God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness. .... Genesis 1:26

When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,” this image refers to character likeness. He meant that we were going to take on His nature, His character, as reflected in His Son Jesus. In Colossians 1:15, Paul tells us that Jesus is “the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.” As believers, we are to be transformed into His image and likeness.

The greatest goal of every believer, and certainly those of us who want to be used by God in positions of leadership, should be Christlikeness. We should want to handle situations and treat people the way Jesus would. That should be our goal. Jesus is to be our example.

In John 13:15 He said to His disciples, after washing their feet like a servant, “For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.” And Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:21, “For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps.” The vocation, the high calling of every believer, is to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

God is going to keep working with each of us until we get to the place where we act the way Jesus would act in every situation of life, until we manifest the same kind of fruit of the Spirit that He manifested.

Give God Your Best, Part 1

I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands. — Psalm 31:14....15

I’ve trained myself now to start each day by giving God the first fruits of my time. I’ve realized that I’m not going to get through the day peacefully if I don’t spend time with God. So, each morning, I get coffee, and usually while still in my pajamas, I just spend as much time with God as I need to in order to feel I can behave properly and walk in the fruit of the Spirit throughout the day.

I learned to use the best part of my day to give God the best part of my heart. Giving God the first moments of the morning helps keep my priorities straight for the rest of the day. Don’t use this gift of time with God to meditate on your problems. During this time with God, set your heart as the psalmist did, who wrote, “But I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands.” (Psalm 31:14....15, emphasis mine)

The Bible says to “lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:5....7)

God wants to hear us say, “Lord, I don’t know how You’re going to do this. I don’t care how You do it. I know it’s going to be right. I trust all my circumstances to You. My times are in Your hands. Trusting You is my first priority in life.”