As much as I hated the pop quizzes in seminary, always testing us on rather obscure specifics of Scripture in what had been our reading for the day, I must admit, it gave me a sense of awe about God’s inclusion of little details in Scripture and how their significance can be unrelated to their size.

Today, let’s look at the significance of a little piece of broiled fish.  The two men from Emmaus, having walked all that while–without knowing who they were with–were sharing with the other disciples their story of finally recognizing Him.

Luke 24: 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Might as well have said, “Boo!”  It had the same effect.

Luke 24:37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”

Things like this just don’t happen every day.  In my mind, I would have been thinking, “Okay, this is seriously creeping me out.  It’s unreal.”  I would want to believe, it’s just there was no precedent for this kind of thing.

Luke 25:41 “They still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.” 

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Boom. 
The significance of a piece of broiled fish. 
Stop and let it sink in.

Humanity is a beautiful hybrid of the physical/flesh world and the spiritual realm…from our initial Creation. Every man, woman, and child since Adam and Eve has had that pairing.

Jesus, however, was not this way until the Incarnation.  Jesus’ point was that ghosts don’t have flesh and bones…and they don’t eat.  Beings from the spiritual realm don’t need to eat because they’re spiritual only.  Moreover, Jesus’ flesh still bore the marks of crucifixion which He held out as His identifying mark.  His ID card, as it were. He will return the exact same way He departed: fully human, fully God (Acts 1:3-11).

Focus for Lent: The pre-incarnate Christ was spiritual-only and God’s Very Image. After the Incarnation Jesus would bear true humanity forever as evidence of God’s sacrificial love displaying His Very Image.

Questions for further thought:

The difference between a ghost of the spiritual realm and flesh and blood was evidenced by His eating in their presence.  Jesus, post-resurrection, was not just spiritual like an angel, or like God the Father or the Holy Spirit.  Had Jesus abandoned His humanity like it was just a costume?  Or is He still one of us, even as the perfect man from Heaven?

What would abandoning His humanity have done for our hope?  And for us as Image-bearers?

Jesus was in a sense, Incarnated forever.  He added full humanity to His full divinity and didn’t shed humanity at His death.  Why is that important to the Image of God in us now, and how we will be in heaven?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please help me to recognize You, to recognize the need for You to suffer, and die, and be raised on the third day.  Help me to be grateful and zealous to understand how all Scripture is fulfilled in You and that by suffering and dying for us, You have paved the way for us to be saved, too.  It’s overwhelming for us to probe the vastness of Your love and grace.  Awaken us so we will increasingly reflect more of You.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

It is entirely possible to see Jesus, walk with Jesus, learn from Jesus, and still not recognize Him and the Very Image of God He displays.  Two men walking on the road to Emmaus learned that by experience, telling their conversation to Jesus, they said,

Luke 24:21 We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

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25 [Jesus] said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”

Suffering seems to be at such odds with the Image of God and yet, somehow faithfulness to God amid suffering shows the Image of God like rays of sun bursting through a dark and cloudy sky.  For Jesus, suffering came first, then glory.  Without understanding the need for Christ’s suffering, we will not see Him for who He is.  It’s sacrificial love; and His body broken for us is what made Him recognizable as God’s Very Image.

Focus for Lent: Embrace suffering that comes our way as sacrificial love working to perfect our salvation.

Questions for further thought:

What about His giving thanks, breaking bread, and giving it to them revealed His identity (as God’s Very Image) in a way His mere physical presence did not?

Why did He disappear after their eyes were opened?

If Jesus (God’s Very Image) suffered and then entered His glory, what about us?  As His Image-bearers, why would we be any less likely to suffer before entering the glory of eternal life? (See John 15: 17-27)

Prayer: Father God, thank You for our Lord Jesus Christ, how He suffered and died, leaving us an example to follow.  Thank You for the gift of Communion to remind us of what Jesus has done so we may recognize Him always as Your Very Image.  While it’s easy to see Your pattern has always been suffering followed by deliverance, we ask, Lord, that You would keep our hearts in Your care so we might be found faithful even in suffering.  We love You, Lord.  Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Yesterday, we saw that when Jesus returns, we will bear the Image of the heavenly man, Jesus Christ.  But wait, there’s more! We don’t just get His Image; we also get to share in His glory.  Let your thoughts rest on that for the moment.

For now, our encounter with God has glory that reflects the freshness of our encounter with Christ. As Paul writes, in 2 Corinthians 3:3-18:

2 Corinthians 3: 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God.

Our confidence comes from the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ.  Our encounter with Christ is the source of our glory…and unlike under the Old Covenant which pointed to our need for a Savior, as we are now born again by His finished work, our glory in Christ lasts!

2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant– not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

Focus for Lent: The freedom we have in Christ as born-again Image-bearers.

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Questions for further thought:

Why is the veil only taken away in Christ?

2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

What do you think of when you contemplate the Lord’s glory?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please show me more of Your glory in my midst. Right now, everything looks so bleak. But instead of gazing on that, may I focus on You so that I may better honor You and exalt Your holy Name. I praise You for transforming us into Your image and for the freedom Your Holy Spirit provides. Thank You for Your promise to make all things new. We praise You, we thank You, and we glorify You. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

There is something about God’s Image that hints at radiating or reflecting.  Kind of like the moon reflects the light of the sun.  When we display God’s Image, we radiate it back to Him, and He receives it as glory. Why do I say that?

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Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

While He walked the earth, He had earthly glory as the radiance of God’s glory.  When He had ascended, He had glory restored to Him such as He had before the world.  He had the full glory of God back then and now, beyond just reflecting it while He walked the earth.

When Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17, He prayed, John 17:1 “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. 2 For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.”

Focus for Lent: The connection between Jesus’ being the very Image of God and radiating His glory and how that applies to us as His Image-bearers.

Questions for further thought:

When Jesus returns “in His glory” He will sit on His glorious throne to judge (Matthew 25:31).  How will this differ from the glory He had while He walked the earth?

What does this mean for our future as Christians and God’s Image-bearers? Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-57 (pay particular attention to verse 49): 

1 Corinthians 15: 45 “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.”

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, that at Your return, we will bear Your Image as Christians.  We thank You for the life-giving spirit—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Forgive us for trying so hard to blend in with the world and its ways, for not making waves or challenging the evils of our times.  Forgive us for being afraid to acknowledge You in the public square and our private thoughts.  We repent of these things and ask for Your boldness in the days to come so we will be found faithful at Your return.  We love You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

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Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.

Mankind has a broken Image needing to be born-again.  Not so with Jesus.  He was already God’s Very Image.  Not He has God’s Image, but He is the Image of the invisible God.

Jesus doesn’t need to be born-again.  Jesus had no sin or need to be forgiven.

Focus for Lent: The perfection of our Savior.

Questions for further thought:

How is Christ the Image of God?

When the disciples looked at Jesus, did they know they were seeing perfect, unspoiled, unbroken humanity with God’s very Image?

See Matthew 21:10, Mark 4:38-41, Luke 5:20-26, Luke 7:49-50, and Luke 24:30-32 for insight.

What opens people’s eyes to the spiritual reality of Christ?

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit whose job description is to take from what is Christ’s and make it known to us. Thank You that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  May our eyes be opened while there is still time.  We long for Your return, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

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This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Created to Display His Image” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship. Today, reflect on His mercy.

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Seems kind of unfair, in a sense.  Salvation is not passed from one generation to the next automatically, but the sin nature (our brokenness) is.  What began with Adam and Eve has been our legacy because once something is broken, it is not restored to wholeness. Piece it together, patch it, glue it…it’s never the same again.  It’s never just like new.

Being restored to wholeness requires being born again, and we can’t be born-again over and over for each offspring.  It’s an individual thing.  Each person must decide for him/herself.

Focus for Lent: Make the individual decision to follow Christ.

Questions for further thought:

For those of you who are parents, what is our responsibility to the next generation?  Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it. “

Is that a guarantee that your children will follow Christ?  Many a heartbroken parent knows that verse provides no guarantee since the decision to follow Christ is not inherited but individual.

Does the uncertain outcome absolve parents of their responsibility?  Read Deuteronomy 11:19-21, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”

If you are not a parent, does this release you from any need to pass along the Gospel message?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, please help me to remember that the Great Commission is for everyone, and the command You have given for us to make disciples exists whether we have young children, grown children, or no children at all. Help us, Lord, to remember that salvation is not inherited and that we can’t take it for granted that just because our parents have followed You that we are also recipients of Your salvation. Thank You, Lord, that Jesus died on a Cross to make it possible for everyone who believes to receive eternal life in Him. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

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When you stop to think about it, it’s really amazing how the Image of God ties everything together. It helps us to understand why once sin broke the Image of God in us, it can’t be mended, it can’t be repaired it, can’t be tweaked, or improved! It must be born again.  This is what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus.

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

…13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven– the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.“

Focus for Lent: Jesus came to die so that we could be born again through the Spirit and desire to display His Image.

Questions for further thought:

If sin is making the Image of God do something He wouldn’t do because we’re broken people, what do born-again people do?  If they have been truly born again, will they ignore the Image of God in themselves?

People who don’t believe in God or the Image of God are like people in darkness.  It’s why it doesn’t bother them to sin or violate what remains of their conscience.  No God means no standard of moral conduct or consequences, in their minds.  For people in darkness, do the ends justify the means?  For people in the light, how should the resulting end for the Image of God dictate what path to take?

Can “good works” earn salvation if our brokenness cannot be mended by our effort?  What role do “good works” play?

Prayer: Father God, how we need Your Spirit to give life to our souls and to make us born again. Lord, even though our culture derides that term, for those of us who know You, and the blessings You have given us in being born again, we ask Lord that You would rekindle in our hearts the meaning of this rebirth.  Open the eyes of our culture to see what we see and to see how it glorifies You for us to be born again. Born of the Spirit so that we will follow what Your Spirit desires and so that we will not be led into temptation to sin. We thank You, Lord, for the gift of salvation. For Your glory, Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Sin gave us a broken Image and resulted in our being broken people, acting upon our now depraved nature (our sin nature) to varying degrees.  Sometimes people call this “Total Depravity.”  It doesn’t mean that our humanity is 100% corrupted (as bad as we could possibly be without any ability to exhibit virtue), but it does mean that if you were to sample any portion of a human being, you’ll find sin in that sample, brokenness, and yes, depravity is there too.  Depravity being that we’ve fallen and can’t get up…on our own.  It has infected every part of our being.

Sin affects our minds, and we think wrong thoughts, harbor ill will against our fellow man, and even plot evil.  Sin affects our bodies, and we experience illness and death.  Sin affects our will, and it traps us into impulses and desires that do not reflect God’s Image.

In fact, if someone were to ask me the definition of sin, I’d argue that it is exerting our will and forcing the Image of God, this beautiful relic in us, to do something that God in His true Image would never do. 

In my view, it all goes back to the Image of God.  Lies? God wouldn’t do it.  Think hateful thoughts?  Nope.  Murder, cheat, be unfaithful?  No, no, and no.  In the sexual realm, would Jesus have gone outside of the way He created us or the holiness of the marriage relationship He designed?  No and no.  So, adultery, homosexuality, lust?  You answer whether Jesus would have done these things knowing how He created us.

Focus for Lent:  Sin resides in the brokenness, not in the wholeness of man.  God’s Image resides in the wholeness.

Questions for further thought:

What areas of your life can you redirect to reside in the wholeness instead of the brokenness?

There are those who don’t want to talk about sin.  Do they want to acknowledge the Image of God in themselves?

Joseph understood the connection between sin and the Image of God.  In Genesis 39:6-9, Potiphar’s wife “took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’  But he refused. ‘With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’”

How might it change people’s attitudes about sin if they took the Image of God more seriously in their lives?  Is it scarier to know you’re sinning against God and His Image than it is to feel like you’re just sinning against another person or it’s a private sin/victimless crime?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, please help me to take sin seriously and to know that every sin is ultimately against You.  Forgive us, Father, for all the sins we commit and times we choose to dwell in and on the brokenness. Thank You that our Lord Jesus died on a cross and paid for our sin to restore Your beautiful Image to Yourself, to redeem us, to save us, and to allow us to spend eternity with You.  We are so grateful, Lord. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

That story from last time about Babel is a good reminder for us that we have retained a relic of the Image of God deep within us.  It’s powerful and amazing. It’s ours to use and display, and as wrong as our motivations are at times, it’s never outside of God’s control how we use or display it.  Even if it means scattering us to keep us from using it with sinful motives.

Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Focus for Lent: When we abide in Christ and keep step with the Spirit, we display God’s Image most truly.

Questions for further thought:

Oxford defines a relic as “an object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.”  In what way does “relic” accurately describe the Image of God in us?

In our case, the “relic” is not a whole from antiquity.  How does the term “relic” not fully describe the Image of God?

How is the “broken but not removed” a fitting picture?

Reading Colossians above, the new self is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  What does that mean to you?

Prayer:  Father God, we praise You that in the family of faith, we have been raised with Christ. We ask, Lord, that You would direct our hearts to things above, set our minds on things above, and help us to shed all earthly things.  May we put on our new self to Your glory.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.