Truths of an Organized Life - who God is, Part 2

In my last post I wrote about the first truth of an organized life -- who God is. If you didn't have a chance to read that and would like to, you can check it out here. Today we're going to look at why knowing who God is matters to us in our everyday living.

I've mentioned before that I have two teenage daughters. They don't look alike and they don't act alike either. My younger daughter looks like her dad. She's light skinned with sandy blonde hair and Shirley Temple curls. She doesn't take after me in the looks department at all. In fact, when she was younger, I was often asked if I was babysitting! My older daughter, however, is a different story. Like me, she has an olive complexion, brown hair, and brown eyes. My husband always says, "She is definitely your daughter!" I guess you could say she is my spitting image.

So why the family info on a blog post about organization? Because just as my daughter resembles me, we are meant to resemble God and who He is.

As God's children, we were created in His image (Genesis 1:27). Image in this context means "in the shadow of". Webster's Dictionary defines image as: a likeness or imitation, a person strikingly like another person, and a vivid representation. This means that we were created to be imitators of God's character and a clear representation of who He is. You could also think of it like this: just as our own shadows imitate our body movements, then our actions and character should imitate God's. So if God is organized, orderly and planned, then we should be too!

In Ephesians 5:1 Paul wrote, "Be imitators of God, therefore...". Just prior to that, Paul had exhorted his readers to forgive others, just as in Christ God forgave us. Now he was telling them that having a forgiving spirit was one way of imitating God. This passage is just one of many in which we we are encouraged to be like God. As Christians we are called to love as Christ loved (Eph. 5:2), to be merciful (Luke 6:36) and to be holy just as God Himself is (Lev. 11:44, 1 Peter 1:14-16). And although it isn't stated outright, we are to be orderly as God is! Even Paul told the Corinthians that, "Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." (1 Cor. 14:40). Why? Because God is!

I don't know about you, but knowing that I was created to be organized and orderly is encouraging! It means that even if in the natural I am not an organized person, then with God, His help, and His example, I can be!

Now I know that walking in God's image is not always easy. And I mean I really know! I fail as much as I succeed. But unfortunately, to the world in which we live, image is everything. And when we allow our lives to be ruled by chaos and disorder, we are being poor image bearers of God to a lost world.

You and I are God's ambassadors, His representatives to the world. How we act and what we say are a reflection of who God is and directly impacts our ability to reach those who don't know Christ personally. Paul understood this when he wrote, "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Eph. 5:15-17). And Peter said, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God..." (1 Peter 2:12). Living good and wise lives, including lives of order, can glorify God and win others to belief.

I think we need to ask ourselves, what is my life saying? Are chaos and disorder keeping my light from shining? What changes do I need to make to be an image bearer that glorifies God as a God of order?

It is not enough to say that we know God's character is one of order. We have to follow that knowledge with actions. We have to choose to be the way that He is because image, His image, matters. And I pray that when others look at our lives and our desire to be like Him, then they will see the resemblance and say, "She is definitely His daughter!"




*Next post we'll look at who we are as it relates to organization.

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