Mindy Lee Hopman

Imago Dei

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,’ … male and female He created them. ~Genesis 1:26-27

In the beginning, completeness in spirit and wholeness of heart existed in one place. Elohim bara the world. Elohim bara Adam, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit together created man in their image. Elohim, God with a plural ending, created man, and out of man’s rib Elohim created woman. 

The Wedding

As a young bride, I remember how his eyes bore straight to my heart when I started to walk down the aisle. In just twenty paces, I would say my vows and become his wife. The memory of him looking at me with such tenderness will forever be etched on my heart. 

The marriage covenant is a glimpse of the oneness found at the beginning of time when Adam and Eve lived as one with God, as well as a glimpse of the future when Christ reunites with his bride, the church. 

With His hands, He created the world.

With His heart, He created you. 

He fashioned you perfectly in your mother’s womb. God does not make mistakes. He gave you life, imparted a soul to your being at conception, and gave His masterpiece the perfect eyes, smile, and laugh. Does your soul know it well? 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

When your soul knows it well, you accept you are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

When your soul knows it well, you trust God has placed you in your space for today.
When your soul knows it well, you begin to see God’s fingerprints on the tiniest of gifts He has entrusted you with. 

When your soul knows it well, you can’t help but want to make Him known. 

When your soul knows it well, you pour out onto others, and you complement each other well. 

I will never forget the deep, sincere look my husband had in his eyes when I walked down the aisle to join him as his wife over twenty six years ago. I felt complete. 

God inscribes some memories on our hearts to last a lifetime. Oh, my soul knows it well.

Today’s Scripture:

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. ~Genesis 2:7

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. ~Psalm 139:13-14

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:10

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. ~Genesis 2:18-25

Today’s Snapshot: The First Husband and Wife

God looked over all of His creation and said, “It is good.” And it was, but He knew He wasn’t finished yet—not until Adam realized he was alone. Our Heavenly Father knows what is best for His children, and He wants what is best for us. So, God created a companion for Adam out of his rib, whom He named Eve. Adam was the father, and Eve was the mother of all living. They lived together in community with God in the Garden of Eden.

Family Discussion:

• After God created the earth and the animals, Adam named all the animals. Would you have chosen the same names? Should a dog be called a dog or a lion called a lion? When you saw the elephant for the first time, what would you have called it?
• Describe your wedding day to your children (where, when, who was there, etc..) If you are not married, describe what the perfect wedding day would look like for you.

Not everyone will marry. Remaining single is a special calling given to some people. Together, as believers, we are one body called the bride of Christ. One day all believers will unite with Him (Revelation 21:12, 19:7). 

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We praise You for the creation of the world, all the animals, and for Adam, the first man. He gives us a glimpse of You. And we praise You for Eve. They are the perfect picture of marriage. We thank You for the gift of marriage—a commitment to love, to honor, and to sacrifice. May our marriage and the marriage of each one of our children be built upon Your firm foundation. Thank you for these sweet moments.

In the precious name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen

This devotional is adapted from Faith Roots: An Advent Family Devotional available for purchase on Amazon.