“He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”

James 1:18 NLT

Current events have been heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because there is a continuing snowball effect of how people are being treated. Lines are being deepened and words continue to be used to vilify whole people groups to the point where people are taken, beaten and murdered.

What’s even worse, is we see this as a cycle, one that continues over and over, each time growing worse and worse.

As followers of Christ, we should not fall into this trap of treating others that contradicts the truth of Scripture.

The truth of Scripture is that we are God’s most prized possession, made in His image, loved so much that He made a way to restore a relationship with Him. Called to lead others into that same grace by how we love others.

What we are seeing, is the effects of sin, distorting the original image of God to our own making. My heart breaks and I have righteous anger especially when those who claim to be a disciple of Jesus, twist Scripture and truth in order to justify looking at others as if they are not made in the image of God.

This is wrong and I have to make the distinction that I do not align in any way with those who use God’s love as a weapon and not a free gift for all.

So, I am choosing to use my words, especially for those that desire to follow Christ, that we are all made in God’s image, worthy of love and called to love others no matter what.

We are made in the image of God, and sin has severed that original design. Yet, hope was made in the form of God’s son, Jesus, sent to be fully man and fully God; who died on the cross to pay for our sins, rose again, and bridged the gap that was created. That is how much God loves you, that He did the ultimate task to restore a relationship with you.

You are His child.

You are His prized possession.

And so is your neighbor.

The enemy would love for us to forget that we are all made in God’s image and worthy of His love, so that we begin to view others as an enemy or someone lesser than ourselves. To create a divide and hatred for one another is to allow sin to gain a foothold in our souls.

Anything that contradicts the truth of Scripture, is not from God and should be cast out of our minds, not to be entertained any longer.

We are called to be a light in the darkness, not make the darkness grow.

As a disciple of Jesus, we need to follow Jesus. He lived a life of love towards others, both friends and enemies that would later betray and kill Him. He loved and chose to point others to truth, rather than come in and destroy. The thing about the life of Jesus is, those that had Him killed, were angry because He did not come to earth with a militaristic vengeance. Jesus came to defeat the darkness by being a light, opening His hands with love and seeing others the way God saw them.

This means that we are called to do the same as Jesus, to see others the way God sees them, and show them the same love God shows us.

As a follower of Christ, I cannot sit back when God’s creation is under attack. I cannot let those who claim to know Christ, claim that certain people and people groups are not as worthy as others. I cannot align myself with lies, because I am aligned with the teachings of Jesus.

Everyone is made in the image of God, so we are to treat everyone like they are made in Gods image. To do anything different is to distort His creation, live out truth, not lies that anyone else is less than that image.

I lament what is happening in my country, and I lament the way Christ is being used to justify horrible actions.

I lament that I have not been as vocal as I could be.

In my lament, I am confident that it is not too late for Christ to speak to those who follow Him. That it is never too late to come back to the good shepherd, and turn from sinful actions.

I am made in God’s image.

You are made in God’s image.

And so is your neighbor.

So, treat others that they are made in the image of God, worthy of God’s great love.

Be a light in the darkness, do not let the darkness consume you.

-Your pastor and friend, Joshua.

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About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a husband, father, and pastor doing what he can to love others the way Jesus did. You can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. He may not have it all figured out, but the journey is the best part. You can find him on the social media he uses Tik Tok, Bluesky and Instagram