Let God Restore His Image in You  

Many of us have watched with great interest and with sad hearts the news of the recent devastating wildfires in Maui. Such tragic loss of life and property is always grievous. However, it seems even more lamentable due to the location of this particular calamity. It occurred not only at a prime tourist area and famous vacation spot, but also in a beautiful area that many view as being a sort of paradise. It is disheartening to see the destructive effects of the fire on what had been such a picturesque landscape. Hopefully we are all continuing to pray for and support the victims of this catastrophe.

The Bible reminds us of another time when paradise was tragically lost. The effects of that event have been even more devasting and long-lasting. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they lost much more than the opportunity to live in a beautiful, peaceful Utopia. They lost their right relationship with God and part of His image in which they had been created. They gained a selfish, sinful nature along with its consequences, while losing the innocence, purity, and holiness that they were meant to possess. And it didn’t stop with them. This wildfire that originated with their sin has spread throughout the ages of history, being passed along to every subsequent generation.  

Thankfully, God has made a way for us to survive the awful effects of this event. He loved us so much that He sent His Son into this fallen world to be our Savior. We can find forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. We can have a restored relationship with our Creator. We can be saved from the fires of hell and be assured of a heavenly home, a new paradise.

 However, God’s provision for us doesn’t stop there. Too many of us are ready to receive what is needed to survive the tragic fall of mankind, but we fail to pursue the opportunity to rebuild what has been lost. We may not gain everything Adam lost at Eden, but we can have more of that image of God restored in us than we might think. God can not only forgive us of our sins, but He can cleanse us to make us a holy people. He can so work in our lives that we can become less selfish and more loving toward God and others. He can so cleanse us that we become less sinful and more in line with the “pure in heart” whom Jesus said are blessed and will see God (Matthew 5;8). Let’s not just allow God to help us survive the fire, but to rebuild His holy image in our hearts and lives.

We are grateful for the people who made it through the fires in Maui alive. Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be even more wonderful if those folks are able to rebuild and restore much of what those fires took away from them. They likely will not be satisfied to leave their area as a burned-out, barren landscape. They will hope to rebuild and revitalize it.

Similarly, let’s not be satisfied with lives that simply live under bondage to sin and its corruption while we wait for our heavenly paradise. We can begin to experience some heaven on earth right now. We can have some of that lost image restored and rebuilt in us. We can become more holy people. “Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24).