Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26-28)
Sometimes, when we read this passage, we are tempted to think that
God handed the world over to us to do with as we like. But God gave specific
parameters. For instance, there’s nothing in this passage that suggests that man
was given dominion over plants, the land, the sea, or the air. Could this be
the reason Abel’s sacrifice years later was unacceptable? I don’t know, but it’s
food for thought.
As Professor Willard discusses this passage, his (more important)
point is that man wasn’t given the absolute right to rule. He was given the right
to rule - in union with God. God didn’t
abdicate His rights. This is important because the idea was not for us to be on
our own – making all the decisions and doing all the work. The idea was not for
us to be His slave – making no decisions and doing all the work. And, the idea
was not for us to be His master, making all the decisions and doing none of
the work.
In other words, the whole idea was for God and man to work as a
team, with each contributing to the cause. That’s not possible unless God is
accessible. It’s not possible unless man and God both have the same cause. It’s
not possible if each doesn’t contribute. None of this is a new idea, but we
tend to revert to the ideas in the paragraph above. We go to God looking for
marching orders – micromanagement. We go to God with our marching orders. We
ignore Him and get on with our own plans.
I tend to be a marching order sort of person. I have a computerized
organizer that serves me well in this. It tells me – reminds me – what I decided
to do. Some fellow writers talk about how to get or stay motivated to write,
and I have to tell them that there’s no motivation involved. I get up in the
morning and I do – sometimes it’s a struggle, but the focus is on doing. So,
when I get up in the morning, it’s not a case of “OK, Lord, how shall we spend
time together today? What shall we do?” It’s either “OK, Lord, here’s what I
need You to do,” or “OK, Lord, what is my assignment?” And off we both go.
I think my thinking needs to be realigned from independent to team.
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