DEVOTION: Made in His Image - Shirley Corder

Psalm 8:3-9 (GNB) When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them? Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor. You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation: sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too; the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas. O LORD, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world! 

     Some years ago, my husband and I sat in our campsite in Africa, miles from civilization, and stared in awe at the night sky. The sky seemed darker, the stars brighter and far more numerous than when we looked up from our home in the city. According to people who study the heavens, more than a hundred billion stars exist in our galaxy alone—and new ones develop all the time. How can I begin to relate to the God behind such creation?
     Yet Genesis 1:27 tells me that when God created human beings, He made them to be like himself. How is this possible? My finite mind cannot comprehend anything as vast as the universe where I live, never mind the whole of creation. How can I ever be like Him?
     Yet I do share one similarity. I share his desire to create.
     As a writer, I love the freedom to create characters of diverse natures. I enjoy watching the storyline develop, and solving the occasional twists and turns that threaten to bog down the story. I look at everyday situations and compare them with passages of Scripture before turning them into devotional messages which will one day, God willing, be a blessing to others.
     My friend, a potter, turns lumps of clay into beautiful pots and ornaments. The carpenter creates elegant pieces of furniture and delicate trophies. The artist captures scenes of beauty on canvas, and the musician turns notes and rhythms into magnificent sounds. The novelist and the poet alike use words to create stories and ballades that transport the reader into another world.
     The magnitude of God’s creation exceeds our wildest imaginations. Yet when He made us in his image, He gave us a little touch of an amazing gift—the gift of creation. What a privilege to be able to create a story, an article, a meditation, a poem, that will point people to the ultimate creator.

How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done! (Psalms 19:1 GNB)


Loving Creator God, when I look at the night sky I catch a fleeting glimpse of Your eternal Kingdom. ThankYou for the creative gifts You have given me. As I work on my current writing project, help me to remember I'm following Your example. May my writing, in some tiny way, reflect Your glory and show Your love for the people You created. Amen. 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Our talents are God’s gifts to us. What we do with them are our gifts to him.