Today's Devotional
October 26, 2007
Subject: Planet In Peril? What About The People?
2 Peter 3:10 - 11 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,"
It seems the fires out west have brought out environmentalists like the summer rain brings out mosquitoes in Texas. George Carlin, famous comedian, blasted the residents of Southern California and said that they are "getting what they deserved for building on overcrowded lands" among other things stating that the people are to blame. CNN is running a two-part special entitled "Planet In Peril." The documentary goes around the world and cites many ecological issues and asks if man is the cause or is nature to blame.
I would hate to downplay serious issues about our responsibility to use the resources God has given us wisely, but since we know the end of this story, I don't think we have to guess about whether or not we will cause the destruction of the planet. God's already got that date set. This does not in any way diminish our responsibility to be good stewards of everything He has given us, as a matter of fact, just as the verse above says, "seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye (we) to be in all..." things.
We should be wise about this life and I know that it's "the world," but I think if we were as preoccupied with the people and their destruction (the eternal one) then we'd have a different view of the planet itself. See the planet could be gone tomorrow and though man may play some small part in its physical destruction, it's really up to God. From His view, it's not the planet that is in peril, it's the people. He is simply using the planet to help govern our actions and attitudes and ultimately to find Him.
Seeing that the planet "is" going away, what are you doing about it? Since we're not going to stop it, we might as well fix ourselves. We'd better get ready for the new planet. 2 Peter 3:13 - "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Carlen
