The Great Commission: Reflecting God
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Genesis 1:24-31, Matthew 28:16-20
24 God said, “I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” And that's what happened. 25 God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good. 26 God said, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.” 27 So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. 28 God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth. 29 I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. 30 And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes, including animals, both wild and tame, and birds. And so it was. 31 God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came, then morning—that was the sixth day.
Genesis 1:24-31
16 Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. 17 They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Matthew 28:16-20
Memory Verse
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
When the coach scheduled an extra practice on Sunday morning to get ready for the big playoff game, Karly let her teammate, Beth, know she’d be late. Beth replied, “Yup. I kind of thought you’d be at church.”
“You did?” asked Karly.
“You’re a Christian,” said Beth. When Karly asked how she knew, Beth responded, “I can tell by how you talk to us, the coach, and even the other teams.”
What kinds of things do you think Beth saw Karly say and do?
A mirror shows exactly what is there. It might show how your hair looks today or if your clothes match. But a mirror also shows negative things, like if you have a piece of broccoli in your teeth or a big spaghetti sauce stain on your shirt. A mirror shows just who we are, both the positive and the negative.
Genesis 1:27 says that God made you in his own image. That means he made you to be like him. All the caring qualities you admire about God are in you as well. Each day, you have the choice of whether or not people will see these caring qualities in you. Will your actions show kindness, joy, compassion, gentleness, patience, self-control, faithfulness, and goodness (Galatians 5:22-23)?
We have the opportunity every day to proclaim God’s love in our actions and words. In Matthew 28, God commanded us to share our faith with others: to share our stories of God’s love for us. That’s a big responsibility! But did you notice what Jesus said at the end of the verse, “I will be with you always.” When you reflect God’s caring qualities to others and talk about his love, Jesus will help you.
Prayer
God, I thank you that you have made me in your image. I pray that you will help me decide every day to let my actions and words reflect you in all I do. Amen.Related Resources
Lisa VanderKuip
Lisa VanderKuip is a Learning Resource Teacher in Ontario, Canada. Each day, she enjoys sharing her love of reading with her students. One of her greatest joys is seeing kids who are struggling unlock the reading code. In her spare time, Lisa loves to golf with her husband and two grown children.