In His Image

When reading Matt 13:44-45 many people put themselves in the place of the man finding a treasure, and the treasure it the gospel. However, in the other similar parables that Jesus told, the one doing the finding is God and what is found is us, his lost ones. In these two verses the value of what is found is emphasized: He sold all he had to obtain it (me). He made the universe, all that is belongs to Him, things are of little value because He wishes them into existence. On the other hand, what is more valuable, more precious, what could cost Him more than the life of His Son? So we see that in the whole struggle of good and evil the 'prize' for God is the love and worship of human beings, and God gave everything He had to get it.

We are told in Genesis that we are made in His Image: like Him in so many ways. We communicate with Him and each other, we can be creative, we have emotions like His, we think and use logic, and we have power equal to His. Power equal to His? No, we cannot make things out of thin air (or thinner vacuum), nor know what others are thinking, or know the future as well as the past. But here He has given everything He has for us, for our love, and yet has granted to us the ability to resist Him! He considers love that is not freely given as not real love. The only thing He cannot just make happen by thinking about it is in our power to give or withhold. What a bold God--to trust His future to such as us. I love Him more each time I think about it.

In a few hours I am going for the first Chemo treatment. I will let you know how it goes.