I have just published a blog article entitled “Looking after our world” about the threat to mankind caused by global warming. I have been thinking about this and want to explore the concept that the world belongs to it’s creator and we are here to look after this planet as stewards of a fantastic world full of diversity and beauty.
Medically we are very similar to the thousands of animal species and we share much of our DNA with them. But when human beings were created God gave us a very special Gift which makes us drastically different to the animals.
Made in the image of God
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.” (Genesis 1:26 NIV)
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.” (Genesis 1:26 NIV)
“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 NIV)
It is clear from the creation story that God treated human beings very different than the animals. We were made to rule over the rest of creation and to subdue the earth.
Subdue not exploit
In 2012, I wrote a blog article called “Subdue the earth” which was written before I became fully aware of the threat of man-made global warming. We are to subdue but not to exploit the rich resources available to us. The carbon-based minerals of coal and oil have brought enormous benefits to human development but are not sustainable. We are now acutely aware that we now have to find alternative sources of energy.
It is God’s world that we are living in. But he gave it to us and entrusted it to us. Let us determine to love our planet and do our best to look after it and encourage others to do the same.
Compassion and Justice 