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Made in the Image of God

Genesis 1:26   Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness

I often used to ponder on just what this ‘in the image of God’ thing was all about. My starting point was what made us different from the animals? There are those who would like to elevate animals and put us down, but when you think about humanity, I’m sorry but we are streets ahead of the rest of living and breathing creation.

When I got to thinking down these lines, a whole variety of our abilities starting coming to the fore that made us different from animals, and they were abilities that had similarities to the abilities that the Bible indicates God has.  So here is my list, for starters at least, that make us what we are as the  human race: We have:

Put another way, we have self-consciousness, imagination and conscience, and ability to grow and develop in all those things above.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to take those things for granted most of the time, but they actually say, we have amazing capabilities. That’s not to say we don’t get it wrong a lot, deciding we know better than God how to live our lives, forgetting that as the Designer He knows best how we ‘work. That after all is what the Jesus and salvation part of the Christian deals with, but that doesn’t detract from the wonder that we so often are.

When you think about what the human race is capable of, we do so often sink into the mire of gloom because, after all, in the past hundred years we’ve seen the human race doing some terrible things. But put all that aside for the moment and think of the other side. History records some amazing feats of heroism or of caring and compassion. Likewise, while modern science and technology have produced weapons of mass destruction, it has also produced medicines and machines that have helped so many.

Let’s be very basic for the moment. Have you ever thought about taste and the absolutely incredible range of plants and foods that this planet provides for us. In recent years our palettes have experienced a massive increase in the range of tastes available. Now here’s a thought: just supposing that all this incredible world isn’t blind chance as some would have us believe, suppose it IS designed by God.  Suppose God designed us to have all these amazing abilities - to create amazing music, works of art or literary masterpieces - suppose the world of wildlife isn’t just a freaky accident, suppose it was part of the Master-Designer’s plan. What would that say about Him and what He feels about us?

The next time you say, “Wow, isn’t that beautiful!” remember that pure blind chance makes no room for such a concept of beauty - or love!

In the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, written by King Solomon at a jaded part of his life, in the midst of his jaded writings, at one point, speaking about the human race, he writes of God, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” This is another of those signposts that God gives to say, “Stop, look, think!”  Why is it countless students (for it tends to happen in college years) have sat around discussing the meaning of life?  

There is something in each one of us that yearns for meaning and significance, for something more than just working to achieve. Modern man tries to make sense of it by experiences, ever new. That;’s what post modernism is so often about. I want an experience that will make this experience have a buzz to it!

Countless millions of people down through the last two thousand years have found that suddenly it all made sense once they laid down their self-striving and came to the One and surrendered and said, OK, your way!” Suddenly it all made sense.

As the leaves turn golden and fall, look and marvel and appreciate beauty and then ask yourself, “Why do I feel like that?”  Have a good month.