Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

II Corinthians 3:18 

And we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the Lord who is the spirit.

Remember the scene the Lion King where Simba is telling to Monan and Pumbaa what he believes the stars are he counted his father once told him, that the stars are the great kings of the past up there watching over them. At this point in the film Simba is still hiding from the reality that he is the true king and is living aveiled existence so to speak.

The moment he hears his father’s spirit imploring him to remember who he is, he steps out of that veiled existence he had shut himself away in for so many years and embraces who he truly is. 

I bring up the scene in relation to this verse for a couple of reasons. Number one, Simba has resigned himself to being an outcast and unworthy of being king. He runs from the legacy that he must continue to prevent his home from falling into ruin. And number two, it's the words of his father delivered by the late great James Earl Jones, “Remember who you are,” that shows him that he has lost himself and become too complacent with hiding from the light. 

I'm sure that many of us are like Simba in this regard, feeling like an outcast and scared to step into the light of God's plan for us. However, as shown, if we keep our eyes to the sky and share our veiled existence, we will be able to grasp the destiny that God has in store for us and realize that in the eyes of God there are no outcasts. We are all one in his vision.

Prayer

And now I would like to invite you to join me in prayer: God, help us to step out from behind the veil and into the light of the future you have for us. Help us to remember that there are no outcasts in your divine vision so long as we keep looking up. Remind us that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ now and always. Amen.   

This devotion was written and recorded by Grace Jonas.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.