'Keep Green' Wednesday Message: Why should Christians Care for the Environment?

“When you are attacking a town and the war drags on,
you must not cut down the trees…
Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them?”
(Deuteronomy 20:19NLT).

As I read thru the Bible this year, I was amazed (not surprise) that God cares very much about all of His creation. We sometime soo self-centered by assuming that we, the human race, are all that God only cares about – that’s what happen when we read the  Bible selectively, bit-here-and-there without really go thru it from Genesis to Revelation to see the bigger perspective of what God was and is doing throughout the history. When the Israelite when to war, God was concerned about the needless destruction of the environment and gave instructions to protect it; “Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them?” He is the Creator; He cares about ALL of His creations – and that include our environment.

During the Sabbath Year, God instructed that “For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the Sabbath year of rest to the LORD. Do not plant your crops or prune your vineyards during that entire year… The land is to have a year of total rest” (Leviticus 25:3-5). Why? Main reason is so that the farmland can rest for the conservation of good, productive land. God cares about the environment.

Well, maybe you’re thinking, ‘Richard, I think you didn’t read your Bible carefully, that’s for the Israelite, ancient Israelite to observe not for us, the modern hi-tech Christian-Malaysians!’

My reply would be, ‘What you’re saying is true, it was especially for the Israelite to observe not us. But what’s remaining relevant today is the principle behind it, that is – The earth belongs to God. God is still the same. Thus, human beings (that’s us) were created to share responsibility for the earth by being a good stewards of the environment’.

Pic from:
www.sesamamu.blogspot.com

In the beginning, God assigned Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground” (Genesis 1:28). Then again, it is written: “The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15). God wants Adam, our humanity forefather, to tend and care for the Garden of Eden… and you know what? God now expects you and me to care for our little corner of the earth as well. Take care of the environment; be a good steward in this borrowed-earth where we lived in. Be a responsible Christian who care not only for the soul (which is our primary duty to preach the Gospel of Jesus to all mankind), but also care for the physical order that God had created – mainly here – the environment.

God created nature for His glory; “The heavens proclaim the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), therefore, you should do whatever you can to preserve this testimony for God. THINK BIG. God cares about ALL of His creations. START SMALL. Go to [DoSomething.Org] for some helpful practical steps on how to take care of the environment around you. GO DEEP. Be careful, we should always remember – We worship Father God NOT Mother Nature. WARNING. God will one day judge and “destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth” (Revelation 11:18).