Reflecting the Character of God

The first three chapters of Genesis give us a detailed account of the creation of this world and the creation of man. What is quite clear is the perfection of God's creation; everything was good. Man being created in God's image was good, sinless and in harmony with his Creator. What we then proceed to witness is the degeneration of the human race from perfection to moral abasement. This is called "The Fall of Man".

One of the goals of the Christian life is to get to know God, to know and impregnate oneself with His character, to learn how to resemble to Him, to forge oneself to and become His image. A Christian person will have succeeded his life if he arrives to incarnate the characters of God.

When we talk about "Reflecting the Character of God", in the beginning that was not a problem, but with the fall of mankind in Genesis, reflecting God's character became a little more difficult. For us to reflect God's character we first need to know God's character...

First - God's nature defines moral values. He did not merely "invent" them. Nor are they something we are "free" to define for ourselves. A righteous or upright moral character is a reflection of God's character; a depraved or corrupt moral character is anything that goes against, or is contrary to, God's character.

Second - Our values influence conduct. What you believe will influence what you do. You may be able to hide your true values, character and motives for a while; but when you do so, you merely introduce another character trait into your life - hypocrisy! And you cannot hide it forever: In the end, the day will come in which your true character will be exposed and known to all (1 Timothy 5:24).

Third - To truly understand the very Character of God, we then need to base our life on the following attributes:

• God is love (1 John 4:8). God is the great lover of people - even people that have been corrupted by sin. He cares about us, He is patient and kind with us, He has good plans for us. (Jer. 29:13)
• God is Holy (Ps 99.3). Holiness is spiritual beauty. It is also total moral uprightness and separation from all that is unclean or evil. Like a diamond in the light with many faces, each of God's attributes shines out in perfect balance. There is no defect in God's character or nature.
• God is righteous (honest, impartial, fair). (Deut 33.24; Ps. 116.5). What he does is always right and fair from a moral point of view. As Judge of all the earth, God is a just judge. He judges with fairness, knowing all the facts and all the intentions of the heart. (Rom 2.16)
• God is good (Ps 136:1). He wants good things for people and for the universe. Jesus did the will of the Father, doing good and healing those who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38). However, God does not force people to be good, and it is because of the evil in people that there is suffering in the world.
• God is truthful & has integrity as does His Word (Num 23.19; John 17:17).
• God is faithful (keeps his promises). 2Tim 2.13.
• God alone is wise in Himself (Rom 16.27) - that is, he knows what He is doing and is doing it in the best way. Any wisdom we may have received comes from God, not from our own independent creativity. Wisdom is knowledge correctly applied to achieve the right purpose.
• God is forgiving and kind by nature (1 Jn 1:9; Pr 28:13; Matt 5:45). He blesses even His enemies at times and longs that his kindness will lead them to repentance so that He can forgive them. (Rom. 2:4)

CONCLUSION: To relate with God properly we must understand that He loves us, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11.6). We should not believe the world - not the world's view of God, the teachings of religious tradition or our own philosophies or imaginations. We should always strive to seek God's direction for our lives and in turn "Reflect His Character" to others.

God is into "Home Improvement"

It never ceases to amaze me at the houses people build in the most insecure settings. Who among us has watched as homes (often large and luxurious), have been swept off their foundations by the power of a hurricane! How many of us have seen houses slipping from the cliffs along the Southern California coastline due to mud slides or during an earthquake! Even in our own inland regions we find sink-holes that consume entire homes in just one afternoon. Do you really want to build a million dollar home on top of a mountain with a skimpy foundation or build a vacation home right at water's edge; of course not, but people do everyday!

God is certainly into Home Improvement, but from a different perspective then most General Contractors or Structural Engineers would consider. Although foundations are critical to support the upper structure, His interests don't stop there; He is also interested in the interior design. The Bible says that "we are God's workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10) and promises that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." (Philippians 1:6).

In addition to new construction, God specializes in renovation projects (fixer-uppers) of the human heart. So often people think they have to clean up their act before God could ever accept them. Nothing could be further from the truth. God loves and accepts you just the way you are; although He doesn't intend to keep you that way. He has a design for your life. All He's waiting for is a "building permit" that will allow Him to be a master builder. If you say "yes" to God, He can commence His home improvement project right away and always bring it in on time.

You were created according to God's design. The Bible says you are fearfully and wonderfully made when He knitted you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139). Most of us would have to admit that we've done significant damage to the design of our life over the years. True change is beyond our ability. The Good News is that, in Jesus, God has given us all that is required to complete the job. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation..." (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus is the foundation on which our life must be built. The Bible also warns against building our lives on unstable ground. Too often we put our hopes in money, power, fame, or earthly desires. If we ignore God's plan, Jesus says that we are like the foolish man who builds his house upon the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

If you want a sneak preview of how God intends to renovate your life (from the ground up), look at Jesus. He's the model or show home that God wants us to resemble when His redesigning work is complete. In God's blueprint, our new life is to be fashioned after Jesus' character. Like Jesus, we were created to carry out good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Fortunately, we don't have to renovate our life alone. When we permit God to work, His Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in our hearts until the work is completed (1 Corinthians 3:16). Each day the Spirit provides a fresh supply of resources and building materials such as love, joy, peace, gentleness, and self-control. The Spirit continually works to restore us.

So the next time you look inside yourself and don't like what you see, remember that God can redesign or renovate any life. Get a life...in Christ! It's one home improvement adventure that will truly change your life from the inside out.

Fellowship in the Body

John Calvin wrote, "Christ . . . once for all offered a sacrifice of eternal expiation and reconciliation; now, having also entered the sanctuary of heaven, he intercedes for us. In him we are all priests (Rev. 1:6; cf. 1 Peter 2:9), but to offer praises and thanksgiving, in short, to offer ourselves and ours to God. It was his office alone to appease God and atone for sins by his offering."

Christ prayed for all Believers in John 17:20-26. There He offers us assurance that the glory God has given Jesus would be given to us as royal priests that has been made perfect in Him. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. and the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have love them as You have love Me" (verses 20-23).

Jesus not only prayed for those the Father had given Him, but for all future believers - for their unity and their future glory. If you are a believer, these words are Jesus' prayer for you. "All may be one" is a present tense of the verb "to be" indicating that Jesus was praying for the unity that takes place through the sanctification of believers. This mutual indwelling of the Father in the Son and the Son in the church is also the means to unity, the ultimate expression of God's love.

Now let's get down to the real root of Christ's prayer. The Christian life was certainly not meant to be lived alone. God intends for each of us to spend precious time together with others who have Jesus Christ in their hearts. Often, however, Christians have either a wrong impression of what fellowship is, or how it helps them in their walk with God. Churches that don't associated with other churches in the neighborhood just because they believe something a little different in a doctrinal statement. Christ prayed that future believers would show unity, to allow God's love to flow freely between all who love Him. Of course there are some religions out there that are not part of the Body of Christ and/or will never be part, but why do Baptists stay away from Catholics and Catholics stay away for Independents; I thought we are part of the same team, or at least that is the way it was planned originally. It is mankind that put up the boundaries, not Christ; and it will be Christ who will break them down and set the story straight when He comes again; but do we really need to wait that long?

In order to have fellowship together we must meet together. When the early Christians got together they did more than just talked about doctrine. When we get together we should do things that are beneficial for the Body of Christ. Our fellowship should consist of prayer, time in the Bible, singing, encouraging each other, and getting to know on another. The goal of fellowship is to build each other up to become more like Jesus. This is not a short-term project, but a long-term life experience. Through fellowship, let us seek to help each other along the way.

Christ's prayer was for unity; unity that can still cross man made boundaries. We need to stop thinking about how we sing a song or do worship and start thinking how we need to join together to combat tomorrow's tomorrow. If not, we will be the losers, and we will loose more then what we lost on 9/11 as a nation, because that will happen again and again if we don't band together. Remember...tomorrow is just around the corner...