who their God was.
So the song begins by describing the character of God. He is the steady, unchanging, strong rock. He’s the foundation upon which their nation would be built. God is perfect, just, faithful, and flawless. Everything He does is right. He was their father, yet they weren’t acting like His children. They didn’t have any of His characteristics. Something has gone wrong. There was a defect in their character. They’ve gotten off the path and perverted all His good qualities. They were acting like foolish children, going against everything they had been taught.
The way they were acting didn’t make any sense considering who their Father was, and it wasn’t going to work out well for them if they didn’t quickly remember who they belonged to. If they couldn’t remember, then they needed to ask their parents and their elders, because it was God who had given them everything. Was this really how they were going to repay their Father?
Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your Father who created you, who made you and established you?
Deuteronomy 32:6
Protector
Then the song proceeds to poetically describe how God has been their protector, caregiver, and provider. He surrounded them like the iris surrounds the pupil, protecting their vision. They have been right there in the center, protected on every side by their Lord. He hasn’t allowed anything harmful to reach them all these years.
We are important to our Father and He protects us.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 125:1-2
Teacher and Caregiver
Then, just like a chick learning to fly, God has hovered around His children, teaching and guiding them, catching them when they fall.
When we’re born again of the Spirit, we are baby Christians. We must learn and practice His ways. It’ll take time and we’ll constantly fall into old habits. But our loving Father is there to catch us and bring us back to safety. Then He gently nudges us out to try again. The more we practice, the less we will fall. He is patient and kind, guiding us on our way.
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2:2-3
Provider
Lastly, the song describes how it was God who provided for them and not the gods of other nations. He had brought them to a place with good soil, that in turn produced good food for them. Even in the rocky land, the Lord gave them olive trees for oil and He brought bees to build hives in the cleft of the rocky cliffs. How wonderful is that?! Even the rocks produced sweet treats for them. He also gave them cheese, milk, meat, bread, and wine, which are not foods that are found in desolate lands.
The Lord had blessed them in everyway, yet like a spoiled child they turned away. They didn’t recognize the blessings they had with their Father, and they turned to another. Sarcastically God called them Jeshurun, which means the upright ones. This both reminded them of who they were supposed to be and revealed how far they had strayed from His expectations.
They looked nothing like their Father. He was The Upright One and they had drifted away. They had not been mindful of who their Father was or what He had taught them. They were not the people He had raised them up to be. If they were wise, they would humble themselves and get back to their roots.
When Moses finished the song, he stressed how important it was that they remember it and teach it to their children. These were words to live by.
Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life. By this word, you shall live long in the land.
Deuteronomy 32:46-47
Remember Whose Child You Are
This song is a warning to us, too. We have to be purposeful or we will drift away. Easy times and happy circumstances can sometimes leave us acting complacent and spoiled. So, when you catch yourself not acting like God’s child, do exactly what the song says. Remind yourself of who He is. Remember what Your Father taught you. Stay in close contact with Him. Talk to the Lord and listen when He talks to you. Immerse yourself in His Word as if it is your very life. The Bible is not just another book to be put up on a shelf. These are not empty words. So, we should treat them as if they are precious.
It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4
Then, surround yourself with other believers. Make friends with others who understand your circumstances. Be open and let them know your weaknesses and temptations. Then, if you are close enough to them, they will notice if you begin to drift away and they can remind you whose child you are. Because they are His child too, they can tell you of His goodness and His love. Then you will remember why He deserves your faithfulness and you will start living up to your name.
Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
Read the lesson that goes along with this episode “Align Yourself With God”
All Podcasts
