I just received an email from a friend with a picture of his newborn grandson, the most beautiful thing ever born, according to him. I have a feeling that is how God thinks of his newborns too! And because God is perfect, He wants His ‘sons’ (generically speaking) to bear His image! (Gen 1:26). Adam was made to look like God in personality, intellect, emotions, and will. And thereafter, to reproduce this divine image in his progeny. Unfortunately after Adam sinned, he lost God’s likeness, and reproduced a broken image.
But God’s plan was not to be thwarted—through His only begotten Son Jesus, God carried out His plan of having ‘sons’ made after His image. “For whom God foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Ro. 8:29).
Perhaps you think it is impossible that you, with all you flaws, can be changed into His likeness. Have hope. A new identity is your birthright (John 1:12; 2 Cor. 5:17), setting in motion a process whereby you increasingly assume the image of Jesus as you exchange your old self-image for the new self (Eph. 4:23-24). But God’s image does not begin by DOing but by SEEing.
Ray Stedman explains: We think that we have to change the way we act in order to be different; God says ‘no,’ I have made you different, and when you believe it [see it] you will automatically change the way you act. It is a new self-image that delivers us.
God thinks you are beautiful. He has put His own nature inside you so that you will bear His image. Why not begin today to SEE yourself as God does. What do you have to lose? (just your old self-image.)
Greg,
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that a somewhat effective strategy of the enemy of our soul is to entice us to enter his House of Mirrors. Once there we find that what we see is a bunch of warped shapes and reflections. They are very convincing because we can identify just enough of what we see as ourselves in the mix. We then find it easy to draw conclusions about ourselves that are not true.
James 1:25 speaks of our "looking into the perfect law of liberty." I believe by doing so we can correct what we see when we look at our reflection--the Image and Likeness of God's Dear Son!
One other thing: when you hold one mirror at a 180 degrees from another mirror it will look like the image that it reflects goes on forever in both directions. If WE are that image that the mirrors reflect it gives us an illustration of God's intention for His work in us to continue...Selah.
Stan