GOD'S IMAGE AND YOU

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.

And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:20-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If you’re like me, you are fascinated with nature and especially the large variation of creatures that exist on earth, in the sky, and within the sea. None of them would have been possible without the amazing, artistic power of God the Almighty as we see what happened on days 5 and 6 in the creation story. Here’s what we read in Genesis, chapter 1, verses 20 through 25:

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.

And God saw that it was good.

Here we find that it was God who made the creatures of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, wild animals, and all other creatures that move along the ground. Each was developed with their own unique qualities and functions, many of which would provide food for the humans that were to be created next. We read where the Lord “saw that it was good” before He moved onto what is perhaps His greatest work yet, the creating of man and woman. We see this starting in verse 26:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

From our scripture, we can see that God gave man the authority to rule over all other created creatures. Whether a sea dweller, air flyer, or ground walker, all members of the bird, fish, and animal population would be subordinate to mankind.

This takes us to what is the more significant part of these two verses as God creates man. We read that He created males and females in His own image, and that’s it. There were only two genders, not the foolishness we find being widely presented and supported by the world today, a world completely at the will of and blinded by Satan.

Now, let’s take a moment and think about what happens as new babies are born every day. Once they enter the world, aren’t the newborns scrutinized for likeness to their parents. People may look to try and see the following:

Does the baby have the father’s or mother’s eyes?

How about the hair?

In addition to this, science often works to dig down deep within the body to reveal DNA and how it plays a role in establishing and sometimes explaining who we become. Unfortunately, all the mysteries of God will never be fully understood as there will always be things within procreation that defy explanation as God continuously supplies His created earth with inhabitants. In the end translation, science will never completely understand creation because it is of God and no scientist will ever be at the same level of wisdom and knowledge as the One who was there before wisdom and knowledge was even a thing.

Before we close this message, I don’t want to do so without discussing the fact that we are created in God’s image.

I mean, is that awesome or what?

It’s totally astounding to me that when God decided how He was going to make a man or woman, He used Himself as the blueprint to do so. Every single person, male or female, was molded and minted by a perfect God. And despite how much our physical qualities might be different…how our personalities might be different… or how our attitudes might be different, we all have an innate potential to reflect the very qualities of God Himself, all without actually ever being Him of course.

So God made us in His own image and that every man and woman gets to show others a glimpse of the Father in everything they do in the course of every day they are given.

Do others see God in you through the qualities you put on display?

If not, maybe you need to commit to Him and His ways more, asking Him to send His Holy Spirit into your heart, mind and soul. For when we do, we can satisfy one of the Lord’s deepest desires, that we might embody and reflect all that He is to the world we live in.

Won’t you let Him do that with you today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.