Earth Day

I just read a post by radio host Bob Lonesbury titled "The Earth Is Not My God". http://www.wham1180.com/pages/boblonsberry.html The point he is making really hit home with me and inspired me to record my own thoughts on the subject.

I believe what God tells us about the earth in His word. God created the earth and reveals His power to us through His creation. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20; NIV) "The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD... The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the earth and all that it has in it." (Psalm 89:5,11; NIV) All of creation is crying out, "If God can create this incredible universe just imagine what He can do for you." In Luke chapter 19 the gospel account of what Christians call Palm Sunday is given. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem "the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Some of the pharisees told Jesus to rebuke His disciples but "he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'"

Jesus teaches about worry in Matthew 6 by first telling how our Heavenly Father cares for His creation and then expressing how He cares even more for us. ""'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (v. 25-26; NIV) "Why do you worry about clothes? Look how the wildflowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of them. God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?" (v. 28-30; CEV) In Matthew 10:29-30 Jesus says "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

In Genesis chapter 1 at the end of each day of creation God looked at what He had made and "saw that it was good." But on the sixth day when God created man He said that "it was very good" (v. 31) In verse 26 we read "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" "God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never really die." (John 3:16; CEV) I like the way the Contemporary English Version says it because it's clear that it is the people of the world and not just the world or the earth that Jesus died for.

Yes God does love all of His creation. Certainly the verses I've shared give a glimpse of that. But as much as God loves His creation nothing can compare to His love for mankind; that means you and me. When we take good care of the earth it is not to please people but to show our love for God. People will be pleased when we are good stewards of God's creation but that should not be our main motivation. Instead we should act for God's pleasure.

As I wrote earlier, Romans chapter 1 tells that God created the world to reveal Himself to man but He knew that some would not acknowledge Him. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." (v. 25) I have included a link to a video of an environmentalist group wailing as they surround a dead tree. Without sound it appears that they are engaging in earnest prayer and worshiping God while surrounded by the beauty of His creation. Sadly they are worshiping creation and missing out on the blessings that their creator God has for them. How much better it would be for them and for all of us if we seek to honor God as we care for the earth.