But wastefulness bothers me. Most things don’t come easy out here, have to be worked hard for. Earned. Therefore Western folks tend to be satisfied with simple pleasures, tend to treasure and take good care of whatever they’re lucky enough to have. But the buffalo were already here, like a gift for the askin’. I guess what saddens me is the way that gift has been squandered.”
–Wayne D. Dundee (Dismal River)
“…The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: ‘There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land… That is why your land is in mourning,
and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.'”
–Hosea 4:1, 3 (NLT)
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“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who live in it.”
–Psalm 24:1 (NASB)
I think that oftentimes we forget the Creator. We might at times, in the right place, become awed with the splendor of nature. I remember going to the Grand Canyon and it was awesome. (I hesitate to use that word, since so many things are called “awesome”). But the Grand Canyon truly was an awesome sight. Only God could create something like that. I have stood on mountain vistas and viewed the valleys below–God is an awesome Creator. There are many other sights that could be mentioned and when we see those is when we think of the earth and the Creator.
However, it should be in our minds much of the time for we are to be stewards or caretakers of it. We have been appointed to take care of His possessions as they have been entrusted to us. Often we have not done a very good job of being good stewards and the earth is groaning under our care. It will take the Master caretaker to come back to remedy its pains. Bernard Brady said, “The vast resources of the earth can provide for all its inhabitants, or they can be greedily swallowed up or poisoned by a few without regard for the impact of their actions.” Now, don’t be alarmed–I am not a preservationist, but rather a conservationist. We are to care, nourish, and use the resources that God has given to us. We are not to foolishly destroy, nor are we to foolishly just let nature take its course. There is a balance that we must guard as caretakers. There is a right relationship with the Creator, His creation, and our position as stewards.
But ponder a minute, if you will, the idea of being a caretaker. What is God’s most prized possession? Why did He send His Son as the supreme sacrifice? It was not for nature. It was not for the whales or the penguins or the seals or some toad. He sent His Son to redeem mankind. Man has been a poor caretaker of God’s prize possession–himself. He has done more damage to his eternal soul on the same level and more than he had done to nature.
If we truly believe that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit then why don’t we treat ourselves as such? This temple is all encompassing: body, soul, spirit. We are to be caretakers of our emotions, our mental state, our physical bodies, and especially our spirit that has now been born-again. Are we poisoning it by indulging in the things of the world? We need to be conscious of the things around us and how they affect the “Temple”. Do you look like the Temple of the Most Holy? Hmmm… Be a good steward of the person that God meant for you to be.
——————————
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who live in it.”
–Psalm 24:1 (NASB)
I think that oftentimes we forget the Creator. We might at times, in the right place, become awed with the splendor of nature. I remember going to the Grand Canyon and it was awesome. (I hesitate to use that word, since so many things are called “awesome”). But the Grand Canyon truly was an awesome sight. Only God could create something like that. I have stood on mountain vistas and viewed the valleys below–God is an awesome Creator. There are many other sights that could be mentioned and when we see those is when we think of the earth and the Creator.
However, it should be in our minds much of the time for we are to be stewards or caretakers of it. We have been appointed to take care of His possessions as they have been entrusted to us. Often we have not done a very good job of being good stewards and the earth is groaning under our care. It will take the Master caretaker to come back to remedy its pains. Bernard Brady said, “The vast resources of the earth can provide for all its inhabitants, or they can be greedily swallowed up or poisoned by a few without regard for the impact of their actions.” Now, don’t be alarmed–I am not a preservationist, but rather a conservationist. We are to care, nourish, and use the resources that God has given to us. We are not to foolishly destroy, nor are we to foolishly just let nature take its course. There is a balance that we must guard as caretakers. There is a right relationship with the Creator, His creation, and our position as stewards.
But ponder a minute, if you will, the idea of being a caretaker. What is God’s most prized possession? Why did He send His Son as the supreme sacrifice? It was not for nature. It was not for the whales or the penguins or the seals or some toad. He sent His Son to redeem mankind. Man has been a poor caretaker of God’s prize possession–himself. He has done more damage to his eternal soul on the same level and more than he had done to nature.
If we truly believe that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit then why don’t we treat ourselves as such? This temple is all encompassing: body, soul, spirit. We are to be caretakers of our emotions, our mental state, our physical bodies, and especially our spirit that has now been born-again. Are we poisoning it by indulging in the things of the world? We need to be conscious of the things around us and how they affect the “Temple”. Do you look like the Temple of the Most Holy? Hmmm… Be a good steward of the person that God meant for you to be.