Day 339: Take Care of the Planet

Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 2:15

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Let’s talk about the Earth and how we treat it. This is a subject that’s not usually covered on the list of things to talk about in church or bible study, but it is very important. Preserving our planet and taking care of it is important. God gave us the responsibility to keep it.  He gave us dominion over the earth, let’s not neglect and make sure we take care of it. Because it is our home until we leave it one day to be reunited with Christ in heaven, but until then, we have a duty to take care of our home.

I’m not sure why it’s looked down upon to take care of the planet or care about the earth. When God created everything He had us in mind. So when He created us He gave us dominion over all the things of the earth. If being called a tree-hugger is what we have to endure because we want to take care of what God has blessed us with then so be it. I want to talk about this one because it is important and two because we tend to forget that even the earth is a gift from God. It is something He created and gave to us. Why are we not taking care of it? This land is our home. It is where we get our source of everything we need. God created man from the earth. The land we work is how we once got food, it is where we got our crops. This land holds the ingredients to sustain life. The trees provide oxygen, just as God intended. Our food comes from the earth. The waters hold fish that we can eat. The animals that walk the land is meant to be our food. I know the new thing and healthy choice right now is to be vegan and live a plant-based life, but if we do not take care of our planet even that will be impossible. Earth is our source of sustaining life while we are still here. It cannot do that if we suck it of all the life it has left.

There is so much we can do to eliminate the problems with our earth. The earth needs a little bit of love, now we may not be able to correct every problem with the planet but we can do our part to make sure that we keep it healthy. Things are not the same as they were back in the days of the bible but we can definitely take examples from how they lived and incorporate them in our lives today. We can do our parts to recycle, use natural products, reserve energy, making sure our water is not contaminated. There are so many countries, and states living with contaminated water. There are so many landfills fills with things that could be recycled. Our oceans are filled with trash and plastic, gallons and gallons of oil has been spilled in our waters contaminating the waters. Our animals are sick with diseases from farmers who only want to make a profit, therefore making the people sick. This is not what God intended for His people, for the earth He created. Over time things have become more about making a profit as opposed to actually sustaining and taking care of the planet, and that’s what’s destroying it. As the times change we must remember that God gave us dominion over the earth, and it is our job to take care of it. He trusted us with His masterpiece we shall not let it be destroyed.

All this to say, part of our lives as a Christ follower is to take care of what God has given us. To be responsible for the gifts He has blessed us with. Many times these gifts are more physical than we think. With that being said, the earth is a gift God has given us.

Reflection

1. Do you believe that we as Christ followers are responsible for taking care of the planet?
2. What is something you can do to make sure that you are doing your part to take care of the earth?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray for our planet. Pray for all the disasters that have taken place around the world. Pray that we as a people will band together and take care of the planet God created and blessed us with. Take the time to pray for those in Libya as slave trade is still happening and for those in California who are affected by these fires.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 340!