*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL* _By Pastor Mensa Otabil_ Friday 28th February 2025 *CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE* *Scripture Reading:* Genesis 1 > _So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. *Genesis 1:27*_ Before He created the first Man, the Lord God announced His intentions. God did not want us to guess why He had made us. The Lord clearly stated these objectives ahead of our creation. - God wanted to bring a being He called Man into existence - He wanted Man to be a reflection of Himself - He wanted Man to have dominion over the earth and other creations God originated the idea to create each one of us. He said, “Let Us make Man.” Man did not create himself, and therefore man cannot determine his own purpose. To know the reason for our existence, every human being must read what our Creator said before He made us. God created us to resemble Him. An image is a reflection of something; it is not the original. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see your image, not yourself. If you lift your hand, the image of your hand will also be raised. Though the image in the mirror reflects what you do, it is not you. Similarly, being able to reflect on God’s actions does not make us God. In the first verse of Genesis, the Bible introduces God to us as the one who ‘created the heavens and the earth’. God is a Creator - He makes things or brings things into being. God creates things in two main ways. First, He creates by making things out of nothing. Secondly, He creates by making new things out of already existing materials. If He created us to be like Him, then He has given us the ability to also make things – to be fruitful. We cannot make things out of nothing like God, but we can make new things out of the items that God has already created. To be fruitful, we use the ideas God gives us to make things out of the materials God has created. God wants us to imitate the way He brings things into being. He has given us the ability to make things. *Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you made me to be like you. Thank you for breathing your creative Spirit into me in Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_ _Follow the Mensa Otabil channel on WhatsApp:_ https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDGaZYKgsNpjYeBVM2S