Parents want their children and grandchildren to have the best of everything, or at least to have it better than they did. Longer lives with better health. Satisfying marriages and friendships. Better jobs with more opportunities for success.

But what does the ultimate parent – our heavenly Father – want for His children? He wants us to become more like Him. When we describe God, His characteristics can be divided into two groups: communicable attributes and incommunicable attributes.

Incommunicable attributes are those that do not apply to us. For example, God is infinite and eternal, with no beginning and no end. You and I are finite. God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time). Our power, knowledge, and existence are limited.

However, God’s communicable attributes are those characteristics that He wants us to develop. For example, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Other examples of characteristics God wants us to develop include:

Humility – “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2 ESV).

Forgiveness – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 ESV).

Holiness – “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7 ESV).

Wisdom – “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold” (Proverbs 3:13-14 ESV).

These are characteristics God wants for us because He wants the best for His children. And that best is for us to become more and more like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). If we will instill these characteristics in ourselves and in our children, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will indeed be giving them the best of everything.