Like Father.....Like Sons & Daughters

That 3-1/2 to 4 hours between Frisco, TX and Tulsa, OK gives me plenty of time to think about subject matter for my FB posts. This trip back to Tulsa didn't disappoint. As I gazed at the beautiful blue skies with puffy white clouds, the trees, and pastures abundant with cattle -- I thought "Father God -- You are such an awesome Creator!" And, I thought about His magnificent genius in creating you and me -- IN HIS IMAGE (Genesis 1:26)! Now that's something to think about! I don't think that scripture means "look like Him" as much as "act like Him". We should bear the family resemblance.

In Genesis we read that God spoke things into being. He said, "Let there be light" and there was light. He said let there be skies and earth and stars and moon and there were skies and earth and stars and moon. By what He said, things were created.

So, doesn't it make sense that if we’re made in his image and He created with words, we are creators with our words also? Proverbs 18:21 says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue." The example I thought of was a young woman we knew, who was so near and dear to us. She grew up with people telling her she was stupid, that she'd never amount to anything, that she was lazy, and a hopeless case. That resonated within her for years and years. Those people were creators. They created a world of pain, hurt, disappointment, inferiority and rejection in this young woman, but all was not lost. One day, she came into our lives. Immediately we began to create beauty and life as God would. We started speaking into her "You are beautiful, you are worthwhile, you are smart, you are funny, you are valuable, you are precious, you are packed with potential and accomplishment. The more we spoke into her, the more she started believing and becoming all that....and more.

Everyday we have the opportunity to not only CREATE beauty in others by the way we speak to them, but we have the opportunity to CREATE environments conducive to turning darkness to light, animosity to tenderness and kindness, hatred to love and sadness to joy! So, CREATORS!!! Let's CREATE!!! Let's get our "creative" juices flowing and start creating beauty and life with OUR words AND actions! Wouldn't it be great if we could look at OUR creations, and, like God, say, "It is very good!" (Genesis 1:31)

Raising the Bar -- Status Quo....Unacceptable!

God certainly set the bar high for us when He said words like this: "Love your enemies!” “Have peace in the midst of storms!” “Overcome evil with good!” "Be perfect as I am perfect." "Don't judge and you will not be judged." "Have faith and don't doubt." "I've made you MORE than conquerors." He didn't give us much "just-get-by" wiggle room, did He?

God didn't create us for mediocrity. He created us in His image -- He makes the impossible, possible. He makes darkness, light. He makes can't, can. There's nothing mediocre about Him. So, His expectations for us are extremely HIGH! Why should we be satisfied with a just-get-by mindset, when we have a Father who is unlimited and abounding in love and favor toward us? And, if He didn't think it were possible, He would have never set such high standards for us. Everything we do should be done with excellence. When we are asked to go one mile, whether it be in a job, a project, or a service, we should be ready to go the second mile, too. That's raising the bar. Yes, our Father gives to us in above-and-beyond measure, so His lead sets the bar high for us. It means we'll have to stretch out of our comfort zone, but I promise you, the benefits of stretching gives us rewards beyond our greatest expectations.

God didn’t set the bar high so that we would fail. He did it to show how high He can take us! Let's stop being satisfied with the status quo -- let's raise the bar, and be all He destined us to be and do!