In Genesis 1:28-31, we encounter a profound truth that challenges our modern approach to life: we were blessed before we were busy. This passage reveals God's intentional order—He blesses humanity first, then calls us to fruitfulness and purpose. Before any responsibility lands on our shoulders, before any command is given, God empowers us with His divine favor. This isn't sentimental well-wishing; it's functional enablement. The Hebrew word 'barak' means God equipped us with everything needed to fulfill His calling. We see this pattern repeated in the Great Commission, where Jesus brackets His marching orders with reminders of His authority and presence. The call to 'be fruitful and multiply' extends beyond biological reproduction—it's about life overflowing, influence spreading, and God's blessing moving through us into the world. Yet our culture has shifted from expansion to contraction, from trust to fear, prioritizing personal comfort over divine calling. The fertility rate has dropped from 3.7 to 1.6 children per woman, reflecting not just demographic change but spiritual retreat. God's design was never about survival mode or turning inward—it was about overflow. Like a healthy tree that naturally produces fruit when properly rooted, our fruitfulness flows from staying connected to God's blessing. The question we must wrestle with is simple yet piercing: Is God's blessing stopping with us, or moving through us? When we walk in God's blessing, fruitfulness follows naturally, and life spreads far beyond what we could manufacture on our own.
