In God's Image

In Matthew 22:17 Christ was asked the ultimate question by the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?"  Jesus had the perfect answer to this question.  He had the Pharisees show him the tribute money and asked who's image was on it.  They answered and said that it was Caesar's.  Christ then responded and told them to give unto Caesar's that which is his, and unto God, that which is God's.  In my new testament class my teacher said that Christ could have been pointing to the Pharisees when he told them to give to God that which is His.

I love the thought that Christ would be pointing to the Pharisees because we are all made in God's image.  This made me wonder though, how can I more fully give myself to God?  I don't think I can answer this completely because giving myself MORE FULLY is a constant process.  It requires each day deciding and choosing to live my life in the way that my Heavenly Father and Savior would have me live.  Now the trick is learning how to know what the Lord would have me do each day.

Something I have been learning about this lately is that prayer is the key.  When I have meaningful prayers each morning and night and also little prayers in my heart each day, I can feel the Savior's guidance in my life.  Someone mentioned, in a Sunday lesson, that even though we are not on formal missions right now, each of us can use the guidance from the Holy Ghost in every decision we make.  I love this thought because it shows that the Lord is there for us no matter what.  He wants to guide and direct our paths whether we are on a full time mission, or serving in our wards at home.

Another thing that allows me to give myself more fully to God is by reading my scriptures and following their guidance.  Whenever I read the scriptures I know that I am doing something that the Lord would have me do because it helps me align my will with the Lord's even more.

I am made in God's image.  I am his and I will do my best to render unto God what is his, which is my heart and will.  The nice thing is that it is a constant journey.  Each day I can become better and better.