Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “Mankind, he has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Just do your part”

In Micah 6:8 the people of God are given a simple and beautiful general principle with which to approach life. Essentially it says, “Just do your part”. “Act justly, be faithful, and walk humbly with God.” In other words, just be a good and decent person. Know the Word of God, live your life within Biblical boundaries, do your best to be a blessing to others and to honor God with your ways, and then just live life.

As we think about the huge, and complex, and politically-charged subject of environmental issues, it can seem overwhelming. When we think about a floating patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of the state of Texas (the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), what can one person in Crossville, TN do about that? Are the polar icecaps really melting? How would I know and what can I do about it? Does Al Gore really have an Olympic-sized heated indoor swimming pool in his home that uses six times as much electricity annually than one normal-sized home? How can I make him stop that? And can I come over for a swim?

The issues are big and complex and confusing, and it can seem as if there’s not much that any one individual can do about it. That’s true enough if you’re only looking at the big picture. But God isn’t calling on you to solve the whole problem. He’s only asking you (and me) to do our parts. It you’re the only one who decides to use a little less plastic, it won’t matter much. But if we all decide to use a little less plastic it will make a big difference. If one person stops throwing trash on the ground that would be nice. If everyone stops throwing trash on the ground our roadsides would look a lot nicer.

Big things are made up of little things. Big results come from lots of small efforts brought together for a common cause to achieve a worthwhile goal. I encourage you to just do your part. Lots of small individual efforts add up to big results.

Tomorrow we will consider some success stories which powerfully demonstrate that when Christians come together for a worthy cause, and when they don’t give-up, God often produces amazing results.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Your thinking about creation care should be formed by the Bible, not by the culture.”

In some respects, this has been a tough week in the world of daily devotionals. Lol. We’ve covered some difficult ground in our thinking about the use of oil, coal, and plastics. Next week we’re going to delve into the politically-charged topics of pollution controls, climate change, and the infamous “Green New Deal”. But before we do that, I think it would be helpful for us to circle back and revisit our reason for addressing this subject to begin with. Creation care was a Biblical issue long before it was a political issue. This is our Father’s world, and as His children we have a responsibility to take care of it for him. As Christians, caring for the earth was our concern long before the issue was highjacked by environmental extremists and became a pet project of the political left.

Therefore, our thinking about the matter needs to be formed by our Biblical worldview rather than by a kneejerk reaction that comes from our opposition to leftist politics. Ask yourself, when you think about the subject of environmental concerns, does your mind immediately go to what God says about it in the Bible, or are your thoughts more along the lines of “That’s a liberal issue and I reject it.”? Too often our thinking about this issue is formed by our opposition to the political left rather than by the instructions we have received from God in the Bible.

I encourage you to forget “them”, the liberal elites and environmental extremists who have highjacked this issue for their own political purposes. Don’t allow your thinking on this important Biblical issue to be determined by your feelings about them. It doesn’t matter what they say. It only matters what God says. Make sure your thinking about creation care is based upon Biblical truth and not on political sensitivities.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled my land, you made my inheritance detestable.” Jeremiah 2:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Paper or plastic?.”

In Jeremiah 2:7 we read of the people of God being accused of having defiled the beautiful and fruitful land God gave them. In one sense they defiled it spiritually by worshipping pagan idols on land the Lord had declared holy. But another way in which they defiled it was by not properly caring for the land itself. Their farming and grazing practices were careless, and they wasted resources. The region was renowned for its abundant crops and luxurious vegetation, but after being occupied by careless stewards it was quickly becoming a wasteland.

This past summer I was kayaking out in the Atlantic Ocean when I saw a plastic bottle floating in the water. It was only one, but it reminded me of what is known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. That is a floating patch of garbage in the ocean between Hawaii and California which is 600,000 square miles in size (twice the size of Texas). It includes approximately 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. The garbage is mostly from Asia and has mysteriously accumulated over two decades. It is an environmental disaster. It’s hard to know how much total plastic has accumulated in the oceans around the world, but scientists estimate that 10 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year. There is much more than that in the landfills of the world.

Plastic is a man-made substance. It is made from a combination of synthetic and organic compounds. It is malleable and is easily formed into a wide variety of products. The blessing of plastic is its versatility and durability. The problem with plastic is its long life. The length of time it takes plastic to decompose depends on its composition. The more organic material used, the less durable the item is but the faster it decomposes. The more synthetic components it contains the stronger and more durable the item is, but the longer it takes to decompose. The most durable plastic items can take as long as 1000 years to decompose. Soft drink bottles require 450 years. The plastic bags you get at the supermarket take 10-20 years to decompose.

So, what does that mean for Christians who are committed to being good stewards of God’s Creation? Should we use plastic or not? Being manmade, plastic is not a natural part of God’s creation. It is something that humans introduced into God’s creation and it does cause an environmental dilemma, so what should we do?

Plastic is so much a part of everyday life that it would be impossible to stop using it altogether. But because there is so much of it, and because it does last for so long, it makes sense to reduce our use of it if we can. We should recycle our plastic when possible. If you have a choice between paper or plastic at the grocery store why not choose paper? If you can attach a filter to your water faucet to produce clean drinking water instead of using an endless supply of small plastic bottles, it makes sense to do so. If you have a choice between purchasing an item made from plastic, or from a more biodegradable product, perhaps the biodegradable product would be the better choice.

Again, reason and common sense prevail here. Plastics are a part of modern life and they do make life better in many ways. But we also need to be smart about our use of it. There are problems with plastic. As good stewards of God’s creation it makes sense to limit our use of it where we can.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold.” John 18:18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Coal is a gift from God too”

The use of coal as a source of energy is probably one of the most contentious environmental issues being discussed in our day. Coal is commonly thought to be a dirty source of energy that is responsible for a great deal of air pollution, and there is some truth to that argument. Of all the carbon-based fuels used today, coal is probably the most problematic. But does that mean it shouldn’t be used?

There is no reference to mineral coal in the Bible. There never have been coal deposits in that part of the world such as there are in Kentucky or West Virginia. The coal referred to in the Bible was charcoal and it was made by charring wood in a kiln. That process produced a substance that was slow-burning and which could be used for heating and cooking. Mineral coal, as we know it, was formed in the earth in a process similar to that of petroleum. Organic matter is trapped underground and subjected to great heat and pressure for long periods of time, resulting in the black sedimentary substance we know as coal.

Like petroleum, coal was formed in the earth by physical forces overseen by our sovereign God. It is part of His creation and it exists by His divine will. Also like petroleum, coal serves no useful function as long as it remains hidden deep underground. It’s only when it is mined, processed, and used by humans that it becomes functional and useful. God would not have given us coal if He didn’t intend for us to use it.

The question of course, as with all of God’s other resources, is how can we use it in the most responsible manner? There are many good reasons for us to continue using coal. For one thing, it’s an affordable source of energy. For another, the economies of entire communities depend on it. There are environmental concerns with the burning of coal to be sure, but there is also a very real human factor to consider, and we must balance both.

This is where modern technology becomes a blessing. Advances in environmental science have made it possible for coal to be burned in a much cleaner way. “Clean Coal Technology” is a process that removes much of the sulfur and carbon emissions from coal gases and greatly reduces the amount of pollution generated by burning coal.

In another devotional we’ll address the issue of emission controls and efforts to reduce pollution, but the point for today is that coal is a natural resource God has provided to us through His creation. Its only function is to provide a source of energy for us. God gave us this resource and we are free to use it; we simply have to do so in as responsible a manner as possible.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “He made him ride on the heights of the land and eat the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from flinty rock …” Deuteronomy 32:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Oil is given to us by God to be used in responsible ways.”

Oil was created by God. The creation of vast oceans of petroleum under the surface of the earth, as described in yesterday’s devotional, was by the will and the hand of God. But oil serves no useful purpose sitting underground in vast oceans. It is of no use at all until it is extracted from the ground, refined, and used by people. Then it serves multiple useful purposes, only one of which is as a fuel. It is also used to make plastics, rubber, asphalt, a wide variety of chemicals used in daily life, and it is also found in most synthetic products.

Petroleum is needed for more than just fuel. And since it is a non-renewable resource, and since it is needed for reasons other than just as a source of energy, as good stewards of the resources God has given us, we need to conserve it and to use it in responsible ways.

Although it is possible that more oil could yet be discovered, as was noted yesterday, current remaining oil reserves are about 1.5 trillion barrels and the world uses approximately 34 billion barrels of that each year. That being the case, at current rates of use, we will consume all 1.5 trillion barrels in about 50 years.  That would be a little inconvenient when it comes to oil as a source of energy and fuel because we would then have to rely on alternative sources. But the bigger concern with running out of petroleum oil is the multiple other important ways in which it is used and needed. Alternate sources will need to be found for those purposes as well.

What does this mean for Christians who are mindful of taking care of God’s creation and being good stewards of His resources? Should we stop using oil as an energy source? I don’t think so. Oil is a gift from God and it serves no useful purpose unless it is used. We simply need to continue to be good stewards of it. Don’t waste it. Let’s make it last as long as we can. Increased fuel efficiency is one way to help do that. Keeping the thermostat in your home set on reasonable temperatures conserves energy as well, and there are many other ways in which we can continue to use oil as a source of fuel and energy, but do so in an efficient and responsible way.

Oil is a gift from God. It is a useful resource that He has provided to help make our lives better. We are free to use it as long as it lasts, but we do have to use it responsibly.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them, but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps.” Matthew 25:1-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God created oil for us to use.”

In the parable told by Jesus in Matthew 25:1-13, the oil in the story was almost certainly olive oil. Although there were other types of vegetable oil being produced and used in those days, olive oil was the most common. It was used as a food, and for medicinal purposes, as a cosmetic, and for religious purposes. It was also used as a fuel and when burned it produced light. It was vegetable oil not petroleum oil. Although in those days vast oceans of petroleum oil certainly existed under the surface of the earth, it had not yet been discovered by mankind. (History seems to suggest that the Chinese did have access to petroleum by then, but it was probably found at surface level and its use was limited and primitive).

However, the point for us to see here is that the oil in use in Biblical days was a resource provided by God for the use of His people. It was a product of God’s creation and it had multiple uses that made life better for humans. Clearly God intended for His people to use it.

We know where vegetable oil comes from, it comes from plants which can be grown and therefore it is a renewable energy source. Petroleum oil is different. Petroleum is a “fossil” fuel and it comes from decomposed organic matter such as bodies, plankton, algae, and yes, perhaps even a few dinosaurs. The organic matter is trapped underground, compressed by enormous pressure, and eventually becomes oil. But the process takes so long that the source is considered non-renewable.

According to OPEC (The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), the known oil reserves in the world today are 1.5 trillion barrels. Currently the world consumes about 34 billion barrels of oil a year. At that rate the current reserves will last about another 50 years. So, what does that mean with respect to God’s people using oil? Is it okay for us to use petroleum products or should we all be driving electric cars?

Well … my goodness, would you look at the time? I’ve got to go! We’re out of space in today’s devotional and we will have to continue this discussion tomorrow. Sorry. Lol. (Relax. I’m not one of those left-wing environmental extremists. The answer isn’t going to be as bad or as painful as you might think.)

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. They do everything to be seen by others …” Matthew 23:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t be side-tracked by the hypocrites”

Recently there was a news report about a major international conference on climate change and environmental issues. It was held in Europe and was attended by high profile politicians, celebrities, and environmental activists from around the world, but only those from the political left. Conservatives were not invited.

What was especially interesting about this conference on environmental concerns was that those very wealthy elites traveled to the conference in private jets. Once they were there, they stayed in penthouse hotel suites and even on luxury yachts. Huge sums of money were spent on lavish meals, and quite a few kilowatt hours of electricity were expended lighting huge banquet halls. Evidently those environmental leaders, who are determined to get the rest of us to conserve resources so we can save the planet, aren’t very thrifty consumers of resources in their own lives.

There’s another high-profile environmental activist (a former politician who lives here in Tennessee), who is very outspoken about environmental issues. He writes books, produces documentaries, and speaks at conferences urging the rest of us to be frugal and to conserve. He himself however, lives in a large mansion on an estate outside of Nashville with his wife. The house is probably twenty times bigger than just two people should need. One investigative report discovered that this man’s indoor heated pool by itself uses more energy each year than six average homes combined. Just the pool! According to the report his total electric use in one year is more than the average home uses in 21 years.

In Matthew 23:4-5 Jesus was being critical of religious hypocrites. They were leaders who promoted the basic law of Moses (which was good) but they also added lots of additional rules and requirements that they had created for people to follow (which was bad). And worse, those leaders didn’t even practice what they preached. They were hypocrites.

But Jesus told the people not to be side-tracked by the hypocrisy of the leaders. Even though the leaders themselves were not practicing what they preached, and even though the extremes of their teaching were ridiculous and not helpful, Jesus cautioned the people not to lose sight of the basic principles the Law of Moses, which they did need to follow.

The same lesson applies to us with respect to environmental issues. Many of the liberal environmental leaders are very hypocritical. What they propose is often extreme, and they don’t practice what they preach. But that should not side-track the rest of us from being good stewards of God’s creation and of energy resources.

In the next devotional we’re going to consider the truth that not only did God give us creation as a gift, He also gave us creation’s resources as a gift as well. Therefore, we’re free to use those resources (such as oil and coal), and God expects us to. That’s why He gave them to us. We just need to do so in as responsible a manner as possible. We’ll begin that discussion tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then he said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.’ At that moment the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him …” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You can encounter God outdoors in His creation.”

A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with a pastor friend I hadn’t seen in a while. He is currently sensing the Lord calling him into a new ministry venture but he isn’t sure what it will be. He is a pastor with a heart for missions and he is an experienced mission-team leader. He has led missions to various places around the world and he recently took a team to Alaska for the fourth time. He is also an avid outdoorsman. He loves to fish, hunt, hike, and explore.

As we considered who he is, the things he loves to do, and the direction God might be calling him in now, I suddenly remembered a book I had read years ago called “Wild Men, Wild Alaska” by Rocky McElveen. Rocky is also an avid outdoorsman who loves Alaska, and he has a heart for discipling Christian men. So he created a ministry to take groups of men on outdoor adventures into the wilds of Alaska for the duel purposes of enjoying God’s creation in an adventurous setting, but also to engage in some deep discipleship at the same time. Rocky found that serious disciples of Christ can have very special encounters with God out in the middle of spectacular settings (like what happened to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13). I suggested to my friend that he consider doing something similar. Maybe not in Alaska, but perhaps here in Tennessee. Being outdoors enjoying God’s beautiful creation is a great way to encounter Him in special ways.

Franklin Graham has gone on some of those discipleship adventures with Rocky. In the forward to the book Franklin wrote, “When you crack the pages of “Wild Men, Wild Alaska”, you’ll be captivated by the true-to-life depictions of majestic mountains, pristine lakes and streams, wild animals, hair-raising brushes with death … and how that all relates to a person’s need for an adventurous connection with God.”

Even if you are not an “outdoors” person, it’s still important to spend time with God outside, appreciating His beautiful creation. For you that may involve a wilderness adventure in Alaska, or it might just be a walk in the city park. It doesn’t matter. I encourage you to spend some time with God outdoors this weekend and gain a new appreciation for the beautiful world He has created.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Open your eyes to the beauty of God’s creation.”

I am so blessed to live where I do. Eastern Tennessee is one of the most beautiful places in the country. It is lush and green, with lots of lakes and rivers and streams, majestic mountains, rolling fields, thick woods and beautiful vistas. I can easily spend hours hiking through the woods, or sitting on a high rocky outcrop looking out over miles and miles of treetops. A day spent in a kayak on a crystal-clear lake or on a lazy river is hard to beat. And riding a motorcycle along winding country roads on a crisp autumn day when the colors are in full bloom is an experience you won’t soon forget.

I find that God is very real and very present to me in nature. I encounter Him in His Word and in prayer, as well as in worship and in many other ways also, but I’ve found David’s words in Psalm 19:1 to be powerfully true – the heavens (indeed all of creation), declare the glory of God.

Beginning next week, as we continue thinking about creation care, we’re going to address some of the sensitive and controversial environmental issues facing God’s people in the world we live in today. We’ll consider topics like the use of fossil fuels, the advantages and problems of plastics, and whether recycling programs are really helpful or not. We will talk about things like climate change, “The Green New Deal”, and much more.

Many of these topics have been exploited for political purposes and cloaked in exaggeration, bad science, deceit, and hypocrisy. That being the case, this can be a difficult discussion to have without it evoking irrational reasoning, hot emotions, and unbiblical responses.

To help guard against that it’s important for us, the people of God, to keep in mind some important Biblical truths as we approach this difficult subject. We need to remember first of all that this is our Father’s world. It is a beautiful and wonderful creation of His. He loves it, He cares about it, and He has charged us with taking care of it for Him. Remember also that creation care was a Biblical concern long before it was a political cause. The political left may have highjacked the issue for their own purposes, but it belonged to us first. It is Biblical first, political second.

And finally, as we prepare ourselves to think Biblically about the difficult and contentious environmental issues of our day, I encourage you to spend a little time outside in a beautiful setting and just soak-in the majesty and wonder of God’s creation.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Creation Care”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And so it was.” Genesis 1:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Thank God for the trees”

The other day I went hiking with my brother Bob. He lives in Dallas and was just passing through town on his way home after a business trip. Eastern Tennessee is beautiful and there are lots of great trails here. One of the features of the trails here in my community of Fairfield Glade is that they are maintained, well-marked, and many of the trees have been labeled to inform hikers as to the kind of tree it is and what some of its unique features are. Bob, being a Boy Scout and an amateur botanist, enjoyed stopping to read the labels.

I love trees. Trees are truly one of God’s amazing creations. A few months ago I read an interesting book with the title, “Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us.” It was written by Matthew Sleeth.  He is a medical doctor who was an avowed atheist and a very outspoken environmental activist. He was one of those on the extreme left who made environmental issues the centerpiece of his political activism.

Matthew ended up coming to faith in Christ and quickly became a fully committed Christian. When he began studying the Bible, he was startled to discover that his concerns for the environment were actually deeply rooted in Scripture. As I pointed out in a previous devotional, environmental concerns were a Biblical issue long before they were a political issue. Additionally, Matthew had always had a particular fascination with trees and he became an expert on them. When he began reading the Bible for the first time, he was dumbfounded to see how prominently trees feature into the story of God. Here’s what he wrote about that:

“I read from Genesis to Revelation, underlining everything the Bible has to say about trees. And here’s what I found: God has an astounding fondness for trees. Other than God and people, the Bible mentions trees more than any other living thing. There is a tree on the first page of Genesis, in the first psalm, on the first page of the New Testament, and on the last page of Revelation. Every significant theological event in the Bible is marked by a tree. Whether it is the Fall, the Flood, or the overthrow of Pharaoh, every major event in the Bible has a tree, a branch, fruit, seed, or some part of a tree marking the spot.”

In addition to providing shade, protecting against soil erosion, and providing food, trees also absorb carbon dioxide and other potentially harmful gasses, such as sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. One large tree can supply a day’s supply of oxygen for four people.
Trees are an important part of God’s amazing creation. They’re important to Him and therefore they need to be important to us too. When was the last time you thanked God for giving us trees?

God Bless,
Pastor Jim