Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
God had made us in His image, in contrast to the earth, the plants, and the animals. We were images of God. Not physically, for God is spirit and we are flesh. But as humans we were allowed to reflect who He was. Who He was became visible in us. He pressed His image upon our lives like a stamp, as it were. The whole earth was to be filled with mirrors that would reflect God's love, holiness, and glory. He the sun, we the moon.
We miss our purpose
But if you look around you, little of that remains. It has grown dark. The light of God's glory has disappeared. We deliberately turned away from God. We are inward-focused and want to display ourselves. Everyone must see us, who we are, what we do.
So at best we have become funhouse mirrors that display God's image in a distorted way. Thus we miss the glory of God. Paul puts it this way: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin is missing God's purpose, namely that we enjoy His glory and reflect it around us.
Furthermore, the Bible says about these broken mirrors that they walk "in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Ephesians 4:17-19)
That is the consequence of our selfishness. Turning away from God brings darkness, loneliness, and numbness.
Forget yourself, focus on Jesus
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)
Jesus' work -- with the climax on the cross where He took upon Himself the cause of our brokenness, sin, and wiped out the handwriting that testified against us -- compels us to turn away from our old self-centred way of living that drives us toward destruction, to change our minds and clothe ourselves with that new God-centred way of living. As mirrors that reflect God's image in love and holiness.
Make it visible
The darker and more selfish the world becomes, the brighter the light of God's love, holiness, and glory must be reflected through us. This becomes visible when we do not draw attention to ourselves but to Jesus, when we show that we would rather have Jesus than the empty pleasures of the world, when we do not live to survive but give our lives to serve others without expecting anything in return.
Are you still focused on yourself or have you wandered off? Come, return. Turn away from your sin and yourself. Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus. (Matthew 16:24) He will shape you, through His Spirit, again into God's image. And enlightened by His Spirit you will enjoy God's love, holiness, and glory and receive power to reflect it around you. Thus holiness and bearing witness of Him is God's purpose for us here on earth. That is what glorifies Him most and what makes us most happy.
He the Sun, we the moon.
