LIFE IN THE SECRET PLACE: Becoming Like Him

theChurch Talk It Over Notes September 28-29, 2019

DAY ONE:  Read  Psalm 8:3-6 (AMPC)  “When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”

Man. Mankind. Humans. Homo Sapiens. That is how we refer to the human species, the human race.

At this moment, there are seven billion plus people on Planet Earth.

Seems like a lot until you consider there are more galaxies (100 billion plus) each with a hundred billion plus stars, than people.

There may be as many planets as stars – ten billion trillion.

How vast the universe yet God is “mindful” of man and “visits” man.

“Mindful” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “remember.”

“Visits” comes from a Hebrew word which means “to attend to”, t”to observe.”

David is reflecting perhaps on Moses’ revelation from God in Genesis 1:26 (AMPC) - God said, “Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness…”

Man can only know his greatness, his ultimate self, in relationship to God.

Man is made a “little lower than God.”

DAY TWO: We are created in His image and His likeness to represent Him in this world, reflecting His character, while living in an intimate, personal, relationship with Him.

That is our earthly vocation.

The God who makes Himself known makes us know ourselves in Him.

When He reveals Himself, He reveals us at the same time.

Man, says God, is My highest revelation, the head and crown of the entire creation.

Made in His image and in His likeness, he was “able not to sin.”

As he was created, he was not yet a “finished product.” He still needed to “grow in the knowledge and wisdom of His Creator.”

Thus the daily discussions in the “cool of the day” in the Garden.

DAY THREE:  After Adam's sin, the image of God was perverted, corrupted, deformed.

That image of God needed to be restored, renewed.

The Holy Spirit’s primary assignment is found in John 16:8-11 (TPT) - And when he comes, he will expose sin and prove that the world is wrong about God’s righteousness and his judgments. “‘Sin,’ because they refuse to believe in who I am. “God’s ‘righteousness,’ because I’m going back to join the Father and you’ll see me no longer. “And ‘judgment’ because the ruler of this dark world has already received his sentence.

The renewal of His image in mankind means that man is now enabled to be properly directed toward God, to function as a loving, worshiping, praying, believing servant of God.

This renewal of His image means we live in responsive obedience to His will and ways.

It means we think God’s thoughts after Him and use our volitional powers to will what He wants us to will.

We thus become more and more like His Son in our words and deeds.

DAY FOUR: God’s preferred answer to “What is man? is “Man is a living, breathing human being who is being recreated in My image and My likeness, a a product of Divine thought, love and power.

Romans 8:29 (MSG) - "God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him."

If you and I would simply accept the significance of the fact that in His secret place God remakes us, restores His image in us and we become our ultimate God-selves.

How it would elevate our perception of “Who I am,” how it would dignify our human life, how it would deliver us from every satanic attack, character assassination, unworthy thought and every ungodly act.

Let us endeavor to become in actuality what and who we are in His thoughts – not only a little lower than Himself, but ever striving, aspiring, growing towards His image and His likeness.

Life draws all of its meaning and value from this truth – God remembers us, He attends to us, He observes us.

As long as there is breath and consciousness within you, He will strive to make you conform to the image of His Son.




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