Genesis 1 Devotional - In Our Image

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

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

God said, "Let Us make humans in Our own image and in Our own likeness." What do you think it means for humans to be in God's image and God's likeness?

One way that we're in His image is in a very physical way - the way we're put together. When God the Father said, "Let Us make humans in Our image," He was talking to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God, the Three-in-One, was saying, "Let's make humans to be like Us."

And so, because God is a Three-in-One, we are a three-in-one in our very being. We have a mind, and we have a spirit, both held in our body, just as God has God the Son (referred to in some places as the logos or the thought, and other places as the Wisdom of God) and God the Holy Spirit, both unified in and coming from God the Father.

So, our very being reflects or is an image of God's being. Pretty cool, right?

But besides being in God's image, we've also been made in God's likeness. So, what does that mean? What does it mean for us to be like God?

Well, a good way to answer that is to ask this question: what is God like? How would you describe Him?

You might say He's:

• Powerful
• Loving
• Creative
• Kind
• Just
• Merciful
• Relational
• Caring
• Eternal
• All-knowing
• All-present
• Wise
• Righteous
• Selfless
• Giving

That's what God is like. And we were made to be like Him. Now, obviously, we can't be all of those things to the extent that God is, but can we strive to be those things as much as possible?

If we can't be all-present - if we can't be everywhere at once - can we be more present with those we care about? Can we spend more time with our loved ones, giving them our focused attention?

If we can't be as wise or as all-knowing as God, can we practice sharpening our mind and making good decisions?

I would encourage you to do two things this week:

1. Remind yourself that your body, your mind, and your spirit have been made in God's image. Because of that, your body, mind, and spirit should be unified and working together. If your spirit is working toward good ends, but you're not taking as good care of your body as you should be, your being isn't unified. Understand that each part of you needs to be unified and working together.

2. Make a list of God's qualities - what He's like - and intentionally strive to be more like Him in one of those areas. Keep a journal of how you embodied that quality during the day and see how you're growing in God's likeness. Next week, do the same thing with another one of God's qualities and keep becoming more and more like Him.

Practice living a unified life in your entire being and practicing living God's qualities. It's how you were made to be.