THINKING IN THE TRUTH
***with Ling Ling Shi***
Genesis 1:26-31

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,
over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures
that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole
earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the
creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it-
-I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

Dear friend, welcome to “Thinking in the Truth”. Today, I want to share with you God’s Word in Genesis 1:26-31. May we grow together in the Truth.

In the previous “Thinking in the Truth”- Genesis 1:1-25, I shared with you God’s creation of the earth on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth day and on part of the sixth day. On the first day, God created light to end darkness, empty and formless on the earth. The earth started with day and night. On the second day, God separated water from water and made the sky. On the third day, God created the land, seas and various plants and trees. On the fourth day, God created two great lights and stars. On the fifth day and on part of the sixth day, He created living creatures in the water, birds, livestock, wild animals, and creatures that move on the ground.

Today, I am going to continue share God’s creations on the sixth day. It’s the most important scene in the Holy Bible: the creation of human beings.

1. God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”. In this scripture, the “image” and “likeness” both delivered and emphasized the most important Truth that our human beings were created by God according to God’s image and likeness.

2. Since God created us according to his image and likeness, human beings are supposed to be close to God and keep an intimate relationship and positive communication channel with Him without hinders and barriers. “image” most likely focuses on the spiritual realm (the spirit is very close to God), and “likeness” is mainly focused on the physical realm (our appearance is similar to God). God is the creator. We are created by His hands. God made us by His Love and made us to have his image and to be distinguished from animals. The Truth of God’s creation of human beings tells us about how much God loves and cares for us, how precious we are in his eyes, and that we are “the apple of his eye”. Let us give him deep thanks for creating us and the beautiful earth.

   Since we are made by his image and likeness, our bodies are the temple of our most high and holy God, and our bodies should be the holy vessel. Let us work hard with the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts pure, abide in the truth, and quit to commit to the things that cannot please God and short of His glory.

3. Friends, before God created human beings, he already set his precious plan for us: “let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” These were the plans God made for human beings’ lives in the Garden of Eden with His blessings and peace.

   By the God’s love, human beings were made and ordained by God as his earthly children who would manage the earth and all of the creatures he created. The lives God designed for his children were peaceful and joyful and within his presence. The Garden of Eden was perfect, made by God for his children, before the fall of human beings.

   In the present chaos of the world, the peaceful Garden of Eden seems too amazing to imagine, too far to reach, but, as a born again child of Jesus Christ, the Garden of Eden has placed by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of those who have been saved by the Salvation of Jesus Christ.

   In Lord Jesus Christ, we enter the Garden of Eden again and live in the kingdom of God; in Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father restored his richest blessings for his children. Once we were saved by the Cross of Jesus Christ and turned to Jesus loving arms, heaven came down from above and began to dwell in believers’ hearts.

4. We are the children of our Father in heaven and are created in his image and his likeness. “God is Love” (1 John 4:6). We must conform to our Lord Jesus Christ to live in a life with love as Lord Jesus said to us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' the second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30)

   Our loving heavenly Father created heaven and earth for us, so how do we live a life to please him? It is written in 3 John: “There is no greater joy than I hear that my children are walking in the Truth”. May we keep God’s Word in our hearts through the unceasing learning of the Holy Bible, walk steadfast in the Truth, be joyful in the Lord, and live in him and for him!

5. From the scripture: Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food”, we can discover that in the beginning the Land was perfect for men. Food for humans was provided by God himself and they were perfectly healthy. God is the provider for spiritual food as well as physical food. May we come to God daily and receive his word from the tree of Truth - the Holy Bible, so that it may fill our lives with his blessings and richness.

   God is our human beings’ living provider in both the spiritual realm and physical realm. Whether you know and understand him or not, He provides us from the beginning to the end in different ways through his everlasting and unconditional love. Let us thank Him, love Him, serve Him, obey Him, follow Him, praise Him, and worship Him with grateful hearts, humble attitudes, and righteous actions; let us live in a life earnestly to please him and glorify him.

6. From the scripture: “to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so.” We can see that all kinds of animals’ foods were green plants. This fact shows us that in the beginning, the temper and character of wild animal were very friendly in regards to humans. They were like good friends and were company created by God for his earthly children. This message seems like an amazing picture of masterpiece that reflects the love and harmony among all creatures on the face of the earth. God is love; all things come from him are full of his love.

7. After God created human beings, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. It is impossible for us to imagine how wonderful the earth was when everything had just been created by God.

   “God is Love” (1 John 4:6). His amazing love made the heavens, earth, and every creature. Though we can’t go back to the time of creation and though our eyes can’t see the loving and peaceful Garden of Eden either, we can always experience God’s presence from all of nature and its living creatures. God never abandoned us as orphans and never had forsaken us even when we were lost and were sinners. In God, his love toward us is overflowing and endless. Let us give him thanks for his grace and love. We are God’s children. Let us seek God’s “very good plan” for our lives, because we’re made in his image and likeness.

God is Love (1 John 4:16)

Farewell!