Old Mission Peninsula, north of Traverse City, Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Five Facts About Loving God – Jason DeRouchie (Desiring God)
With an echo of the call to love God with all, Moses opens Deuteronomy 10 by calling Israel to maintain radical God-centeredness (Deuteronomy 10:12–13). Yahweh is always to be the blazing center in his people’s solar system. He then notes that such wholehearted, life-encompassing allegiance to God was warranted from Israel because he created them and because he rescued them from Egyptian slavery (Deuteronomy 10:14–15). In light of these truths, Moses then applies the call to radical love for God into Israel’s everyday lives, and in the process, he reveals how far they were from God’s ideal. I see five significant points regarding love for God in these verses….
The Christian Traveller – Jeremy Walker (Reformation 21)
Looking about me, I was struck by the prominent ways and means in words and in deeds by which various of my fellow wanderers were proclaiming their personal identity and spiritual allegiance…. All of which fascinating tableau left me asking, “By what means should I, as a Christian traveller, communicate my personal identity and spiritual allegiance?”
What You Should Say After Every Week of Work – Trevin Wax
And like I do every week, I will whisper to myself as I walk out the door: “And God saw that it was good.”
9 Things You Should Know About Persecution of Christians in 2013 – Joe Carter (GC)
Christians are the single most widely persecuted religious group in the world today. As we pray for the persecuted church, here are nine things you should know about the plight of believers around the globe….
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day of rest and prayer!
What is Reformation Day all about? Robert Rothwell writes: Tomorrow, much of the culture will be focused on candy and things that go bump in the night. Protestants, however, have something far more significant to celebrate on October 31. Tomorrow is Reformation day, which commemorates what was perhaps the greatest move of God’s Spirit since the days of the Apostles. But what is the significance of Reformation Day, and how should we consider the events it commemorates? You can read the rest here.
Here are some good posts challenging us to read, along with some helpful suggestions:
Pastors: Fight for the Time to Read – Justin Taylor
Why Pastors Should Read Over Their Heads – Kevin DeYoung
Pastoral Theology: Some Book Recommendations – Kevin DeYoung
Humans are designed to image or reflect God their Creator (Gen. 1:26-27). Don’t let the subtlety of this escape you. Our design as humans inherently requires something to image – God…. And when we don’t image him, by default we image ourselves and elevate ourselves as god. This is the height of idolatry…. We humans fail to grasp that we are most human when we image God. We vainly seek an image of our own to bear, hoping to project a self-image so captivating that others will love and accept us.
– Bill Clem in Disciple
Who am I? In the last two posts (Part 1 and Part 2), we said that we are image-bearers of God – made in his likeness, we are like God is several ways. Here are three more implications of being image-bearers of God:
First, I am a reflection of God. I am made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). An image is a reflection, a representation. I look in a mirror, and I see my image – it is a reflection of me. I take a picture of myself, and that picture is a reflection of me. In the same way, we are created to be pictures, representations, reflections of God. We are created to reflect God to others. In my thinking, I am to reflect God to others. In my relationships, I am to reflect God to others. In my work, I am to reflect God to others. In my rest, I am to reflect God to others. In my behavior, I am to reflect God to others. I am to point not to myself but to God. I am to live for his glory, not my own. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so I am to reflect the glory of God.
Second, I am accountable to God. God commanded Adam not to eat of a certain tree, and if Adam disobeyed there would be dire consequences (Genesis 2:16-17). He was accountable to God. And so are we. All of us will one day have to answer to God. How well did I use my mind? How well did I love God and people? How well did I work? How well did I rest? How well did I live uprightly? How well did I reflect God in my everyday life, instead of creating my own image for people to see?
Third, I am valuable to God. Yes, I am a creature made from the dust, but I am also made in God’s image which gives me great value, great dignity. I bear the Creator’s image. As one poster I remember from childhood said, “God don’t make no junk.” This is where I find my identity – not in what others think of me, not in my circumstances, not in my accomplishments or failures – but in what God thinks of me. He made me in his image, and so I have value. He made you in his image, so you have value. And so we ought to respect one another.
As I am to respect God, so I am to respect people made in God’s image. James 3 warns us about blessing God and then turning around and cursing people made in his image. When I curse, insult, belittle, and make fun of people, I do the same to God. How often have we cursed God? We must respect one another as image-bearers of God – regardless of behavior, political leanings, sexual orientation, color of skin, economic status, or whatever tempts you to belittle another person. Everyone is an image-bearer of God, and so we must respect one another. That doesn’t mean we will always approve of what others do – often we won’t. But we must treat people with respect because they are made in God’s image.
Who am I? Yesterday, we said that we are image-bearers of God. We are made in his likeness. We are like God – made in his likeness as rational, relational, occupational, recreational, moral beings. That is who we are. And we ought to live like it. But we need to make an important clarification:
I am a rational being, but I am not the sum of my learning.
I am a relational being, but I am not the sum of my relationships.
I am an occupational being, but I am not the sum of my work.
I am a recreational being, but I am not the sum of my vacations and holidays.
I am a moral being, but I am not the sum of my good behavior.
My identity is found in being an image-bearer of God. My identity is found in God, not in my learning, relationships, work, rest, or behavior. Those are all applications or out-workings of my identity, but they are not my identity.
If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are good – I have a lot of degrees, and good family with good friends, and a good job, and some killer vacations, and really good behavior – I am tempted toward pride. I begin to think I am better than others. But no, I am a creature made from the dust. I am an image-bearer of God.
If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are bad – I am not well-educated, and my relationships are a wreck, and I a have a dead-end job (or just lost my job), and I’ve never had a real vacation, and my past is a wreckage of poor choices – I am tempted to despair or depression. I feel like a loser. I must be worthless compared to those who have succeeded in these areas. But no, I am a creature made from the dust to be an image-bearer of God. That is who I am.
My identity is found in God as an image-bearer, not in my circumstances, accomplishments, or failures.
Brian J. Mikul 