Hi sisters,
What do you think of when you hear the word “image”? Maybe you think of Genesis chapter 1 when God made humanity in his image. Maybe you think of Exodus when the Israelites made a golden calf. Maybe you think of when people questioned Jesus concerning paying taxes and he asks whose image is on the denarius. Maybe you think of Paul walking down the streets of Athens and being provoked in his spirit because of the abundance of idols (images).
God created the idea of an image, humanity. Images were His design. Images were meant to have LIFE! They were meant to see, hear, taste, feel, and smell. They were meant to think, love, and participate in “ruling” under God’s authority. Yet, because of our rebellion, the idea of an image was corrupted. The thread is all through Scripture. We love images; whether it was the image of a calf, the image of our faces on a coin, the images of gods, or any number of things.
This brings me to my quiet time just a few weeks ago when I started the book of Romans. Chapter 1 is an intense chapter, but I focused on this phrase:
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. . .” (vs 22-23a)
On the same day I read this quiet time, I noticed a local magazine on my coffee table. We automatically get this magazine because of our location. It is designed to bring a sense of comradery and community to the neighborhood. Every week there is a stunning family picture on the cover (and sometimes only an individual) of people in the neighborhood. Their story is highlighted on the inside.
Then it hit me. That stunning picture on the front was an image! An image which many people are striving to accomplish. Though the people in the pictures are not lifeless, the image itself is lifeless. Then I started to think how many “images” enter our brain in one day. Our culture is overwhelmed with images, exactly as Paul saw Athens in the first century (see Acts 17). We spend time watching shows/movies (with images), scrolling social media (with more images), and see ads (even more images). Our brains are inundated and this is our fishbowl. There is nothing wrong with pictures, shows, movies, nor ads in and of themselves. But God’s Word has warnings about giving our lives to images.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them
~Psalm 115:4-8
The Scriptures say that we will get want we want. If we want to strive after those images, we will become like those images: lifeless. We will have sold our soul for a lifeless mage. Romans chapter 1 tells us that God will allow us to chase our image. He does not force us to live His design.
We need to reclaim the original intent of an image. An image, man and woman, was never supposed to look nice for a picture or a video. She was supposed to reflect the character of God in how she LIVED. She reflects His character in how she loves, thinks, and acts. She passionately concerns herself with helping other women live out this intended image too. Because, if we are living in our design as an image of God, we have to be involved in the mission of God.
Paul opens his letter to the Romans by saying:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus . . . to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you.”
We too participate in bringing about the obedience of faith for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ for God’s glory. We seek to live our design as God’s image, not substituting it for the images of this world. How about you? Do images rule your life? Or are you seeking to live as the image of God, participating in the mission of God, for the glory of God?
Evaluate. Remove conflicting images. LIVE as God’s image participating in God’s mission.
By the River Together 