Who Is This King?Sample

# Our Creator, Our Redeemer Have you ever stopped to marvel at the dusky colours of a sunset? Or noticed the intricacy of the petals on a flower? Perhaps you’ve stood in awe at the grandeur of a canyon or the peak of a mountain. Creation never ceases to amaze us no matter how many times we encounter it. Yesterday, we read how God is the creator of all that we see, touch and feel. He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and, while the earth was formless and empty, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Today’s verse tells us that the Word of God, Jesus Himself, was also present at creation (John 1:3): all things were created through Him and nothing that was made has been made without Him. Creation is an expression of the Holy Trinity. And so are we. In Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...”And so we were created, male and female, in the likeness of the Triune God (Genesis 1:27). We call this ‘imago dei’, the Latin term which is translated as ‘image of God’ and refers to the unique symbolic association between God and humanity. Humans are made in the image of God and reflect God's divine nature. This makes humans different from all other creatures in our capacity for rationality and intellectual understanding, moral and spiritual connection, and also our creative potential. Isaac is the seventh of nine children and lives with his family in Fort Portal, Uganda. Art isn’t celebrated in his community, but Isaac has always been drawn to the creative. Given the challenge of poverty faced by his family, art was not a passion he thought he could pursue. That’s when a miracle happened. Isaac was registered with Compassion’s local child development centre where he received support and life-changing help. Isaac was also encouraged to explore his passion for art. After topping his art class and winning an art competition, the local church hired Isaac to paint an artwork for their building and the local centre asked Isaac to teach art to a group of younger children. This began his dream of pursuing an art career. Today, he is studying media design and animation and hopes to one day make an impact in the film industry in Uganda. Isaac is thriving in his God-given creativity and this potential is within us all because we are made in the likeness of our Creator God. But God not only created us, He also redeemed us. Genesis 3 tells us how sin entered the world; the perfect creation that God made was tainted with evil. Humanity’s perfect communion with the Creator was broken and we needed a Saviour to redeem all of creation. But God already had a plan in place: He would send His precious Son to die on a cross for the redemption of all mankind. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the price and the penalty of sin was paid, once and for all. We are now redeemed from sin and made totally new in Christ. The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Today, regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, when you accept Jesus into your life, you become a new creation. Made new in Christ by His death and resurrection. Our Creator is also our Redeemer, and, today, we have resurrection life in Him. ## Reflection Now that you are a new creation in Christ, what old ways of living can you put to death? ## Prayer Father, thank you for creating us in your image and giving us life and breath. Not only did you create us, but you also redeemed us through Jesus’ death on the cross—a gift of grace that we can never repay. Now, please help us to live as your new creations in Christ, becoming more and more like Him in love for You and others. Amen.