Tag: rule

Household Prayer: Rule Well, Bring Order

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:28 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.1.28.NKJV

Brothers today I’m praying for order. Many times when I find myself discontent or ineffective in life (work, family, ministry), it is often because I have not ruled myself or my areas of responsibility well and things have gotten out of order (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15). So I am praying that we rule well under the Lordship of Jesus and bring our souls, minds, and life into order. Rule yourself well, rule your household well, and bring God’s truth and grace into every sphere of life that you enter into until every nation proclaims “Jesus is Lord!” (Matt. 28:18-20) – Amen

Take dominion, subdue and rule, work and keep. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15) Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20) These summarize the mission God has given us.

Happy birthday Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Also, “Today — Feb 4th, 1906 — marks the birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest Christians of the modern era. He understood that faith without ACTION is no real faith.” https://ericmetaxas.com/books/bonhoeffer/ 

“He had theologically redefined the Christian life as something active, not reactive. It had nothing to do with avoiding sin or with merely talking or teaching or believing theological notions or principles or rules or tenets. It had everything to do with living one’s whole life in obedience to God’s call through action. It did not merely require a mind, but a body too. It was God’s call to be fully human, to live as human beings obedient to the one who had made us, which was the fulfillment of our destiny. It was not a cramped, compromised, circumspect life, but a life lived in a kind of wild, joyful, full-throated freedom—that was what it was to obey God.” Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas https://a.co/9b6VdVe

Creation Mandate – Dominion

In “Genesis 2:15, we learn how man is to fulfill his calling: ‘The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.’ … Work. To work is to labor to make things grow… Keep. To keep is to protect and to sustain progress already achieved… God calls us to bear His image in the real world, in this garden that has become corrupted by sin but is being redeemed by the power of God’s grace in Christ. He calls us to do this by being leaders and servants in the ultimate cause of displaying God’s glory and bearing the fruit of God’s love in real relationships… Our calling in life really is this simple (although not therefore easy): We are to devote ourselves to working/building and keeping/protecting everything placed into our charge.” The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard D. Phillips https://a.co/hPkBUjb

THE GOOD NEWS

There is a God that created the heavens and the earth. We humans are created in His image.

We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV

Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV

But good news! God is merciful and loving. Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation. 

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV

““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV

We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV

There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV 

It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV

Household Prayer: Rule Well

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” … God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” … God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:26, 28, 31 NASB1995

Well brothers, the school season is almost at an end. I hope and pray it was a joy and a blessing for you as it was for me. I have enjoyed weekly scripture meditation and prayer for you and our community. Until next season starts I pray we love, enjoy, instruct, and disciple our families well. I pray we rule well in our households. Genesis 1:26,28,31; Eph. 6:4

“Dominion is a fact – human beings simply have it. It’s God’s doing. We can’t abdicate. Human beings possess power over all the creatures of the world… But dominion isn’t arbitrary power, at least not originally. In the Christian faith human dominion is subject to God’s dominion. And it is informed by God’s Law – his moral standard, his holiness.” (In the House of Tom Bombadil by C.R. Wiley)

“The reason that God creates man on the earth, according to Genesis, is for productive, representative rulership. This is what it means to exercise dominion: to fruitfully order the world in God’s stead…” (It’s good to be a man: A handbook for Godly masculinity by Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant)

“Families are the nurseries of all societies; and the first combinations of mankind. Well-ordered families naturally produce a good order in other societies… Every serious Christian is concerned, that he may be serviceable in the world… but are you not a member of some family? If that family may be your means, O Christian, become a well-regulated family, in that point you will become serviceable; I had almost said, incomprehensibly serviceable.” A Family Well Ordered by Cotton Mather (1699) modern English translation by Patrick Doucette 

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.18.19.KJV

“You May here observe a most comfortable connection, between, He will, and they shall. Says the Lord, He will Command his children, and they shall keep the way of the Lord. It seems, if every one that is owner of a family, would faithfully command, and manage those that belong unto him, through the blessing of God; they would generally keep His way, and His law… ‘If parents did their duties as they ought, the Word publically preached would not be the ordinary means of regeneration in the Church, but only without the Church, among infidels: God would so pour out His grace upon the children of His people, and hear prayers for them, and bless endeavors for their holy education, that we should see the promises made good unto our seed.’” A Family Well Ordered by Cotton Mather (1699) modern English translation by Patrick Doucette