In His Own Image

In His Own Image                               Return to Main Menu


Genesis 1:26-31
26Then 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."27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.30  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.


One Sunday in the comic strip 'Ice Age', the featured Neanderthal was rolling up balls of snow.  First, a big ball, then a middle size ball, and finally a small ball for the snowman he was making.  When he finished, his creation looked just like him, a neanderthal.  And, as the slumped shoulder man looked the slumped shoulder snowman, his likeness, his smile indicated He was very pleased.

On of the great blessings God gives us is the opportunity to create our children.  Not just from the inception but all the way through the process of teaching them as they grow into adulthood.  As good parents, we take great care in the process of raising our children.   And, as the children go on their own, we like to think, "those are very good children."  But, that caring process extends to many facets of our lives.

My son and I built a model car in cub scouts.  He wanted to look real shiny, red, and fast.  "Together" we cut the block of wood down, made it look really sleek, and started spray painting it.  It could hardly get dry before we lightly sanded it and painted it again, getting the finish sleek, slick, and with a deep finish.  Two days before the competition, it was dropped and it broke in half.  Both of us were devastated   We had worked so hard to make the car beautiful, and then I dropped it.  It was broke in a way I could glue it back together, paint, sand, paint, sand.  And by the competition time, it looked almost perfect.  In creating that car, it became a part of my son and I.  

In a much greater way we feel the same about our children.  We  work hard to  bring them up in the ways we should, and in time, we, like God did when He created man, we say "very good, my child".  Just like God, we are are saddened when they are hurt in some way, upset when they disobey us, but always loving them.  We are like that because we are in God's image.

For five "days" in the creation, God made things and called it good, but on the sixth day, he created Adam and Eve, and called it "very good".

In the fulfillment of the OT prophecy and teachings, Jesus brought new meaning to having a relationship with God.  The old relationship was the First Covenant with Abraham and based on "the Law", the Ten Commandments.  But, in the New covenant, the relationship became much more personal.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the command comes from Jesus, First- to Repent in Matthew  4:17 and then in Matthew 6:33, we are told not to worry, but to Seek First the Kingdom.  In that, God wants to know us, hear from us, desires communication with us more, much more than we even want to know our children.  I do not feel compelled to hear from my son everyday, but God's love for us exceeds anything we can have for our children.  And, he wants to hear from us, daily.

We are made in His image, as we love, He loves so much more.  As we are concerned about the things we conceive, grow, develop, and create, He is the same in a far greater capacity than we can ever know.  As we can get upset, Jesus showed the same.  But, Jesus showed us how to deal with our being upset, do it at the right time, in patience.  He waited many years before he cleansed the Temple, or told the Pharisees and teachers of the Law how wrong they were (Matthew 23).  As we try to teach our children, so too did Jesus teach us how to live in the Sermon on the Mount.

From all that is written here, truly consider this:  Genesis tells us that God created us and in His image.  As He loves us, so too we should love and desire a relationship with Him just as with our children.  As we yearn for something beyond ourselves, know too, that God yearns in patience to feel your love and your desire for Him.  Pray often everyday, in faith watch what God will do with you as you listen and feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit He puts in you.  It is just what He does as a loving parent and creator God.

Thanks Be to God.
lonnie
(c)

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© Lonnie Coggins

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Publication  0098