Everyone Bears God's Image
Month 7: Who Am I? · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: James 3:9-10
9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!
Memory Verse
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”— Genesis 1:27 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Chronicles 12-14
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Warriors come from every tribe to make David king — God brings His people together.)The Heart of It
James notices something strange that happens in all of us. With the very same mouth, "we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God" (). Here's what that means. We'll happily sing worship songs to God on Sunday. Then we say something mean about a classmate on Monday. We forget that the classmate carries God's image too. James says it plainly: "These things ought not to be so" (). You can't honor the Maker while you tear down the people He made in His likeness.
This is where this month's big truth comes off the page and into how you treat real people. You matter because you bear God's image. So does the annoying kid. So does the new kid. So does the kid who looks or talks or believes differently. So does even the kid who was unkind to you. We don't pick and choose who carries God's image. Everyone does. That doesn't mean we agree with everything everyone does. It means we refuse to belittle, mock, or bully anyone. Every person is someone God lovingly designed. How we speak about people shows what we really believe about their worth.
Around the Table
Every single person God made is special. Even people who are different from you. Even people who aren't nice to you. So we use kind words for everyone!
Let's do it: Practice "image-bearer eyes." Look at a family member and say one true, kind thing about them.
James says we shouldn't praise God and put down people in the same breath. Why is it wrong to be mean about someone God made in His image?
Let's talk: Is there someone at school it's hard to be kind to? How can remembering they bear God's image help you treat them differently?
It's easy to honor people who agree with us. The real test is honoring those who differ from us. And we do it without pretending every belief or behavior is right.
Let's go deeper: How can you strongly disagree with someone's ideas while you still treat them as an image-bearer of God?
💬 Conversation Starter
Have you ever said something kind about someone and something unkind about them on the same day? What helps you choose kind words even when you're frustrated?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some say Christians are "judgmental" and unkind to people who differ. But the Bible commands the opposite. It tells us to honor every person as an image-bearer (), even while we disagree. When we defend the faith "with gentleness and respect" (), our gentleness itself is part of the argument that the gospel is true.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Think about how your family talks about absent people. Neighbors, politicians, the relative nobody likes, the person of another faith. The way you speak about them is teaching your kids who counts as an image-bearer. James ties our worship directly to our words about others. So a home that gossips or mocks is quietly undoing its own discipleship. This is also the heart of winsome apologetics. Sean McDowell often notes that the watching world judges our message by our manner. So model disagreeing well at your own dinner table. Be strong on truth, and tender with people. Your children will defend the faith the way they've watched you talk about those who reject it.
Draws on: Sean McDowell, A Rebel's Manifesto.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, You made every person in Your image. Help us honor everyone with our words, even people who are different or unkind. Guard our mouths and soften our hearts. Let our kindness point others to You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Everyone I meet bears God's image, so I'll guard how I speak about them all.