Genesis 1:26-28

 26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Perhaps one of the most compelling passages of Scripture for gauging our value in God’s eyes is the Creation story. The light and dark with their evident distinctions and all-encompassing reach, were good. The stars, with their captivating beauty and inexplainable wonder, were “good”. The animals, with their constant presence and innate instinctual behavior, were “good”. But humanity, with its free will nature and selfish tendencies, created in the image of the Creator Himself, was “very good”.

Of course, we messed it up with that same free will and selfish tendency. But to know that the Creator of the universe––of everything that lives and breathes, of everything that is and was and is to come––took deliberate time to create each of us individually and uniquely…well, need I say more? Words can’t describe His love for us or the value He has placed on us!

So, I point you to the beginning, where …

God created you.

God chose you.

And then I point you to a dark, crowded hill on Calvary; where One Man, surrounded by many, was the epitome of loneliness. I point you to the Cross, where…

God chose you again

He chose you despite your sin; in fact, to save you from your sin. Now tell me He doesn’t value you.

Follow the SHINE Time devotional tool to dive deeper into today’s scripture!

Seek the Lord in prayer.

Highlight a characteristic of God.

Identify a truth about yourself or people.

Notice what the Holy Spirit is communicating to you.

Engage in the next action step. Think of a way to respond in obedience to what God has revealed to you today.