Written by Dawn Rutan
Earlier this week I read Psalm 17:15 (ESV), “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Your likeness.” In the preceding verses David is talking about the “men of the world whose portion is in this life.” Those who are seeking satisfaction in the world will not seek satisfaction in God and His righteousness.
How often do we have misplaced priorities and start seeking our fulfillment in this life instead of in Christ? To dig a little deeper, how many of us can say, “I shall be satisfied with Your likeness?” If we lost everything else in this life—family, health, home—could we still find our peace and joy in God alone? I’d like to think I could, but I also know how quickly I can get discouraged with conflicts and difficulties. Reading the biographies of Corrie ten Boom, Anne Frank, and Diet Eman recently, I was amazed and convicted by their perseverance and good attitudes in the midst of horrendous circumstances.
To take the thought of God’s likeness one step further, consider 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (See also Romans 8:29.) If we don’t find satisfaction in His likeness, are we really all that interested in being transformed into His image? When we look in the mirror, do we see a child made in the image of God, or do we see someone who is trying to fit in, look good, or hide behind a mask?
Paul also wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). As important as that is for Christian maturity, it seems as though many who call themselves Christians don’t particularly care to be transformed. The things of this world can be quite appealing and can bring some level of satisfaction, so why should we reject them in favor of being transformed into the image of God? After all, it takes time and effort to seek God’s will and to pursue righteousness. It’s far easier to go along with the world’s priorities for time, money, family, career, politics, etc.
As I’ve asked these questions of myself, some of my answers have bothered me because I see the inconsistencies within me. James write that we are to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:22-24). In a couple different places recently I’ve heard this reminder from James. (Once was in our Sunday school class.) We may try to use different mirrors at times, but when we look into the mirror of the Word, we can’t pick and choose which parts we want to heed. That’s equivalent to loving the Lord with part of your heart, part of your soul, part of your mind, and part of your strength. None of us love Him perfectly, but that should be our heart’s desire, and being transformed into His likeness should be high on our priority list.
The song “Every Now and Then” by FFH is a good reminder of the distorted reflection and misperceptions that keep us from seeing our Father clearly. (You can read the lyrics here.) Sometimes we need to break the mirrors we’ve been using so we can see ourselves through the Father’s eyes and see how He is forming His image in us. He sees not just who we are today, but who we will one day be. That’s the perfect mirror we all need.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:3-4).
© 2016 Dawn Rutan. The views stated may or may not reflect the beliefs of the pastor or leadership of Dulin’s Grove Church.
