Created in God's Image


 “So God created mankind in his own image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them. “
Genesis 1:27


This is the foundation of our identity as human beings – created beings made to reflect the image of God.  As such, we are blessed with authority and abilities that no other living creation possesses.  We create.  We think.  We value relationships.  Our existence is a testimony to God’s existence.

And as Christians, this identity becomes the heartbeat of our ethics.  We make decisions and behave in manners that recognize the value of human life. We look at our relatives, our friends, our colleagues, and even the stranger on the street and take the time to see the image of God in each of them.  We know that each and every life is precious, including our own.

We also recognize the intimacy with God that this identity engenders.  As ones created in God’s image, we are invited into a deep and purposeful relationship with God.  One in which we are both respected and cherished, and one in which there can be mutual love and care.

Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and Creator of me, help me to begin to grasp the value we have as human beings created by You.  Open my eyes to see how this reality impacts how I live, how I do my job, and how I interact with others. Envelope me in your love so that I might better reflect your image in my love for others. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They touched Jesus, but then, how did they pray?

I'm sitting in my room praying and thinking, "After the resurrection did the disciples pray to Jesus?" Just imagine this with me for a moment. You have spent the past 2 - 3 years of your life following this intriguing man around, your feet are calloused, your memory is overflowing with moments around the campfire or dinner table, and you've been challenged to completely shift your Jewish worldview. And then he is gone. Just as quick as he came, just as brief as the moment he walked the shoreline past your fishing boat and called out to you, he is gone. And you are left knowing you've met an incredible man who was more than a man -- a man who was somehow divine. Now there is no one around you analyzing deep fulfilled Christological theological concepts, but there are plenty of Greek voices and new philosophical ways of contemplating life's happenings, there are Jewish commentaries, and there are the conversations that have happened along the roadside. An...
Read more

Palm Sunday School Lesson for Teenagers

Scripture: Luke 22:17-20 Topic: When Jesus ate with his Disciples Background: This lesson would be taught during a Sunday morning breakfast club for teenagers. Once a month the youth meet to cook breakfast and then we try to relate the lesson to food. Last time the Middle School breakfast club met a middle school student led his peers in a devotional that went through the various stories of Jesus sharing food with his disciples. This Sunday we are going to focus on one of those stories and how it relates to Easter. Opening: 1. Ask, “Have you ever helped plan a party?” a. Ask the students to share about the various things they did to prepare (send invites, decorate, blow up balloons, set the table, plan games, order food). 2. Say, “For some families, Easter is a time of celebration, a party of sorts.” a. Ask, “What does your family do to celebrate Easter?” (family gets together, we eat dinner together, Easter egg hunt, attend church se...
Read more

Sabbath

Genesis 2:2-4 (The Message) 2-4 By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created. If God the greatest worker rested, why don't we?
Read more