Made In The Image Of God


“Van Gogh’s Irises sells for $53.9 million.” Art sales don’t usually make headlines, but occasionally you’ll see a front-page story about a particular painting being sold for an astronomical sum. To the untrained eye, even such an extremely expensive work may seem to be only a few lines splashed across the canvas, holding no meaning or appeal. What makes such a picture worth so much?


The answer is found tucked away, almost unnoticeably, in the lower right-hand corner—the artist’s signature. Even if the image on the canvas seems rather ordinary or commonplace, the name Van Gogh or Gauguin or Rembrandt scrawled somewhere on it makes the piece priceless. The reason the artwork is worth so much is simple: it came from the hands of a master.


The same is true of humanity. Some people think that human beings are valuable because we have somehow acquired dignity in a meaningless universe. Others think our value comes from being the most highly evolved creatures on this planet. But Psalm 8 teaches that what makes us worthwhile is the fact that we are made in the image of God. In spite of our sinfulness, in spite of the fact that we have broken God’s laws and warped his creation, we still bear the image of the One who made us.


It’s easy to believe this of kind, attractive, thoughtful people. But it is just as true of the murderer on death row and the terrorist who bombs airports. We’re not God’s image-bearers because we’re good, but because he created us. Our worth is based on his work, not our goodness—which is a good thing because we are full of sinfulness. We’re like a masterpiece that has had mud and filth splattered on it. Underneath the dirt, we still have the Maker’s signature on us. That should help guide how we treat each other—even the people we don’t like.


When you are confronted by people who seem to exist only to make your life unpleasant—the classmate who majors in being obnoxious, the parent who seems only to criticize and put down, the teacher who takes pleasure in putting red marks on your paper—remember: that person bears the signature of the Master Artist. So do you. Regardless of our sinfulness, that fact makes each of us the most priceless object in the universe.



FROM:
Life Application Bible for Students by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinosis, page 5l2

i was reading a bit of "The life you always wanted" this am... and there is a quote on this very topic from John Ortberg... it really struck me.

"God is determined to overcome the defacing of His image in us. His plan is not simply to repair most of our brokenness. He wants to make us new creatures. So the story of the human race is not just one of universal disappointment, but one of inextinguishable hope."

a good shot of encouragement for me... in dealing w my own shortcomings

Thanks for sharing Angelic love and Amy. Both encouraging posts to read.

that is God> Inextinguishable Hope.