In His Image

Title: In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character
Author: Jen Wilkin
Series: N/A
Genre: Study/Devotional
Publishing Date: May 31, 2018

About the Book:
After first teaching women to go deeper in their study of the Bible in Women of the Word, and then unpacking why our limits are a good thing in light of God’s limitlessness in None Like Him, best-selling author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin helps readers see what human beings are to be like as they reflect the image of their Creator. In His Image explores 10 attributes of God that Christians are called to reflect—they are called to be holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise. This book calls readers to discover the freedom and purpose in becoming all that God made them to be.

Review:
In His Image digs deep into some of the major the characteristics of God and how we can and should be reflections of Him to the world. The book looks at God Most Holy, Loving, Good, Just, Merciful, Gracious, Faithful, Patient, Truthful, and Wise. Hopefully this doesn’t come as a shock to you, that even though we are created in His image, we are not (nor will we be) perfectly like Him. As sinners, we are in need of a Savior. While Jesus comes in and changes our hearts, we will still wrestle with sin in our life. That doesn’t mean we should embrace it or brush it under the rug as nothing, but it should be active in our minds to turn from our sins and strive to be more Christ-like.

Jen uses practical, real-life stories to explain deep, theological principles. Just as Jesus spoke in parables, we can begin to understand complex truths we don’t fully understand, when they are explained using stories we do. She also used plenty of scriptures to back up what she was saying. She gave God’s Word the ultimate authority and not merely our life understandings.

One piece that stuck out to me in the book was when Jen talked about our desire for God’s will in our life. How often do we go to God and ask Him “What should I do?” Not saying we should never pray that, but she poses that we should ask the question “Who should I be?” Our desire for God’s will in our lives should be more than just knowing what to physically do in this life, but about transforming our hearts to be more like Christ. She says “without meaning to, we can begin to regard our relationship with God primarily as a means toward decision making.”

I appreciate how the book was written to not only teach, but encourage and correct. First she shares about how God is each of the characteristics for the chapters. Then she shares both how we should and how we shouldn’t live, to be a better image-bearer of Him. She doesn’t pretend to be perfect herself, but instead shares her own flaws and need for Jesus. She also doesn’t shy away from sharing things we probably need to be actively convicted on to change in our lives (ex: patience). God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but if Jesus has truly changed our hearts, it should change how we act and think in this life. Instead of living for ourselves, our eyes should be focused on God.

I highly recommend this study, and hope that it can be a blessing and encouragement to you as well 🙂

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the author in hopes of an honest review. I was not obligated to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Rating: 

Age Appropriateness: This book is written more for adult women, but there is nothing in the content that would prevent younger readers. Even though not all the stories would be relevant to them, they should still be able to help them grasp the deeper truths.