By: Elizabeth Haarberg

More Than a Pretty Face

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking the SoundCloud link.

God created us in His image, but what does that look like?

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Revelation 22:13 English Standard Version

The mystery of what God’s image is is revealed in ALL the people we meet. He threads Himself throughout humanity as He reveals Himself to creation. All people are the greatest and most complex creatures He has created. The joy he carries for ALL people, of every race and gender is immense, but even more important to God than our outward appearance is what is going on inside.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 English Standard Version

How are we seen by God and how are we to view other Christians?

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28 English Standard Version

The closer we get to God, the more we see people the way God sees them. He sees into people. Yes, He put us in beautiful bodies, but it’s our internal workings, our hearts, that He changes and shapes to become more like Him.

I wonder if we would see fewer divisions between us, if we really understood God’s heart. As hearts are connected to each other and relationships are valued, bonds become more important than sticking to an idea or being “right.”

Christians might be afraid of who will defend the faith if they don’t. The reality is that people won’t listen to us if they don’t think we care about them.

Listen, love, and decide your next action. Building bridges is more important than agreeing when establishing relationships.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado