Dominion

“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.’” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)

Why did God create you? Or better yet, I should ask what God created you to do? Yes, I know Matthew 28:19 and 20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” And as Christians, we are to spread the gospel, yes, this is true. However, God spoke this to the Apostles. Not everyone is called to preach the gospel, and I am glad because it is a weight to bear. You must be devoted to study and learning, you must be true in your words, able to show it through the scriptures, and in your life, you will be held to a higher standard by God. That is not for everyone, even if they have the gift to do so.

I will be an evangelist until God will no longer use me, either in life or through death. In fact, dying while preaching the gospel would not be a bad way to go.

So, you, the engineer, the teacher, the farmer, the doctor, why did God create you? Well, the answer lies in today's text. When we read Genesis, we often gloss over why God created us because we focus on creation and the fact that He did create us.

In verse 26, God tells us why he created us, those who are and are not servants of the written Word in teaching. God gave us dominion over creation, over everything. He made humans “to work the land.” (2:5) Yes, Adam failed in the Garden and was cast out. Yet, God gave us all the talents we need to fulfill His commands. Everything you are able to do is a gift from God. It is a gift that was given to you so that you may positively contribute to maintaining human dominion over creation.

In Genesis 1:28, God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” For humans to multiply and subdue creation as God commanded, they needed to grow in conceptualizing the needs and the infrastructure to support growth. In Genesis 2:10-12, we read of the four rivers flowing from Eden,  “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. God gave us materials with which to build and make trade. He gave us copper, brass, iron, and the imagination to calculate and form the items to help us build. There were engineers who designed great cities. None of the people who did any of this building and created a society to have dominion over creation did it by their own means. Each was given a skill by God to use for His purpose.

As Christians, we are called to spread the gospel, to teach the unbelieving about God. We cannot do this while holding ourselves in such high esteem. You are what you are because God made you that way. What better way to open the door to the gospel? I am able to do many things well. Not because I am all that and a side of French fries, but because my father taught me, or my mother taught me, their father taught them because their father taught them as well. God gave them a skill to hone and pass on to their children, to help them become productive in their lives, contribute to society, and exercise dominion over creation.

Open that door of God's gifts, and the perfect segway to the gospel is waiting right there.

Not everyone is called to be a pastor or an evangelist. But everyone is called to do as God commanded in the garden, “fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion.” No one is useless to God. Everyone has a purpose in His kingdom. Worship and give Him glory and praise because he adorned you with the gifts you are to use to glorify Him.

Do you know your creator? He is also your Savior. Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Seek Him, seek eternal life, and humbly come to know your true purpose in this life through Christ Jesus.

Grace and Peace.