“For by him all things
were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were
created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:16
Yesterday
was Earth day. As a country, we stop and pause to consider how human beings
leave an imprint on this world. We think about how our actions cause harm or bring
healing to this Earth that we are so blessed to be a part of. As Christians, we
have a special way of looking at the Earth. While creation care is not a “salvation
issue” it should still be something that followers of Jesus should be concerned
about and think critically about. After all, as Colossians reminds us, everything
about this Earth is made for and by Jesus.
This
means that we can uplift the name of Jesus in the way we treat this Earth. Stewardship
is concerned with how we care for things God has given us. However, this moves
outside of just money and possessions and calls us to also consider our stewardship
of the Earth. The universe that God made is for more than consumption. The
deeper question of stewardship is not how can I use it, but how can I worship
with it?
After
all, when God made all of creation in Genesis 1 he did not just make the world
and then mankind to rule over it; he made mankind to be a part of it. We are
called to consider how we relate to the world around us. Creation is much more
than a sponge that God has given us to squeeze all the resource from- we are in
partnership with this world- how we use it will dictate how it nourishes us.

Finally,
I care for creation because creation is made for Jesus. Contrary to some thinking,
this world was not made for us- this world was made for Jesus. This is one of
the reasons the rocks will cry out if we do not praise our God. God did not make a world for humans and their
consumption- all things were made for Christ and are sustained in Christ. While
humans are chief stewards of this creation, we are still under the authority of
Jesus, along with the trees, the oceans, the animals, and everything else in
creation.
I
plant trees to worship Jesus, I clean up liter to worship Jesus, I recycle and
reuse to worship Jesus. My creation care is a bioproduct of my discipleship and
spiritual health. I do not worship the world, but I worship the one who created
it and the one who this world was created for.
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