The Broken Image

I bear the image of God.  Yet I am a broken image-bearer as I look at the life of Christ. He is God come in human flesh and showing us the image He had in mind.

I see distorted - self centered.  "My perspective must be right.  I must survive at any cost."
I agreed with Satan's lie, "I must know good and evil to be right and valued by God."
I feel compelled to pursue knowledge first before relationship inorder to gain respect from God and have a place of value.
Pride and the pain of brokenness blind me, drive me, and guilt me.

Here is salvation for the broken image.  I choose to repent, and believe every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God in the relationship.   I choose to receive His grace and peace.

REPENT . . . .BELIEVE. . .RECEIVE

I repent every time I am made aware of self-serving attitudes and motives.
I repent for trusting the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I choose to trust His perspective.
I repent being too busy to give Him my undivided attention and highest affection.
I repent from the pride and pain of disgust and irritation of my own brokenness and that of others that constantly effect my comfort and my plans.

I choose to see the broken image through the covering of grace  until it is completely restored to the image of Christ.  If my value and worth . . .if my place in God's heart depends on how right I am on any given issue, especially scripture truth, then pride will rule all of my human relationships.  They will be greatly stressed and limited, beginning with my mate, my children, then my community.  I will demand they all be formed in my image, the way I see things and do things.  I will have failed to teach them to gaze on the glories of the Father who alone satisfies.  I will rob them of the desperation and deliberate pursuit of hearing God for themselves and developing intimacy of companionship.  He alone can restore the broken image.

One other application to consider.  In evangelism we must make a distinction between knowing and experiencing Christ VS. presenting our particular doctrines, religious system,  moral code of law, even the ways of a worshipping people.  All of these things issue out of our broken image or seeing through a "glass darkly", as stated in I Cor. 13.   We know in part, not the whole.  We function with the gifts of the Spirit through a mixture. . .vessels of clay.  It is my firm belief that God is well able to instruct His own children and make them disciples unto righteousness if their heart is knit to His.  I can share  where I am in my journey, my doctrinal interpretation, what I believe the Spirit of God has revealed to me.  I can extent grace and forgiveness to them the same way God extends grace and forgiveness to me on a daily basis. I can join the Spirit of intercession who prays for each of His children according to "as it is in heaven".