Called to Flourish
“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.’ ”
What happens when The Cultural Mandate, The Great Commandment, and The Great Commission collide? Simple: we find our purpose and calling as followers of Christ.
Right after God created Adam and Eve, He gave them The Cultural Mandate to fill, govern, and develop the earth (Genesis 1:28). God gave Adam and Eve a job before sin ever entered the world. So often, we think that work is the result of sin. But nothing could be further from the truth!
God gave us work as a gift.
In Genesis 1:28, the Lord tells humankind to cultivate the earth, bring about flourishing, multiply, and expand across the planet! When you think about what it means to “subdue the earth,” as another translation says, I want you to look around. Everything you can see, including the phone you may be reading this blog on, came from below the ground. All of it is made from the 118 elements on the periodic table, 90 of which are naturally found on Earth, and a further 28 produced artificially from the first 90.
Our very societies today reflect the execution of The Cultural Mandate! We have subdued the earth, and it is good.
But does all our subduing of the earth truly bring about flourishing?
Not without the other two pieces of the puzzle - because after God gave us work, sin entered the world. And sin corrupted our perception of The Cultural Mandate – turning work into a chore, a labor, a paycheck rather than an opportunity to bring about flourishing in the world.
So today as you work, think on these things and remember: Everything you do is meant to bring about flourishing for other people.
God designed you for good works, for YOUR work. It is a gift for you.
I want to invite you to listen to this recent podcast episode with Brenda Long from Food for the Hungry. This incredible organization has taken The Cultural Mandate to new levels by partnering with others to bring flourishing to ALL people.
- Jim
About the Author, Jim Brangenberg
Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!