25 May 2009

This was inspired by yesterday’s sermon, which was preached by Pastor Bruce R.

When you look into a mirror, is that you in the mirror? There’s only one of you, and that one of you is standing in front of the mirror. What you see in the mirror is a reflection of  yourself, an image.

There are differences between you and that image. For example, when you raise your right hand, it raises it’s left. Though you and the image have similarities, there are differences, too.

Genesis 1:26-27 says,

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.”

Just as the image in the mirror reflects our being, we reflect God. We were created in His image, in His likeness. We are made particularly to catch and reflect God’s glory. Sadly, a hammer was taken to that mirror when sin entered the world. The reflection is still there, but the image has been distorted by sin.

Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.“

The world strives to squeeze you into it’s mold, to convince you that you are defined by the shape of your body, your face, or your hair. You are not defined by these things, you are defined by God, your Creator — it is He that gives you your self image.

We would like to think that the world revolves around us, it’s all about us. We’re born that way (just watch a baby, it clearly shines through — they want what they want when they want it).

We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23), and must be taught to love, to share, and to serve (as well as many other things taught in Scripture!). We must not think too highly of ourselves, lest we fall into pride. We are also not to think too lowly of ourselves to avoid discrediting the grace of God.

Romans 12:3 – “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think  more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.“

We must look at ourselves from an accurate biblical perspective, not from a secular worldview.

We are created. We are creatures. We are creatures made in our Creator’s image. We are not the Creator. We live to serve and glorify God, not the other way around. We are made by God for a purpose, and it is He that defines that purpose.

It is an unspeakable priviliage that we are made in the image of God! Praise the Lord!

Categories: Encouragement, God's Creation