Jesus
said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself…" — Matthew 16:24
With respect to the life we live, there are two sides
to the coin, the natural and the supernatural.
I am sure you have heard the saying “The apple does not fall too far
from the tree.” Or how about “He is just
like his dad.” I remember that one. Before I type what I am going to type, let
me preface it by saying my mom was a godly woman who led many to Jesus. Before her rebirth .. well she was just like
every other person who needs Jesus. My
parents were divorced when I was 2 years old.
I was one of four, the youngest, from my parents’ marriage. We lived with my mom. Years later, my mom admitted she got married
for the wrong reason .. one of 15 children she wanted out of the house. Many people make choices like that. The consequences of those “flesh” choices reverberate through their lives and the lives
of their children and maybe even their children. OK, so one day I did something she didn’t like
and she said to me “Stop doing that you remind me of your father!” I can
remember thinking, “Don’t be like your father or you will lose the love of your
mother.” It proved to be a deterrent
from my wanting to be like him in any way.
Well that is the natural.
On the
other hand, as a teenager, I worked in my stepdad’s family business. When I would talk to customers, they would
often say, I can see the family resemblance.
It was not because I shared their physical characteristics, but that my
behavior, humor, demeanor was like theirs.
The way I acted was a reflection of his family. I would just smile.
Today, there is a significant interest in people
discovering their genetic roots.
Ancestry.com advertises a lot on television. People want to know and are willing to pay to
know. Ancestry.com is connected to –
sponsored by the Mormons church by the way.
Family trees are very important to their faith. Knowing where they came from is an important
part of their belief system. With
respect to the natural side of the coin, the Bible tells us that we came from Adam. We are a reflection of Adam. “All
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23
In other words, when we are born naturally, we are not
like God. People think they can find
meaning and perhaps comfort in knowing about their natural ancestry. What they need to know is what Jesus told
Nicodemus, “You must be born again … by
the Spirit” – John 3:3-8
So with respect to the supernatural side of the coin. God’s
intent is that we be a reflection of the God of heaven, or more correctly, His
Son, Jesus. Paul wrote, “For
those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified.” – Romans 8:29
But to do that you must be born again and walking
after the Spirit and not the flesh. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” – John 14:9 Jesus was and is a reflection of the
Father. They are indistinguishable. Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
– John 17:21
When we reflect Jesus, we reflect the Father. There is
no room for our old nature or its individuality. Our identity is in Christ. “..old
things are passed away .. everything is becoming new.” – 2
Corinthians 5:17
Be on your guard because your flesh will surely rise
up and demand its place in your life. It
is possible to be born again and not reflect the One who has made your new birth
possible. But it is also possible that
if you don’t reflect Jesus that you are not born again at all, merely
religious. Only God can see your heart, all
the world can see is the family resemblance.
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