Reflecting God

“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT).

The god of this world is constantly blinding the minds of unbeliever, so that they can’t turn to Christ. Naturally, when an unbeliever hears the truth, they are hardened towards it. It just doesn’t make sense to them. The gospel is simple: Believe and be forever changed. The above verses speak of this change. When you turned to the Lord Jesus, your ability to think truthfully was imparted. You were given the mind of Christ, which means that you can think about each aspect of life from His perspective.

Thinking truthfully is the first step in living truthfully. As you live out God’s truths, you demonstrate His wisdom. Wisdom is to apply God’s truth, so as you apply His truth, you demonstrate His thoughts. As you think like Him and make choices that reflect His thinking, you are changed to be more like Him.

Without turning to Christ, no one can accurately reflect the image of God. Through the grace of God, the minds of many are released from blindness to see and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is the agent in this process, as He draws an unbeliever to Jesus. At the point of conversion, the believer’s mind is suddenly set free and he understands! Suddenly, life starts to make sense and the truth of the Bible becomes very relevant. It is from this awareness of God’s relevant truth, that the sanctification process takes place. Again, the Holy Spirit is the agent who makes us more and more like God. As you experience more grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, your soul increasingly aligns with His spirit. You thinking, emotions, and actions change more and more into a reflection of His glorious Being.

“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” 1 John 4:12 (NLT). God is invisible and has only been seen perfectly through Jesus Christ and imperfectly through His saints. What defines His image is love, holiness, and goodness. These three should characterize the believer’s personal culture and daily practices.

The world uses manipulation, power, control and corruption to reflect the image of Satan. The church uses love, humility, self-control and righteousness to reflect the image of God. There is a significant amount of manipulation and control in Christian parenting and in church government. These reflect the wrong image for the world to see. Instead, we are to parent Biblically and lovingly, with consistent discipline and clear expectations. Our marriages are to be loving and a demonstration of unity. Our pastors are to humbly serve, and we are to submit and listen. Mutual submission in love and leadership reflects the image of God. This is counter to our culture because power and pride flow from position. But, in God’s design authority and meekness flow from position. Reflect on your process of sanctification. Are you becoming “more and more like Him as you are changed into His glorious image?”

Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Examine my heart to see if there is pride, control or manipulation growing in my soul. I want to reflect you in how I think, feel and behave. Please grow my character to be more and more like You, as I am changed into Your glorious image, one day at a time. In Jesus’s name amen.”