The Image
Have you checked the mirror this morning?
I ask you this not to have you look over your shoulder or remember the guy that was following too closely behind you in traffic this morning. No, as you prepared for the day this morning and looked in the mirror, you probably looked closely at your own face. Take a moment and remember through your mind’s eye: what face held your gaze as you looked in the mirror?
Now, before you are overly critical (or overly admiring) about the face you remember, read this:
Whoa!
As if that was not enough, there is a second, axiomatic truth that comes alongside the first: each person you interact with every day also bears His image. There is no exception - every person, no matter how good or bad, tall or short, large or small, young or old, kind or mean, male or female - no matter the heritage, ethnicity, texture of hair, or existence of hair. God created each of us in His image!
Wait! There is so much more!
Then we have to look further and recognize that God has strong opinions regarding our treatment of His image whether physically (do not murder - Genesis 9:6) or even as we speak (do not curse - James 3:9).
This image of God found in you and those around you goes far deeper than skin, diving into who we are - our strength, our love, our anger, and our beauty. All these attributes and more reflect the image of God.
I ask you this not to have you look over your shoulder or remember the guy that was following too closely behind you in traffic this morning. No, as you prepared for the day this morning and looked in the mirror, you probably looked closely at your own face. Take a moment and remember through your mind’s eye: what face held your gaze as you looked in the mirror?
Now, before you are overly critical (or overly admiring) about the face you remember, read this:
So God created man in His own image,You may want to sit down as you read this next, often overlooked, incredible truth:
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
You bear the image of Almighty God.Have you pondered that lately? Last weekend, I had the opportunity to consider this anew: each of us bear the image of the Almighty God, creator of the universe - the One who loved enough to die for us so that we would have eternal life with Him.
Whoa!
As if that was not enough, there is a second, axiomatic truth that comes alongside the first: each person you interact with every day also bears His image. There is no exception - every person, no matter how good or bad, tall or short, large or small, young or old, kind or mean, male or female - no matter the heritage, ethnicity, texture of hair, or existence of hair. God created each of us in His image!
Wait! There is so much more!
Then we have to look further and recognize that God has strong opinions regarding our treatment of His image whether physically (do not murder - Genesis 9:6) or even as we speak (do not curse - James 3:9).
This image of God found in you and those around you goes far deeper than skin, diving into who we are - our strength, our love, our anger, and our beauty. All these attributes and more reflect the image of God.
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