When God was enjoying himself in the self-expression of creation, he came to the pinnacle and said, "Hey, why not make human beings in my own image and likeness!" Then he planted himself within the Human creature! This was our original purpose and plan -- to bear God's image, to express God in the world.

Focus your prayers with me on the goal that every member of our church family know the full realization and expression of God's image in their lives.

Day 22 of The Purpose-Driven Life introduces the third purpose of our lives: To Become Like Christ. Christ is the example of the Human fully expressing God's image. This is our goal, model and purpose. I pray, Lord, that we will realize the possibility of being fully conformed to Christ in your grace.

"God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.... We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him." - Rom 8:9 (Msg)

I pray that those who have trusted in Jesus will realize the thrill of diving into the richness of life and reality there for us in the Risen Christ. Not just church as a hobby activity, but the fullness of our being and purpose for life!

Cyril of Alexandria, in the early 400s, wrote "Indeed, the mystery of Christ runs the risk of being disbelieved precisely because it is so incredibly wonderful. For God was in humanity. He who was above all creation was in our human condition: the invisible one was made visible in the flesh." - On the Unity of Christ

Is the union of divine and human just too fantastic for people to really believe? Can they just not accept that God really wants us to have the fullness of him? Is it too much to believe that God can really make us like Christ? O Lord, help us believe! Forgive our hesitation, heal us from our distraction!

As we pray together in our virtual prayer room, I call upon God's grace to turn us to him! I call upon the Spirit to fill us! I plead with our Lord that our thoughts be freed to turn fully to him. I pray that we will fall in amazed acceptance of his possiblities for us, that we will declare our purpose is to be only fully what he causes us to be in Christ -- the expressions of the Human united with the Divine!

Lord, please grant it!