04/26/2026
When you look at who we are in a mirror we probably see a family resemblance that confirms us to be a member of our earthly family, but when we look at the reflection of ourselves that is being returned to us through the eyes of God, or those of the lost souls around us, who do they recognize us to be? Do they see the image of Jesus Christ or are we just another lost and helpless creature?
“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." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:26-27 ESV
There is more to this passage of scripture regarding our creation than we understand when we read it for the first time. Being new to the faith we tend to see ourselves physically as earthly beings, but as we grow spiritually something amazing happens; we begin to take on the character and mannerisms of our “Father which art in heaven.” What a gift this is, and what an incredible family we have become a member of.
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Galatians 4:6-7 ESV
As Christians we are “heirs through God” and our family line doesn’t start with Jesus... it start with God, just like the begotten Christ’s does. Have you ever wondered about the scriptures that traced the Lineage of Jesus? Our spiritual lineage is important, just as it was with Jesus Himself. These scriptures are not just telling us the biological lineage of Christ, they are telling us about our own spiritual lineage... they are educating us in who we are as sons and daughters of God. They are revealing our roots to us. Then, once we know our family, God begins the process of molding us to be like Himself in character and mannerisms. What an incredible gift this is. God places His own Spirit into us...
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"”
Luke 11:13 ESV
I look like my two brothers, and when we are together it is clear that we are related, but when you take a picture of our father and hold it up you suddenly realize who we really look like, who all three of us are related to. The eyes, the mouth, the cheek bones, and the resemblance goes even deeper than that... if you were to call us on the phone you would have trouble telling who you were speaking with; is it Rich, Chuck, David, or perhaps you are speaking with our father? Our voices sound the same. Now let’s go even deeper; if you called and didn’t know who you were speaking to, then you would listen for a clue that would allow you to tell which of us had answered your call. You would listen to the way we pronounced our words, or what expressions we used, but interestingly enough... it would still be difficult. As sons we don’t speak like each other... we speak like our father. I moved away from my family many years ago, fifty years ago to be exact, and although my accent has changed from a strong Virginia accent to one that identifies me as a Tennessean, the family characteristics of my mother and father still remain.
This brings me to a couple of points about our faith. The first is that God does more than sign a document that adopts us... He takes us into His family and raises us as His own children. He instills in us His Spirit... who He is, and what He values. Whether our earthly family is wonderful like mine or horrible like so many others we are transformed. We cease being the children of a good, broken, abandoned, abusive, or nonexistent home, and become His to raise. He teaches us to resemble Him in every way, and the longer we are with Him, the more we are like him. He gives us a Brother in Jesus Christ, and then imparts to us His own Holy Spirit. These are gifts for the imperfect or broken people we were when He found us... they are gifts of love.
“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."”
Acts 1:4-5 ESV
The second point I would like to make relates to my moving away from Virginia to a new home in Tennessee. While I was in Virginia, and in my father’s house, I grew to behave more and more like my father, but once I moved away I began to change. This is true of us spiritually as well. While living in our Heavenly Father’s house He would mold me, and his other children, but when we separated ourselves from Him for even a short period of time, we would begin to succumb to the influences of our surroundings... our accents would change, and we would begin to speak and act differently.
The wonderful thing about our Heavenly Father is that we can physically move anywhere in the world and God our Father will be there, but there is a greater spiritual distancing that can take place too. If we allow ourselves to move away from Him spiritually then this becomes the equivalent to my having moved from Virginia to Tennessee. When we separate ourselves from Him we begin to change, oh sure, there are some traits that we hold tight to, but the change begins subtly until one day something like this happens...
I had lived in Tennessee for many years now and during those years Ann and I occasionally travelled back to Virginia to spend time with my family. On one such visit an old childhood friend came over to see me, and within seconds of our beginning to talk, he looked at me and in astonishment (and admonishment) said “What in the world has happened to your accent!?” I hadn’t realized the slow but steady change in the manner I spoke, and the words I used... simple expressions like using “hose pipe” in the place of “garden hose”, or using an “oww” sound when saying house instead of the Virginia “ouu” sound. This happens to us spiritually as well... when we separate ourselves from our Father then ever so slowly we begin to take on the character and mannerisms of the world around us. This change isn’t as relatively harmless as changing a Virginia accent for one of a Tennessean. No, It is much more damaging than that, but it happens very similarly, and often we don’t realize it is occurring until we go home, and find that we are not the same.
So, when we are adopted by our Father, Abba, we change and become more and more like Him, and we begin to act, look, and speak as Jesus and our new family does. But as we move in and out of the world around us we must be careful not to let it rub off on us. We need to constantly be looking at ourselves using heavenly mirrors, and asking... “who do I see” when we look through the eyes of those around us? Do we see the reflection of Jesus, and God our Father? When we hear ourselves speaking is it the same accent and dialect we used in our Father’s home? When we look back on our days were our actions those of a saint, or those of the person who once lived the broken life before God found and adopted us?
Who would we see? Who “Do!” we see?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for adopting me into your Holy Family, and recreating me in your image. I thank you for my brother Jesus Christ, and for your Holy Spirit which abides in me. Lord, teach me well, and let me speak with the accent of a heavenly citizen, and reflect your perfect character. I want to walk like you Father, hold my hands before me in prayer, and drink the same wine as Jesus... let my taste be as His, and my joy shine forth as His does. Never let me be far from you Merciful Father, and don’t allow the world around me to influence who I am. I want to hear you reflected in my voice, and see your goodness in my actions. I want to feel the love that Jesus feels, and obey you as He does. Increase my faith I pray, and make me cognizant of your will for me always. Give me your strength when temptation comes to woo me, so that I can resist it without fail. Holy Father you are my God, and I desire to be more like you with each passing day, hour, minute, and breath. Keep your hand upon me, and teach me your ways. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my Father. Great is your house, and great are you, and righteous is my heavenly lineage forever. As I bask in your glory, hear me, your child, as I call out…
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And…
AMEN!
Rich Forbes