FriendshipSample

Week 1: Our Need for Friendship

Monday: Designed for Friendship 

SOAP*: Genesis 1:27

God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. 

Devotion:

At the beginning of the Bible, we are given a glimpse into how God created us. We were not made accidentally or unintentionally, but we were made in the image of God. Of everything God made, He designated humanity as those who would rule over creation and show the world who He is. This special status means a lot of different things, but we can know with confidence that God made us to exist in relationships with others. 

Our God is triune: three in one. One of the ways we reflect this unique (and often confusing) reality is that we were made to live in community with those who are both different and like us. Even the fact that God created humanity as male and female tells us that He delights in humanity’s difference in unity. Relationships with other people are not optional or unnecessary. We need other people because God made us that way. Our relationships might be frustrated by sin—our sin, other people’s sin, or the brokenness of the world around us—but relationships themselves are good gifts from God.

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for making me in Your image. Thank You for the relationships in my life. Help me remember how important they are so I can treat other people like they are also made in Your image. Amen.

*SOAP is the acronym of our Bible study method:

S - Scripture

O - Observations

A - Application

P - Prayer