Mirror Image part 1
I preach, and Rant, all the time about being Christ-centered (people-centered) instead of being self-centered. Because I believe that's why we're here. We're here to be loved (by God) and to love God (by loving one another). Receive and release the love of God. That's WHY we were created. But look at the first part of Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." We were made TO live and love--which is really the same thing, because to live IS to love and to love is to live. But the part we so oftentimes miss out on is the truth that we were made IN His image. I always quote 1 John 4:17, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." And I think sometimes when we see that word, "judgment," we immediately think about judging others. Which I also preach, and Rant, about all the time. Because we are not supposed to judge others according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. That's a big part of being Christ-centered, or people-centered. Changing our perspective so that we see things (and people) as they really are. But this doesn't just apply to others. It applies to US. And I think it's almost MORE important--certainly AS important--that we see OURSELVES as we really are. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. I completely agree with the old saying that goes, "How you treat others says more about you than it does about them." If YOU are hurting, you're probably going to hurt people. Because that's all you have to give. If you see yourself as a "sinner" (which really means "unbeliever") then at the end of the day you're going to sin. What you see is what you be. What you see in the mirror defines who you believe you are. And everything you do flows from what you believe. That's why behavior modification never brings real, lasting change. Even if you're afraid of getting punished for doing what you want to do... at the end of the day you're going to do what you want to do. That's something I learned pretty early in my ministry: People do what they want. And oftentimes they don't even think about anybody but themselves. I think, for the most part, people aren't AGAINST anybody. They're simply FOR themselves. They think they lack something and will do whatever it takes to get that thing. But love isn't about GETTING. Love IS giving. So in order to love, we must first receive it. So that we have something to give. 1 John 4:19 says it like this, "We love him, because he first loved us." (And, again, we love Him BY loving each other.) He loved us first. He gave us something. He gave us His Holy Spirit--the love receptor--so that we might be able to receive and release His love. That's what the cross was. The cross was not changing us into something God could love. He always has and always will love us. The cross changed us into something that could RECEIVE His love. Know and believe His love. Look at Romans 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." We were MADE in His image, but didn't know it. So on the cross God CONFORMED us to the image of His Son. He showed us who we are by showing us who He is. By showing us His love. The love of a Father to His Son!