Our Bible verse for today: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “The earth belongs to God.”
Before we begin considering contemporary environmental issues and the steps Christians should be taking to help care for our planet, I want to firmly establish in our minds the Biblical basis for creation care and the stewardship responsibility we as Christians have with respect to it.
As we see in Genesis 1:1, the very first words in the Bible establish God’s ownership of planet earth. He made it. It is His. And that’s not just some general Biblical principle or even just an historical fact, this is a real ownership issue. God designed the earth right down to the smallest details; He lovingly crafted every aspect of it – every rock, every tree, every creature. And as we will learn this month, God cares deeply for His creation. We people often give casual acknowledgement to the general idea of the earth belonging to God, but for God this runs deep. It’s more than just a casual matter.
In the “Baptist Hymnal” there’s an old hymn we sometimes sing entitled “This Is My Father’s World”. It’s a wonderful old song which helps to bring the singers to a sense of protective appreciation for our Father’s beautiful creation. It goes like this:
“This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and sea’s; His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise; the morning light, the lily white declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair; in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father’s world, O let me never forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world, the battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven one.”
This is our Father’s world. The earth is His creation. We need to love it as much as He does and we need to do our part to take care of it.
Oak Hill Baptist Church