Today is April 22 and is the day that Earth Day is celebrated in the United States. The concept for Earth Day was started in 1969 by John McConnell, the son of an evangelist. His interest in religion, science, and peace resulted in him dedicating his life to bettering humanity one cause at a time.
International Earth Day was proposed in 1969 by McConnell at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) meeting in San Francisco. The idea was "to celebrate the need to preserve and renew the threatened ecological balance upon which all life on Earth depends.
In my sermon “Is There A God? Yes, There Is!”, April 21, 2024, I said that God has left evidence of His existence in creation
Acts 14:17 NIV [17] Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Psalms 8:3-4 NIV says [3] When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, [4] what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Romans 1:18-20 NIV [18] The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, [19] since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. [20] For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
All of creation is a gift from God, and from the very beginning mankind was commanded to take care of it. When God made man, He first placed him in the Garden of Eden. In Hebrew, the word “Eden” means “delight.” There is no coincidence here, as Eden was the world in perfection. It was filled with lush vegetation, animals who lived in peace, and pure, unfiltered delight. God formed the first man, Adam, from the very dirt of Eden and breathed His Ruach, or Spirit, into the man so that he may come alive.
Genesis 1:26-28 NIV [26] Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” [27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
After the fall of Adam and Eve they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The rest of the Earth required more work.
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV [17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Although it was tough Adam and Eve were still responsible for the care of the earth and today we called to be good stewards of the planet we all call home.
International Earth Day was proposed in 1969 by McConnell at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) meeting in San Francisco. The idea was "to celebrate the need to preserve and renew the threatened ecological balance upon which all life on Earth depends.
In my sermon “Is There A God? Yes, There Is!”, April 21, 2024, I said that God has left evidence of His existence in creation
Acts 14:17 NIV [17] Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Psalms 8:3-4 NIV says [3] When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, [4] what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Romans 1:18-20 NIV [18] The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, [19] since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. [20] For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
All of creation is a gift from God, and from the very beginning mankind was commanded to take care of it. When God made man, He first placed him in the Garden of Eden. In Hebrew, the word “Eden” means “delight.” There is no coincidence here, as Eden was the world in perfection. It was filled with lush vegetation, animals who lived in peace, and pure, unfiltered delight. God formed the first man, Adam, from the very dirt of Eden and breathed His Ruach, or Spirit, into the man so that he may come alive.
Genesis 1:26-28 NIV [26] Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” [27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
After the fall of Adam and Eve they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The rest of the Earth required more work.
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV [17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Although it was tough Adam and Eve were still responsible for the care of the earth and today we called to be good stewards of the planet we all call home.
The Ground
God instructed Israel in how to work the soil for its greatest benefit by allowing It to rest and replenish itself.
Leviticus 25:1-5 NIV [1] The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, [2] “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. [3] For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. [4] But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. [5] Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
Instructions such as these were given so that man would properly honor and respect the very soil we have been given as a gift from God. He gave us this land, soil, and ability to grow food to provide and care for us, and we need to recognize the gift and care for it. We need to consider the things that we do to ensure that we don’t do things that will hurt or harm the very land we depend on for provision.
The Animals
The Bible also gives us instructions on how to care for God’s creation of animals.
Proverbs 12:10 NIV The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
We can also see throughout Scripture that nature and the animals who abide in nature matter to God. Man can learn so much from nature if we choose to honor and learn from it.
Job 12:7-10 NIV [7] “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; [8] or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. [9] Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? [10] In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Nature can also provide us with metaphors, understanding, and revelations that are from the very heart of God. Scripture also says that not even a sparrow can fall from the ground without His permission.
Matthew 6:26 NIV Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
He sees the sparrows and sees us too. We must have a heart for all creation of God, not just parts of it.
This Earth is a precious gift that provides us with everything necessary for our lives. Let’s ask God how we can live with the Earth, not on it, and how He would instruct us to honor the precious gift He has given.
God planned every detail necessary so that life could not merely survive but abundantly thrive on this planet.
When we look at our earth, it is just the right size. If it were any smaller, the atmosphere would be unable to support human life. If it were any larger, the atmosphere would contain free hydrogen like on Jupiter and Saturn.
The earth is also exactly the right distance from the sun. If it were any closer, it would be burned to a crisp. If it were any farther away, it would freeze as if it were in a giant deep freeze. The tilt of the earth is just right to ensure the seasons of summer, winter, spring, and fall.
The moon is just right for the earth as it controls the ocean tides. The ocean is just right as it serves as a giant thermostat for the earth. Because of the tides, continuous waves break upon the shores of the ocean aerating the oceans of this planet and providing oxygen for the plankton, which is the very foundation of the food chain. Without the plankton, there would not be oxygen and man would not be able to live upon this earth.
God gave Adam and Eve instructions to keep this Earth. Don't become so caught up in politics or other issues that you forget that what matters most on this Earth is that we are working to bring God’s Kingdom here so that His will be done here on Earth as it is in Heaven.
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