On this Mother’s Day morning at Grace Bible Church, Pastor Josh White delivered a timely message that calls us to consider not just the value of mothers, but the value of all human life — because both truths flow from the same source: God’s design in creation.
Everything Has a Purpose
Pastor Josh opened with a simple but profound observation: every creation has a purpose. He showed the congregation a series of objects — a Polaroid camera, an egg beater, VHS tapes, a rotary phone — and asked what each was for. Each item was created to serve a specific function. The same is true of us.
If we don’t go to our Creator, we will get our purpose wrong. We’ll be wrong about our values. And we’ll make a mess of the creation God has given us.
“Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
— Genesis 1:26-27
Created to Know and to Worship
The first part of our God-given purpose is relationship. God created us so that we can have a relationship with Him. We alone — of all of creation — are made in the image of God. What does that mean?
Being made in God’s image means we alone have the capacity for the kind of complex relationships humans enjoy. It means we have reason, morality (we know right from wrong — it’s innate), language, culture, and the ability to make commitments. Most importantly, it means every human being has intrinsic dignity and value — from the moment of conception.
“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.”
— Psalm 8:4, 6
When we forget that every person bears God’s image — including the person who cuts us off in traffic or the one whose actions we find reprehensible — we miss the point of our existence. God loves every human being with a love greater than any of us can comprehend, and He sent His Son to die for every single one of them.
Created to Subdue and to Have Dominion
The second part of our purpose is stewardship. God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over it. The word “dominion” doesn’t mean domination — it means caretaking, management. We are to be stewards of God’s creation.
“Subdue” is the Hebrew word kibash, which means to bring something into service so it yields its intended benefit. God packed this earth full of resources — metals, minerals, energy sources — and left it to us to discover, develop, and use for the benefit of all. Every scientific breakthrough, every technological advancement, every wise use of the earth’s resources is part of us fulfilling that dominion mandate.
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”
— Genesis 1:28
This is why it matters that we acknowledge our Creator. When we do, we bring Him glory in our work, our relationships, our families, and our service to others. But when we ignore God and His purpose, sin enters — selfishness, pride — and the consequences show up in how people devalue and mistreat one another.
When a Society Forgets Its Purpose
Shelley Bourne from Choices Pregnancy Center shared a sobering look at what happens when a society no longer acknowledges the God-ordained value of human life. The list is long and difficult to hear: fatherlessness affecting 25 million children in the U.S., elderly being discarded, physician-assisted suicide spreading across nations, children being trafficked, and the normalization of abortion.
But she also offered hope. Choices Pregnancy Center — started 38 years ago by a handful of churches in downtown Phoenix — has served thousands of women and men with free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, and the gospel. In 2020 alone, they gave over 3,000 pregnancy tests, performed more than 1,500 ultrasounds, and 173 women facing pressure to abort chose life. They also offer healing groups for those struggling with past abortions.
Choices is an extension of the church — missionaries serving our community. And this church has supported them for over a decade.
So What?
On this Mother’s Day, let these truths sink in:
- You have intrinsic worth because you bear God’s image. No matter your age, ability, or status — you are valuable.
- Mothers fulfill a sacred role — ushering in new life and teaching children to fear and serve the Lord. This is one of the most important callings in all of creation.
- We are all called to be protectors of the most vulnerable — the preborn, the fatherless, the elderly, the trafficked.
- Go and serve. Consider visiting Choices Pregnancy Center, volunteering, praying for them, or supporting the baby bottle drive (return bottles by Father’s Day).
If you’ve been silent about the value of human life — in your home, your workplace, your community — ask God to loosen your tongue. The world doesn’t come to church to hear the truth. We are sent into the world to speak it.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.”
— Romans 10:15
Scripture References
- Genesis 1:26-28 — Man created in God’s image, given dominion
- Psalm 8:4, 6-8 — Man’s dignity and authority over creation
- Romans 10:14-15 — The need for proclaimers of the gospel
- Psalm 139 — God knows us intimately from the womb