Original Intent and Design for us.
Last time we examined our hearts that we might take on our true identity as beloved sons and daughters made to bear the image of our Creator, Father. We looked to Jesus as a blueprint of ways to embrace one-ness with Him and our Father. We must take on responsibility for our own restoration into His image. This time let’s dive more deeply into who He made us to be! To understand His original intent and design for your life–to know how much you are loved–is life changing!
Sprinkled throughout the Bible, glimpses of the original intent for creation’s superabundant life can be seen. In heaven, one tree can produce different kinds of fruit at the same time–apples, lemons, and cherries could appear on one tree. One tree can grow on both sides of a river at the same time. Babies safely play with poisonous snakes. Horses fly! Animals–prey and those that hunt them–lie down together. Creation talks with man. Trees’ leaves heal nations. God co-created all the creatures with His son–did you get that? He taught Adam how to create creatures by doing it with Him! Truly, Adam and Eve were perfect and limitless in God’s chosen home for them. Nothing but their own preferences limited them as they daily increased in understanding and wisdom to create life. Plants, trees, bugs, walking things, swimming things, flying things–all were forever perfect, healthy, helping each other and them, increasing, bearing fruit, and working toward the dominion of the whole earth together. There was no stress, anxiety, or rules measuring you–just a positive direction of intention and effort resulting in beauty and peace. To the increase, there was no end!
This is the environment your Father wanted you to grow up in. Him fathering you one on one at times, and then leaving you alone to discover more and play with the care and increase of creation for the most of the day. “Father’s coming home …” was never a threat. It triggered happy anticipation of the opportunity to engage Him face to face and share the fun discoveries of the day with someone you had established it all with. He identified with you and you with Him. Your source was all powerful, all intelligent, and deeply, freely loving you. This was the original intent for you: to build a system of living things with Him until the whole earth was covered with wonder and beauty! And He came to give whatever He must for that to happen. Do not forget this! And again, to the increase of that system of living things that you two can build–there is no end. This is a mile marker along the way in taking on your Father’s lens of identity for you. He designed you to be free, loved, creative, and wield huge authority.
The dominion mandate: God said to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Gen. 1:28).
However, after the fall, God said to Adam (I’m paraphrasing), “The earth won’t give back to you anymore. You will have to work and sweat very hard for it to produce for you, and there will be thorns and thistles now with what it does produce.” The curse that resulted on the earth as a consequence of the fall did away with the enablement of creation to give back to them like it had before. Something major was lost–the superabundance of life through Him.
Superabundance gives multiplied life back cooperatively with the effort and intent of the one acting in oneness with Him. His super-abundance marked everything–and I mean everything–He made. Dirt, creatures, plant life, the planet, the stars, fragrances–everything was giving itself away with health and life and producing life (more than) on steroids.
Behind everything He made, if you chase it back to the root of His intention, our Father is the One who builds by giving Himself away.
No one else could do that. Man was the keeper and the conduit, but all creation (which is everything apart from God) bore the living, multiplying trademark of superabundant life because it was part and parcel of Him. That life flowed through Adam and Eve as keeper and nurturer of all life, but it could not continue without Him as the source.
When Adam and Eve and all creation fell, we saw the superabundance stop. Things struggled to bear fruit, aged, and died, not pointing to a superabundant Creator anymore. Now creation reflected the characteristics of the head of a different kingdom–the one Adam and Eve chose to follow or align with. The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the sons of men (Psalm 115:16). It was a bad trade, indeed.
At the point of Jesus’ resurrection, all of creation should have responded and begun to give back to mankind according to the glory of the superabundant Creator. But–it didn’t. Jesus said, “It is finished.” So … what is it waiting for?
Apparently, us. (More on that to come.)
The Dominion Mandate from Genesis is still in tact. God reiterated it to Noah after the flood and attempted to re- enact it when Israel entered the promised land.
What we learned:
- God’s original intent and design is for you as a steward and builder with Him both the fun and the necessary things for the ever-expanding purposes of your life through relationship encounters. Those things you build with Him result in the Dominion of God manifesting His kingdom in the earth. He believes in you as His son and is passionately invested in your journey of life. This is the Father’s lens. Put it on and wear it everywhere.
- Can you see Him building with you currently in your life? Where, what, and how?
About Polly Eckert
For all my shortcomings and mistakes I’ve made in life, God is forever extending an invitation to see it through His perspective. He is never harsh or punitive to me. Always kind. And forever intriguing me with His charm.