Fully Devoted: CreationSample

God Created Purpose 

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28 NIV

Right after creating human beings, God gave us a job to do: Fill the earth and subdue it. This is one of the most profound distinctions between the biblical creation story and other ancient creation stories.

In the majority of other ancient religions, human beings were created to be slaves for the gods, but the Christian story tells us that the Creator of everything—who spoke the universe into existence—created us to work with Him, not just for Him.

God doesn’t need our help, but He wants our help. One of the most fundamental aspects of God’s character is His love. And He created us as an act of love to live and partner with Him in ruling creation. 

This idea is revolutionary today, but how much more radical would this have seemed to the Hebrew audience hearing these words for the first time from Moses?

For generations, they had lived and died as slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. They were conditioned to believe they would never be anything more than slaves. The concept of human dignity and purpose would have been unimaginable to them.

And yet, after being rescued from slavery, they are being restored to their role as partners with God. For many of them, it probably seemed way too good to be true—but there was likely a small piece of them that knew things were supposed to be this way.

After all, deep down, all of us have a desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves—to contribute to work that matters and makes a difference. That desire has been written into our DNA by the Maker of heaven and earth. And He made us to fulfill the purpose of partnering with Him. 

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 NIV

It’s been said by some that the two main ingredients for a meaningful life are work that matters and people you love. The first few pages of the Bible show us that we have been created to do a work that matters—partnering with God to rule over creation—and we have been created for connection with people we love—our heavenly Father, and each other. 

Journaling Questions  

• Write down a verse from today’s reading. What does “purpose” mean to you? What does “partnership” mean to you? 
• Think of a good leader. What stands out to you about their leadership?   
• What work can you do to help make a difference in the lives of those around you?

Memory Verse

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NIV