10/26/3021
We say that our lives are dedicated to God, and that we follow Jesus Christ, but what do others see when they look at us, and witness what we are doing in our lives? Are we the reflection of the world around us, or of Jesus Christ, and God Himself?
“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”
Proverbs 27:19 ESV
When people look at someone’s children they immediately see the resemblance they have to their parents. We say that a little girl has her mother’s eyes, or a that a boy has his father’s mouth, but as they grow older we look deeper than the skin, and their physical features to see if they have the same personalities, behaviors, and faith. These human features of the inner self can be good or bad just as a parent can be, but if we choose God to be our Father, and Jesus Christ to be our brother, then we will reflect them, and their goodness.
“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 100:5 ESV
At the moment of creation man was created in the image of God, and we know this to be so through scripture, but is that how we characterize ourselves now? Are we always loving and good, and does our life reflect the image of God when we look into the water?
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””
Genesis 1:26 ESV
Well, something happened in the Garden of Eden during the fall of man, and we became disfigured, we had a veil drawn over us, and from that moment on we took on the image of our earthly fathers, but all was not lost because God had a plan for us, a plan that would redeem us, and restore us. That plan was to transform us through His Son Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;”
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 ESV
In this way we are being made to reflect the image of the Lord once more. Day by day we are meant to mature in our faith, and our faces to resemble our Father’s all the more perfectly, but is this our desire, and are we opening ourselves up to the transformative power of Jesus? As he removes the veil from us are we emanating the glory of God as we should?
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
Jesus reflects our Father perfectly, and He tells us as much. He is our redeemer, and it is His desire that we reflect God just as He does. The question becomes this… are we resolved to allow this to occur in us? Are we ready to pick up the cross of Jesus, and follow Him, and be transformed? Are we satisfied with reflecting the world around us, or is our greatest desire to reclaim the image of God? Listen to what Jesus said about His image…
“And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.”
John 12:45 ESV
When I used to hunt with my earthly father we would often go to different areas of the forest, and agree on a time when we would meet each other at a rendezvous point. When that time came I would begin walking toward our meeting place. Off in the distance I would see someone coming, and before I could make out the features of their face, or hear their voice, I knew it was my father. I knew this by the way he walked, and his mannerisms. I could see the smoke from his pipe swirling above his head, and recognize the familiar swing of his arm. This is how others come to know us as Christians; it is more than hearing what we profess, it is the way we walk through our lives. It is the Spirit as it swirls above our heads, the swing of our arm as we greet them, and the very glow of our faces in the distance. Haven’t we all seen someone in a room full of people and known immediately that they were a person of faith? What was it that we saw in them? Was it the reflection of God that we know so well? Was it the Spirit that we share which greeted us?
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”
1 John 4:12-13 ESV
So today let’s pay close attention to our mannerisms, and see if we not only say that we are Christian, but recognize Jesus in our everyday behavior. Is our reflection in the living water we were immersed in looking more and more like image of God?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for creating us in your image, and allowing us to be like you in every way. Thank you for your Son Jesus who has lifted the veil of sin from our faces, and teaches us to be more like you as we mature in our faith. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God, Abba, and Father, who we long to resemble perfectly. Praised be your name for every occasion when we are recognized as being your child. You are loving and good Lord, and we seek to be like you in these traits. We open our hearts to you, and ask that you pour your gifts of the Spirit into us. Help us as we follow Jesus, and are guided by your Spirit. Let no temptation be too great, and guard us from evil as we seek out our salvation in fear and trembling. Satan would have us reflect him, but strengthen us against him and the world over which he rules. Let your grace cover us, and your mercy provide us an escape from our sinful desires. Wash us in the blood of Christ, and let our bodies remain pure in Him as we reflect you, and long to hear you say that you are pleased with us. Help us to be called worthy in every way… we in you, and you in us forevermore.
Rich Forbes