Dominion by self-restraint
God’s basic mission for humanity is to rule and develop this world with Him
(Gen. 1:28; 2:15).
He has called us–in other words–to get dominion.
When we hear that word dominion, we tend to think of the ‘doing’ it implies.
And we should.
Doing is a major and necessary part of fulfilling God’s dominion mandate.
But…
We must also remember getting dominion requires ‘not doing’ too…
In the sense it calls for self-restraint.
So, for example…
… Instead of simmering in anger, you have mercy.
… Rather than yielding to temptation, you say no.
… And, opposed to opening your mouth, you hold your tongue.
See the point?
Dominion starts with ourselves.
And that often means practicing self-control to avoid doing dumb--or at least unwise--things.
As you live your life today, consider what God might do as you restrain yourself and trust Him.
By exercising self-restraint, you might just get a lot more more dominion than you would by impulsively doing what seems right in the moment.
Adam…
through the fall… made self-restraint hard.
Jesus… by His grace… makes it possible every day.
God help us with this.
“… the fruit of the Spirit is… self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
Get Dominion,
David Bostrom