Reflections

 This morning I woke up thinking about sonship. I’ve been going through the book of Hebrews for my morning devotional, and since I’m in the twelfth chapter, it was only fitting, I guess. There is no denying that sonship comes with some exceptional privileges. I’m sure you know what they are because they’re endlessly highlighted by preachers the world over. What many fail to discuss, however, is that sonship also comes with certain responsibilities.

Boo! You’re wrong! All bennies, no accountability is what we want! All privilege, no responsibility! That’s legalism, man! You’re oppressing the sons of God by saying God has a standard.

What a son does reflects on his father. No matter how you separate the two intellectually, in practical terms, when a son does something honorable, it reflects well on his dad. When he’s a crack addict, that seduces his dead brother’s widow, not so much.

A son will also be associated with his father, his exploits or lack thereof, a direct reflection of everything that brought him to that point, including his upbringing, his father’s influence, his father’s example, his father’s mentorship, his father’s direction, and even his father’s failures.

A noble son brings glory to his father’s name. An unprincipled son brings shame.

Anyone who’s met my father before they met me always remarks on how I look so much like my dad. Even my other brothers who aren’t such carbon copies of him either have his voice, his eyes, his mannerisms, or some characteristic that makes them undeniably his sons.

I didn’t try really hard to look like my dad, and I didn’t practice his mannerisms in the mirror. As I grew, I began to resemble him due to his DNA flowing through my veins. As I began to resemble him and people recognized the family name, I also became cognizant of the fact that whatever I did in my day-to-day life reflected on him.

It would reflect on him if I were to show kindness, gentleness, wisdom, or honesty. It likewise reflected on him if I showed imprudence, impudence, foolhardiness, selfishness, or indifference.

It was not enough for me to resemble my father physically; I had to live in such a way that my action, choices, and decisions brought honor to his name rather than shame. Had I chosen to pursue a life that was not virtuous and honorable, having his name and features would only accentuate my failures and how short I’d fallen of the example he set. There’s a reason Peter says that it is better for those who, having escaped the pollutions of the world, entangle themselves anew and are overcome to have never known the way of righteousness.

It’s not just that one individual that’s affected anymore; it’s everyone that knew that they called themselves a son or daughter of the Most High God. With all the requisite caveats, such as men shouldn’t idolize men in the first place, it shakes the resolve of many in their orbit whenever a big name falls. Some even question their own ability to finish the race since they look at the individual and erroneously conclude that they were stronger in the Lord because they had a bigger church or a larger ministry.

There’s a difference between looking and acting like your father. Being principled and noble of character like your father, wise and faithful like your father, making the right choices, and navigating every situation with purposeful wisdom, are all much harder than having a particular pigment.

Those are the things we must actively be cognizant of, the things we must strive to get right, and the reason we need the active presence of God in our lives, and not just a passive participant who offers no input and is impassive whether you strive for righteousness, or do pirouettes on the edge of the abyss.

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who is called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

It’s up to you to gird up the loins of your mind. It’s up to you to be sober. It’s up to you to choose obedience. It’s up to you to deny yourself and pick up your cross, striving for holiness in all your conduct. Your participation is required. It is mandatory, in fact.

If more people who claimed that God is their father acted like it, perhaps today’s church would look a lot different than it currently does. Perhaps if we acknowledged not just the goodness but also the severity of God, we would walk circumspectly, redeeming the time. Wouldn’t that be something?

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.