Thursday, January 21, 2016

Restoring the distorted image of the Father

“The purpose of revelation is restoration, the renewal in us of that likeness to God which man lost by sin.”
Stephen Neill

'The creation of man and woman was the part of God’s creative process which reached its pinnacle when God formed two perfect beings that were in His image. Adam and Eve were created to resemble their Creator.

In nature, form and appearance Adam and Eve reflected their Father’s purity, goodness and holiness. But when sin entered this perfect world, God’s perfect image was not reflected in this world of sin, in fact it became distorted. Try as God might to show His earthly children what His heavenly image was like, we find that all through the Old Testament, as we have studied the lives of some of the best people in the Bible as well as the worst, too often God’s children got the picture of God wrong in their minds. They didn’t get the clear and correct picture of what their Father was really like. In fact, much too often, they followed the lead of surrounding nations who made up gods to their own liking, that fit their way of life, and it was these false gods that our heavenly Father’s children chased after, even wished for.

As time went by, there was such a false view of God by nearly everyone, that many of God’s children no longer reflected their Father. They were more like the rusted out car in the barn. And when people saw the piece of dilapidated metal, they thought it was worthless --- and what’s so tragic – is that when these people who were rust-buckets said, “But I’m God’s child,” the “heathen” laughed their heads off and said, “You are telling me your God looks like you. Forget it. We can do better than you with our shiny, golden idols. We like the looks of our gods better than the God you reflect.” Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like the confusing message, some people, who call themselves followers of Jesus, give off today?

With this terribly distorted picture of God being the only message the world had, God sent the most precious gift heaven could bestow – He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. And it was Jesus, God’s Son who in His own words told His followers, “If ye have known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him” (John 14: 7, K.J.V.). Through this gift of God’s Son, our gracious Father began the restorative process that once seemed impossible. When the Son came, He brought the vision of His Father, for He saw us as we could be, not as we were. When our Father looks at us, the eyes of our Creator see us as the perfect image created in His likeness, not the old beater, left by the side of the road like a piece of rubbish or left to rust in a barn.'

As we walk with Him and become more like him, the distorted image of the Father we have been presenting will be replaced by His real image and likeness. To a lost and dying world, we will become the lights and salt we were meant to be if we will be restored into His image and His Likeness.

Quoted text From Dorothy Valcarcel, http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/transformgarden/

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