God is Crazy About You

By Philip Milano

God has created the entire universe for you and wants you to partner with Him! He is so crazy for you and your future that He has done everything to build your life and craft your future. Discover your potential that God has created you to reach.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393621997

Book preview

Chapter 1

Created In God’s Image

I stood there looking in the mirror. I read again and again in the Bible that Jesus makes us new. Then why did I struggle so hard to let go of the mistakes I made in my past? As I fixated on the reflection in the mirror, I spoke out that I am a child of God and that my mistakes are washed away because I am new. I started to realize that I was designed by God and was given strengths and skills that he wanted to bring out in my future. My confidence grew, because I realized if I am created in God’s image, nothing can stop me from moving forward in life.

God spoke: Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth. God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth. (Genesis 1:26–28 MSG)

God’s spoken word about humans is truly profound and unique compared to the rest of the religions in the world throughout history. The spoken word by God is so powerful and is the basis of who we are and what we do on this planet. Let us make human beings in our image is paramount in understanding the fundamental value that God has put in us. Just the very fact that God would choose to make us in his image rather than another created being is massive and an undeserved privilege. There is no reason why the almighty God of the universe would create people who are like him. There is so much that God has entrusted within us when he created us in his image.

We are not just created beings either. All animals and fish are created beings. The earth and stars and cosmos are created by God. However, we are set apart from all of this because we are created in his image. Nothing else in all the universe can have the same claim as you and me. We are set apart for something greater than everything else in the entire universe. God has chosen to impart something special within us, something that makes us truly unique amongst all other creation.

The entire universe reflects the power and majesty of God; however, people reflect the nature and heart of God. Just to be clear, we are not gods ourselves. We are not greater than or able to attain the same rank or authority as God. However, we are special because God has put his Spirit within our hearts. We are actually able to reflect the glory of God through our life. Yet like a mirror, we are not the source of majesty. We do not contain the workings that project the reflected image. Just like a mirror, if we allow sin to consume our lives, this dirt will cover and skew the reflected image of God. It is our choice how much of God we want to reflect and show the world.

Thankfully, by the grace provided by Jesus, we can begin to reflect the true nature of God no matter how lost we are. Also, when we come to Jesus, we receive the life-giving Spirit within our hearts and carry God with us in our daily life. Receiving the forgiveness of Jesus allows us to remove the outworking of sin so that we can be restored to our original state, which was good and beautiful in God’s sight. The act of reflecting God’s image is in itself quite a responsibility we have. For every tarnish or distortion that we allow to creep into our life portrays the wrong image of God to the world. Since we are the representatives of God to the world, this could mislead and give the wrong image of God to those who have never heard of him. For example, claiming a holy war against Muslims during the crusades was a terrible misrepresentation of the true nature of Jesus. This caused people from all over the world to view the Christian God as a bloodthirsty or evil God, which in some parts of the world still holds power today. Yet the truth of the heart of God is so far from that representation. God wants our lives to match the true character that he has shown to us. Sacrificing instant gratification to bring revelation of God’s mercy is reflecting the true image of God. Loving and blessing those who persecute you is reflecting the very servant attitude that Jesus displayed on earth. Forgiving others who do wrong to you is reflecting the attitude that Jesus displayed on the cross, as he forgave those who crucified him. Advancing the situation of those who are victims in our world is reflecting the heart of God.

We, as humans, have the authority to properly reflect the image of God upon all creation. We are allowed to do anything we want on this planet, but by misrepresenting the nature of God, we begin to separate ourselves from a real relationship with him. This freedom is given to us even when we refuse to acknowledge God as our creator. God’s love for us is so deep that he even allows those who do wrong to still contain his authority to run this world in hopes that they will come to him and restore the lost relationship. God is always waiting for us to reach out to him and allow the grace of Jesus to clean the surface of our mirror so that we can reflect the image of God in the glory and splendor that he deserves. No matter how far away we push God, and no matter how much evil we do in our lives, God is always waiting and drawing us into a relationship with him so he can show his great mercy in our lives. Once we accept Jesus as our sacrifice, we can begin to show the world the true image of God through our lives! With our restored relationship, we are able to highlight the mercy and goodness of God to all the world. The creator of the universe wants to partner with each one of us, as individuals, to showcase his image. Your life has more value than you could ever know because you have the responsibility and authority to reflect God’s character to every person you meet.

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. (Job 37:5)

God has the ability to accomplish anything beyond our imagination through his Word. He does not need humans to carry out his image on the earth because he can create the universe any way that he wants. God is not relying on people to accomplish his will or to sustain himself. That is not needed; for with or without people, God’s desire will be accomplished. We cannot add anything to God, and we cannot enhance his life in any way. Even though you may fail at times and make mistakes, know that God is still actively looking to involve us in his great plan. This means there is no pressure for us to perform to some preset standard from God. We are free from the expectation to perform our quota from an emotionless boss or fear of angering a hovering oppressor. Instead, we are invited into a lifestyle of representing the greatness and majesty of God through the act of bringing healing, hope, and vision to the lost.

Why is it so important to be created by God? Good question. Being actively created by God is essential to the beginning of our internal journey toward purpose in life. The age-old question, Why am I here? has been asked by every single person on the planet since the creation of mankind. Genesis 1:26 states, Let us create . . . You and I are created beings. Being passively created by God, or a by-product of chance, will destroy any sense of direction and purpose we have in life. We are not accidents, mistakes, or failures. Many people throughout the world believe that they are a mistake or some chance creation. As they experience difficulty in life, they may doubt their value. Perhaps they believe that certain aspects of their personality are good but hate or are ashamed of other qualities they possess. We all have sinned and have been separated from God’s presence; however, I am referring to our personality and characteristics, not the negative impact that sin has had on us.

Since you are a created being, God put thought and intent into creating you. God thought of what strengths to put inside you, where to place you on this planet, and how to bring blessings and reward into your life (assuming you follow him faithfully), to say the least. That’s a lot of thought put into creating us. God did not simply create the universe and step back, nor has he been doing damage control since its existence. The famous verse in Colossians 1:17 states, He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. God orchestrated you, with all your strengths and potential, into his symphony that is time itself. God created everyone with purpose because he created us in his image. God can only be great and holy. There is nothing else he can be. That is the image he created us in! It is God’s will for you to realize your potential to change this world. Your unused potential can become fully utilized when following the calling God has for your life. We could have easily been created as mere mortals with varying potential based upon our randomized genetic material, but God did not do that.

Why is intent so important? How does this lead to more purpose in your life? Let’s compare varying views and thoughts of why this is so key to your value on earth. God’s creation and interaction with humanity as revealed in the Old Testament is significantly different than their neighboring cultures and how they viewed their relationship with their gods. First, God breathed life into man. This action was done with intent and intimacy. God reached out to mankind and placed his presence in us. By breathing his life into us, we are inherently connected to God. The creation stories from the surrounding nations (Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and so on) bear no resemblance to what we find in the Bible. Some creation accounts tell the story of how the gods were flying above the formless primordial darkness that would be earth, and their tears fell from the heavens, creating man. According to this story, we are completely accidental creations. The gods didn’t want us to be created; we were just a by-product. What purpose do we have? Do we have any value to the gods in heaven? More importantly, these gods are emotionally unstable and wouldn’t be fit to rule the heavens and earth. We can’t even image being created by a being that never wanted us to begin with.

Another creation story states how humankind was created from the blood of the gods as they fought over dominion of the earth against the evil that was present. Through this story (once again lacking purpose), there is no willingness to do life together in a relationship. People are actually brought about by conflict and are doomed to constantly repeat this vicious cycle of pain. There is no hope for humans to be free from violence where we can envision a future of peace and joy. Through this story, we are forever enslaved to the gods and have to work the ground and serve heavenly beings religiously. There is no desire of the gods to participate with us in this life together. All of their actions would be done to appease