A Prayer To Shine

A Prayer to Shine

You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Colossians 3:9-10

IN WORD Long, long ago, we were made in the image of God. Sin corrupted that image, and it became hardly recognizable. The new creation, though, has not abandoned that image. God is re-creating it in us, day by day and bit by bit. Romans 8:29 tells us that we are being conformed to the image of Christ, and Colossians 1:15 tells us that Christ is the image of God. Through the divine Mediator, the image is being restored.

That’s a process. Today’s verse tells us that we have exchanged selves, the old for the new. It was a once-for-all transaction, but the verb tense changes noticeably halfway through the sentence. We have exchanged selves; we are being renewed. The image of God in us is being restored as painstakingly as a Michelangelo masterpiece. In the meantime, we often lose sight of the goal.

Remind yourself frequently. The ultimate purpose for your life is to be a worshiper, but the only way to be a true worshiper is to reflect the glory and the image of Jesus. We are told that we are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory. We are reflectors of the image of Christ, who is the image of God. Our primary purpose in this world (and the next) is to reflect Him well.

IN DEED That’s a profound thought. This transformation touches every area of our lives, from our skin and bones to the deepest corners of our psyche. It should affect the words we speak, the endeavors we pursue, the relationships we cultivate, and the moral purity we embrace. And there’s a requirement for it: It can only come through prayer.

The image of God is clearly given from above; it is not a matter of willpower and self-improvement. And all things from above come through prayer. Today, pray that the light of Jesus would reflect from you in ever-increasing intensity.

The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.

—CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA