Motivation Monday - Why There is a Genesis Promise to Your Purpose
“You are part of the priesthood of all believers. You bear God’s image as female Christ-followers.
You are part of the church in all her glory.
You are His ambassadors on this earth.
”
Since Eve, opposition to the female voice has been, if not overt and palpable, subtle and nuanced, lying beneath centuries of ingrained beliefs about our inherent value. As a female Christ-follower, how do you respond to the opposition in order to lead with purpose so whole church can flourish?
You must believe there is a genesis promise of purpose.
I think back to Eve’s story – if any woman has been misaligned, misunderstood and whose purpose was misinterpreted – it was Eve.
On her very worst day she made her worst choice, and it was bad enough that it could have removed God’s original purpose for her from her life. You see, Eve was created for purpose with purpose, from purpose.
The blessing found in Genesis 1:28 does not separate male from female. “Be fruitful” is a directive, full of purpose, given to both men and women. “Multiply”, a word full of purpose, is also directed to both men and women, just as “fill the earth and subdue (conquer and overcome) it” is directed to both sexes.
Eve, therefore, is told by God to be extremely fruitful; she (like Adam) is to multiply herself and fill the earth, conquer and overcome the earth. And that purpose was never taken away from her.
Ephesians 2:10 reminds us: “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
Gender does not define purpose.
God’s words and instructions to us in Genesis 1:28 define our purpose.
The original purpose given to us by God in Gen. 1:28
is the same purpose Jesus gives to all his followers.
Genesis 1:28 says, “God blessed them, and God said to them:
Be fruitful
multiply
fill the earth
subdue (conquer, overcome) it
and have dominion.”
But there was a problem. It is not hard to imagine that Eve may have carried shame because of her disobedience. God had clearly said there were consequences, and she knew things were going to be pretty tough for her moving forward. I can imagine that the ejection from the Garden, the only home she had ever known, may have felt like rejection by God. The absence of trust in what should have been marital bliss with Adam may have resulted in Eve losing both her voice and her purpose for a season.
I would imagine the insecurity of no longer being in the middle of her destiny, secure, with an all-access pass to God’s near presence did a number on her mind. Insecurity may have started to limit her ability to dream, or to believe that she could ever regain that lost ground. Fear of failure may have started to restrict the choices she would make because she thought that if she gave into fear once, she could certainly mess up again.
Does it often seem there are forces that are opposed to you living with purpose?
Is there an area you have been misunderstood or rejected that you need to attempt giving your voice to again?
Where has insecurity limited you?
Has fear of failure or fear of rejection restricted you?
In Genesis 4 after Eve has gone through the devastation of a broken relationship with God, a broken marriage, and a broken family, we read that she reclaims her purpose when Seth is born.
She says, “God has granted me another son”, a new opportunity to live with purpose.
Seth literally means anointed, appointed, positioned with purpose, placed intentionally.
And then the last verse in chapter 4 of Genesis says, “at that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord.”
I believe that Eve, even in the middle of the worst opposition any woman can face, influenced the next generation and generations to follow to rise up and serve the Lord. She reclaimed her purpose.
And so can you. That same promise to be fruitful, multiply your influence and have dominion over the earth because Jesus has conquered sin, has been given to you as a female Christ-follower. The God-ordained purpose has not been thwarted over centuries despite the enemy’s attempts to take you off course and discourage you. You can be part of the narrative that will continue to move God’s purpose forward in the world.
You are part of the priesthood of all believers.
You bear God’s image as female Christ-followers.
You are part of the church in all her glory.
You are His ambassadors on this earth.
Will you dare, this week, to walk in the genesis promise of your purpose?
I believe in you,
Cathie