Conserving God’s Creation
Chizaso M. G. Chunga of Lilongwe, Malawi
“Community of Christ,” your name, given as a divine blessing, is your identity and calling. If you will discern and embrace its full meaning, you will not only discover your future, you will become a blessing to the whole creation. Do not be afraid to go where it beckons you to go. -Doctrine and Covenants 163:1
Looking at God’s creation, we are able to see the mighty power of God. Visiting beautiful areas of this world makes you wonder how magnificent our God is.
I have been wondering recently about the sacredness of God’s creation and the devastating actions humankind always does to it. When God was creating the world and everything in it, God declared that “it was good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), and in verse 31, God declared everything God had created “very good.”
The core value of “sacredness of creation” is very important. This value is emphasized in many spheres of life but very few of us take it seriously. The creation of God is sacred. When we read Romans 1:20, we learn that through creation God has revealed the invisible things, and even God’s eternal power and Godhead. Psalm 150:6 tells us that everything that has breath must praise the Lord. Everything includes all creation of God. All the animals that fly, creep, or walk praise the Lord.
As children of God we have power to create and to destroy. Our responsibility as Christians is to build, not destroy. But most of the time we have destroyed rather than built. In many parts of the continent of Africa, trees have been cut down, animals have been killed. We worry that our children will not see some of the species we now have.
Above all this, our worry should be that God will hold us accountable for not being good stewards. We have left the ground bare, and the rivers are drying up as a result. Very few want to be part of the solution. Few want to take the initiative to plant a tree a year. So many of us are just watching.
Will you remain quiet? Act today. Look at God’s creation and have the zeal to conserve it. Let’s “join with God as stewards of care and hope for all creation” (Sharing in Community of Christ, 3rd Edition, p. 12).
Prayer Phrase
Wherever I am, God is here.
Spiritual Practice
Breathe deeply and prayerfully consider the story you have just read. What is the Spirit’s invitation to you in these words? What does it look like to wake up to God’s presence in this moment?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
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