Genesis 1:26….And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

There, that’s the original plan for man on the earth.

What does it meant to be made in God’s image? God created with His words. God is smart. Adam named all the animals.

The dictionary defines dominion in this manner: supremacy, ascendancy, dominance, domination, superiority, predominance, preeminence, hegemony, authority, mastery, control, command, power, sway, rule, government, jurisdiction, sovereignty, suzerainty.

So the plan was for man to rule the earth, much like the sun was created to rule the day, the moon was created to rule the night as it says in Genesis 1 and 2. So when you look at the sun, remember it is there to rule. When you look at the moon at night, remember it is there to rule. I don’t think I will ever look at them the same again.

God has never changed His mind about man ruling over the earth. But what happened was that man GAVE his rulership away. He gave it to a disembodied spirit who was jealous of this man creation. That spirit was always a usurper. In the form of a serpent, he deceived the woman, then convinced the man to disobey the clear instructions of God that had been revealed to him. (Of course now that I can clearly see how a female makes a male go crazy, I think I understand Adam’s disobedience a lot better.)

Man was always supposed to rule the earth, aligning himself with the Kingdom of God and the rules of God. When man goes outside those rules and does what he thinks is best, he gets in trouble. That’s what is wrong with the world today. People don’t want to follow the good laws of God, but instead want to do whatever their evil hearts are inclined to do. This causes the chaos we see around us. God is a God of order, of peace.

Proverbs 16:7…When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

So what exactly did Jesus do? Besides dying on the cross as payment for our sins, He has set us free from sin and its consequences. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we now have access to the thoughts of God, the mind of Christ. While He lived, Jesus revealed the express will of the Father, using the authority that was originally given to man, using His words, healing all who came to Him, raising the dead, cursing things that were not producing, increasing provision and providing abundance. All these works that He did show what God’s will is for people.

Pray: Dear Jesus, I cannot understand Your great plan for my life without Your help. I need Your light, daily. I need to be able to see so much more of Your Kingdom than I presently do. I want all that You have for me in this life in preparation for the next. I want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” when I see You face to face.