Image

Imago Dei

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.”

-Genesis 1:27 CSB

“God saw all that He had made and it was very good indeed.”

-Genesis 1:30a CSB

I love this moment that we read in Scripture, the creation of humans. I love this moment because humans have the distinction that we are all made in the image of God and therefore are image bearers of the creator of the universe. The story goes that God’s original plan was for us to live in a beautifully created world and take in all of its gifts.

Then, sin enters the picture, distorting the original plan and creating a separation of us and God.

But God made a way.

His beautiful creation made in His own likeness, He made a way for each of us to be made whole again through the death and resurrection of His own son, Jesus, paying the price.

This is the love story that is written for us, and it is also the start of our calling. To make disciples, helping others be made whole again. Why? Because every person bears the image of God and deserves to be made whole again.

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Be You – Living Confident in the Unknown

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Being yourself is one of the hardest things. We are surrounded by people who either try to tell us how we should be or idolize the way someone else lives. We start to live in the stereotypes of every high school movie from the eighties, and then get lost in all the titles and expectations of these labels. The thing is, labels and stereotypes don’t work in real life. We live in the view of who we should be, and we then lose who we are. We can’t live trying to fit in. We have all been designed in unique ways- no one person is like someone else. Similarities, yes, but an exact copy, no. The reason I’m talking about this and the reason I think the concept of being you is so important, is because life is filled with unknowns. Our identity helps us weather this adventure.

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Passion

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of passion recently. Passion is an intense desire, something that almost cannot be controlled. It’s something that drives you, moves you, and causes you to fight for it daily. Events in my life have made me evaluate what I am truly passionate about; it has caused to me look at the why behind who I am. As a Christ follower, I am called to something greater. Passion and calling go hand in hand. Each of us have a calling, each of us have been created with a powerful purpose. There is no one like you, you are an original, a masterpiece created in the image of a savior. Take a moment and think about what drives you. What makes you excited during the day, what do you cling to in the midst of hardship, what could you never go another day without pursuing? I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of passion recently.

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