Image Bearer

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

I stood near the door at our Saturday night meeting, greeting everyone who came in.
Hand shakes....
Hugs.....
A lot of "How are you doing?"
And "Good to see you!"
As the people filed in.
But Saturday night, I was different.
As I looked into the faces of those I greeted, I was suddenly aware of something.
Some faces were displays of joy and gratitude. Smiles and eyes that beamed.
Others were hard and cold.
Faces that didn't trust, and with good reason giving where they had come from.
Such a world holds everything close until connections are made.

But I was suddenly aware that each person I had greeted was an image bearer of God Himself.
Oh, not the physical part that we tend to judge others by...
but the internal / eternal part that really is the person....
The spirit....the center of who we really are.
God stamped His own image into our very being.
I guess you could say that we each carry around a piece of God's spiritual DNA.

Then I was suddenly aware of something else.
Unless these who showed up for the service came into relationship with Jesus, they would enter eternity completely separated from their creator forever.
We talk about sin.....we preach about sin....
But the truth is, sin has warped and covered over the image we were created in.
Years of abuse and bad decisions quickly followed by bad consequences, have crusted over God's image. In fact, I don't believe that we think about being an image bearer of Almighty God.
It never really enters our mind.
Such thoughts have caused me to see people in a different light.
Now, I'm going to go retro to the 60's and be all about  "make love and not war".
We aren't going to lock arms, standing on some mountain top, singing "we are the world".
But what I have got to do is learn to love...
More than that, I've got to learn to love with a purpose.
The purpose being making sure that those who I come in contact with understand who Jesus really is and what He desires for all of us.

How many men and women will enter hell today?
How many people we will meet on the street today...in the marketplace....at work....
Don't know and are not aware of the promise of eternal life God has given to mankind?
Now, we could get all up and religious and grab our Bible's, go stand on the street corner and preach to those passing by. And that might not be a bad idea...but does God want you to do that? Or does He propose that you love the ones around you, to make sure that they know about God's gift of eternal life to mankind?

I just can't sit by and watch heroin steal lives around us.
I can't remain silent while alcohol destroys another family.
I can't be quiet while prescription med's function by lies and deception.
I've got to be about the kingdom business of loving those I meet....
Loving them and sharing with them that there is a better way to live, that God never created them to be an addict.

Saturday night, six people left that old lifestyle behind.
The shook of the crust and crud of sin and darkness, and walked out of the building changed.
Such is the heart of God to come and save.
To come and heal....
To come and remind us all that we are His image bearers.

God on you...
mb