Category: Image of God – imago dei

  • Sea Glass

    Beauty from Brokenness

    During a recent trip to Vancouver Island, I collected a few pieces of sea glass (also called beach glass).  Most of the pieces I collected were small clear or brown bits, but I did pick up a few blue and green fragments.

    Sea glass starts its life as broken bits of bottles and other discarded glass. It’s glass that, for whatever reason, is no longer useful and thrown away. Over time, water and erosion polish it into something refined and beautiful.

    People collect sea glass to make crafts and jewelry, or simply because of its color. It can come in any color of the rainbow, depending on what color glass it started as.

    It fascinated me because something broken and discarded can end up so beautiful. It reminds me of Christians.

    Before we become believers, we are anything but beautiful. We were created in God’s image but have been marred by sin and the knocks of life. We often feel discarded and purposeless.

    God takes the broken bits of our lives and, out of love, gives us the gift of faith to become believers. We are born again and adopted into God’s family. We still have polishing and repair work to do in this life, but He works on us, conforming us to the image of Christ.

    He doesn’t do that because we deserve it. We could never get our acts together to warrant salvation. He does it out of love, purchasing us with His own shed blood. When a sinner is saved, it truly is a miracle.

    Throughout the Scriptures we see declarations that God saves the discarded and broken

    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; Isaiah 61:1-2 ESV

    The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:13 ESV

    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 ESV

    The circumstances of your life may have left you feeling broken and discarded. Others might have rejected you, but God loves you beyond measure. He will make something beautiful from you and the mess of life.

    Trust in Him and rejoice.

    Be blessed,

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I found beauty in broken sea glass on a beach on Vancouver Island. It reminded me that God takes the broken and discarded and makes them new through faith.

    TAKEAWAY

    Sea glass starts out as broken, discarded trash before years of water and erosion make it beautiful.

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  • Grace That Transforms

    From Rough Stone to Precious Jewel

    Rough and faceted garnets. An illustration of God's transformative grace.

    Over the past few days, I have been marveling at the incredible scope of God’s patient, loving mercy and grace. It really astounds me when I think that Jesus gave up His life to redeem people who were His enemies. Redeeming them was grace beyond measure, but He goes beyond that and, by the Word and Spirit, transforms us to be more like Him every day.

    The garnets on the left are rough stones as dug out of the ground. The ones on the right have been carefully faceted to reveal the inner jewel that resided in the rough stone.

    That’s what Christ does. He digs us out of the dirt and mire of our sin-filled lives and rebellion, while we are still His enemies and loves us.

    For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8 ESV

    That would be unimaginable grace if He stopped there. It’s far more than any of us deserve. But He extends it further. The Lord sends the Spirit to dwell in the new believer.

    Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

    The Lord conforms us into the image of Jesus.

    For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 ESV

    Sometimes the Lord cuts off huge pieces of waste material. He often does that through suffering and trials.  Then He carefully considers all the facets and angles and shapes us. Lastly, He polishes each facet into a thing of beauty.

    We were made to be precious stones for the King of Kings and bring Him glory. Each one of us is unique; no two will be alike. We are all given differing genetics, personalities, circumstances, gifts and talents. Each of us is a separate piece of rough being worked in the Master’s hands.

    It’s an ongoing process that He promises to complete in us.

    For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV

    The process isn’t always easy, but hold fast. The finished product that will be our glorified life will be beautiful beyond anything we can imagine.

    Be blessed, my friends,

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I’ve been marveling at how far God’s grace goes: it saves us while we’re still His enemies, and then patiently transforms us facet by facet into the image of Christ. Like rough garnets cut and polished into jewels, each of us is being shaped into something beautiful for the King.

    TAKEAWAY

    Christ’s grace redeemed us while we were still His enemies, dying for the ungodly rather than the righteous (Romans 5:7-8).

    The Spirit now dwells within believers, making our bodies a temple bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

    Like rough garnets faceted into jewels, God patiently cuts, shapes, and polishes each of us into the unique image of His Son (Romans 8:29, Ephesians 2:10).

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