In His Likeness

I know I'm not the only one who reads God's Word and notices that one particular line will jump out at me on any particular day.

As I was meditating on Psalm 50 this morning, verse 21 did just that. It jumped right out of the page and landed in my heart. It reads, "These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes." (NKJV)

God tells us in Genesis chapter one that He created us in His image and likeness. The term "Christian" means Christ-like. We were created to be like God, loving Him, our neighbor, and being fruitful and multiplying. We are called to worship our Creator, bring honor and glory to Him, and heed His call on our lives.

Yet, we stray. Yet, we sin. Yet, we fall short of the glory of God. For some reason, we start to think that God is like us, rather than we are like Him. We make Him common. We bring Him down from His throne. We exalt ourselves above the One who we should be worshiping. Human beings start to think that they have rights...to take life, to steal, to lay with another man's wife, to cheat on their own spouse, to defile marriage, to lie...and we think that we can get away with it. How?

And some take it one step further. Some claim to be Christian, yet continue to walk in these wicked ways. Going to church on Sunday morning, taking communion, and being baptized mean nothing to God if we continue in our sinful ways the other six days of the week.
"But to the wicked God says;
What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
Seeing that you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?" (Psalm 50:16-17 NKJV)

For whatever selfish reason within us, we think that God is altogether like us...that's bold.

So, how do we counter that urge within us? Who does God say is like Him?
"Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23 NKJV)

We must order our conduct aright. We must line ourselves, our will, up with the Word and will of God. We must forsake those old ways and that sinful nature. We must pray that God creates a clean heart within and restores the joy of His salvation. We must give our lives back to Jesus. We must remember that it is we who are like God, not the opposite. He created us in His image and in His likeness.

We are going to have to face God one day and give an account for all that we have said and done. He will set those things in order before our eyes. Why not do it today, rather than wait until it's too late? We need to confess our sins to the Lord, ask forgiveness, and allow Him to shine His light where darkness lives within. It's only by the blood of Jesus that we can obtain salvation.