Number 64: August 15, 2006



Mankind many times has things backward. God created man for fellowship first, not service.

The principle key in a successful Christian life is fellowship with the heavenly Father. Christians manifest the more abundant life in direct proportion to the fellowship they keep with Him. It is the secret to spiritual happiness and power in our daily lives on earth.



Genesis 1:26-29:

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.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

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.



Notice the purposes of God. He created His image, His likeness, spirit [John 4:24] in them so they could have fellowship with Him. He already had servants in the angels. God gave them dominion, rulership over the whole earth. God also blessed them and encouraged them to utilize what they had been freely given. Then, He taught them about work and loving obedience.



Genesis 2:15-17:

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress [serve] it and to keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.



Adam did not lack in anything. He worked, not in subjection to the ground, because God had given it to him, but rather to serve it so it would continue to keep producing in quality. Work is an honorable thing. To be able to work, work hard, work smart, in order to produce or achieve something is richly rewarding. It is a real privilege, a real joy to be able to work. Today we work together as the one Body of Christ doing what needs to be done in gratitude for His grace.



II Corinthians 6:1:

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.