We are going to kick this off at the very beginning of God’s word, in Genesis.

This extraordinary event when God created the universe, the world and everything in it.

In the very beginning there was nothing. God created the heavens and the earth, but the earth was formless, empty, and covered by the darkness of the deep waters. But it didn’t stay that way and from that God brought form, beauty, and life.

HOW WAS HE ABLE TO DO IT?

Genesis chapter 1 we see God’s power and authority in his creation by how he created each thing.

God said…let there be light. God said…let there be space between the waters. God said…let the land sprout with vegetation.

He spoke each part of creation into existence.

And because of that, we must understand that everything he created, he created with intention. Nothing came into existence by mistake, by chance or without God’s knowledge. It couldn’t because he alone is creator.

The amazing thing is God did not only make the world and everything in it but made the earth a place where life could continue, multiply and grow. Do you know how hard that would be to create by accident? For it to be a result of pure chance? It doesn’t just happen. The earth is this was because that’s how God created it to be.

Everything God made, from the land to the sea, from the sun to the moon, from birds in the sky to the little bugs that scurry across the ground, was intentionally made. It has purpose and was given a specific place on earth and role on the earth.

NO MISTAKES.

So, if even the little bugs that scurry along the ground were intentionally created, then what does that mean for us?

Can we be here by mistake today? Or even just because? Should we be going about our day-to-day life with very little meaning, feeling like we have no purpose, or are just here by chance.

No.

Even from the very beginning we see that although God created everything with intention we were created differently from the rest of creation.

“Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:26 (NLT)

We are made in God’s image- what does that mean?

We were made to resemble God and to reflect his character. We do this each time we can show love, kindness, forgiveness, patience and faithfulness.

He has enabled us to think things through and make decisions reflecting his own intelligence and freedom.

He provided us with a conscience, allowing us to understand the difference in right and wrong.

He has given us the ability to be creative, just as he was creative.

He set us apart from everything else in creation and giving us dominion over the animals, as well as allowing us to communicate with God, our creator.

Being made in God’s image should allow us to see just how valuable we are to God, not only were we not made by mistake or just thrown together as a last-minute idea, but out of everything we were made in the image of God. It is the greatest honour providing us with dignity but with that comes the responsibility to live up to God’s intention for us which is to reflect him.

Being made in the image of God isn’t the only difference to us and the rest of creation, God feels differently towards us than everything else.

“And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession”

James 1:18b (NLT)

Out of everything that he made, we are the most special to him. That means for each of us, our worth does not depend on our job, financial status, where live, where we have come from or anything else. This is our worth, made in the image of God and his prized possession.

This isn’t just something that was just true in the beginning, but instead throughout the Bible we are reminded of just how important and thought off we are to God.

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous- how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day passed”.

Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)

Each of us has been specifically and intentionally created by God, he knit us together, forming our most delicate, intimate parts. He knew us before we were even born and sees everyday of our life.

Your life is not a mistake. If God took that much time to create you, how can it be?

But he also didn’t take that much time to create us and know everything about us to give us a purposeless life either.

Written by Erin Thompson