The Person Across the Counter
The Person Across the Counter: an original Genesis 1:26-28 KJV devotional with biblical context and practical application.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 KJV
The person across the counter may be moving slowly. The person in the next car may have made a foolish decision. The person who disagrees with me may be difficult to understand. None of those circumstances gives me permission to forget what Genesis says about human beings. Their worth reaches deeper than their usefulness to my plans. They are people made in the image of God.
Read the passage carefully
Being made in God's image does not mean that every human desire expresses God's character. The account of sin will make that painfully clear. It means mankind has a place and responsibility in creation that cannot be reduced to physical strength, income, education, or public approval. Male and female alike bear the dignity of His creative act. The command to exercise dominion also gives responsibility. God entrusts His world to people who remain accountable to Him for the way they use it.
This truth reaches the tone of an ordinary conversation. I can correct an error without enjoying someone's embarrassment. I can disagree firmly while refusing contempt. Children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and people who cannot offer me anything in return deserve patient and respectful care. If my kindness disappears when somebody stops being useful, my treatment of people has drifted from the foundation Scripture supplies. The image of God is not a reward that competent people earn.
Carry this truth into the day
Pay attention to the person you are most likely to overlook today. Use a name when you know it. Listen to an answer before moving to the next demand. When correction is necessary, make it clear and fair. These actions do not create human dignity; they acknowledge it. The gospel adds another reason to speak with care: the people around us need the Saviour, just as we do. Treating them as obstacles makes it harder to show them the compassion and truth of Christ.
Why the setting matters
God creates mankind in His image, male and female, and gives humanity responsibility within His creation. Human dignity begins with God's act, not social usefulness.
Continue in the Word
Read further: Genesis 1 in the King James Bible.