IMAGE OF GOD

Our life, the life of faith, is pervaded by paradox. Life faces us with apparently irreconcilable conditions and realities which we struggle to understand and integrate, sometimes throughout an entire lifetime. The Lord himself exemplifies this reality in his dual identity as the express image of God and Jesus, a fully human male, who suffered the worst consequences of sin…without deserving them. We live daily within the paradox of God’s perfect holiness and our fundamental human imperfection, needing constantly to accept His grace as we strive toward His perfection.

Much of the life of faith is learning to abide in love and peace within our paradoxical existence, and Yeshua gave us His Holy Spirit to make it possible. He also offered us a pile of “paradoxical” advice exhorting us to behave or respond opposite to human nature. You want to be great in the Kingdom? Become a servant to all. An enemy strikes your left cheek? Turn to him the right one. Overcome evil with good. There are many of these if you look for them, and they begin to describe a lifestyle which distinguishes a true believer in ever increasing uniqueness.

This passage in Hebrews reveals that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, according to this principle: the lesser is blessed by the greater. Given the greatness of Abraham, we might be surprised to discover the dimension of Melchizedek’s status. His name means “My King is Righteousness”, suggesting that he is a type of Messiah, and quite (paradoxically) qualified to bless the father of faith.

This paradoxical life, perplexing, frustrating, tempting, tormenting as it is, incites most of us to react badly in one way or another, producing endless cycles of revenge, hatred, retribution, and remorse. But God, who is the greatest of all, blesses us who are “lesser”. And He also invites us to the greatness of blessing…our neighbors, our children, even our enemies. The temptation of paradox is overcome by the opportunity to bless. It’s a way of God whose life and heart are full of blessing. If we desire to be like Him, increasing in stature and overcoming evil, we’ll seek the Spirit’s power to bless others.  Our life, the life of faith, is pervaded by paradox. Life faces us with apparently irreconcilable conditions and realities which we struggle to understand and integrate, sometimes throughout an entire lifetime. The Lord himself exemplifies this reality in his dual identity as the express image of God and a fully human male, who suffered the worst consequences of sin…without deserving them. We live daily within the paradox of God’s perfect holiness and our fundamental human imperfection, needing constantly to accept His grace as we strive toward His perfection.

Much of the life of faith is learning to abide in love and peace within our paradoxical existence, and Yeshua gave us His Holy Spirit to make it possible. He also offered us a pile of “paradoxical” advice exhorting us to behave or respond opposite to human nature. You want to be great in the Kingdom? Become a servant to all. An enemy strikes your left cheek? Turn to him the right one. Overcome evil with good. There are many of these if you look for them, and they begin to describe a lifestyle which distinguishes a true believer in ever increasing uniqueness.

This passage in Hebrews reveals that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, according to this principle: the lesser is blessed by the greater. Given the greatness of Abraham, we might be surprised to discover the dimension of Melchizedek’s status. His name means “My King is Righteousness”, suggesting that he is a type of Messiah, and quite (paradoxically) qualified to bless the father of faith.

This paradoxical life, perplexing, frustrating, tempting, tormenting as it is, incites most of us to react badly in one way or another, producing endless cycles of revenge, hatred, retribution, and remorse. But God, who is the greatest of all, blesses us who are “lesser”. And He also invites us to the greatness of blessing…our neighbors, our children, even our enemies. The temptation of paradox is overcome by the opportunity to bless. It’s a way of God whose life and heart are full of blessing. If we desire to be like Him, increasing in stature and overcoming evil, we’ll seek the Spirit’s power to bless others.

Ken’s remarks,
George said it so well that I don’t think I could have said it any better.   Personally, every day I am leaning on God’s wonderful loving securing grace.   I am so prone to react to things in the flesh.  And need to remember, “Except for the grace of God, there go I.”   One of my great grand children now living with me, the 3 yr. old by the name of “Rain” gives me the most need of God’s Grace.  She knows exactly how to rain on my parade.    She will test me at every opportunity to match her will with mine.  I have yet to spank her, though I have permission, as I know that I will be binding her a bunch and don’t want to break her.  I remember spanking a puppy once and it destroyed her.  She was never the same after that.  And I also know that to spare the rod is to hate the child.  But then a Great Grand Child?   Really don’t want to end in a negative outcome.   You know the saying, “Troublesome two’s and Terrible Three’s”.  Well that is the idea, and then she comes over and gives me a big hug…  And we start all over.   Her little brother Noah, not one yet, when he sees me come crawling at 90+MPH to climb up my leg and sit only my lap and try to eat my suspenders.   It is like I am back in the 1960’s again with my 7 kinds getting to learn more about God’s Grace of what I should have learned back then.

So I would suspect that if you are at a place where God has told you to do something and you have yet to do it that you will be recycling on that same spot, over and over,  until you learn what God has for you to learn there by HIS grace.   HE is absolutely committed to teaching you to learn to walk in the HOLY Spirit.  Rom. 8:13, “.for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever.  14 For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons (children) of God.