Spitting Image

Grace for All

Made in His image

Colossians 1:15-16 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created,

When I was young boy I visited the small town where my parents had grown up. One afternoon I was approached by an elderly gentleman who said, “You must be related to my friend. You are the spitting image of him.” His friend was my great grandfather, who had died before I was born. He then went on to tell me a little about my great grandfather and ended by saying, “I hope you become the kind of man he was.” I still remember the warm feeling that brief conversation left in me and I believe, subconsciously, I strived for years to be known, like my great grandfather, as being a person of integrity and compassion.

The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, talks about how Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Another way to put this: through Jesus, his teachings and his life, we gain a glimpse of what God is like. Or we could say, Jesus is the “spitting image” of God. I believe also, that Paul was encouraging those who read his words to strive to live after Jesus example. As we do this we also draw closer to God whose glory Jesus’ life reflects.

Going back to my earlier encounter on that dusty Nebraska street, my great grandfather never guessed that someday his great-grandson would be challenged as to how to live because of the reflection of his life. We too as reflections of the Christ we follow are also sharing with others a glimpse of the invisible God through our lives, words, and actions. We are, to others, the image of the invisible God.

Each day we should begin reminding ourselves that we are called to reflect God’s light and love into every life we meet. I hope that thought would cause us to be kinder, more loving, quick to forgive and filled with compassion. At the end of the day we should ask ourselves, “How did we do?” Are we proud of the image of God we reflected into our little part of the world? Did we present in image to others that we are proud of? If yes, then give thanks to God for giving you the strength to live faithfully. If you see places where you failed, seek forgiveness, knowing it will be given, and ask for the wisdom to do better tomorrow.

Let us pray:

Jesus, we thank you for your life and how you became the image of God’s love and presence in the world. May we, as followers of you, live in such a way that when they see us they truly see an image of your light and love. Amen.

This devotion was written by Bill Green and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [e-mail].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.