By Alecia Swoope

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it,
The world, and those who dwell in it.” —Psalm 24:1 AMP

Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” —Genesis 1:26–28 NKJV (emphasis added)

This may sound like basic knowledge, but everything belongs to God. Everything was created through God and, at some point, in some way, everything will be reconciled to God. The work of the cross is the redemption of all things. Jesus Christ our great Redeemer paid a great price to reconcile you and me back to God the Father. His blood was shed, the debt of our sin was paid and, in that process, we regained access to the dominion granted to us in the beginning. In this fallen and complex world, dominion positions us to be ambassadors of reconciliation.

Redemption and reconciliation sound very similar but there is a very distinct difference. Redemption is to gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment. Jesus paid it all. However, biblical reconciliation is an adjustment of a difference and a restoration to divine favor. We were redeemed to reconcile. The way that we do this is to exercise our dominion. The Hebrew definition of dominion in the first chapter of Genesis is to tread down, prevail against, to rule and to reign. God’s heart for giving us dominion is not simply for us to exercise rule and reign over the things that pertain to us, but the things that pertain to God. Living in this fallen world, we experience all types of complexities but, through Christ, we have the power to prevail! While God’s heart includes our personal matters, it also includes restoration of favor in all things. Matters of sickness, decay, distortion of truth, oppression, and persecution can be heavy. Matters of our world are heavy, but we are called to be partners in the restoration of favor. As landlords of what God has created, we hold the keys, but God holds us. Our dominion is only effective when it is aligned and empowered by the One who holds us.

REFLECT & RESPOND

• Which spheres of influence has God given me special grace for?
• What does it look like to exercise rulership in every area of my life?
• In which ways do I use my authority as a believer that do not directly impact my well-being or the well-being of my family?
• In which ways have I seen restoration of divine favor? What role did I play?
• How does knowing that God holds my world in his hand impact my confidence to live in dominion?

PRAYER

Creator and holder of all things, I come to you today asking you to show me the ways in which I can live out your gift of dominion to me. Thank you for extending your power to me. Thank you for redeeming me so I can partner with you to restore favor in the earth. I ask that you give me the wisdom to know what to do with your gifts and the courage to do it. I recognize that I am only as effective as how deeply I depend on you. Lord, use me in great ways. May my life be evidence of your presence, your power, and your plan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.