TEXT: Genesis 1:26-31; Psalm 8:4-9; Isaiah 43:6-7, 21

God was happy with everything He had made. He looked at the land covered with beautiful green trees and plants. He saw the wide blue ocean filled with different kinds of fish, and all the many animals that lived on the earth.

God knew His world was good but He was not finished yet. He needed to make one more thing and then His creation would be complete. He was going to create man. This would be the most special part of His creation. God wanted someone to love Him, and to take care of His world.

God took some of the dust of the ground and made a man. Then He breathed into him, and suddenly that man came alive! God called the man Adam.

One of the things God wanted Adam to do was to name the animals. God brought them to him. Adam looked at each animal and decided what it should be called.

Guess what Adam named each of these animals?

In front of Adam walked a huge gray creature. It had big ears and a long trunk. Do you think Adam named that one an elephant or a mouse?

Next, a fluffy little white animal with long ears hopped up to Adam. Do you think Adam named that one a kangaroo or a rabbit?

Then a black and white striped animal walked by. It looked a little bit like a horse. Do you think Adam named that one a zebra or a skunk?

Adam had a big job to do. There were many, many animals and Adam wanted each of them to have just the right name. God told Adam that he was to be in charge of all the animals, the fish, and the birds. Adam loved God and wanted to do the best job he could.

Even though Adam had all the animals for company, God knew he needed a special friend. So God made Adam go to sleep, and while he slept, God made a woman to be Adam’s wife and friend. Adam called the woman that God gave him, Eve.

God wanted His people to be happy because He loved them very much. He had made a beautiful garden called Eden for them to live in. They were happy to live there.

In the evening God visited the Garden and talked to Adam and Eve. They must have talked about many things.

God looked at everything He had made. He looked at Adam and Eve. He loved His people the very best of all.

He said, “It is very good.”

The emphasis of this lesson is on God’s creation of man. Your child will be learning that man was created to praise and glorify God, and that God gave man dominion over all the rest of His creation.

Discuss with your child the fact that, although the animals and plants God made were beautiful, they were not able to commune with God or to worship and praise Him. So He created man with that special purpose in mind.

Let your child make a “People Mosaic” this week. Have him cut pictures of people from catalogs and magazines and glue them onto a background. Beside each figure, help him draw a speech balloon and the words “I can praise God by ,” letting him fill in the blank space.

FAMILY DEVOTIONS