1 Corinthians 15:45-49 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
On the sixth day, as the universe stood complete, God paused. One final creation remained—a masterpiece unlike any other. This being would bear His own image, a living reflection of the Divine (Genesis 1:26-27).
The Hebrew word for “image,” tzelem, is profoundly connected to tzel, meaning “shadow.” God fashioned Adam to be His shadow on earth—a living, breathing reflection of His glory and nature. From the first Adam to you and me, we are not just flesh and blood; we are living reflections of the Almighty, cast upon this earth to reveal the unseen God.
God reached down, gathered adama (earth), and molded it into a vessel. Then, He breathed His Spirit into that lifeless clay, and Adam became a living soul—a blend of dust and blood, adama and dam. And in this divine act, a profound truth was revealed: when the blood (dam) ceases to flow, life departs, and we return to the dust (adama) from which we were formed.
Centuries later, the Second Adam, Yeshua, entered the world—the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15-17). Just as the first Adam was formed from earth and infused with divine breath, Yeshua was born of human blood yet carried the very breath of God Himself. And just as Adam was called to reflect the Creator, we are called to reflect the Messiah—to walk as His shadow, bearing the imprint of His life, love, and light.
Never forget: You are His divine shadow—a living, breathing reflection of the Almighty. Let His light blaze through you, that those around you may behold the One who shaped you from dust and ignited your soul with His very breath.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]After Moses’ death, God commissioned Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan—a real place that carried profound spiritual meaning. Canaan was not a picture of heaven, for it was filled with enemies, obstacles, and the ongoing need for faith and obedience. Instead, it symbolized the believer’s journey: a life marked by conflict and conquest, failure and faithfulness, struggle and surrender. Just as Joshua was told to rise and cross the Jordan, every follower of Christ is called to move beyond mere spiritual survival into a victorious, Spirit-empowered walk—a life that embraces the fullness of God’s promises with courage, rest, and purpose.
When we hear the word Hineini—”Here I am,” many of us immediately think of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 6, standing before the throne of God, overwhelmed by His holiness. After being cleansed by the burning coal, Isaiah hears the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send?” and responds with the now-famous phrase: “Hineini—Here am I. Send me.”
Following Yeshua (Jesus) isn’t just about believing the right things or checking boxes. It’s about wanting to truly know God — to experience Him personally. And here’s the amazing part: even that desire starts with Him. God is the one who stirs our hearts and awakens our longing. If you find yourself hungry for more of Him, it’s because He’s already working in you.
There is a sacred truth buried deep in Scripture that many believers never fully embrace: you have been given authority through the Messiah, not someday, but now. It is not reserved for the spiritually elite. It is not earned through effort. It is your inheritance as a child of God. And this authority was purchased at the Cross and activated the moment you were born again.
Many of us can recite Yeshua’s (Jesus’) words about the two greatest commandments—loving God and loving our neighbor—but we often miss how deeply intertwined they are. We treat them like separate tasks: one for God, one for people. But in Greek, Yeshua uses the phrase homoia aute, which means “like to it.” The second commandment isn’t just next in line—it shares the same nature. This small detail radically changes how we understand the passage: loving others is essential to loving God.
In today’s culture, freedom is often defined as doing whatever you want—living without restrictions, chasing your happiness, and controlling your destiny. But when you dig into the Greek word eleutheros, meaning “free,” you discover that real freedom isn’t about cutting all ties—it’s about being connected to the right things. True freedom isn’t found in isolation, but in surrender to God.