Can Humanity Actually Save the Earth?

Can humanity save itself? That is a real thought provoking question in the face of all the challenges the human race is facing today, and because of the fact that we are full of activities that are capable of destroying the earth instead of saving it.

Most of the simple things that we do daily are actually consuming earth’s resources; when you buy a new car for example, many materials taken from the earth has gone into the manufacturing of the car, and also for the number of years that you will use it, you will be emitting environmentally hazardous gases into the atmosphere.

The same thing happens when you use electricity, when you buy a package of food, or just any other product that you need for yourself. They are all sourced from the earth, and they have no means of being replenished back into the earth because they are being removed at a fast rate.

A child born in the U.S will consume nothing less than 45,000 pounds of metal in his lifetime through all kinds of products and materials he would be exposed to. The same experience is obtainable at various degrees in other parts of the world.

The dangerous results that this kind of living is bringing to earth is that we are gradually altering our environment, although in a negative way; by deforestation, releasing of harmful gases to the atmosphere, poisoning the rivers, destroying massive natural habitats, polluting the oceans, and altering the chemical composition of our atmosphere.

The unfortunate thing about this evil trend is that we are turning back to destroy the very earth that is helping us to live, the source of everything we use for our existence, how sad.

In the face of the problems listed above, human population keep increasing by leaps and bounds making the fast depleting resources of earth grossly inadequate for the population available.

The more you look at this disturbing trend, the more you will see the hopeless situation we are in, hence the answer to the question, can humanity save itself is no.

If we cannot save ourselves, then who can save us? If science, technology and other human inventions have failed then where lies the solution that we need.

The answer is in God. The word of God has rightly said in John 15:5

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. NASU

We are not sufficient of ourselves, our sufficiency is in God. There is no way we can forsake our creator and expects to achieve the right results we desire. The God who created the earth also created its inhabitant. If there is anyone who has the blueprint of the earth, and the user manual for successful living on it, that person is God.

God is the only one who can teach us how to live successful on earth; He can provide solution to the problem of depleting resources we are experiencing now, for the earth is of the Lord and the fullness thereof.

Just like when Adam was doing the will of God in the Garden of Eden, and everything in the Garden was in perfect harmony and peace, without scarcity or dearth of any resources, the earth can enjoy abundant supply of resources if we recognize the maker and accept Him as the Lord and Savior.

Many may see it as a joke when we talk about God because He is invisible, many may laugh because we are living in a generation where technological advancement has made man to record astounding achievements seemingly without the help of God, but no one can deny the fact that we have serious problems that we are combating with, which technology cannot solve, and as a matter of fact, technology has succeeded in bringing its own problems as well.

God said in His word:

If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures. But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword and they will die without knowledge. Job 36:11-12 NASU

The question now is which is better, to continue to live in rebellion to God with attendant ever increasing environmental problems threatening to destroy us, or to obey Him and enjoy His abundance?

Going for the latter will bring the much desired positive change that the earth’s inhabitants want. This was what the proponents of the Day if Creation had in mind when they came up with the project, that we need to set aside a special day for recognizing the one who gave us the earth, and who supplies the needs of the inhabitants, you can be part of the project now and save the earth.

The First Assignment Given to Adam

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Gen. 2:15 NLT

Adam was the first man created by God, and indeed the best of his creation because God created him exactly like Himself. He was to carry the image of the invisible God and dominate over other creatures.

God made the Garden of Eden and put Adam there and gave him his first assignment; that of tilling the land. The garden was so well arranged that Adam do not need to actually do anything before he would eat; no farming, no hunting, etc. for all the plants and animals in the garden were under his authority, and he was at liberty to eat any of them, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.

This singular command from God gives us an insight into one of the plans of God for man- that of taking care of the earth so that all the earth must continue to flourish in fruitfulness, and be at peace.

The way of the Lord is that there is partnership between Him and man. He is to play His role, and man too will play his, then the earth will be like heaven.

God gave this command to Adam alone but He never changed it even after He sent Adam out of the garden, hence the first assignment that Adam received is still in force today, we the descendant of Adam must do it so that God the creator of heaven and earth can be happy with us and bless us.

If God does not love His earth, He will not give the best of His creation, which is man, the job of taking care of the earth.

We do not need to worship the earth, but we are to use it with the consciousness of the fact that the owner wants it preserved and used according to His will.

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Rev 4:11 NKJV

By His will we were created and are sustained, we must use every avenue to worship and glorify Him. A day globally accepted as the creation day has been set aside for this purpose, but because of our ever busy nature we have not given this day any recognition.

It is time that we recognize the day of creation, and make it a global holiday in which the whole world will worship Him with high praise and holy reverence.

The Ocean as a Channel of God’s Blessing

We often thank God for His provisions and for the evidence of His grace in our lives. Most of the time, however, we forget to thank Him for the blessings we get from nature and His other creation. Our busy lives rob us of the opportunity to bask in the glorious abundance of the land and the seas that surround us. We are content with worshipping God in the comforts of our own home or our church, and we fail to appreciate the fact that God meticulously created nature for us to enjoy and take care of.

The moment we confine ourselves to routine and forget about our duty to take care of nature, we also neglect the fact that we are responsible for the massive damage that nature is experiencing right now. In particular, our oceans are in dire need of protection and conservation. Marine life diversity is in constant danger because of the pollution and harmful chemicals that are dumped in the ocean daily. Directly or indirectly, we have played a major role in the ocean’s devastation – something that has already been happening even in biblical times.

This can be seen in Isaiah 24:4-6;

“The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.”

Our Biblical Mandate to Care for the Ocean

One of the reasons why God created man is for him to be able to rule over all creations.

In Genesis 1:26, God said;

“…Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

We should honor God and obey the mandate He gave us by making sure that we are able to take care of all His creation, including the ocean.It is never too late to include ocean stewardship in the daily cross that we have to bear.

Yes, we can honor God by singing praises to Him. We can obey His commands by sharing the gospel to others. But we must also be burdened by the responsibility to take care of the ocean so we can continue to enjoy all the blessings that God has prepared for us through the vast bodies of water that He has created.

We do not have to leave our jobs or our ministry. Little things that we do on a daily basis can greatly contribute to our collective effort to protect our ocean and marine life from further damage and destruction. By being involved in community campaigns and petitions to celebrate creation and protect our environment, we are already pleasing God in our own little way.

Join us in the upcoming celebration of Creation Day. Click here to find out more about Creation Day 2015.

Noah and the Flood- The Great Lesson We Need to Learn

Not long after God finished the creation work, He became angry with the people that were living on earth then as recorded in the book of Genesis Chapter 6. God had no problem with other creatures but with humans.

They lived in sin and were doing all kinds of things God cannot stand, beginning from Adam who ate the forbidden fruit, to Cain who killed Abel and to countless others who followed in their footsteps, the story goes on and on.

To make the matter worse, in Genesis chapter 6 verse 2 it was recorded that;

that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Genesis 6:2 NASU

It has been established that these sons of God are actually fallen angels, and their unholy relationships with humans brought further abuse of the earth, hence God was really angry to the point that He decided to destroy the people.

God instructed Noah to build an ark and bring all his family members in, and in addition to that bring pairs of all existing animals inside the ark. Noah obeyed, and God carried out His judgment upon the world that was in existence then.

All men died, and all things that breathe on the surface of the earth, and there was no place for them anymore.

The great lesson God wants us to learn in this story is that He is ready to judge the people on the surface of the earth if the need arise, but He is ready to preserve the earth.

The flood that came in the time of Noah renewed and refreshed the earth. God could not stand those who killed and polluted the earth with the blood of their innocent victims, those whose imaginations were evil every day.

He had created man to praise, worship and give Him pleasure but instead they only gave total disobedience and sin, he expected them to depend upon Him for their existence, but instead they all went their ways living according to the evil imaginations of their hearts.

Finally God decided to get rid of them before they succeed in ruining the earth, and He brought the flood upon them, He swept them away and repopulated the surface of the earth through the descendants of Noah.

If we look at this story critically we will observe that the way we are using earth’s resources today is not different from the way those who lived in the time of Noah used them. We commit all the sins they committed, and in addition to that we deplete the resources that God gave to us without even giving any regard to the giver.

Today as a result of uncontrollable and selfish use, there is global warming, seas and rivers are drying, ice formations are thawing, and there are dangerous trends in climate changes.

We need to see the writing on the wall because we are heading towards another Genesis chapter six. We are practically making the earth desolate and barren and God will never allow that.

We need to reverse this trend as quickly as possible by returning back to God, recognizing Him as our creator and the giver of all good things we are getting from earth.

This we can do by recognizing the day of creation and using the day to send our repentance, praises, and worship to heaven. God will accept us if we come with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.