Community Church of Elkhorn

    Mankind was made in the image of God is tells us in the book of Genesis.  Isn't it interesting that the only created thing God forbid to eat of
the tree of good and evil was man.  This is because only man bears the
image of God in his soul.  Animals, the book of Genesis tells us, were made after their own kind.  Unlike mankind who was made in God's image.
    So what happened? Sin destroyed the image of God in the soul of man when Adam and Eve ate what God had forbidden them to eat.  They failed the test. But before you point a finger at them, remember you also would have failed it.  The result is a separation in fellowship because the image of God in man has been marred by disobedience.  We are also told that mankind in and of himself can never regain his created place separated from God.  Consequently, God seeks to restore us like a person restoring a beautiful piece of furniture that has been marred by time and the elements.  However, unlike the damage to a piece of furniture, which can be clearly seen and restored, the soul that is marred by sin is quite a different matter. The soul's damage, unlike the furniture, is not clearly at first glance and can not be corrected by human effort.      
    Only God can reach down inside us and restore our soul. That's why Jeremiah used the imagery of a potter and clay.  The potter who represented God can mold and shape our soul from the inside out but only when we surrender our lives to Him.  And like a potter if we aren't being shaped as desired, we can be pressed down into a lump of clay so that the potter can start all over again.  And there in lies the truth of life.  We are constantly working against God and continually being pressed down so that the potter can start all over again.  What we need to do is break the cycle by giving God full sway in our lives. 
    So today why not let God have His way as He seeks to shape your life.  Why not surrender to the molding, shaping process.  After all in the end we are accountable to Him alone.   How's the image shaping going in your life today?