On Being an Image of God

[HKHaugan]

Three thoughts frequent my head this morning. They are all spiritually connected.

First, we can be so individualistic that we forget what it means to be dependent on God. It is through that dependency we learn how to be humble in the presence of others. There is always a tension between how much I exert myself and how much I submit to authority. When Jesus healed the leper (Mt.8:4) He told him, “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded.” We learn a lot about who we are as we allow ourselves to live under authority. We are not ‘lone ranger’ disciples. We belong to the Body of Jesus.

Second, the more dependent we become on ourselves the more isolated we become from others. Aloneness fulfills itself. We are born alone, separated from God and one another. It is in a family we learn to become relational persons. It is in the family of God we learn to become spiritual children of a Heavenly Father, then brothers and sisters in His Son. It is the second that gives meaning to the first. When Jesus was told His mother and brothers were outside looking for Him He said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?...Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother (Mk.3:33-35).”

Third, the depth of a relationship depends on the openness we take into it. If I enter a relationship with an agenda the door shuts. But if I am conscious of the presence of Jesus who is my companion I know that His Spirit will be there to use my mind to assess the relational need, the submission necessary to listen and then the faith to speak and act. When Jesus was teaching about the Holy Spirit He said this, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you (John 16:13-14).”

All three are connected in that every next moment when a choice has to be made, a decision followed through, a word and action taken; it is the Spirit of God who we trust is present to guide us. This is how we experience the will of God personally. The training to accomplish that sequence comes as we submit to the gifts of the Spirit in the Body. There are gifts of teaching, prayer, pastoring and leadership among others in the Body that build our ability to respond to the needs of every next moment. All it takes is the willingness to be taught, to practice and then to act. This is what it means to live life in the Spirit.

--- We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience---

[Karen McMahon]

Amen!