Original Design
Hi Church,
I hope you've all enjoyed your summer, because it's officially over! As the seasons change and kids start school, I'm reflecting on Joel's message from yesterday. He spoke about image bearers of God. Much of what he spoke about was tying together the creation and fall of man with the redemption through Jesus. God's purpose for his wonderful creation was to honor and bless Him. To spread over the Earth, to multiply. But God also gives us a choice, which means we can choose to accept and follow Him, or elevate ourselves and reject Him.
God wants us to live in freedom, and freedom requires the ability to choose for ourselves. We can tell when someone is sincere about something, when they are genuine in their words, when they put their heart and soul into something, and when they're doing something out of obligation. God wants us to surrender all to him. Yes, many times, submitting means putting our own desires aside. But I believe that we don't have to do it with murmuring and complaining. God would rather us have the understanding and faith in He is to do things out of our desire to please Him. That's what the world needs to see.
The Bible shows us many image bearers of God, with the exact representation of the Father in Jesus. And we should strive to be like Him, inwardly and outwardly. God's original design was for us to thrive. To cover the earth with His praise, living like Christ and representing Him at all times. When we say we're "made for more", it's not just that we're supposed to have more peace and goodness in our lives, but also that we're supposed to look at ourselves in the mirror and see where we fall short. What are we holding onto in our lives that keeps us from fully representing Christ? What sin do we keep falling into? What thought patterns and desires do we just cope with. We should challenge ourselves and ask God for that conviction. We can encourage ourselves because Christ paid for it all, and He is full of grace.
Think about your life. Tell yourself: "I can't keep doing that, thinking like that, talking like that, I was made for more!" You wouldn't want to see your children doing destructive things or thinking contradictory to God's Word. How much more does God desire the good things that He has!
-Kevin
Song List:
- My Testimony: https://youtu.be/7NyH9mDYECk?si=uJPzQJ3zUIUP2RO0
- The Blessing: https://youtu.be/1io3BsfM53s?si=9OxB5VqyApzVr5MH
- Shout to the Lord: https://youtu.be/SkTJ9jklOSE?si=Uvgj7BLVAqMfYXZ9
- Made for More: https://youtu.be/Ov9Ls4npIrc?si=RUMDE52nHh1eB3-K