Since 1970, Earth Day is on April 22^nd every year. If your neighbour asks you what you think of Earth Day, what will you say? If an environmentalist asked you about Earth Day, how would you respond? Would you seek to build a bridge to win them to Christ, or would you erect a wall by mocking the annual date? Would you seek to establish common ground in your conversation or accentuate the points of departure and disagreement?

If anyone should be respectful of creation and all things pertaining to stewardship of what God has placed all around us – it should be the Christian.

Read Psalm 104 and think of the writer admiring the beauty of what the Creator had placed all around him. He may not have called it the ‘ecosystem,’ but he spent verse after verse describing just that. Clean water supply for the animals; healthy trees and abundant foliage; green space to nourish the animals; healthy oceans and waterways teeming with creatures big and small; lush gardens with nutrients that produce abundant crops for our food supply, and much, much more. As he meditated on the wonders of creation, his heart was elevated to worship the Creator of it all. He said:

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Psalms 104:33-34

Do you think the composer of Psalm 104 would shut down a conversation or mock someone who appreciated the delicate balance and dynamics of the ecosystem that he had just been admiring? As he composed his psalm of praise, I suspect he had a fresh appreciation for his stewardship of the creation he was enjoying.

Read Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:15. If anyone should respect and carefully tend and care for the wonders of God’s creation it should be Christians. We should never mock the sincerity of those who are trying to stop the abuse and neglect of the natural world around us.

Sadly, it is true that we ourselves can be politically correct within our own Christian circle by mocking others for what we perceive as their political correctness. Never forget that politics is not just limited to the world out there! Dear Child of God, we don’t need to get caught up in any of the politics on either side of the discussion. Leave that for others to worry about and to debate.

Others may displace the Creator as they elevate creation, but you know that your admiration of creation ultimately leads to a deeper and fuller appreciation of your God. You also know that creation is groaning because of sin and awaits a future day (Romans 8:20-23) You also have some understanding of Bible prophecy and the future of our earth. But that is no reason for us to be cavalier or careless, or dismissive of present-day environmental concerns. Good stewardship of creation is a vital part of our testimony for Christ and the Gospel.

“The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it.” Psalm 24:1

As Dr. Andrew Spencer, a Christian in the United States wrote a few years ago: “Just as saying the Pledge of Allegiance does not signify submission to the United States above Christ, participating in Earth Day activities does not require Earth worship or theological compromise.”

So, if you have an opportunity to engage in a special event of picking-up litter in a nearby park or planting a tree or helping to restore a waterway or watershed area in your neighbourhood – show that you care. Read Psalm 104 with your family and talk about the wonders of creation.

Remember God has revealed Himself to this world in creation. (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20) It is one of the ways that sinners will be held without excuse. I need to make sure I don’t cloud or confuse this natural or general revelation by vocalizing my opposition to those who are concerned about the environment. Instead, I should be leveraging my respect for creation and the environment for the sake of the Gospel.

If you can find common ground with an unconverted person on the general revelation of God, the door may then open for you to talk about the special revelation of God – ultimately Jesus Christ – God’s full and final revelation of Himself. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

You might even have the opportunity to illustrate the difference between the general revelation of God and the special revelation of God by sharing these two stanzas of How Great Thou Art.

O, Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works Thy hands have made;
I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder;
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today. 

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

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