Beginnings: Created by God and for GodSample

We get a picture in the book of Revelation of the diversity in which God created mankind. We discover there will be multitudes of tribes and nations gathered around God’s throne in the end. John, the book’s author, says of this diversity: “I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (7:9).

Every nation, tribe, people, and language! Imagine that. For most of us, this kind of diversity is unfathomable. Most of us, unless we lived in a major city, grew up around people who looked like us and talked like us.

When you visit a major metropolitan city like New York, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the diverse and eclectic nature of the place. You’ll likely be surrounded by all kinds of different people, languages, music, art, and food you’ve never experienced before.

Uniqueness is part of God’s intention for his world. We might have expected that when God set forth to fill the earth with reflections of his glory, he did so by creating identical image-bearers who all looked and acted exactly the same. It would be far easier to envision a world where people were united in this mission if everyone thought, talked, and behaved alike.

Even so, it’s hard to imagine an infinitely creative God doing that—and he didn’t. Instead, he chose to form people into unique representations of his glory. The multi-faceted nature of each person, combined with all the unique intricacies of other image-bearers, is meant to create a panoramic view of the glory of God.

The story of creation reveals that God built uniqueness into creation, including the first humans. We’ve already looked at the following passage that describes God’s creation, but it’s foundational for understanding all of God’s story. So let’s return to it:

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:24-28

All people are made in the image of God, but all people are not alike. God’s design includes more than one person. He made two—male and female—and made each unique in some fundamental ways.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

The differences in humanity can easily foster division and strife unless we remember there are far greater similarities uniting humanity than there are differences that divide. All people are made in the image of God and have a common origin in him. This means that everyone—regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic standing—is worthy of dignity and respect. People should not have to earn value based on their performance. They should be deemed worthy simply because they are made in God’s image to reflect his glory.

You are worthy of respect and love based simply on God’s design and not your moral uprightness, your physical appearance, your work performance, or any feature you might use to define yourself. Comparison is the norm today in a world bustling with social media. It is easy to fall into the trap of sizing yourself up with others and asking, “Do I matter? Have I wasted my life? Why does my life look so average compared to everyone else’s?”

You can spend your entire life playing that game, only to find that you harbor lingering doubts and insecurities. The only stable place to base your worth and value is in God.

As you grow in understanding of your design and treasure your uniqueness, you are positioned to be used by God to fulfill his mission in the world. Think of all the time that’s wasted in doubt, comparison, or fear because of an improper evaluation of yourself and others. What if you applied that time and mental energy to the purpose for which you were made? You might find that the story of your life started to make a bit more sense after all.

Respond

What is unique about the way God designed you?

How is he using that uniqueness for his glory?

Prayer

Thank you, Father God, for calling me and using me to share your story with others.