APAD DAY 15

by Daniel Owino Ogweno
03/03/17
Not For Sale
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—Chapter 2—

FOR YOUR CONSUMPTION:

Things Meant For Personal Use

 “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”—Genesis 1:29.

 The exercise of free will is only beneficial if you use it to choose right. If you choose wrong, free will doesn’t insulate you from suffering the consequences of bad choices.

In the Beginning

 The book of Genesis begins with the creation story. When God finally creates man at the end of the creative week, the intention of creation becomes clear: all these things God was creating were in preparation for a special being—a being that God would identify with and call His image, a being that will be God’s child.

“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 creepeth upon the earth.” —Genesis 1:26.

All along, God had been creating without giving any instructions to the created. Whatever He wanted them to be was primarily laid in them as a predisposition rather than instruction. Immediately man came into existence, systematic and elaborate instructions of stewardship began to proceed forth from the mouth of God. As it turned out, man would not live by victuals more than he would live by the Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). If he is going to live, he will do so by paying a perpetual attention to the divine instructions. Consider the following special instruction:

“And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.” —Genesis 1:28 (AMP).

From the word go, God’s intention is clear: man is not like other animals. He is given a prevalent authority and managerial responsibility of everything that was created. The purpose is multiplication—If you like, call it ‘growth’ or ‘prosperity’.

Although God had given everything into the hands of man, it didn’t mean the latter would do whatever he liked with the things he had been given. Stewardship is a responsibility that requires accountability.