March 12 – Fulfilled Promises

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:15-16 (ESV)

The promises found in our passage today might remind us of the verse in Genesis 1:26-27 where we find God decided and created male and female in His image. One of the meanings of the phrase “image of God” means that people are created as God’s image—or, as His imagers. This passage speaks of the incarnation of Christ—the eternal God becoming a human being and becoming visible for us. The Son of God, Jesus the Anointed One has existed from eternity past. He is the One who created everything that we can see and what we cannot see, and all things on earth and above the earth in heaven. All were created by Him and for Him, the Son of God.  He came to live among us on earth, He lived a perfect life as a man without sin, all to complete and satisfy the promise made in Genesis 3. It was necessary for Him with His divine nature to take on a human nature to fulfill the promise of redemption for all human kind. We can embrace this promise because it is the way God made for us to know Him.

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September 5 – He Knew and He Knows

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”  Romans 8:29  (NASB)

Again, we need to remember the truth from the verse just before today's selection.  The apostle Paul has written to the Romans to let them know that God is in control of all things in our world.  So great is His love for us that whatever happens in our lives, God causes good to come from it for those who love Him. Today's verse reminds us what God has done and is doing in our lives and why He is doing it.  We do not live our Christian lives by ourselves.  We never could do so successfully.  God is involved and in control if we let Him. God has knows us before we were born and He knew which ones of us would respond to Him and love Him and who would believe and want to be like Jesus.  Every day, God wants us to be like Jesus who is the first one raised from the dead to new life so that each of us also can have that new life and become one of His family.  

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May 6 – Changes in Form and Image

“And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” 1 Corinthians 15:49 (NIV)

It is good for us to be aware of the change that takes place in our lives when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  This verse is a reminder to us as human beings that we are in the image of and resemble the first human who were created by God.  As descendants of Adam and Eve our bodies on this earth look like theirs in form and image.  But God has made a change for us when Jesus died, was buried and rose again.  It is His plan for all people to believe by faith in Jesus and receive the gift of salvation and reconciliation.  When we do, we are promised that we will someday have the image of the heavenly man in stead of the earthly man.  The heavenly man is Jesus and we will have a body that is in the form and image of Christ's resurrected body.  Already we have this as a promise and guaranteed reservation.  The earthly weak and temporary bodies we now carry will be gone and we will have a body perfect in every way.  It's ours forever and when we get to heaven it will be revealed.   

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January 6

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

We know that we become children of God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We need to recognize that this is only the beginning of a process and our verse today reminds us of that. It is not hard to understand that God would want His children to be like He is. We are reminded that He is working in our lives to transform us into His likeness. We remember that we are saved by faith and thus become children of God. We also live by faith and it is in response to our faith that God works in us to make us like Himself. Let us be sure to trust Him for this to be happening each day that we might be transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.

May 4

“And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.”  1 Corinthians 15:49 (NIV)

Our God is preparing a wonderful future for those who become a part of His family by believing in Jesus Christ. And Jesus Himself will be a part of that future. While we are living here on earth we have bodies similar to the body of Adam. And we are like him in ways, too, because he is our ancestor and we have inherited much from him. But a day is coming when we will be like Jesus, the man who came from heaven to be our Savior. Even now He has given us a new nature and He enables us to live a new life. How glorious it will be when the process is completed and we shall bear His likeness!