Thank you to Phillip for this week’s MWB
Read Genesis 1:26-30
In these four verses our attention is turned to the creation of humans, our food and relationship to the rest of nature.
Humans are commanded to be fruitful and fill the earth (v.28). We also have a responsibility to tread lightly on the earth. It can be very difficult in seeking to live carefully in today’s world. For example, global food production depends heavily on nitrogen fertilisers which are produced by using increasingly scarce fossil fuels.
There is a tremendous amount of food wastage in the West and land is not in full production. In poorer, developing countries, the problems are often those of distribution
and disruption through conflict. (Margot Hodson). It is our prayer that God will give us wisdom, insight and discernment as we seek to live responsibly for Him in our world and build His kingdom each day.
The words ‘rule’ and ‘subdue’, found in verse 28 need our attention. In Biblical thinking, to ‘rule’ means to be given a responsibility. Humankind has been given leadership over creation and we need to always be seeking to live in a godly way in our world.
John Stott expresses succinctly what I have been trying to say:
“It seems quite inexplicable to me that there are some Christians who claim to love and worship God, to be disciples of Jesus, and yet have no concern for the earth that bears his stamp of ownership. They do not care about the abuse of the earth, and indeed, by their wasteful and over-consumptive lifestyles, they contribute to it.”
Ponder and pray:
- Pray that we may learn more and more how to live gently on the earth.