Learning to Lovewell: W1 - WED
Made for Dominion – Together
Genesis 1:26-28 (NLT) "They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground... Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.'"
God doesn't just create humans and leave them to figure out their purpose. God immediately gives them meaningful work: dominion over creation. But this isn't domination, it's stewardship. It's caring leadership modeled after God's own character.
The Hebrew word for "reign" here is the same word used for a shepherd caring for sheep or a king caring for his people. It's leadership that serves, protects, and nurtures. It's authority exercised for the benefit of those under your care.
And notice this: God gives this command to them, plural. Not to Adam alone, not to Eve alone, but to both together. The work of stewarding creation, of being fruitful and multiplying, of filling the earth, this is partnership work.
This reveals something essential about God's design for love: we're meant to work together. Not in competition with each other, not with one dominating the other, but in true partnership where each person's gifts contribute to the shared mission.
The Hebrew word for "help" used later to describe Eve doesn't suggest inferiority; it's the same word used to describe God as our helper. It means someone who comes alongside to provide what's needed to accomplish the mission. It's about complementary partnership, not hierarchical dominance.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to see relationships as partnerships in purpose, not power struggles. It means asking, "How can we accomplish together what neither of us could accomplish alone?" instead of "How can I get my way?"
This transforms marriage from a competition into a collaboration. It transforms parenting from control to coaching. It transforms friendship from what I can get to what we can give. It transforms work teams from individual achievement to collective success.
Jesus modeled this perfectly. He didn't try to do ministry alone. He called disciples, trained them, and sent them out in pairs. He understood that the work of the kingdom is partnership work.
Genesis 1:26-28 (NLT) "They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground... Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.'"
God doesn't just create humans and leave them to figure out their purpose. God immediately gives them meaningful work: dominion over creation. But this isn't domination, it's stewardship. It's caring leadership modeled after God's own character.
The Hebrew word for "reign" here is the same word used for a shepherd caring for sheep or a king caring for his people. It's leadership that serves, protects, and nurtures. It's authority exercised for the benefit of those under your care.
And notice this: God gives this command to them, plural. Not to Adam alone, not to Eve alone, but to both together. The work of stewarding creation, of being fruitful and multiplying, of filling the earth, this is partnership work.
This reveals something essential about God's design for love: we're meant to work together. Not in competition with each other, not with one dominating the other, but in true partnership where each person's gifts contribute to the shared mission.
The Hebrew word for "help" used later to describe Eve doesn't suggest inferiority; it's the same word used to describe God as our helper. It means someone who comes alongside to provide what's needed to accomplish the mission. It's about complementary partnership, not hierarchical dominance.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to see relationships as partnerships in purpose, not power struggles. It means asking, "How can we accomplish together what neither of us could accomplish alone?" instead of "How can I get my way?"
This transforms marriage from a competition into a collaboration. It transforms parenting from control to coaching. It transforms friendship from what I can get to what we can give. It transforms work teams from individual achievement to collective success.
Jesus modeled this perfectly. He didn't try to do ministry alone. He called disciples, trained them, and sent them out in pairs. He understood that the work of the kingdom is partnership work.
- How can you empower someone in your life for their God-given purpose rather than trying to control them?
- In what relationship do you need to shift from competition to partnership?
- What unique contribution are you bringing to the partnerships God has placed you in?
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