Miles McPherson: In Whose Image Were You Made in the First Place?
Avoiding the temptation of building one's own identity by copying any of today's cultural icons is a matter of making the right decision, says Pastor Miles McPherson of Rock Church in San Diego.
"I think we have to decide in whose image we were made in the first place," McPherson told The Christian Post on Friday. "If you have come to a conclusion that you remain in society, that is changing, then you should copy it, but the problem that you are going to have is that you are going to be constantly changing and never discover who you really are – versus accepting the fact that you were made in the image of an eternal God who has an eternal plan for your life and it doesn't change."
McPherson, who recently released his book, God in the Mirror – Discovering Who You Were Created to Be, believes that people in our culture have an identity crisis about who they are supposed to be and they are striving to be something they were never created to be.
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"You can search all you want and copy other people, but there is only one you," he said. "Our creator God, who is infinitely creative, made one of a kind when he made you. That's the person you need to pursue to be."
He said that his book is designed to help people understand who and what God created them to be so they don't have to be lost and waste time trying to figure it out on their own.
"They'll spend their time looking at movie stars and athletes and people they think are successful and will see characteristics of their life they try to copy them, when they really need to look at God and the design He has placed in them and the purposes that He has given them," he said. "Only then will they truly be fulfilled and know who they are."
When asked about avoiding the pull towards celebrity, he said, "The tragedy of it is that we don't know the whole truth of what we see. So, when we see someone put on a pedestal and making money, and that smile on TV, we assume that describes and defines their whole life, but it doesn't.
"We assume that the thing that the world gives us like money and fame, and women or guys, or that scene, will fill ones soul when they don't. It's all based on half truth," he explained.
Reflecting God's image should take a priority in people's lives, says McPherson. The attraction and appeal from other people will come from conforming to God's image.
"People don't need you, they need Jesus in you. When we reflect God's image, people see less of us and more of God; and there is nothing more attractive than God Himself," he explains. "The purest form of love is God Himself. The purest form of patience, joy, peace, kindness, etc, is God Himself.
"When we reflect Him, we reflect those characteristics of God and His way. It is one thing to have man's version of love, joy, peace, patience and kindness, but another thing entirely to have God's version. We have the ability to reflect those things when we conform to His image, just like a glove conforms to the image of the hand inside of it, controlling it. God is in control and He is expressing His righteousness through us rather than us just trying to copy Him," he said.
On the Web: http://www.milesmcpherson.com/
