One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there’s always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works. (Joni Eareckson Tada)
Then God said, “Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)
Yes, I’m sure you have heard this verse before and many times at that. But maybe it’s time to go back to the beginning. The place where there was no sin. A place where only God and man existed. A place where man was able to enjoy sweet fellowship with God and not have any interruptions. A place where there were no excuses, no cell phones, no business meetings, no traffic, no illness, no financial strain, no loss of jobs, no house payment due, no one to distract you from simply remembering that the Creator made you in His image.
WOW! That very thought amazes me! God did not have to make us in His image. His image is so beautiful and so indescribable. Why would He create me to mirror His image? There is only one answer to that. He created me to glorify Him. Everything He did, He did well!
Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14, AMP)
Another year is coming to a close. I can hardly believe it. Every year I think I will accomplish a little bit more than I actually do. The enemy is good like that. He tries to make you think of everything you didn’t do. He get’s you stuck in yesterday so that you don’t enjoy today and don’t fully live out tomorrow. He’s smart. He knows if he gets us spinning our wheels thinking about the woulda, coulda, and shoulda that our effectiveness for Christ will be lost. The end of the year marks a time of celebration, not a time of condemnation.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)
…I have learned the SECRET of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12)
Most Christians can quote Philippians 4:13 with no problem, but few can quote what comes before it. In fact, I bet few know the circumstances in which Paul wrote it. Yes, Paul wrote the words… “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).” But what does everything include?
Many times we go around saying this verse on a whim without truly appreciating all that it means. Even non-christians say it. They too want to believe there is strength in something greater than themselves. They’ve heard us use it, so now they use it too. That’s how popular this verse has become. But there is no power in words or in how many times you say them. The power comes in the Truth behind the words. The power comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.