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A Fully Devoted Follower Learns Continually
Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower: #2 of 6 (taken from the Treepost Newletter) | View the Entire Devotional Series
This month we continue our series on what it means to be a Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus.
In Genesis 1:26-27 God creates humanity. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Go back and read that passage again. How did God create us? – In his image. It says this about no other part of God’s creation. Only man is created in the very image or likeness of God. We’re his image bearers, and as a result we are the crown jewel in all of creation!
So what does that mean to be created in God’s image? Well think with me for a bit… where is it that you would go to see an image, a perfect image of yourself? If you want to see your image, the most logical place to go is to the mirror. In the mirror you’ll see a reflection of your likeness. In God’s design, our lives are not unlike your mirror at home. We are created as image bearers of God, we reflect his image with our lives.
Adam and Eve were created to perfectly reflect God in the mirror of their lives. And for a time they did. But in Genesis 3, they turned from and sinned against God and it was as if they took a big rock and slammed it into their mirror, shattering it into thousands of pieces and jagged shards. As a result their lives still reflect God, but the image has been broken, shattered, and all of humanity ever since has started out life with a busted mirror destined for hell.
Enter Jesus. He too begins his human life in perfection like Adam. But when faced with temptation Jesus holds onto his rock, never sinning, and he retains his ability to perfectly image the Father. As we sing sometimes, Jesus is the perfect picture of the unseen God (Colossians 1:15). Jesus goes on to live a perfect life, die the undeserving death of a criminal on the cross, and take God’s wrath for sin upon himself in our place. Three days later he rises from the dead, conquering sin, death, and the power of Satan.
As a result, anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ is now made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19, NLT) Their broken mirror is being restored, even replaced, into a new one that again will perfectly reflect the Creator (Colossians 3:10, 2 Corinthians 3:18).
The essence of following Jesus then, is being made new and learning to reflect the glory of God in all that we do. We often say that a Fully Devoted Follower Learns Continually. What do they learn? They continually learn about Jesus from studying the Bible, and continually learn to image Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Spend some time reading Philippians 3:1-4:1. In this passage the Apostle Paul talks about his journey in learning to reflect Jesus and become like him. He list things that he once thought were good, but now recognizes don’t matter compared to knowing and honoring Jesus. Journal about these questions as you read: In what ways did Paul change? How did he change? In what ways are you like Paul? Where are some areas of life that you need to learn to be more like Jesus?
You Are Loved!
Pastor Josh