Command Presence

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.”  NIV
Genesis 1:28


If you were to walk into the building that housed an United States Army Infantry Company, you would see a line of pictures displayed somewhere prominently near the front door. The leftmost picture would be the President of the United States. At the opposite end would be the picture of the captain in command of the company in whose headquarters you were standing. The pictures in between would be of the men in the chain of command in between the president and the captain. You might be surprised how few there are.

The purpose of those photographs is to manifest that the company commander's authority is derived of the President, who is our national command authority, our commander in chief. It is meant as a reminder to the men that the orders of their captain bear the authority of their president. It is also a reminder to the captain that he is accountable to the highest reaches of the chain of command for every order he gives and fails to give.

Likewise, the Lord has ordained man as the rulers this earth and all that is on it. We are the stewards of His creation, charged with the duty to populate and rule it as we best believe He would. We should be neither sheepish nor apologetic in the discharge of this duty, for we will be held accountable for both our abuse of His resources and our timidity in their proper harnessing for the good of mankind and the furtherance of His Kingdom.