Catch a glimpse of God through the lense of the colours personality profile. Understand the importance of making a distinction between your identity in Christ and our condition.
SHOW NOTES
Me, You and God or Me, God and You
You, Me and God or You, God and Me
God, Me and You or God, You and Me We are body, soul and spirit. We are body, mind and heart. We are Body, Personality and Character. These three components, however they are described, constitute us and are so inter-connected that they cannot be separated except as we use them to try and describe ourselves.
Body: non-verbal communication of me with others and myself
Gender, Race, Accent, Tone of voice, Movement while speaking, Dancing, Making music Clothes are an extension of the body: Adam & Eve’s clothes, Joseph’s robes, Prodigal sons new outfit, robe of Christ’s righteousness, clothes for the church (body of Christ). Church attire for God?
Personality: how I connect with others
Green:
Thinking is a priority. Ideas and logic are important. Spontaneity can be a threat.
Example: Saul of Tarsus/Paul of Damascus/The author of the Gospel of John.
Rene Descartes: “I think, therefore I am.”
Blue:
People and relationships are a priority. Failed relationships are a huge threat.
Mary of Bethany/John the Beloved.
“I love, therefore I am.”
Gold:
Order and tradition are priority. Law is important. Change is a threat.
Caiaphas and the Pharisees/Thomas the disciple.
“I protect our traditions, therefore I am.”
Orange:
Having fun is a priority. Change is stimulating. Boredom is a threat.
Samson/Jesus/
“I create joy, therefore I am.”
Character:
my inmost reality, my thoughts and feelings, about myself and others. So private that we never openly reveal our character. We always filter what we tell about ourselves to others. We are actors on the stage of life in this respect.
Integrity
is the key to character development. Dishonesty with ourselves and others creates self- doubt and self-hatred because we value transparency and honesty in every way.
The way we use language is one indicator of our character. Profanity indicates inner frustration. Vocabulary is related to self-awareness and the richness of our reality. We create an ambiance of hope or despair around us with our words and ideas.
Moral development (Kohlberg) levels affect the way we think about ourselves and others.
Spirituality:
My connection with the meta-physical world. God(s), the “force,” the cosmos of ideas (philosophers, atheists, novelists).
Self-image/Self-perception:
determined by our identity and our condition. (Stradivarius example) Identity: who I am, as perceived by myself, with input from significant others AND FROM GOD.
Doctor, lawyer, merchant, Chief? Professional, wife, mother, grandmother? Lack of a worthy identity results in addictions of all sorts: chemical, psychological, work, position, power.
“This is beneath your dignity. You were meant to house the fullness of God.” John of Kronstadt, 19th-century Russian Orthodox priest speaking to drunks. (The Good and Beautiful God, p 162)
My Identity in Christ
I am God’s child: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12 (NIV84) I am free from condemnation: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1 (NIV84) I am alive together with Jesus: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, Colossians 2:13 (NIV84) I cannot be separated from God’s love: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39 (NIV84) I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, . . . raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4, 6 (NIV84) I am in the Spirit, not in the flesh: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9 (NIV84) Jesus is my life: When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:4 (NIV84) I am an heir to the Universe: Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Condition: my evaluation and significant other’s evaluation of my success or failure in life. Includes my perception of GOD’S EVALUATION of my condition. The worse our self-perceived condition the more judgmental we are towards ourselves and others. It is true that I am a sinner, I have transgressed the law (1 John 3:4), I am short on the glory of God (Romans 3:2?), I am not what I was made to be (Ephesians 2:10), my best is tainted with impure motive (Isaiah 64:6). However, I have been justified, and have peace with God: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NIV84). I am being transformed into the image of Christ: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV84) The Good and Beautiful God, p 168-9
The Touch of the Master’s Hand
'Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. "What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three," But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings. The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low, Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?" As he held it aloft with its' bow. "One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?" "Two thousand, Who makes it three?" "Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone", said he. The audience cheered, But some of them cried, "We just don't understand." "What changed its' worth?" Swift came the reply. "The Touch of the Master’s Hand." "And many a man with life out of tune All battered and bruised with hardship Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violin A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
- Myra Brooks Welch
There is one more facet of our being, that might be the most important one. Am I loved?
When Jesus was baptized there came a voice from heaven which stated: you are my son, whom I love and who I am pleased with (Mark 1:11). This voice speaks to all believers and unbelievers of the heart of God.
Our identity in God is: we are of royal blood, princesses and princes of the realm. God is pleased with us.
But this is not enough.
The short lives of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Hendrix who were identified as: the modern Mona Lisa, the king of rock and roll, the master of the guitar suggest we long for more than fame and fortune. Could it be that they never felt loved for who they were? People loved them for what they could get out of them but not for themselves. “The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? . . . In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of God; a heart thatforgives cares, reaches out and wants to heal.” Henri Nouwen quoted in The Good and Beautiful God, p 163
God loves us for who we are—not for who we can become! John 3:16.
God’s love changes us but God’s love does not change with our transformation. This is why God’s love is so different from ours. It is unconditional for me and for you. It does not increase if we respond to his love and does not decrease if we reject his love. It is the one constant in the universe of change and metamorphosis.
What does it mean to be Made in the Image of God?
God’s body: God is Truth and Spirit. His “body” is revealed in what he made. In you and me. God’s personality: A balance of all personality types God’s character: his thoughts and feelings towards us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “You are as precious to me as Jesus is.” God’s self-image: God’s identity: I AM the greatest lover in the universe (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8). I AM the inventor/creator of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
I AM the servant of all (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Luke 12:37; Luke 22:27; John 13:1-17). God’s condition: the suffering, unappreciated servant, and rejected lover of all (Isaiah 53). Is God loved for himself and not for what we can get from him? Is God your Santa Claus who brings eternal happiness to good boys and girls? Is God the wonder of wonders to you to the point where you want to give him love and adoration because of who he is? If he never saved you, would you still love him because of your deep admiration for his character? You can bless God by loving him. I covet this love for God.