In God's Image

Genesis 1:26a,  "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.....Genesis 1:27,  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

    Possibly you also read this online:  When God created Adam, He looked at him and said,  "I can do better."  Then He created Eve!

    Mankind was originally created in the image of God.  Actually, even God couldn't improve on that!  But sin marred us all.  Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, every person is born with a sin nature.  We are not so much sinners because we sin.  We sin because we are sinners.  We are born into the world wanting our own way rather than desiring to do what pleases God, and we will do almost anything to get it.  A baby gets its way by crying until someone gives it what it wants.  People fight to have their way.  They scheme and manipulate.  We are all sinners through and through, bad to the bone.  Thankfully, God loves us the way we are, because otherwise our situation would be hopeless.  "But God"--what wonderful words!!!   When we acknowledge that we are sinners and accept God's Son as Savior, God forgives us and gives us a new nature, His nature, to reside within us.  However, there is a problem.  When God gives us this new nature, He doesn't remove that old sin nature with which we were born.  All our lives we will struggle because the two natures are in opposition to each other, and they both want to control us at the same time.

    God's purpose for each of us is to make us more and more like Jesus, to restore us to the godly state which we lost through Adam's sinfulness.  Oswald Chambers wrote,  "The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but God likeness."  The more we allow the nature of God, which resides in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, to control our lives, the closer we will come to the image of God, to God likeness.

Father, make us more and more like You and Your Son Jesus through the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit in our lives.  Amen.

Lessons from Nature

Genesis 1:1,  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

     There are endless life lessons as we contemplate nature--God's creation.  As I suggest a few, I bet you will begin to think of many others.
     Both physical and spiritual life are totally dependent upon the Creator.  Without God, we aren't able to take the next breath nor can our hearts throb with the next heart beat.  Everything we have and are is a gift from God.  He is due all our worship and praise and gratitude.
     What we sow we will reap.  If we plant squash seeds, we will get squash.  We will never reap turnip greens from okra seeds.  The law of the harvest works every time, and it works in our lives as well as in our gardens.  If we have sown some wild oats, it won't do any good to pray for crop failure!
     We see God's incredible creativity in nature.  Each individual part of the plant and animal kingdoms has its own distinctions, attributes, and special purposes in the world.  We also observe God's amazing creativity in people.  Each person has his/her own distinctions, attributes, and special purposes in God's plans.  God doesn't expect or intend for any two people to live life the same way.  We are interdependent and need to help each other, just as the different parts of nature work together.
     The newly washed earth after a rain is a beautiful picture of the cleansing that takes place when we confess our sins.  The rainbow is a reminder of the truthfulness, the promises, and the faithfulness of God..
     Everywhere we look at creation we can learn lessons about living if we are open and sensitive to what God wants to teach us.  Have you already thought of some more lessons?

Father, thank You for filling Your creation with lessons and analogies for us.  May we be eager to learn everything You want to teach us as we walk through Your world.  Amen.

Consequences of Our Behavior

Galatians 6:7b,  "A man reaps what he sows."

Luke 6:31,  "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

        I have a brown Chihuahua named Honey.  She is tiny, with huge eyes and great big ears--cute as a bug but mean as a snake!  What she lacks in size, she attempts to make up in ferocity.  Not only does she bark incessantly at people she perceives as intruders, but also she is quick to bare her teeth and snarl and bite.  When we have company, my only recourse is to shut her up in a room by herself.  Because of her unfriendly behavior, she misses much companionship that she could have enjoyed.

        On the other hand, I have a very affectionate Pomeranian named Missy.  She gives a few warning barks when someone she doesn't know comes over, but very shortly she hushes and sidles up to any visitor, wanting to be petted.  Because of her sweet nature, she is allowed to enjoy lots of attention and companionship that Honey misses.

        If we want to have friends, we need to be friendly.  If we want to be loved, that is much more likely to happen if we reach out in love to others.  People respond positively or negatively to the kind of disposition we present to them.  How do you want to be treated?  How are you treating others?  Could your demeanor, your words and your actions, possibly be causing you to miss some companionship or opportunities you would have otherwise enjoyed?

Father, help me to remember that, if I want friends, I must be friendly.  If I want to be loved, I need to love others.  May I treat others the way I would like to be treated.  You have so many wonderful experiences and relationships for each of us in life.  I don't want to miss a one because of my bad attitude.  May I always walk in the power of Your Spirit of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness. and self-control.  Amen.

Bible Stories

1 Corinthians 10:11a, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings to us...." The King James Version says these things were written "for our admonition."


The Bible speaks of such attributes as love, obedience, integrity, faith, courage, and perseverance--characteristics in the abstract. But how can these qualities be lived out in our lives? God gives us many practical examples in His Word. There we see these attributes put into practice in the lives of the people we meet in the Bible. Many of the Bible stories are written so we can apply the attitudes and actions which God desires to see in us.

For instance, think of courage. Who comes to your mind? What about Daniel who refused to bow to an idol and faced a den of lions. And Queen Esther who approached the king uninvited at the risk of incurring the penalty of death in order to save the lives of the Jews. Imagine the courage and the faith of the lad David when he faced the giant Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones as weapons.

Abraham is considered the prime example of faith and obedience. His life was characterized by trust in God and immediate obedience to God's instructions.

The example of Joseph, a young slave in Potiphar's household resisting the advances of Potipher's wife, speaks to us loudly of integrity. And Joseph's trust in God through trials and injustices show us how to maintain faith and perseverance. His forgiveness of his brothers who sold him into slavery shows us how to treat the people who have wronged us. 

Of course the greatest example of love and forgiveness occurred on the cross when the sinless Son of God gave his life for sinful mankind and said of his tormenters, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34.

The Bible stories are not written for our entertainment, but they are prime examples of how to apply spiritual principles, and they are written for us to study so we can go and do likewise.

Father, thank You for not only telling us how we should live but for showing us as well. May we follow the examples You have given s in Your Word. Amen.

In the Family

Hebrews 10:25a,  "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another....."

I Thessalonians 5:11a,  "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...."

Hebrews 10:24,  "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

Proverbs 27:17,  "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Psalm 68:6a,  "God sets the lonely in families...."

  As the song says,  "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God." God sets us in physical families when we are born physically, but, even more important, He makes us a part of His family when we are born spiritually.  God is the Father in this family, and He is a father who is everything a father should be to His children--loving, teaching, directing, disciplining, and encouraging.  Other Christians all over the world are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  God doesn't want any person to try to live the Christian life alone.  He knows how very much we need the love, the prayers, the encouragement, and the challenges that come from rubbing shoulders with other members of the body.  The quality of our walk with God is greatly enhanced by our interaction with those who are like-minded.  We do ourselves a great service when we walk side by side with other members of God's forever family and help each other grow.

Father, thank You for placing me in Your forever family and being my Father.  Thank You for giving me brothers and sister to help me learn and grow as I try to live a life pleasing to You.  Amen.