Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬ ESV)

We are created in the image of God, right?! According to Genesis 1:26-27, the answer is “yes.”

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26-27‬ ESV)

So, why is this important? Well, I’m glad you asked…

We are made in the image of God, but we don’t all look alike. That is because our similarity isn’t in our looks, it’s in our make-up. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, we are soul, body, and spirit, too!

God didn’t say, “Let ME make man in MY image…” He said, “Let US make man in OUR image…” God spoke in the plural, because we are made in the image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Father – soul
Son – body
Holy Spirit – spirit

We often face our issues like they are all physical, but what if a problem is really spiritual. Or, what if it is emotional (soul)?! It won’t do any good to throw physical medication at a spiritual problem, will it? No, we need spiritual medication. We need the truth to confront the lies that plague us like a deadly and paralyzing virus.

So many people are empty and trying to gain happiness through buying stuff, through empty relationships, or other emotional/physical means. However, these things don’t fulfill them. That is because their spirits are what is actually empty! They are only running on two out of three cylinders (body and soul)…

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full“. (‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ NIV)

When we connect to the Father through His Son, Jesus, He fills us with His Spirit and then we begin to live life to the full! This is His desire for us.  He loved us so much that He created us like Him, and when we sinned…He laid down His body for us!

Challenge: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ NIV). We must intentionally feed our spirit by quieting our soul/body before the Lord.  Take some time to reflect on the scriptures in this morning’s devotion and apply them to the way you think.