Worldly wealth

I really looked forward to Sunday a few weeks ago when Gregg spoke about environmentalism in his Sunday sermon. I'm no dyed-in-the-wool environmental whacko, but I would call it a hobby of mine. Everything that Gregg said, I had no issue with. Well, except that one about hybrid vehicles, which I have yet to make up my mind on whether they have a less negative cummulative effect on the earth. But, I digress...

A couple days before that Sunday, I was catching up on my daily verse calendar at work and came upon one which spoke to me very clearly about how our love for the earth and creation will be judged.

I love the way this translation mixes the words faith, cheat, honesty, responibility, trust, wealth, and riches. There are dozens of verses throughout the OT starting with Genesis and in the NT which speak to how God desires us to love and respect the earth and all His creations, and to use the resources of his creation wisely. Luke reminds us in just that one last sentence that if we do not make honest efforts to retain the vibrant diversity of His creation, then we will not be allowed to enjoy and taste the true Fruits of Heaven. It's pretty heavy stuff.

For my part, I will continue to try to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In that order. Buy less stuff, find new uses for the stuff I have, and make sure my recycling bin is overflowing every two weeks while the trash can only has one bag in the bottom.

Every part of the earth, including us humans, are interrelated. All of the complex systems from ions passing between cellular membranes to the weather patterns in the skies above us move and change in a symbiotic and unbreakable relationship. We are seriously straining that relationship and nature is starting to show us how the butterfly effect really works. There are a multitude of resources on our little blue planet, but each of them is finite. It certainly seems that we cannot continue to consume them in the same way, at the same rate, forever. What is coming around the next corner, I do not know, but according to what God has to say about it, I don't have a choice if I am to remain in His favor.