How many are searching to know themselves -their true selves? Do you put yourself in that category? If you truly want to know yourself, get to know God. Stop and think a moment. What is the first characteristic of mankind mentioned in the Bible? Here’s what the Word says:
“And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He Him; male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
That’s right, we’re made in the image of God, and that is the first thing you need to know about yourself. Obviously, that image has been marred because of sin, which means it’s hardly recognizable today -at least in the world. One important thing to note is God made the Ultimate Provision to restore the true image -Jesus!
Why would someone search for his or her identity in nature? While it is true you see God in nature, because He does reveal Himself through it. Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made . . . But do remember, nature has been created; it is not the Creator. Centering briefly on the fact He reveals many things about Himself in creation, here some things on which to reflect. When you consider the vastness of the universe and everything in it, and yet it cannot contain God, then you become more aware of His Majesty. Still, as you consider the delicate details of every living organism, you are awakened to the fact there is no detail too small for Him to capture. In fact, He created the fine details. What does that say about you? You were created with greatness and great care. You were fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalms 139:4). There is nothing about you that is accidental! If you have a disconnect with God, you may have a hard time seeing greatness within you, not to mention how much value you hold in His heart. This leads to another very important component in how you see yourself deep down: how you view God.
For example, if you don’t see Him as good, you may never really see goodness in yourself. And this does refer to believers. Apart from His goodness, there is no one good. Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. How can you see good in anyone, perhaps especially yourself, if you do not see the Creator as good to begin with? Many people judge God because they don’t know Him. If you find yourself being critical with Him, perhaps you don’t know Him as well as you would like to believe. This might also partially explain why some are so critical of themselves, not to mention, others. If you think about it, does it make sense that a created being would criticize his or her Creator? By the way, humans are the only ones who do that, and this reveals a few things: one is we are not mere animals. Although, it does appear animals have a leg up on mankind. At least they know better than to criticize their Maker! In fact, all nature praises and glorifies God every moment of every day. A second thing it reveals is we have been given a free will, and that shows a third element: God is patient, merciful, gracious and very kind!. If He wasn’t these things, many would be suffering beyond what they could possibly imagine. In fact, that demonstrates another beautiful thing about Him: God does not want humanity to suffer. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Ultimate suffering or ultimate peace is up to us. He gives us the freedom to choose. His love has no strings attached, and that reveals another aspect about you: you were created for love, by Love.
By now, more than likely you have heard the phrase, “To thyself be true.” Here is a simple truth: if you want to be true to yourself, be true to God!
Psalms 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!
