THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE BLESSING OF THE LORD !

THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE BLESSING OF THE LORD ! For a very short while, that's exactly what Adam did. His first day on the job, for example, he used the power of THE BLESSING to direct the future course of the entire animal kingdom. God brought to him every species "to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field" (Genesis 2:19-20). To understand the significance of those verses, you must remember that God, a name is everything. As far as He is concerned, whatever a thing is called is what it becomes. Since the animals had no names, they had no direction for life. They did not yet have any unique and definite function. So, God brought them to our and let him try his hand at bringing love, life and purpose to them. He let Adam determine the character and chart the behavior of every bird, and bug, and everything that creeps, crawls and swims. What a massive task ! Just think of Adam standing alongside God, studying a bulky, baffling-looking creature and drawing on God's wisdom to determine what to call it. Imagine Adam saying, "Elephant, be !" And the animal answering in response, "thank you very much, sir," as he walked away, a living, breathing elephant with personality and purpose ! Brother Lewis, do you actually think the animals talked ? I don't know. The Bible doesn't specifically say. But they might have before sin entered the picture and messed up everything. (It is interesting to note that when the serpent talked to Eve in the Garden, she didn't express any surprise. She conversed with him as if it were a normal thing to do) whether or not the animals talked, however, one thing is certain: they all drew their purpose and character from what Adam spoke over them. How did he know what to say in that situation ? How did he manage to give direction to every creature on earth without any prior training or experience ? He did it by drawing on THE BLESSING. He did it by drawing on the divine energy, wisdom and love that crowned him. Throughout the whole process, Adam was pulling by faith, on his Father's abilities. God's creativity and compassion were flowing into him, and then out through him into creation. Adam didn't just put your name out of a hat. He drew them out of Love Himself. He was loving the birds as they flew to meet him. He was loving the animals as they came, and BLESSING them all, just as God had BLESSED him. At that moment, Adam was standing in the center of God's perfect will for mankind. He was in absolute unity and fabulous fellowship with his heavenly Father. He was surrounded by God's goodness and plentiful provision, living a sinless, sickness-free, marvelously abundant life. What's more, he had a worldwide vision and the power to carry it out. He had an international ministry, a divine calling to multiply, be fruitful and fill the earth with the same abundant life God has given him. Commissioned to build God's family and expand the Garden of Eden until it filled the earth. Adam was on a mission to encompass the world with the glorious BLESSING of God. Divine connection ! Life just doesn't get any better than that. THE DAY GOD RETIRED: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God BLESSED the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made (Genesis 1:31, 2:1-3). Once THE BLESSING has been released on Adam, God retired. He rested--- not because He was tired but because He was finished. He has completed His work on the universe, poured Himself into mankind, crowned them with His creative power, and gave them total authority over the earth. There was nothing more for Him to do. Having turned everything over to His family are subcreators, God intended to relax, fellowship with His sons and daughters, and enjoyed the thrill of watching them develop planet Earth into the most marvelous garden anyone has ever seen. When they finished it, He planned to move His heavenly headquarters To Earth and make it His home, so He could dwell there with His family forever.