Some things to think about as the world goes ga-ga over Planet Earth...
We still live in an era when people worship the creation, rather than the Creator.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.--Romans 1:20-23We know that the earth will not end due to environmental issues.
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.--2 Peter 3:8-10Subduing the earth does not mean keeping it in its original order
God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, {I have given} every green plant for food"; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.--Genesis 1:28-31A couple things to notice:
This is pre-fall. Sin and death do not exist at the time of this commission.
Humans and animals were allowed to use trees and plants for their benefit.
Subdue cannot mean to keep something in its original state or "keep destructive effects away from the earth" for these things weren't happening yet. Many today claim that an environmental "green" obsession is fulfillment of this original call from God. However, at this point they are distorting history. There is no need to "preserve" the planet at this time, for nothing destructive has been introduced into it.
The heavens and the earth are amazing. We should be pointing people to their beauty. Not for the sake of their beauty, but for the purpose of their beauty:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.Don't love mother earth, love God the Father.
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For the best message I have heard regarding this, go to Shepherds' Fellowship (you'll have to log on--but it is free), click their Resources section and select the first message from this year's Shepherds' Conference: "Creation, Theology & The End of the Universe."
6 comments:
Though I do not endorse all this Earth day stuff, I DO believe that as God's children, we ought to take care (we ARE caretakers) of what He has entrusted to us. This is DIFFERENT than worshiping "Mother Earth" etc.
Great reminder!
Your m-i-l
well, certainly He called us to subdue, not create chaos. therefore, we are commissioned to take care of it. it becomes a stewardship issue.
however, when some evangelical christians want to make subdue mean not using the natural resources we have at our disposal, then they are missing the boat of subduing. i should not let my "carbon footprint" get in the way of the ability to provide food, shelter or heat to another person in the world.
for instance, if a tree can be cut down to provide lumber for a person's shelter, this is not misuse of the planet...this is subduing. certainly, a person's shelter is more valuable than a tree (which was put there for man to use, not vice versa).
Danny~ I am glad that you posted this. I have been holding my tongue, many times lately, because of all the "going green" comments. Your points, and verses are a great reminder of the One that is in, and has, total control!
I am thankful for this post because so often we hear about "going green" not just from our culture but Christians. It seems like their main goal is take care of the planet and NOT spread the real gospel message of Christ.
It amounts to priorities, doesn't it?
We SHOULD take CARE of the earth and it's resources by not wasting them, but we SHOULD USE them!!!
But first, we must put God first, our family and the mankind we serve next.
All this Earth Day stuff and "Going Green" is just really another way for the government to control us. I just heard some scientists on CBN say that we have had no warming trend since 1996. In fact, just the opposite is true. From about 1650 to 1715 (or was it 1750 to 1815??? I forget), we had the same cool trend and had some of the coldest weather trends. They called it a "mini-ice age." It has to do with sun spot activity...NOT man-made carbon footprints!!!!
The scripture from Matthew 6:33 comes to mind...
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
As Christians we are to be heavenly and eternally-minded rather than earthly and temporally-minded. Of course we should be good stewards of all the Lord has given us, but this sin-sick, fallen world is going to be destroyed just as God Himself has foretold. He has promised those who are His a "new heaven and a new earth". Shouldn't we spend our time and energy sharing the gospel message with as many as possible as we see this day approaching?
Thank you, Danny, for sharing this insight into the "Earth Day-ception"
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