Monday, January 9, 2023
Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us."
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them...
Over the last several years, I have watched several survival-based television shows. Consistently they remind their viewers that the hardest challenges for long-term survival are NOT brutal physical conditions or food shortages. Isolation from and the absence of human contact are the most difficult parts of their struggle. These tough survivalists admit they yearn for another to be with them as they face their challenges.
Our passage today shows us the relational significance behind their struggle. As humans, God made us in His image and likeness. He fashioned us for relationships. The Scriptures emphasized God's relational nature in creating us by using the plural pronouns "Our" and "Us" to refer to Himself — God as Father, Son, and Spirit. We were made in the image of the "Us" and "Our" God! The God of relationships created us for fellowship with Himself and with others. [1] Despite the challenges, wounds, confusion, and disappointments we sometimes face from our relationship with others, let's also remember that life becomes untenable without genuine fellowship. We must learn to enrich and redeem our relationships with others as we draw closer to God. [2] We need their fellowship to not only survive but also thrive. It's a part of both our physical and spiritual DNA!
O, Father, at times people's demands on my life have wearied my soul. Yet, dear Father, I know I need the fellowship of both those whom I love and also of your people. Forgive me for my impatience and overly-critical spirit toward their irritations and imperfections, as if I had neither. Thank you for every kind word they have spoken, each touch of hospitality they have given, and each flaw of mine they have forgiven. I ask that You help me become a better friend and spiritual family member to each person you bring into my circle of relationships. In Jesus' name, dear God, I thank You for Your people in my life. Amen.
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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