Created in His Image–For What Purpose?

Created in His Image—For What Purpose? Sabbath Devotional Reading and Podcast

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” –Psalm 139:14

Have you ever wondered about God’s plans for humanity? With over 8 billion people on the planet, it seems impossible that everyone would have a purpose that would make a difference. Yet, we must trust in God when He says that there are plans for each of us. Without God, we are only living to exist. A mindset filled with uncertainty leads to discouragement, depression, anxiety, and worries.

Yes, the question of Why am I here? is frequently asked. God has the answer in the Scriptures. God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Spiritual Gifts: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

God has equipped us with innate gifts and talents that enable us to live joyful, productive, purpose-driven lives. We have talents that allow us to work and earn money to obtain our life necessities. Our earthly labors require time management skills, structure, and discipline. Although our jobs provide monetary compensation to take care of ourselves and our families, they are secondary to our spiritual assignment from God.

Do Not Let Your Career Become a Roadblock! Give us this day our daily bread is asking God for today’s necessities of life along with the daily strength to perform our spiritual purpose and our tasks of labor. For His grace and mercies, at the end of the day, we thank God for the mental and physical strength to achieve our accomplishments.

God defines His role in our purpose. “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Christian believers have three responsibilities, to worship God every day, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6). At every given opportunity, we are to witness the love of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation, “Go, and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:18-20). And to help those in need, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” (1 John 3:17).

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

Jesus warned us that our earthly lives would be filled with disappointment. Satan, our enemy loves for our emotions to escalate in response to our activities of daily life. When we pray, the Holy Spirit gives us strength from Jesus who reminds us that He is the Source of our daily strength. We are the only created beings that can think, reason, and choose to have faith and trust in a Higher Power outside of ourselves.

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6

When we choose to have a relationship with the Creator, we are guaranteed victorious outcomes from all adversities. Jesus told the apostle Paul, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jesus’ strength is power!

Faith is the catalyst that allows us to proclaim that all things are possible with Christ. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Divine intervention requires that we do our part first by believing the scriptural promises of God. We remain courageous while living out God’s purpose because His plans are perfect. We never have to figure out the answers.

Humans can persevere and overcome challenges when we pray for Divine Intervention. When God is involved, be prepared for a change in your life.

Why am I here and what is my purpose? Think of yourself as one of God’s priceless investments.

Before God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26, first part), we know that God’s heart was full of love and we can only imagine that He was excited to see replicas of “His likeness.”

Maybe we cannot imagine the beauty and perfection of the Garden of Eden. Yet, our Earth has areas so phenomenal that the beauty of nature is a magnificent expression of God’s adoration and majesty. From a loving heart, Jesus created humanity, the earth, the world, and the universe for us to live happy, joyful, and contented lives.

God, our Heavenly Father, freely pours out His love, grace, and mercies to us every day. Yet, the wonderful gift was allowing Jesus to die to redeem us from the second and final death. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

Why did God create humanity? We were created to worship and give God the highest praise from His agape love. We were created to love God and one another, marry, and have children. Even so, we were given free will of choice.

In Psalm 118, King David begins his song to remind us that God created us to worship and give Him our praises of gratitude, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 118:1).

One of my favorite writers states, “We were created for dignity, purity, and elevation of character in this life, and for joy unspeakable and full of glory in the future immortal life.” EGW

He created people out of love for the purpose of sharing love. People were created to love God and each other. Additionally, when God created people, he gave them good work to do so that they might experience God’s goodness and reflect his image in how they care for the world and each other. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/theology-ministry/dear-theophilus-why-did-god-create-world

Jesus promised in Matthew chapter 6 that He would give us all of our provisions when we seek the Kingdom of God first. Has God given us too much? The thought comes to mind of parents who love and adore their children. Their home is filled with affection, laughter, and adequate playtime. They patiently teach good morals and values, only for that one child to reject their love, disobey, and rebel against everything good and lovely.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to Reveal Your Purpose

Maybe we have never thought about the reason we were born to live in such a time as this. God has a pre-determined purpose for each of us. Do we love God enough to obey and do His will? Do we love God enough that we desire to live with Him eternally? If not, we are like rebellious children who continuously reject their parent’s love.

After some deep, reflective thinking, I am not proud of the disobedient choices that I have made with my gift of free will. Yet, my spiritual insight into why I was created has given me the desire to love God through humility and obedience. Yes, I can love and live differently with the deeper understanding and wisdom the Holy Spirit gives when I commit to my God-given purpose.

I pray that we will whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s steadfast love, for Jesus’ love and His continuous service to humanity as our Heavenly Intercessor, and for the Holy Spirit, who is our Teacher revealing the truth that we are not deceived and our Comforter in the seasons of hardships and sorrows. Nor can we forget the guardian angels who serve humanity to protect us against physical danger and spiritual warfare.

“Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!” –Psalm 105:4

The commitment to fulfill our spiritual purpose on earth reflects obedience and demonstrates our love, honor, and respect for the Creator God. Our life on earth reveals our decision to choose God first.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” –Psalm 118:29

Prayer: God, we confess and repent of possessing a rebellious mind. We love You. Thank you for creating us in your image. Please reveal our spiritual purpose. We give You the praise, honor, and glory that You deserve. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.