Relational Image

Passage: Genesis 1:1-31

Point
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth which was formless and void.
2. God created: light, water, land, vegetation, stars, fish of sea, birds of the air, and living creatures. All the creatures were created after their own kind.
3. God uniquely created man: male and female after His own image. Man was told to "be fruitful and multiply" and to have dominion over the created world and creatures.

Personalize
I am going to begin looking at the key events of scripture in my devotional blog. It is my desire to look again at the redemptive plan of God to bring men and women back to Himself and to reveal God's purposes. It is a redemptive story that stretches over thousands of years and many are impacted by God's movement in history.

Genesis opens up with "in the beginning" (Bereshith, Hebrew title of the book). It points out that God is the creator and sustainer of all things we see and experience on earth. He alone is attributed with the creation of all things. The Genesis account reveals that God has placed order in creation from the light, plants, living creatures and to man himself. In this order we see a hierarchical structure of creation with man given responsibility over all of creation.

Unlike all the other creatures, man is the only one of God's creation created after His own image. All the other creatures were created "after their own kind". They did not evolve from another kind but came from their own kind. Creatures produced off spring in their own likeness. Men and women are the only ones who came from God's image.

The image of God in us is the ability to relate. God, Himself is a relational God. We know God as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew name for God in Genesis is "Elohim", which is plural. We read: "let us" make man in our own image. Our ability to relate to creation, humanity, and God comes from the image of God planted in us. We relate to God as our creator, sustainer, and Lord. We relate to humanity as equal and companion. We relate to all other living things as an overseer and caretaker. It is all about a relationship solely given to men and women by God. When we are at our best our relationships are meaningful and fulfilling.

Prayer
Lord, our Creator, it is great to know we are uniquely and "wonderfully made". May we live up to the image you have entrusted to us as we place you above all else and provide care and direction to the world around us. May we be found faithful to the relational image you have given us.

Created 4 months ago