Monthly Archives: April 2026

You Look Just Like Him — God’s Image Bearer

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“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”‭‭ 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I was in college, I was with a group of friends waiting to be seated at the Olive Garden. We were laughing and talking when a woman that I did not know came up to me and asked me, “Are you Jim Bergman’s daughter? You have to be. You look and act just like him.” It turns out she was my dad’s first cousin and knew him quite well. God created us in His image. His desire is for us to reflect Him, as I reflected my earthly dad at that restaurant. When people look at us, do they ask, “Are you God’s daughter? You have to be. You look and act just like Him?”  

God is a triune God. He is three distinct persons, but all completely one — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are also have three distinct parts— spirit, soul, and body. Each of these parts have a distinct function. Yet we are completely one. God’s intention for us was that all of us our whole being would be sanctified or “kept blameless” — reflect His character. Or in simple terms, we are to “look like our Heavenly Daddy.” 

How is this even possible? It is God’s plan. It is God’s work He does in us. It is accomplished through our deep and intimate relationship with Him. (More on this later.) 

For now, I want to leave you with this question:

Do I desire to be God’s girl reflecting my Heavenly Father to those I am around? If so, ask Him to change you more and more into what you were meant to be all along, a reflection of Him — His image bearer. 

God’s Image Bearer — A Life of Significance

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“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Have you ever felt that you were here for something more than just the ordinary daily grind? That is because you are! God created you in His image. An image is a representation of a person, expression of, copy of, reflection of. You and I were created to represent and express God. We are a copy of Him or a reflection. This is our true design. It is what we were meant for.  We were created to display God to all of creation. We were made to display God’s character and His ways. 

This desire for something more or something bigger than ourselves has been placed deep within us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 describes it this way. “…He has also set eternity in the human heart…”  God has made us for something greater. That greater is Himself! 

The problem is we have been deceived into thinking WE were made for a life of greatness — where we exalt ourselves and we make ourselves known. Living to promote and exalt ourselves will only end in emptiness. We are meant for more, a life of significance — one that signifies or makes someone who is greater (GOD) known. A life of significance is a life of meaning and purpose. 

Have you felt the longing for something more in your life or something greater than what you are currently experiencing? So often we are deceived into thinking that we need to do more for ourself in order to be happy — gratify ourselves, exalt ourselves, do more to fix ourselves (self help). This is a misplaced longing. 

The longing for something more is not meant to discourage you or make you feel less than… It is meant to draw you to what you were created for — the  one true “life of significance” — a life in pursuit of knowing God! 

We can only experience this as we are connected to God in a deep and intimate relationship. It is through that relationship that God shows Himself to us and through us! The more we know Him, the more we will display Him or live as we were created to live, as God’s image bearer, reflecting God to those around us! 

Jesus — The Word

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Today let’s read John 17:6-19. 

““I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. He did this through His Word. The Greek word “Logos” is used for “word”. Logos is the Divine Expression of God. 

For you and me, our words show what is in our hearts. What we speak to one another reveals how we feel, what we think, who we are. 

Jesus said that He “gave them the words” His Heavenly Father gave Him. Jesus spoke and lived out the divine expression of God — what our Heavenly Father feels, thinks and who He is. He expressed or revealed God to us! 

This is so very important to us today! Jesus is the Word of God (Divine Expression) of God. The Word and Jesus are one. The Holy Scripture (Our Bible) is the Word of God. The Word continues to reveal and express who God is to us! The Word is how we KNOW God! We cannot truly KNOW our God if we do not know His Word. 

Understanding this has been life changing to me. I have lived a lot of my life knowing that as a Christian, I needed to read my Bible. It’s kind of the thing a Christian does… BUT just reading the Bible is not the aim. KNOWing the Word or as Jesus put it “accepting the word.” (Verse 8) is what we need! Accepting is receiving what we are reading and taking it in; Obeying what we are reading; (verse 6); Letting His Word “sanctify” us (Verse 17-18), or purify us, change us into God’s image. 

Do I engage with the Word when I read my Bible or am I just reading it to “check off a box”? Do I take the Word in and let it work inside of me, changing me so that I reflect God to those around me? Am I experiencing God when I come to Him daily? 

This is God’s desire for us! 

Our time we spend with the Word is priceless!

Glorify Your Son!

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Good morning! Today let’s read John 17:1-5.

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(God’s glory is the sum total of all His attributes. It is who He is. To glorify is to reveal the divine nature.)

Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross and experience the crucifixion. He also knows that this will not be the end. He will rise again. His prayer is that His Heavenly Father would reveal to the world His divine nature — “glorify Your Son”.  And in turn, Jesus would glorify the Father — reveal God’s divine nature to us.  

Jesus death, burial, and resurrection revealed something to us about who God is: He is powerful. He is loving. He is just. He is good. 

God wants us to know Him. This knowing is an intimate knowing. He wants us to experience a relationship with Him. He generously provided The Way through Jesus. On the cross and through the empty tomb, Jesus glorified His Father. His Father glorified Him! God made Himself— Known! 

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Knowing God is VERY important to us! It is life itself! When we know God, we experience Him! We experience His life in us. This is why Jesus prayed that He would glorify God or make God’s attributes, His divine nature, known to us. 

God’s one true purpose for our lives is that we would KNOW Him and experience His life! 

Do you know God? Are you living moment by moment in a deep and intimate relationship with Him?  

The events of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are proof that God’s one true purpose for us is for us to KNOW Him! May our desire be to KNOW Him all the more!