Created

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This morning we looked to the end of all things, this evening we’re looking right back to our first parents. In Genesis 1:27 it says:

“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”

Preparing for this devotional felt like pushing my way through a dense fog. Genesis 1 has long been stuck in the mire of biblical and cultural apologetics, and this verse is no exception. The role of this devotional isn’t to roll out those same arguments¹, or to make a cultural point². This verse is as relevant for us today as it was when it was first written. I believe the Bible to be true, and because of that, this verse gives me immense hope.

This verse tells us that God created us with an image, an end, and a with a built-in environment within which to experience relationship. Jesus was once asked whether Jewish citizens should give taxes to Cæser. Speaking of a coin, he asks “whose image and inscription does it have?” to which they reply, “Cæser.” “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”³ We are made for God. His image is pressed upon us, and our chief end is to glorify him, and to enjoy him, forever!

To this, he adds relationship. Marriage is a beautiful reflection of Christ and the church, but it is also the catalyst for the family unit and the means by which new life is brought into the world, to the glory of God⁴. Calvin says that, “he commends to us that conjugal bond by which the society of mankind is cherished.” This is about more than just marriage, but not less.

Sadly, however, we have an enemy who would do anything to cover up our image, to give us a false end to chase down, and to send every relationship we might have into disarray. Earlier today I talked about the tension between creation and the new creation. That tension is called the fall. That fall isn’t the final word though. Jesus is.

The aim of revelation, after all, is to re-create humanity after the image of God, to establish the kingdom of God on earth, to redeem the world from the power of sin and, in and through all this, to glorify the name of the Lord in all his creatures.

Herman Bavinck⁵

As we pray today, think about the image you bear. About the people around you who bear it too, though many of them are yet unaware. Think about the end for which God has created you, and think about the relationships you have been given. Cherish them.

Let’s pray.

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Praying through the Bible

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Lord,

Thank you for creating me in your image.
I too often forget the importance and the presence of that gift.
Open my eyes to see it again.

As I look upon saints and sinners alike,
Guide me in how to treat them as image-bearers.

Thank you for creating me.
For creating those around me.
For bringing harmony where the enemy would bring disharmony.

Thank you for the way that you made me.

Amen

Thanks for joining me for today’s dusk devotional.

I’ll see you again tomorrow at dawn.

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Today’s Readings

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Whether you’re ready to sit and read these now, or you think later might be a better fit, I recommend looking through your plan for the day now. If you follow this Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the whole Bible by the end of the year. We’re starting this morning with just 26 verses, across four chapters of the Bible. When will you sit down to read or listen to them?

Revelation 1:1-3

Genesis 1:1-27

Psalm 7

Psalm 8

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

1 Chronicles 1:17-23¹

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Recommended Media to End Your Day

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I’m almost positive that I make lists because I have no skill in doodling. My hands are inexplicably and perpetually shaky. So whenever I try to draw anything freehand, the paper usually, in the kindest way possible, asks me if I’ve ever considered other hobbies.

—

Griffin Gooch

Listmaking for the Sake of Pleasure

The past two years I have listed things that I truly felt like I had no idea how it would work out. I felt like God gave me the prompting to try it. It took a step of faith for me to write it down because I knew I might be trying to figure it out the whole year.

—

Justin Allison

Why I Still Write Goal Lists

Games are rarely a solo venture.

Whether playing Overwatch with teammates or gathering friends for a night of Catan, games bring people together. They create structured environments where players can strategize, compete, and share victories. These bonds often extend beyond the game itself, forming real-life friendships.

—

Nathan Webb

Why Gaming Fills a Spiritual Void

1. Not that these are unimportant or uninteresting.

2. Which is also important, in the right setting.

3. Christian Standard Bible, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Lk 20:25.

Christian Standard Bible, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Lk 20:24.”

4. Malachi 2:15

5. Herman Bavinck, trs. John Bolt, and John Vriend, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 1:347.