Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Protection of God’s Beautiful Creation
Matthew 6: 25-34

 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Mt 6:26)

                  This passage is a part of the ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ which marks the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Christ is engaged in teaching the disciples and the crowds about practical living and proper Christian conduct, especially for those who are wavering in their faith. In this portion, Christ’s alludes to nature, by speaking about the characteristics of various animals.
God Provides for all Creation
Verses 25-34 highlight the importance of God’s providence for creation. As God is the creator of all life, he provides for and sustains the created order. At the end of each day of creation (Gen.1), it is stated that “God saw that it was good.” God created the world in such a way that it would be sufficient in providing for the needs of the created order. In v.26, the three verbs, sow, reap, and store refer to the human action of ensuring financial security. We find alternative channels to live securely, often forgetting to trust that God will provide. Christ reminds us that if we are worth more than birds, then we are assured of God’s providential care for our needs, just as certainly as the birds depend upon God for theirs. Being God’s people, we are to trust in God’s providence.
Human Responsibility to Creation
The human responsibility to take care of creation is seen in Gen.2, where humans are given responsibility ‘to till’ the garden and ‘keep it’. God established the created order, but now we have made it a disorder. The disruption of the process of nature has distorted the ways of God’s working in the world, and also human survival. It is important that the process/order of nature is respected not only for our own good, but also to leave the way open for God’s communication through the process of creation to take place without hindrance. We must not be a stumbling block for God’s providence for future generations. This challenge us to take up the responsibility of taking care of our planet.
Challenge
Just as Christ challenged the crowd about their perceptions on life,  He challenges our today. As God’s people, can we commit to taking care of creation? We must remember that all of creation comes from God and is sustained by Him. But it is our responsibility to facilitate, to enable this order to continue.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of life and the created order. Help us to trust in your providence, and to take great responsibility and care in protecting your gift - our world. Help us not to look into our own security, but the world’s security. Amen.
Thought for the Day:  We Maintain - God Sustains. What is our contribution to protecting God’s creation?

Rev. Dennis Abraham, Youth Chaplain, South East Region






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