Image Bearer

"Then Jesus said to them, 

'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's

and to God what is God's.'

And they were amazed at him."

Mark 12:17

They were trying hard to catch Jesus saying something incriminating.  If they could only find Him tripping up, then everyone would see how phony He was.  I mean, c'mon!  The Messiah coming from the town of Nazareth, the son of a lowly carpenter?  He was supposed to be a King!  One who would rescue them from their misery!  There is no way someone so ordinary and plain could do all that.  Yes, if they could only catch Him in a lie or saying something outrageous; then they could get rid of Him for good.

Many didn't recognize the One whom God sent to save us.  Neither did they understand His mission.  Even so, He amazed people everywhere He went with His wise words, astounding miracles and never-before-seen healings.  There was no doubt that Jesus was one of a kind.

In fact, in this particular case, Jesus blew everyone out of the water with the idea that I am to give what is owed.  I need not live a life completely ignorant of or in defiance to the world around me.  Instead, I am to give what I owe.

As a woman who bears God's image, what is it in my life that I owe to God?

Desires

Nineteenth century author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau advised to, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined."  Thankfully, my life did not turn out the way I thought it would.  My dreams were so short-visioned and completely opposite of what God had for me.  In retrospect, I'd rather follow His lead any time.

The twenty-third Psalm depicts God as my shepherd, providing things I need, quieting me, supporting me and bringing comfort.  One of the most powerful pictures is of Him leading me as His sheep.  I am prone to wander, but His staff brings relief as He guides me back on the path for His name's sake.

I can follow my heart, but it will lead me to despair.  (Jeremiah 17:9)  There are many well-meaning people whose advice I could take, but only God knows the plan for my life.  (Jeremiah 29:11) My common sense tells me to do one thing, but if I I pay attention only to God I can't go wrong.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Since I am made in God's image, I am created to be in a close intimate relationship with God and can let Him lead me instead of trying to fabricate my own life plan.

Will

He was so distressed He felt close to death.  The sorrow and anguish ran so deeply that drops of blood formed on His skin.  "Father, I know all things are possible with you.  If there is any other way. . .but not my will, but Yours be done."  (paraphrased from Mark 14:32-36 and Luke 22:39-44)

Jesus suffered immensely at the thought of what was to come.  Even so, His uppermost desire was for His Father's will to come to pass.  Many times I'm in a different type of agony.  Maybe it's physical, or it could be emotional or even spiritual.  Whatever the misery, it can't over power God's will.  The question is, am I going to get on board, or will I be a spectator stuck on the sidelines nursing my wounds?

I have two choices in this life.  Either I do things my way, stubbornly insisting that my way is fine for me, or I do things God's way, surrendering to His sovereign plan.  Whichever path I choose, God's will is going to move forward.  The only difference is that I'll miss out on the blessing that comes with obedience.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way:  "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)  Paul goes on to explain that as a follower of Christ, I no longer am bound to sin, but have been freed from it's shackles through His blood.  Now, I am able to win the battle of the wills and yield my stubborn determination to God's control, and let Him have His way in my life.

Since I am made in God's image, I am created to bend my will to God, and let His purposes prevail in my life.

Heart

A friend of mine told me they have a saying in his homeland of Haiti that speaks to the resiliency of his people.  "As long as you still have a head, there is a chance that one day you will wear a hat."  The whole world learned of the resilient spirit of the Haitian people after the earthquake of 2010.  People did not give up despite the death and destruction that overwhelmed the rest of the world.  For some reason, the people of this tiny island nation possess strong hearts.  

Jesus said that whatever we treasure, that is where our heart will be. (Matthew 6:21)  If I value money above all things, my focus will be on wealth.  If I lose all or some of it when the stock market plummets, I will probably think my life is over.  

If it's my family that is most important to me, I would lose my mind if something horrible happened to one of my loved ones.  

If my career is the center of my life, I'll lose hope if I receive a pink slip.

If I treasure my relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ as the most valuable part of my life, nothing will shake me.  No kidnapper could destroy my faith through their evil.  No sudden downturn in the economy could knock me off my feet.  No disaster would threaten to destroy me.  Instead, my faith will tell me that my God will supply all my needs according to His glorious riches!  (Philippians 4:19)

Since I am made in God's image, He created me to be wholeheartedly devoted to Him.

God certainly doesn't need anything from me.  But as one of His image bearers, He designed me to work best when I'm in His hands.  I can surrender my desires to Him and take on His.  I can exchange my self-centered will for His, and I can devote my heart completely to Him.  In this way, I am giving to God what is God's.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can devote my whole heart to Jesus.

When do I insist on getting my way, ignoring God's gentle guidance?

How do I follow my dreams instead of the Good Shepherd?

Clouds

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5,6

The thick gray fog enveloped the aircraft, obscuring my vision of anything except for the dull mist surrounding the plane.  The voice of the captain filled the near-empty cabin, "Flight attendants, prepare for landing."   I peered out the window, searching fro any landmarks to let me know how close we were to the ground, but I could see none.  Suddenly, we emerged from the fog into a light rain with the lights of the runway laid out before us.

Flying in conditions like this means a pilot must trust his instruments and the guidance of the air traffic controllers, not his sight.  His eyes are telling him he is miles above the earth's surface in a heavy bank of clouds, when in reality he is only several hundred feet from the runway.

It is the same with us as we trust in God during our journey.  It is as if we are flying in a bank of clouds, not knowing how far up we are, or in what direction we are traveling: Trusting God means keeping my eyes on Him to guide me safely to the landing strip.

In The Clouds    

When I was flying through the clouds, I could not recognize any familiar landmarks.  There was nothing but gray, and I couldn't see very far.  It gave me an eerie feeling of disorientation.  If it wasn't for the plane itself providing a frame of reference, I wouldn't know which way was up, down or sideways.  

This is how much of my life is.  I have no idea which way is up, how far it is to my destination or goal, or when I'll be emerging from the fog.  I simply must trust that God is guiding my every footstep, leading me to His purpose for my life.  

When I feel no sense of direction or guidance, I must fly by my instruments, trusting God to guide me in to a safe landing.

Under the Clouds

Once I emerged from the clouds, I could see the ground was wet and the grayness above translated into a sense of gloominess below.  Even though I could now see my surroundings, they didn't look too nice.

Isn't this like life?  I emerge from the foggy disorientation of blindly following God's lead, expecting to arrive at my destination to a choir of singing birds and shining sun, but instead am greeted by dreary drizzle.

How often are things not as I expected when following God?  Rain is not bad, it was just not what I imagined.

Maybe I thought motherhood would be more exciting, adventurous and thrilling, but it turns out to be monotonous and filled with day after day of sameness.  Or I might have imagined my life to be dominated by an exciting fulfilling career, giving me a chance to utilize my degree skills and bring in a paycheck.  Instead, I find myself staying at home and being available to those who need a helping hand or an encouraging word.  Or perhaps I expected to marry young and have a large family.  Instead, as I follow God's lead, I find myself deep in a remote jungle as a single missionary.  There are many roads God's plan could take me on as I trust Him.  

Following God means trusting Him with the outcome, not going by my own plan and hope for my life.

Above the Clouds

Flying above the clouds is a bit like paradise.  The sky appears as a deep azure canvass, a beautiful backdrop to the puffs of white cotton below.  It seems I can see forever, gaining a tiny glimpse of God's enormous vision of His Creation.

Living above the clouds is the goal for which I am called by faith in Christ.    Paul encouraged the believers at Philippi with the thought that, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. . . I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:12, 14)  As I am transformed under His loving grace, slowly but surely I gain a viewpoint more closely in line with His. 

When I am close to God, it doesn't matter what is going on around me because I can see things from His perspective.  annoying, whiny children who get under my skin become little ones who need an extra dose of love.  Frustrating delays turn into opportunities to connect with a hurting soul.  Demanding panhandlers are converted into lonely, lost beings.  angry short-tempered cashiers turn out to be wounded warriors in the battle of domestic violence.  

There are people all around me who need a vision of paradise only Jesus can offer.  Am I able to see them through God's eyes?

Flying can be an interesting experience.  It helps me to remember to fly by the instruments, trusting only in Him for my guidance, to accept the destination God has guided me to, and to keep an eternal perspective that allows His love to flow through me to a hurting world in need of a Savior.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can keep my eyes on my personal guidance system; God.

Where am I relying on my own plans instead of trusting God for direction?

How do I have a self-centered, short vision of those around me, missing all the opportunities there are to show the love of Jesus?

The Great Adviser

Who is like the LORD our God,
   the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
   on the heavens and the earth?

 He raises the poor from the dust
   and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
   with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
   as a happy mother of children.

Psalm 113:5-9

Dr Phil, Oprah, Dear Abby, mother, father, best friend, self-help books, therapist, pastor. . . There are many sources for advice, encouragement and help in this world, but there is no one like our God!

God is Sovereign   When I need to make a decision, its easy to get caught up in asking for advice from many people.  While it is true that, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed," (Proverbs 15:22) it doesn't mean my main source of advice should be human. "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." (Proverbs 16:9)  God is sovereign, and if I want to know the plan He has for my life, I must go to Him!  (Jeremiah 29:11)

God is Omniscient    When I am down, there is nothing that feels better than a bit of encouragement from a friend, or a stranger for that matter.  But when I make God my main source for lifting me up when I feel down, I will never be disappointed.  Job found this out the hard way when he turned to his friends for encouragement in a time of great trial in his life when he lost his family, his wealth and his health.  His friends started out supporting him, but in the end they blamed it all on him, saying that God must be punishing Job for some unconfessed sin.  Not very encouraging!  But when God spoke, He began to put everything in perspective by asking, "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?"  (Job 38:4)  In the end, God was not pleased with Job's friends for they did not speak the truth about Him.  (Job 42:9) Listen to the message God sent to Balak through Balaam, "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?"  (Number 23:19) There is no better source of encouragement than our God who always knows what to say, and will never speak the wrong thing!

God is our Help   I remember driving down the road with my four young daughters some years ago and suddenly feeling the tell-tale "bump" of a flat tire.  The first thing I did was call AAA to come and help me.  How many times do I turn to other sources but never call on God?  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)  I will never forget the feeling of helplessness when a 6.8 earthquake hit Washington state back in 2001.  As my daughters and I huddled in the hallway for an excruciatingly long 48 seconds, we cried out to God, knowing there was no one else who could help us. There is no one like our God!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will remember to acknowledge God in all my ways.

Where am I turning to others before seeking counsel from the Lord?

When do I trust in my own resources instead of on the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills?