JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
26Then God said, “Let us make human beings* in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,* and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27So God created human beings* in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Did you know that the story of Christmas begins on the very first page of Genesis? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Right from the start, the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters as God prepared to bring life into the world. In these first few sentences, we see God created the sun and the moon and the stars. He created the plants, the animals, and the fish in the sea. God spoke the whole world into existence, and then, on the sixth day he said, “Let us make man in our image. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
God created humanity to be like himself, or to “image” (reflect) him. One of the most amazing ways we get to do that is by being in relationship with him. Just as the Father delights in his relationship with the Son and the Spirit, we too get to delight in that community. While God did not need us, Genesis 1 and 2 shows us that he loves us and wants to be with us. God was pleased with his creation. “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Note, it was only after creating humanity that God was finished with his work and rested.
Throughout the entire Bible you can see story after story of God pursuing a relationship with his people and it all began here “in the beginning.”
Christmas reveals something extraordinary about God’s heart: He wants a relationship with us. As you keep reading this advent season, remember that God’s purpose for us is to bring glory to his name and be in a relationship with him. God loves the ones he created. He loves us so much that he even came to live with his people in his creation. So just wait until you see what happens next!