“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Genesis 1:26
I am always in awe when I read Genesis 1:26. Overwhelmed, that a God so great, so mighty and so very powerful would love me enough to create me in His image. We were not created in the image of a bird, a fish, a horse, or a camel. We were created in the very image and likeness of a God who longs to commune with us. God created you and I for the intimate relationship that He desires to have with us. As humans we have basic and innate needs, two of which are to be loved and to be needed. Just as we cannot survive without water and food, our bodies would eventually succumb to death if we did not experience the intimacy of relationship. Although God can survive without you and me, that is not His choice. The Bible explicitly describes that God longs for us to “Love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.” The great leaders of the Old Testament knew the importance of this command and passed it on from generation to generation. God reminded Moses in Exodus 20:6, that He would show mercy and compassion to those that “loved Him.” Joshua again reminds the Israelites in chapter 22, verse 5 to be careful to heed the commandments of the law given to them by Moses and to “Love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments.” And, in His motivating Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” God will surely survive without our love, but that is NOT His will. Pray today that God will give you the capacity to live in His image and likeness and the ability show Him how much He is loved and needed!
We love y’all!
We’re saving you a seat at Community Family Church
Pastor Tom
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