April 13

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness….’” —GENESIS 1:26

Many people resign themselves to a low quality experience of God because they have never sought to find out what God actually wants to do in their lives. Consequently, they do not expect very much to happen. When we expect little more than the forgiveness of sins in the past and prospect of heaven in the future, it is not surprising that the Christian life seems flat and dry.

God’s purpose for humanity has not changed. His reasons for creating humankind in the beginning remain His reasons for perpetuating humankind in the present. The first declared words by God about man are: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” This simple-sounding statement constitutes the ultimate role of man from which he derives his dignity, his significance and his right to be alive. The image of God in which we were created is, of course, not a physical one, but a moral one. 

Before knowing the actual content of Christian experience, it is essential to consider its purpose. Our understanding of why a person should become a Christian will have a great bearing on our ability to appreciate and enjoy the means to fulfilling the Christian life. Man’s character, behaviour patterns and ambitions were designed to be a portrayal of what God is like. That is the character of God in all its beauty, kindness and compassion were intended to be visible in the lives and conduct of those created in His image. But God did not create us to function and fulfill our role in independence from Him. He created us to be inhabited by Him, so that the very presence and life of God Himself would be our enabling to live the Christian life. 

In Ephesians 4:18, Paul diagnoses the present condition of men and describes them as being “darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God.” Earlier, he had written to those who were now Christians and says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live” (Ephesians 2:1-2). Although physically alive, he speaks of them as having been “dead”, for it is spiritual life, which is nothing less than the indwelling life of God that equips us to fulfill the purpose for which He created us… to be a revelation of Him.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for the immense gift and privilege of being indwelt by your Spirit. Help me day by day to become more of a revelation of You. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: In what areas of my life do I need to pray for a deeper work of God in enabling me to express more of His likeness?