Everyone who reads Scripture has favourite pieces – verses which have rung true to them in particular situations; stories which have stayed with them showing them how God works in the lives of His people and whole chapters, even whole Books, which have inspired a new vision of God’s love for His people and His world.
Increasingly I find I turn to Revelation 21 as a vision of hope. It speaks of a New Heaven and a New Earth becoming one. It speaks of new beginnings, of salvation, of new chances and of forgiveness. Above all it speaks of a Communion of God’s people which transcends time and space to be one with Him.
Sadly, some people take this to mean we can do what we like to the world and it won’t matter at all because God will take all the Righteous and give them something even bigger and better to play with. This is even used as the excuse to give no care to our existing world at all – the sooner we trash it the sooner the new one comes. When I first heard this doctrine put forward, I was shocked, since then it has made me very sad. When our father created the world, he put us in charge of caring for it and for all the living things in and on it. Surely the true people of God are those who live by HIs command; who care for their world and tread lightly upon it? Think of the story Jesus told about the Stewards whose Master went away but gave them money to look after – it was those Stewards who looked after the Master’s money who were rewarded and praised. Surely, God wants and expects us to care for the world we are holding in Stewardship for Him?
There is a lot of information about what we can do to help our planet – sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming – and we can ‘t do everything individually. But if we all decide on one or two things they will mount up. The main thing is to remember God has a plan for us and for His world and that plan is for the whole world to flourish, a beautiful reminder and expectation of the New Heaven and New Earth which is to come.
Prayer: Loving Lord. Grant us the gift of seeing this World as you intend it to be. May this inspire us to show the care of Stewardship you always intended us to have. Inspire us to appreciate and love this world as you do and give us the insights to treat resources and potential of this Earth with kindness and wisdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen