Monday, September 29, 2008

Idle Person or Image Bearer?

This is a follow up from the previous blog entry, Idle Person.

Reading The Silence of Adam by Dr. Larry Crabb, Dr Crabb makes a great observation,"I wonder if we have, in our day, lost the excitement and Drama of our calling: to reveal the unseen God by the way we live, especially by the way we relate to one another. The single most important truth about people is the truth most easily ignored: that we bear the image of God. As image bearers, we are called to tell his story with our lives, not to tell our lives, not to tell our stories with his resources..."

Now granted, this excerpt came from a book intended to speak to men but I think the biblical principle of being an image bearer (men and women of God) should not be overlooked. Broken people, in a broken world bent on the grace and mercy of God. Why do I chose to hide my brokenesses? We are a church because of what God has accomplished through the death and ressurection of Jesus. There are many things Grace stands for, here's one: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Its not about us. Its about what God has done for us. So what do I have to lose when sharing our vulnerabilities with fellow brothers and sisters?

We are called to tell his story with our lives, not to tell our lives, not to tell our stories with his resources. Hmm...How can we bring encouragement to one another if God's story with our lives if our self image is the focal pont?

-Lloyd

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Idle Person

Google Image (http://thebuzz.sheknows.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/bo-on-idol.jpg)

Yesterday, I'd said goodbye to someone I have grown to admire over the last year or so, got to meet this individual earlier this year, April. When the person shared his issues, I began to look at my own life and saw the resemblence. The downside, Why does it take one brave Christian to share his struggles before the rest of us admit collectively we have the same problem too?

Have we become a church, the people, who try to preserve our own image idol to compensate for the brokeness we have inside? I know I do. Problems begin to build that were once buried in a closet and when they surface its like banging your head on a brick wall.

Biblically, starting from Genesis 2, self image was never the issue. Adam upon seeing Eve, said "flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone." Clearly Adam was solely focused on Eve. Genesis 3 the self image became the the issue "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Sin has now entered the world. Adam did nothing while Eve was tempted and ate the fruit. God asks Adam a question. Adam responds by blaming Eve.

Have I become my idle for the sake of my image instead of the Image I was made for?

to be continued....

-Lloyd