Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Wednesday’s Devotion: Are We Benevolent Rulers?


God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature    so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."  - from Genesis 1, The Message

Other translations put the text in ways similar to the Common English Bible, “28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.”  I think that we sometimes forget that to rule does not mean to do as we wish without regard to our subjects – in our case all of nature - earth, sea and sky and the living creatures that populate it. I’m reading an interesting book by Barbara Kingsolver on her family’s attempt to spend one year consuming only food that they produced themselves or purchased from other local producers.  She is correct in saying that most people aren’t aware of the amount of energy and resources it takes to produce, process, package, promote and transport the foods we eat. If we take God’s charge to us to care for His creation, perhaps we should each consider learning about ways in which we can better care for and preserve this marvelous gift that sustains our life as we sustain its life. 

Loving God, thank you for placing us on such a beautiful and bountiful earth. Forgive us for the abuses it has suffered from our ignorance, greed and complacency.  Be with us as we seek ways to better care for your creation.  Amen.

Have you changed anything about your lifestyle in order to be more ecologically responsible?

Be blessed today,

Paige

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