Image
In the world today, image is everything. In social media, millions are scrambling to create an image of themselves that is attractive enough to gather many followers. In their effort, they are willing to photoshop their pictures and use the art of illusion to present themselves as something they aren’t so that they can gain “friends.”
If gaining the approval and friendship of someone requires you to be false to who you truly are, is that friendship worth having?
The better question might be, do you know who you are and what you really look like?
What do you see when you look in the mirror each day?
1Corinthians 1:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty things; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
When the Lord chose us, He did not do so based on our pedigree, good looks, social standing, personality, education, race, gender, financial status, or level of intelligence. None of the things that matter so much to this world had any impact on His decision to choose us.
He chose us in Christ! God can look beyond the outer shell of what we appear to be in the natural and sees us according to who we are as a new creation in Christ. He makes us alive in Christ and transforms us into the image of Christ as we learn more and more about Christ. His purpose in this is to reflect the image of His Son on this earth until the time Jesus returns to claim His own.
God is not asking us to rely on our own strength to change ourselves and improve our place in Christ. He has given us His Spirit to empower us to see Christ as we should and realize we now live by faith in Jesus, and the life He gives is supernatural and leads us into triumph in all situations.
Are you struggling? Look to Jesus, let go of what you think you can do to improve yourself (as though it were possible if you could just muster up enough willpower for it,) and turn to the Holy Spirit for His help.
This is how we ensure God gets the glory for the transformation occurring in our lives. The sad thing about dead religions is that although they claim to be zealous for giving God glory, they inadvertently rob Him of His glory, with their claims of personal devotion and discipline being the reason they live such chaste lives. They are crediting themselves for their chaste living instead of acknowledging it is God at work both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
God does not need the superstars, the super disciplined, the highly motivated self-help people of this world to produce vessels for His glory in His kingdom. He purposefully avoids such things so he can make new creations in Christ who walk according to the Spirit and live as supernatural people on this earth who know the difference between real spiritual life and death.
If, at first, when looking in the mirror, you see yourself according to the limitations of what you are in the natural, remind yourself that God chose you with purpose. He did not make a mistake, and He does not expect you to transform yourself by your own willpower. He wants you to surrender yourself to Him and let Him transform you. he wants to show what Jesus has done and how that has changed who you are so you can give all the glory to Him and have your confidence in Christ alone.
To Him be the power, glory, and majesty forever! He alone makes us something, although we at one time were nothing. Even the most perceived successful person on the planet is nothing without Christ! You have Christ! That changes everything!
