Learning to Lovewell: W1 - TUE
Blessed Before Performing
Genesis 1:26-31 (NLT) "Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.' Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!"
"Then God blessed them." This happens before Adam and Eve do anything. Before they accomplish anything. Before they prove themselves worthy. God blesses them simply because they exist, because they bear His image.
This is revolutionary. Most of us have been conditioned to believe that blessing comes after performance. Work hard, then get rewarded. Prove yourself, then receive love. Earn your place, then find acceptance.
But Genesis 1 flips this script entirely. God's blessing comes first. God's love comes first. God's acceptance comes first. Everything else flows from this foundational truth.
The blessing isn't just nice words, it's empowerment. "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it." God doesn't just love them; God entrusts them with meaningful work. God gives them authority, purpose, and partnership in caring for creation.
This is what love does: it blesses first and empowers for purpose. It doesn't wait for people to earn their way into significance. It sees potential and calls it forth. It gives responsibility as an expression of trust, not as a test to pass.
Think about the people in your life who need to know they're blessed before they perform. Maybe it's a child who's struggling in school. Maybe it's a spouse who's going through a difficult season. Maybe it's a friend who's made some poor choices recently.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to bless people into their potential rather than withholding love until they reach it. It means seeing what God sees in them, His image, and calling that forth through our words and actions.
Jesus embodied this perfectly. He called fishermen to be disciples before they had theological degrees. He called Matthew to follow Him before Matthew quit his corrupt job. He saw potential and blessed it into reality.
Genesis 1:26-31 (NLT) "Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.' Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!"
"Then God blessed them." This happens before Adam and Eve do anything. Before they accomplish anything. Before they prove themselves worthy. God blesses them simply because they exist, because they bear His image.
This is revolutionary. Most of us have been conditioned to believe that blessing comes after performance. Work hard, then get rewarded. Prove yourself, then receive love. Earn your place, then find acceptance.
But Genesis 1 flips this script entirely. God's blessing comes first. God's love comes first. God's acceptance comes first. Everything else flows from this foundational truth.
The blessing isn't just nice words, it's empowerment. "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it." God doesn't just love them; God entrusts them with meaningful work. God gives them authority, purpose, and partnership in caring for creation.
This is what love does: it blesses first and empowers for purpose. It doesn't wait for people to earn their way into significance. It sees potential and calls it forth. It gives responsibility as an expression of trust, not as a test to pass.
Think about the people in your life who need to know they're blessed before they perform. Maybe it's a child who's struggling in school. Maybe it's a spouse who's going through a difficult season. Maybe it's a friend who's made some poor choices recently.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to bless people into their potential rather than withholding love until they reach it. It means seeing what God sees in them, His image, and calling that forth through our words and actions.
Jesus embodied this perfectly. He called fishermen to be disciples before they had theological degrees. He called Matthew to follow Him before Matthew quit his corrupt job. He saw potential and blessed it into reality.
- Who in your life needs to receive blessing before they perform?
- How might your relationships change if you led with blessing rather than waiting for achievement?
- What area of your own life do you need to remember is already blessed by God?
1 Comment
I love that God blessed humanity first at creation. He did the same for us with Sabbath. Though it was His culmination act of creation, it was humanities first day. We are indeed blessed to start with rest and connection with Him.