Image Makeover

Whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:29

There is a growing epidemic in Western cultures: dissatisfaction with one’s body image. Men and women are reporting that they are not happy with how they look. Painful attempts at finding a solution run the gamut from daily workouts in the gym to eating disorders and plastic surgery. Even then, the goal for too many remains elusive.

We’re not happy with our physical image, but God is not happy with our spiritual image. Fortunately, He has a solution: He has chosen us to be eternally conformed to the image of His own Son, Jesus Christ. But just as “no pain, no gain” applies to diet and exercise, it applies in the spiritual realm as well. Here is God’s principle for reshaping our spiritual image: He will not spare present pain if it means eternal profit. The Old Testament patriarch Jacob, long a deceiver, is a good example. God used Jacob’s uncle Laban, who was himself a shady dealer, to teach Jacob some hard lessons (Genesis 29–30). If you’re experiencing pain, see if you can find the eternal profit that it is designed to produce.

Based on how long each will last, which of our images—body or soul—should get most of our attention?

Pain can either make us better or bitter.

TIM HANSEL