Jul 19 2008
Created to Become Like Christ
by Rick Warren
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. . . . We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:29 (MSG)
*** *** *** ***
From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. God announced this intention at creation: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness’” (Genesis 1:26 NCV).
In all of creation, only human beings are made in God’s image. This is a great privilege and it gives us dignity. We don’t know all this phrase covers, but we do know some of the aspects it includes: like God, we are spiritual beings – our spirits are immortal and will outlast our earthly bodies; we are intellectual – we can think, reason, and solve problems; we are relational – we can give and receive real love; and we have a moral consciousness – we can discern right from wrong, which makes us accountable to God.
But the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that we have lost.
What does the full “image and likeness” of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! The Bible says Jesus is “the exact likeness of God,” “the visible image of the invisible God,” and “the exact representation of his being” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT; Colossians 1:15 NLT; Hebrews 1:3 NIV).
People often use the phrase “like father, like son” to refer to family resemblance. When people see my likeness in my kids, it pleases me. God wants his children to bear his image and likeness, too. The Bible says, “You were . . . created to be like God, truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 GWT).
THE BEAUTY OF CREATION
( cf: Psalm 19:1, Dt.10: 14 – 15)
“We are God’s work of art created in Christ Jesus” ~ (Ephesians 2:10)
“For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders” ~ Psalm 139:13-14.
We thank you Heavenly Father and we bless thy name
For the wonders of the works of thy mighty hand:
For the valleys and the plains of floral bounty,
For the majestic beauty of the hills and mountains
That echo and mirror Zion thy dwelling place…
We thank you for the sunshine sweetening our ev’ry sinew
For the beauty of the sunset and sunrise as eternity rolls,
We thank you for the honeybees and their labours sweet
Who like them, the Josephs of the animal Kingdom?
We thank you for the moonlight and the myriad stars
To alleviate darkness as an emblem of thy eternal light
That light that knows neither day nor night,
For the songbirds that greet the dawn to give
The universe a wakeup call and a ditty in thy praise
We thank you for the myriad beauties galore
That our human limitations can hardly fathom.
But none of all this beauty in one or in total
Could scarce compare with the beauty of mankind
The doyen of creation made in thy likeness.
Lord, deign not sin destroy that wondrous beauty
Whence the beauty of the godhead so disfigured
As imprint of the holy face on the shawl of Veronica
Benjamin Takavarasha