A God With Skin Pt. 2
I’m going to reflect a little bit on God. In the beginning, God created everything, and it was good. Everything was in sync with the purposes God had created them for. God created man, he scooped him up, and showed him the whole of creation, saying “Look around, this is all yours; and look at me, I am yours; and I’ll look at you and I’ll see in your face the reflection of My own glory. This is your end, this is why you were created, that you might worship me and enjoy me and glorify me and have me forever.”Adam and Eve were created to bring pleasure, joy and fellowship to God. Then Satan poisoned the minds of Adam and Eve, and they sinned. They quickly covered themselves up with fig leaves, and hid from God.
Many of us have the false hope of a “monkey suit” religion-if I can cover up the exterior well enough and make everything look alright on the outside, sooner or later it will change who I am. This reduces the longing for holiness. We spend our lives trying to figure out all the do’s and don’ts, trying to get rid of the shame on the inside-because we have lost our real identity, and try to mask who we are with a spiritual monkey suit.
The real tragedy of the story is that they lost their purpose. In reality, they had amnesia. They had a type of spiritual amnesia. They rushed to cover their exteriors-they were ashamed and disoriented.
I Peter 2:11-12: 11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits.”
Leviticus 19:2- “Be Holy, because I, the Lord, am Holy”. Obviously, Peter and God think that it is quite possible to live a Holy life…. But what does that mean? How can we live a life that is Holy, just as God is Holy? Where is the rule book? What is okay, and what is not okay?
This is a difficult thing to read, many times. Is God so foolish that He believes that simply because He is Holy that we can, or should, also be holy?
Think of a college professor. He says to you: “I am the best teacher in the world. You BETTER make an ‘A’, because everyone I have ever taught has made an ‘A’ in my class. I am intelligent, and know my stuff. You better make an ‘A’ or else!”
This hardly seems fair. Sure, the subject might be easy for the professor, but you are new to the subject. But some people read this statement by God the same way. How could God say “I am perfect, holy, and all around great, so you BETTER be too… oh, and I’m watching you…” Yeah, that sounds pretty rough.
But imagine for a moment the same professor, but this time saying to you “hey, I know you’re new to the subject, and I know that it’s very difficult, but don’t worry. I am the best teacher that has ever lived. I know the material front and back. You WILL make an ‘A’, because I’m going to be right beside you helping you every step of the way. This isn’t on you… it’s on me.”
Wow! What a thought. Maybe our holiness rests in the fact that God is Holy! Because God is holy, he can help us to be Holy like Him, if we just live in the fragrance of God, putting our trust in Him. We can be holy because His Holy Spirit is there to help guide us along the way. We CAN be holy, because God is Holy!
God has chosen to use us-His people to bring about the change in the world. He is all powerful, but has chosen to use us to bring about His purposes. Be the sound for those who are to be saved to hear. He has ordained us to go into the world, spreading the Gospel, but also being a living epistle for people to read. As we walk into a room, the room is transformed as the fragrance of God permeates the very souls of everyone in there. The life that exudes the presence of God is how people can experience God. We, as the body of Christ are called to be “God with skin”. We are to be Jesus to those who don’t know Him. Walk in the victory procession of Christ boldly, that the world might know Christ.
I have a young friend who thinks the world of me. He sees the way I worship, the way I pray, the way I treat people. To him, I am the ideal person. Now, I know I have made many mistakes. I am far from perfect. Actually, I’m probably closer to being the opposite. But, I have committed my life to being like Christ. I want people to feel God’s love whenever they encounter me. I want people to feel important, useful and loved when they are around me. I want to help people whenever I can, because I know that’s who God is. The other day his parents told me, “He thinks you are like a god.” It’s funny, though, because that’s perfect. To him, I am being a “god with skin”. That is what the church is called to be-the Body of Christ…a God with skin for this world.
Isn’t this we want people to see? The loving, caring, beautiful God that we serve? Be a God with skin! Carry the fragrance of Jesus. Amen?