Genesis 1
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God has given the whole earth into man’s care. He commanded us to fill the earth and subdue it. We are accountable to Him for how we live and conduct ourselves. We are also accountable to our fellowman to be an example in showing forth God’s image, for God created man in His image to show forth His glory. In Rom 8:29 we read “He also predestined (us) to be conformed to the image of His Son”. He predestined and willed that not one person be lost, but that all might be saved. He did it, so that His purpose, right at creation, might be fulfilled – we being moulded into His image and reflecting His image.
The devil came to mar this and tempted man to sin against his creator. Till today, he sows friction in a family, between husband and wife and between parents and their children. Man became depraved and his heart desperately wicked. He did not reflect his creator’s image anymore.
However, God reached down to man to restore His image in man. He sent forth His Son, Jesus, to become the ultimate, supreme sacrifice for sin, that we might be conformed to His image. The blood of beasts and goats could not save man. The story is told of the little boy that donated his blood to save his little sister’s life. Now Jesus actually died and shed His precious blood to wash away our sins.
What are you doing with the blood of Jesus?
Have you ever seen your sin, what a dirty person you are, and that you deserve nothing else but hell? Have you ever seen yourself as a hopeless, wretched person? Have you ever come to Him and told Him what you are, how evil you are, or are you still justifying yourself? Are you still like Eve, who took of the forbidden fruit, and when God confronted her, and asked her if she ate of the fruit, she excused herself. Likewise when God asked Adam if he ate of the forbidden fruit, he too excused himself and accused his wife. So are we, pointing to the next person to excuse our sins. Admit and confess your sins as they are, and you will obtain mercy. Christ will then wash away your sins, and create something new of you, that you might reflect His image. In James 5:16 we read, “Confess your sins one to another and pray one for the other, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” Have you done this? Allow God to deal with the things in your life that are displeasing to Him. Come to the cross and confess your sins that He shows to you.
A certain sculptor had a beautiful house, but a big boulder in the middle of his garden spoiled everything. One day he had had enough of this boulder, and decided to make something out of it. So he took a hammer and chisel, and continued at it for years. Sometimes he’ll use a big hammer and a big chisel and take off big pieces, but at other times, he would use a small hammer and chisel and carefully chip away small pieces. Slowly but surely an elephant began to take form. Still he continued, and after still a long time, he was finished and the most perfect elephant was revealed, so real that one had to look twice to make sure it’s not alive. Someone asked him how he managed to perfect the elephant so well. He said, “that was simple, I simply chipped away that which was not part of the elephant”. So too Christ work on our lives and keeps on chipping away everything that is not Christ-like.
Will you allow Him? It costs something. You cannot resist or fight. Don’t blame the next person, but blame yourself. God is busy making you into His image. It could be hurtful at times, but if we allow Him, His image will be formed in our lives. The Lord’s Spirit is at work within you, that you become more and more like Jesus. Allow God to attain His purpose. And when God, through His Spirit points at something which is not right, then come to the cross, confess your sin – your, evil eye, lusts of the flesh, anger, jealousy, gossip – and ask God to wash you and cleanse you. Cry to God to chip away everything which isn’t Christ-like in your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to point His finger at things which mar Christ’s image in your life. May He bring Christ to perfection in your and my life. Christ came to save to the uttermost – so that I might live a life going from victory to victory – that there might be nothing in my life that mar Christ’s image, and that my life might show forth the glory of heaven – filled with His joy, peace, love, longsuffering, patience, and understanding.