An awesome gift

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28 (NIV)

 

Yesterday, in Sunday school, we focused on the infinite blessing of God’s Creation (Gilbert). What an awesome gift God has provided for us! Although we sometimes experience the negative characteristics of nature (Hurricane Florence stormed across North Carolina and South Carolina this past week-end), we recognize the amazing beauty and the intricate complexity of Planet Earth.

We are just the right distance from the sun to have ideal  gravity for our mobility. We have temperatures that are suitable for humans, plants, and animals to survive and flourish. We have atmosphere that provides just the correct blend of oxygen and other gases that allows us to breathe freely and function without the aid of an artificial breathing apparatus. We have water and food. We have love and companionship with other humans. All this created by the Master planner!

What an awesome gift God has provided!

But…

With this gift God has granted to us, comes responsibility.

Humans are given privilege, but with God’s command to “subdue” the earth (have dominion or mastery over the Earth), comes the responsibility of being a caretaker (Matthews). We have an obligation to protect the Earth, nurture God’s creatures (human and animal), and respect every aspect of the Earth as part of God’s creation (Gilbert).

For the next several weeks on my Wellness blog, I’m going to focus on  caring for our Earth–specific actions we can do as humans to care for and protect our Earth for future generations.

We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” David Brower

I don’t believe we can have Wellness unless our planet is healthy–thus my focus  on the Wellness aspect. But, I wanted to introduce the topic from my faith and inspiration blog (this one) to lay the foundation.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:1, 31

I pray that we can keep God’s Creation “very good” by being good caretakers. I invite you to view my Wellness post this week to learn more about nurturing our Earth, God’s awesome gift.

What does it mean to you to be a caretaker of God’s awesome gift?

 

John Gilbert (2018) Adult Bible Studies, “God’s Word for God’s People” Cokesbury

Kenneth Matthews, New American Commentary (logos.com)