“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
No doubt you’ve heard it said,”You are the only Bible some people will ever read” and there’s a lot of truth to that. Fact of the matter is that some folks will judge Christ and Christianity by what they see in Christians. God forbid that we leave the wrong impression! Because of this we need to be transformed into His image. Dr. Paul Chappell writes:
A woman watched a silversmith as he heated a piece of silver over the fire. He explained that to refine silver he needed to hold it where the flames were the hottest to burn away all impurities. The silversmith said that he had to watch the silver carefully because if it was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked, “But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” he answered, “when I see my image reflected in it.”
Like the silversmith looking into the precious metal, Christ desires to see Him image reflected in our lives. The moment God saved us, He formed a new creature, and He expects us to be constantly changing into His image and reflecting that image to others. Ephesians 4:24 explains the goal of every Christian:”And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Do you reflect God’s righteousness and holiness in your daily life? Can others see Christ’s image in what you say and do? This is not only a humbling thought, but it is also a thrilling thought that we have the opportunity to reflect the image of our Saviour and Creator.
During trials and troubles reflect Christ’s joy and strength. During temptation, reflect the power and righteousness of Christ. During periods of blessing, reflect His graciousness and love.
The process of becoming more Christ-like may, at times, be painful as God allows “fires” to remove the impurities from our lives. But even then, we can rejoice knowing that the end result is a clearer reflection of Christ to others.
