Kingdom 101: The Lord God's Contract with Man
After creating man in His own image, God gave man dominion over the entire physical realm, making him the defacto king of the planet earth. To dominate means to govern, rule, control, manage, lead or have authority over something. Please realize that there is a very important distinction here. The Lord God gave us rulership, never ownership of planet earth. Someone who gives up ownership to another individual also surrenders all responsibility for it. The person who assigns the position of rulership of a place but retains ownership will retain the ultimate responsibility. The Lord God stated to Adam: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
From the beginning, the Lord God gave us (meaning mankind) a "management contract" or a lease, I should say. The Lord God's Constitution is very clear that the earth belongs to God. The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. The Lord God owns the planet earth, but He gave it to us to manage under a lease agreement--a dominion mandate. Under this mandate, mankind must give to Him, the owner, an accounting of how we steward that which He has entrusted to us. He will judge us on how we managed His assets. Remember, King Jesus taught this principle in His parable about a master who entrusted a sum of money to each of three servants and then went on a long journey. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Notice, two of the servants invested their money wisely and received a double portion in return. The third did nothing but hid his allotment. Upon the master's return, he commended the two servants who had exercised wise management. He rewarded them with an increased privilege and responsibility. However, he cast out the servant who shirked the responsibility of stewardship.
Now, where do you stand in obeying His Word and embracing your responsibility? Have you hidden your talents or have you invested them wisely? What will your Master's response be?
Genesis 2:16-17 Psalm 24:1 Matthew 25:14-30
~~W.R. Luchie
From the beginning, the Lord God gave us (meaning mankind) a "management contract" or a lease, I should say. The Lord God's Constitution is very clear that the earth belongs to God. The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. The Lord God owns the planet earth, but He gave it to us to manage under a lease agreement--a dominion mandate. Under this mandate, mankind must give to Him, the owner, an accounting of how we steward that which He has entrusted to us. He will judge us on how we managed His assets. Remember, King Jesus taught this principle in His parable about a master who entrusted a sum of money to each of three servants and then went on a long journey. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Notice, two of the servants invested their money wisely and received a double portion in return. The third did nothing but hid his allotment. Upon the master's return, he commended the two servants who had exercised wise management. He rewarded them with an increased privilege and responsibility. However, he cast out the servant who shirked the responsibility of stewardship.
Now, where do you stand in obeying His Word and embracing your responsibility? Have you hidden your talents or have you invested them wisely? What will your Master's response be?
Genesis 2:16-17 Psalm 24:1 Matthew 25:14-30
~~W.R. Luchie
