Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Made In The Image of Love





In the beginning the glory of God covered man and woman.  They freely walked around the garden clothed in the garments of His love and fellowship until the day that Satan broke the mirror and caused them to see something other than the image they were created in - God's image.  When they saw each other they saw the image of love because God is love.  The banner over them was love. Songs of Solomon 2:4  Nothing could be more attractive than God's image.  Yet in an instance that image was broken and it gave way to another image.  The image of shame, sin, and separation from love itself .  Not only did they hide themselves from God but from each other.  The transparency of relationship could no longer be enjoyed because they could no longer see God's image.  They could only see each other...the fallen image. 




Since then men and women have had a distorted view of who they are.  They no longer see God's image when they look in the mirror they see the image Satan has deceived them into seeing.  An image of being unlovable, unworthy, unwanted, alone, and separated from love itself.  Unfortunately, many Christians continue with this distorted image even after they receive Christ.  The bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  When we are born of God's spirit we become a new creation.  We are once again created into the image of God which is an image of love.
My friends, we are not who the devil says we are.  He wants to label us through our prior experiences, and interactions with others.  He wants us to see ourselves through past abuse, trauma, sin, divorce, rejection, and abandonment.  We are not the sum of those experiences.  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  Yes we may have our flaws but God is at work in our lives and will finish what He has begun to do in our lives. (Ephesians 2:10)  Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6)

The devil is liar and he builds spiritual strongholds in our lives through lies, and deception.  If we receive these lies or labels by confessing them over ourselves we will continue to live in them.  We will attract what we believe about ourselves. God wants to give us a new label or name.  He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
(Song of Solomon 2:4)  He wants to bring us to his table of fellowship and spread before us all his goodness declaring His love over us. 

How can we receive such lavish love you might ask?  Let me tell you a story of love.
In my early 20's I was working in a school as a bilingual teacher's assistant.  On one particular day the children had a writing assignment which I was to oversee.  As I made my rounds around the classroom peaking over children's shoulders I observed a young girl named Daisy writing, "I LOVE MYSELF."  I thought to question whether this was arrogant or prideful of her.  I also stopped, and analyzed whether I felt like that way about myself or not. I realized that I did not love myself like she did.  A little jealous of this love she felt; I curiously asked her, "Daisy why do you love yourself?"  She looked up at me in her child-like innocence, "Because my daddy loves me!" 


Her ability to receive the declaration of love over her life was knowing how much her daddy loved her!  Her image of herself was based on her relationship with her Father.  Jesus said, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  How are we supposed to partake of healthy, loving relationships if we can't love the person God has made?  We seemed to have brushed over this small detail. We have accepted the fact that we must love God, and others but then seem to overlook the words "yourself!"  I think we do that because we see so many people in this world who are lifted up in their own eyes.  This is not love but conceit.  When we love self we are loving the express image of God in our life.  We are celebrating his life being lived through us.  We are looking at His image in our life not the image the devil has distorted in our mind.
Will you make a commitment to love the image God has created into the likeness of His Son? Will you receive the declaration or banner over your life as love?  Will you receive His goodness today and refuse the thoughts or words the enemy has led you to believe about yourself?  Choose today to believe God's words!  
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.  Jeremiah 31:3-4
Let us rejoice now because nothing or no one will ever be able to separate us from that love! Amen!
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written:


“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:35-39


Let us pray:
Father, I have received the enemy's lies about who I am and I have only looked at a distorted view of who you made me to be.  I  realize that I am not the sum of my circumstances, I do not take after my family, I am not a victim, I am not unwanted, unloved or unworthy.  You have made me to be in the image of God and that image is love.  When I look in the mirror I want to love what I see because what I should see is You.  Help me love myself, and "be love" to others. Holy Spirit fill me with Your love!
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Jaziz Gutierrez

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