This is a re post of last year's earth day message.
Genesis
I love the Genesis account of the Creation. I love how there are facts having to do with Science, which weren't "discovered" by scientists until centuries and a millennium later.While many people have taken the verses about God giving man dominion over the earth and all that is in it, to mean license to rape the earth, I believe that we have been given a special task to be stewards of the beautiful planet God gave to us.
Being a good steward doesn't mean we have to give in to every bogus science claim about global warming, cooling and over population scares. Instead, I take it to mean we respect and be thankful for all the goodness of the earth that God gave us. We need to respect the animals- not because they are "our equals" as some environmentalists claim, but because God created them.We need to respect trees and plants, not only because they are habitats for creatures, but because they sustain all life, feed life and are beautifully created.
There is a good feeling about recycling, and line drying laundry. Those who can afford or have a convenient way to have an environmentally friendly car are doing a good thing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep our planet healthy, but we need to keep things in a Biblical perspective, and keep the Lord God at the center. Without Him, we would not need a beautiful planet, because we wouldn't be here.
Some day, this earth as we know it won't be here anymore. Jesus tells us that some day this heaven and earth will pass away:
Matthew 24:35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
And John tells us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth as he saw:Revelation 21I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Some people, including many liberal christians, would not like to hear passages such as these because they, especially those in the environmental movements, believe that man is the cause of earth's problems and it is only man who can save the earth. Through whatever social program which is popular and politically correct, others will be swayed and deceived into thinking we can make this planet perfect and a "heaven on earth" global village.
Bible believing Christians however, remember that this earth doesn't belong to us. It doesn't belong to the animals, the trees, the endangered swamp rat, spotted owl or any other. This earth belongs to the One who created it. It would do well for others to understand this as well on this earth day.
1Corinthians 10:26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.
