Becoming more like Him

"Christ is sitting for His portrait in every disciple... The Savior longs to manifest His grace and stamp His character on the whole world. Though satan works to hinder this purpose, yet... there are triumphs to be achieved."  ~E. G. White, "The Desire of Ages" p827

In "Trip Into the Supernatural", Roger Morneau describes walking into the satanist's temple and being impressed by a portrait that hung in a place of honor.  He was shocked when the priest said satan and a few of his demons had actually appeared to the group in order that they could be painted.  The portrait hung before an alter which the worshipers used to perform duties of reverence. 

But here in "The Desire of Ages" we have described another portrait, one that is painted, imprinted, cultivated onto a living canvas.  Everything that God has set up for Himself, satan seeks to take and pervert. God longs to imprint Himself onto our lives, our hearts, our souls, and our bodies.  He longs for us to be so close to Him, so hidden in Him, that whenever anyone looks at us, they see Him.  Unlike the painting that Morneau viewed, we have the opportunity not just to observe the portrait, but to BE the portrait.

This means when anyone looks at me, I can be so much like Christ that nothing distracts the viewer from seeing Him.  But there are so many distractions that block that view of God. Satan hinders others from seeing Christ in us by seeking to destroy God's image.  Using pain, regret and bitterness, confusion, despair, busyness, lack of proper diet and exercise, he blurs the stamp of God's character, instead etching on our faces despair that arises from a lack of faith in God's transformational and redeeming power.  Instead of Christ, we see reflected in our mirrors (and our lives) excess weight, ruined health, debt, lying words, too-short and too-tight clothes, gossipy mouths, TV addition, undisciplined children, bad grades, miserable marriages, and dirty homes.  Is any of this something that one would examine and say, "Wow, I want to live like THAT!"

"Be not deceived," the Bible writer says; "Evil communication corrupts good manners." (1 Cor 15:33)  With whom am I communicating?  Whose portrait is sitting above the alter in my heart?  Whom have I spent time reverencing?  There are only two choices.

White writes further: "All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power."  Praise God that triumphs can be achieved.  It is amazing to me that every time I fail, God has a plan for redeeming me. If I focus on Him, if I spend time with Him, if I reverence and fear Him, that is the beginning of wisdom.  That will be the beginning of triumphing over the evil one, and a constant influx of physical and mental power will be mine.

"Christ is sitting for His portrait in every disciple..."  What does my portrait look like?