I AM CONTENT TO BE ME

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 – Genesis 1:28

“God gives us a very interesting command in Genesis 1:28. He has just said that He created man and woman in His image, and then He gives them both a mandate: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

…He has given each of us authority, responsibility, and capability. This is the real source of our identity – the source of our PURPOSE and VALUE. In Genesis 1:28, God gives you and me three basic commands:

♣ RULE: When we rule, we make decisions regarding a matter’s course and destiny.
♣ SUBDUE: When we subdue, we bring something under control by conquest and maintain control by diligent maintenance.
♣ PRODUCE: When we produce, we create value by multiplying.

A DOMAIN is everything that is our responsibility. What domain has God given you? Who are the people, circumstances, and possessions in your domain? Think with me for a moment about the first important person you must rule – YOURSELF. Each of us is to rule over our BODIES, our CHARACTER, and our TALENTS. How easy it is for us to rationalize our need to obey God when it comes to controlling these areas!

…God is painting a picture on the canvas of our lives. Our bodies are merely the frame. God intends to paint a beautiful picture – a picture to others of our character and unique expression of Christ’s life – and place it in this frame. But He can’t create this work of art without our cooperation. It needs to be a lifelong joint project between God and us. If you choose to criticize the frame or resist God’s brushstrokes, you will not find contentment. It will elude you. If you focus on God’s vision that integrates the picture with the frame, and the development of His message through you, you can say, “I am content to be me.”

Leonardo da Vinci was an artist of great skill. When he was a pupil studying under his master painter, the master called Leonardo to him and asked him to finish a painting the master had begun. The man had grown old and felt the time had come to quit painting. Young da Vinci had such reverence for his master’s skill that he was overwhelmed by the suggestion that he should add his strokes to the master’s. The man simply said, “Do your best.”

Trembling with emotion, Leonardo seized the brush and knelt before the easel to pray. “It is for the sake of my beloved master that I implore skill and power for this undertaking.” As he began to paint, his hand grew steady and his eye awoke with slumbering genius. He created a masterpiece.

…Friend, will you take the paintbrush in your hand and kneel before your Master?”