Image of God

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

IMAGE OF GOD

Gen 1:24-31

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 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. 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."

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.

NIV

God was really busy on the sixth day in compassion with the first five days. Day one, he created light, day two, the expanse, day three, land and all vegetation, day four, the universe, day five, all that swim in the sea and fly in the air. But now it is day six, and all kinds of animals according to their kind. All the livestock that will serve his crowning creation, man, and all the wild beasts, and how thankful we are for all of them. But now it was time for God to make the one living being who would be an image of himself. How we mirror the image of God, or are an image of God, is beyond our full comprehension. When we consider the qualities or attributes of God, how is it possible that we could be his image? Certainly, we are nothing like God in the sense of his character, of who he is. Yet, what does it mean to be made in his image? He used two words to describe what we are. First, the Hebrew word translated as image means "to shade," a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance, and hence a representative figure. Second, the word translated as "likeness" carries the meanings of "model," "shape," "like," and "resemblance." Then we have to come to grips with how his grace influences our hearts and how we reflect him in our lives. He formed us to be like him, in form and likeness of being. Adam was formed to be an eternal being like God. However, sin brought man to the same level as all the rest of creation that has the breath of life in it. However, God did not leave his man alone, for he sent his Son to buy us back, redeem us, and make us into the original form, an eternal being. This is only the beginning of our pondering on our being made in the image of God. We'll need another day or so on this truth. But for now, we wonder how well we are being as a representation of God. When we think of His image, how good are we at being an image of God?