DAY FOURTY-EIGHT - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE PEOPLE

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…

Genesis 1:26a

Reading: Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:15 and 23 – 25; Romans 10:9

The very essence of being called a Christian rests largely on the basis of knowing what you believe. But a belief system that is not lived out is nothing but a good idea. At the heart of the gospel we find both belief and action to be crucial elements to salvation.

It should come as no surprise then, that right at the very beginning of the story, we see God equip Adam and Eve with His Word. He tells them exactly how they should live in order to fully grasp their blessings in the garden of Eden; the action aspect of their lives. He gives them 5 callings or mandates - the things He requires them to do, the things He designed them to do.

The revelation of what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God comes to techni-coloured life in the humanity of Jesus. What it means to be a child of God and how we are meant to fulfil these mandates is starkly clear in the earthly life of the man Jesus. Have you managed to spot these 5 mandates in your reading? To have dominion, to multiply the image of God, work, stewardship and marriage. Yes even marriage is something, the unmarried Jesus, left us an example of.

Each one of these mandates is still entirely true and valid for every single follower of Christ today. Any and every person who claims to be a believer in Jesus is called to these five things. Over the next 9 days we’re going to unpack each one of these calls, and grow our faith for a greater witness in these areas of our lives.

The first step is to acknowledge and come into agreement with this call on your life. Can you take that first step today?

Prayer

Thank you Father for your Word, that teaches me and blesses me with instruction for my life. Thank you that I am not left on earth wandering aimlessly without a clear definitive purpose. Today I agree (or re-affirm my agreement) that these 5 callings are for me, and I commit to discovering how to live these areas of my life in accordance with your Word.

For the family 

Ask

Ask your family if they know the mandates on their lives and how to follow them effectively

Engage

Play a game of UNO (or similar rules based/instructional game) with your family

Explain

Explain to your family that following the mandates in your life are similar to following the instructions in the card game.

You know all the cards upfront and what each one means (like you know all 5 mandates in God’s Word)

But you need to follow them in a step by step manner as your turn comes along, one card at a time. In a similar fashion this is how we walk with the Spirit in following God’s word. One step at a time.