In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Recently I have been exploring the three basic philosophical questions, Who am I! Where am I going! And what is my purpose! I seem to be concentrating very much on the first of these questions, Who/What am I! I know I am a redeemed image of Christ, and I cannot fail in the “good works” that God has prepared in advance for me to do. But why do I keep stumbling! Why do I still try to do things in my own strength!
As I write this it is my birthday, the end of June, and I am 55. I lost my father in January (see previous blogs by me), this caused my mother to give up, and she followed him into death, in May. This made me go through a gamut of emotions, grief but only for a short time. My mother told me on several occasions, including the day of my father’s funeral, that she did not want to go on without my father. She was ill herself, and in a fair amount of pain. So she just stopped; it was difficult to get her to eat and her health declined rapidly.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.1 Corinthians 13:11
After the grief came anger, how could she just give up and choose to die! What about me! How could she leave me! It’s not fair!! You see I have always been dependant on my mother, I never really learnt to cut the apron strings, to put it another way, when I became a man I did not put the things of childhood away and I still thought like a child, and still do!
Strangely I never felt any anger at God, I felt worried because the last time I spoke to my mother she was definitely not a believer in Jesus, and, therefore, she will be judged accordingly and possibly face the “Second Death” (Revelation 20:11-15). Even though I went through the same sense of failure when my father died, I felt I had stumbled and failed in my mandate from God, to shine as an image of Christ to light the way for others. My mother had not “seen my good deeds and glorified God”.
But was that my fault! Partly, yes, because I am human and fallible, I am not fully an image of Christ, YET! I am only a poor reflection of his glory. But partly I was not to blame, my mother was a daughter of this fallen world, and choose not to see “God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – [That] have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people [my mother] are [was] without excuse.” (Romans 1:20). We can look at many reasons that she choose not to see God, she was married during World War 2 and was bringing up Children (my eldest brother) through the tail end of the war. Her father died when she was 10, my Father was a naval officer, often at sea during the worst of the naval battles of World War 2. The world did not treat her kindly. But does this excuse her from turning her back on God! The one and only Person with all the answers.
So why did she not see my “light”, I am not Jesus, therefore, how arrogant of me to think I could save my mother. But I am:-
- A light to show the way to Jesus. (Matthew 5:16)
- A redeemed image of Christ. (Galatians 3:40)
- An image of the Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1;26)
- God’s workmanship created to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
- The likeness of Christ. (Romans 8:29)
- Called by God. (Romans 8:30)
- Righteous and Holy. (Ephesians 4:20)
- And saving the best for last, LOVED BY GOD. (John 3:16)
So why do I keep stumbling? I am all of the above but, I am also human and I am not YET a perfect image of Christ. I am flawed and still can choose not to listen fully God, and all to easily I listen to the lies of Satan. Even though God has NEVER failed me or been wrong. But it is no good me feeling sorry for myself. The Grace of God covers all of my flaws, after all, that is why a “Perfect Man”, Jesus, became flesh, experienced our life, without sin, died at the cross to pay for my sin (flaws) and rose on the third day to assure me of eternal life.