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Exercising Dominion

I read the following in the January 2010 issue of TableTalk (a ministry of R.C Sproul), and it reminded me so much of what God is teaching me through the book our Visionary Women are reading called Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski.

“Genesis 1 is also the first place in the Bible where we are given the remarkable truth that our Creator has made human beings to share in His reign. The Old Testament tells us that the Lord god created the heavens to declare His glory (Ps. 19:1), but it tells us that mankind was made to do the same through ruling over the earth. Men and women alike are made in the image of God (vv. 26-27); thus, we are special and unique reminders to the creation of its ultimate sovereign. The ancient Israelites who first read Genesis 1 were familiar with the statues or images that conquering kings set up throughout their empires to manifest visibly the extent of their reign. In revealing that we are the image of God, the Lord is telling us that we were made for a similar purpose–to increase and spread across the globe to reflect God and His glory (vs. 28).

Besides filling the earth, verse 28 explains that we are to subdue and exercise dominion over the world, not trashing or exploiting the planet, but cultivating its gardens, increasing its produce, and making it show forth the Lord’s glory more clearly. As the image of God, we are in a sense a “copy” of God, and in exercising righteous rule, we imitate our righteous ruler and contribute to the revelation of the King and His kingdom. We are subjects of this magnificent King, but we are not mere subjects; rather, we are dignified vice-regents made to authoritatively bring His righteousness to bear on all areas of life.

Subduing the earth involves anything over which we exercise wise stewardship. Every time a mother teaches her child a Bible verse, an accountant refuses to cook the company’s books, a flowering plant is pruned to increase its blooms and beauty, and so on, we are exercising the righteous dominion for which we were created. What are some of the things you need to do in order to bring God’s glory and truth to bear more strongly upon your own life?”

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About Wemmick Girl Saved by Grace

Natalie Klejwa is a child of the King, wife of 20 years to Joe, and mother to 9 miracles ages 0-18.

Natalie is the creator of Apple Valley Natural Soap, which gives her children an opportunity to earn money at home and expand their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

Passionately believing in the sovereignty of God and the sufficiency of Scripture for all of life, she has rejected the Wemmick culture box and prefers the ancient paths found in the Word of God. Natalie taught high school English when she was single and has been discipling women for 25 years through full time campus ministry, personal mentoring, writing, and Bible studies.

More recently, she is the founder of Visionary Womanhood Gatherings in the Twin Cities area, which began almost five years ago, and she is also the administrator of the Visionary Womanhood blog and author of Visionary Womanhood Gatherings, A Family Strengthening Mentorship Tool for Women and Maidens.

You can hear her being interviewed on Kevin Swanson's Generations with Vision radio program.

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