Couverture de Self-Image to God's Image (Free Me From Me)

Self-Image to God's Image (Free Me From Me)

Self-Image to God's Image (Free Me From Me)

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 From Free Me From Me by Ryan Wekenman And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:8-17 ESV The first two chapters of the Bible are glorious. In Genesis 1–2, God breathed his breath into us and called us good. At first, we were created beings who were content to put God at the center of the story and take our place as image bearers, but it didn’t take long for everything to unravel. Theologians call Genesis 3 “the Fall.” It was the moment sin entered the picture and created separation between us and God. But what really happened when Adam and Eve ate the fruit? The answer to that question is found in the lie the serpent spun. “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5 NIV). Adam and Eve took the bait. Instead of trusting God’s design as image bearers, they decided to define their own rules. And in that moment, it was like a giant spotlight shone down on them, exposing their flaws and following them everywhere. As though they had become the center of the story, the headliner everyone had come to see. They put themselves at the center of the story and were so overwhelmed with their shortcomings that they overcompensated by going into performer mode: “They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7 NIV). You might say they ran to the costume box and pulled out the only thing they could find for their performance—fig leaves. That’s the moment these devotionals are about. Because we replay that moment every single day. The spotlight comes on, we perceive that we are center stage, and we start singing for our supper. Of course, our fig leaves have become more robust. Some use money. Or success. Or status. Or knowledge. Or influence. Or humor. Or morality. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 ESV You, me, Adam, Eve, and everyone else are attempting to put on such a spectacular performance that it merits the giant spotlight shining on us. And that is an awful lot of pressure. The only solution is to get out of the center of the story and remember our job is simply to reflect God’s image to the world. Today’s Truth Statement: I am created in the image of God.
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