Sunday, October 30, 2016

The Mirror Image

UV 2108/10000 The Mirror Image
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1 v 27

Man was not just one among the many creatures of God. He is set apart. He is the only one made with resemblance to the Creator. Since the Creator is not a physical but a spiritual entity, we are created to resemble Him in our be-state or our heart condition, our do-state or what we do, the relate-state in how we relate to others, the think-state of the thoughts we think, the speak-state or how we express ourselves, the feel state or how we feel, the behave-state or how we behave, the have-state or how we regard our possessions. These states together constitute the image of God or the reflection of God in us. We are created to be a shadow of God. A shadow follows the principal object that casts the shadow and never departs from it. It has no existence apart from that object. So also we have no existence apart from the Creator.

Even for our physical appearance, the Lord God had a model in mind when He moulded us out of clay. That model is His Son Jesus. Jesus is not made in the image of man but we are made in the image of Jesus- the perfect man-God. We will do well in the eyes of the Father if we diligently study the be-state or the heart state of Jesus towards the Father and towards all beings and emulate or reflect Jesus. If we diligently study the think-state, the feel-state, the do-state, the relate-state, the speak-state, the behave-state and have-state of Jesus and make our corresponding states or conditions to as closely resemble that of Jesus, we would be a faithful reflection of Jesus, a shadow of God, a mirror image of the Lord.

Our purpose in life is not to be God but to be a likeness of Him and His Son Jesus, the visible image of the invisible God. We are to make manifest in our lives the love of Jesus, the wisdom of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the humility of Jesus, the grace, mercy and peace of Jesus. Jesus submitted willingly to the most minor of the laws of God and of man. We are to imitate His submission, His obedience, His endurance, His patience.

Prateep V Philip

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