He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit. 1 Kings 15:26

Everyone learns from someone. What they learn is determined by who they learn it from. Usually, one of the greatest influences on a person’s life is the father. Unless an outside influence affects them, sons will very often grow up with a lot of the same characteristics of their father, whether good or bad, right or wrong and whether they really want it or not.

When Jeroboam died, his son, Nadab, became king of Judah. He did the same evil in the eyes of the Lord as Jeroboam had done and caused Israel to commit sin.

As the physical father and other people can have a great influence in the life of person, it does not need to be this way. The world will only follow what it can see and understand, often this leads into sin and greater sin. The earthly fathers are sinners and may not be following God with all of their heart or none of their heart at all.

Once a person becomes a believer and a follower of Jesus, he must focus on following God with all of his heart, mind, soul and strength. God should be the greatest influence in one’s life that rises above everyone and everything else in this fallen world. The earthly father may have some good characteristics but may still lead down the wrong pathway.

God the ultimate best Father will lead in a way that leads to life, eternal life. There will never be a leading into sin and death. Believers must follow God’s ways above any other person’s ways, even the physical father, to be kept from living in sinful ways.

Your physical father may have had a great influence on you or may not have, just as someone else may have had influence upon you. Do not allow those influences to pull you away from God and His ways of living.

Put all of your focus and trust in God, not in the things, people and ways of this world. Learn His ways of living, because they are perfect and will lead to eternal life, not death.

Without God’s Spirit leading you, you will turn to sin and evil, bringing about death.

Whose ways are you following?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will follow the ways of God with all of your life; that you will know how God wants you to live your life; that you will allow God’s Spirit to guide you in life; and that you will live a holy and righteous life before God and man.