Learning to Lovewell: W1 - MON
Created for Love
Genesis 1:26-31 (NLT) "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.' So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.' Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."
"Let us make human beings in our image." These might be the most important words ever spoken about identity. Not "Let us make servants" or "Let us make subjects" but "Let us make image-bearers." People who will reflect who we are.
Notice the deliberate language here. After creating everything else with "Let there be," God shifts to "Let us make." This is personal. This is the Trinity in consultation, creating something that will bear their likeness in the world.
But what does it mean to bear God's image? It means we're created with the capacity for relationship, creativity, love, justice, and beauty, all the things that define God's character. We're not accidents or afterthoughts. We're the intentional result of a God who chose to share His nature with us.
Learning to Lovewell means: every person you encounter today carries this image. That difficult coworker, that frustrating family member, that stranger who cut you off in traffic, they all bear the image of the God who is love.
This isn't something they earned or something that can be lost based on behavior. It's stamped into their very being. When we truly grasp this, it transforms how we see people. We stop seeing them as problems to solve or competition to beat, and we start seeing them as image-bearers to honor.
The foundation of loving well isn't finding people who deserve our love—it's recognizing that everyone already carries the image of the One who is love itself.
Genesis 1:26-31 (NLT) "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.' So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.' Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."
"Let us make human beings in our image." These might be the most important words ever spoken about identity. Not "Let us make servants" or "Let us make subjects" but "Let us make image-bearers." People who will reflect who we are.
Notice the deliberate language here. After creating everything else with "Let there be," God shifts to "Let us make." This is personal. This is the Trinity in consultation, creating something that will bear their likeness in the world.
But what does it mean to bear God's image? It means we're created with the capacity for relationship, creativity, love, justice, and beauty, all the things that define God's character. We're not accidents or afterthoughts. We're the intentional result of a God who chose to share His nature with us.
Learning to Lovewell means: every person you encounter today carries this image. That difficult coworker, that frustrating family member, that stranger who cut you off in traffic, they all bear the image of the God who is love.
This isn't something they earned or something that can be lost based on behavior. It's stamped into their very being. When we truly grasp this, it transforms how we see people. We stop seeing them as problems to solve or competition to beat, and we start seeing them as image-bearers to honor.
The foundation of loving well isn't finding people who deserve our love—it's recognizing that everyone already carries the image of the One who is love itself.
- How does knowing every person bears God's image change how you approach difficult relationships?
- What would your day look like if you truly saw everyone as an image-bearer?
- Where do you need to remember your own identity as God's image-bearer today?
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