Title

We Are To Have Dominion

Scripture
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion . . . over all the earth...
(Genesis 1:26)
Devotional
We humans are very different. We are not like the rest of creation. Mankind is the only creature created in the image of his Maker. The animal kingdom is not equal to the Kingdom of God. Man and beast do not share equality on the earth. Animals and vegetation do not have equal rights with people. Animals, trees, and the like are not to be revered above man; nor are animals to be loved on the same level. God instructed man to have dominion, which is to rule. We are stewards of the earth; the earth is not a steward of man. We are to rule, not as tyrants, but as stewards of God’s creation. We must not compare the animal kingdom with the Kingdom of God. This is to demean not only creation, but the Creator as well. We need to be good stewards. We need to have a godly concern for our environment. However, the earth is not fragile. Mankind cannot destroy what God has created. We live in a “World without end. Amen.”(1)

(1) Ephesians 3:21 (KJV)
Text For The Day
Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion… over all the earth.”
Thought For The Day
“Someone claimed that we work at our play and play at our work. Today the confusion has deepened: we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.” —Leland Ryken, author and Wheaton College professor
Questions To Ponder
Morning Study Guide
Definition: In our text “dominion” literally means “to rule.” We are stewards of all of God’s creation and we are to manage and govern it: every fish of the sea, bird of the air, cattle on the hills and everything on the earth.
 
Reference: “You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands,” Psalm 8:5-6.
 
Application: Hug people, not trees. Save babies, not just whales. Rule and govern with love and compassion, justice, and mercy. Take dominion as a good steward of the manifold grace of God.