Category: Articles

The Future of the Earth

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Prince William, in conjunction with Sir David Attenborough, is launching the Earthshot prize. This aims to be the Nobel Prize for the Environment: harnessing optimism and urgency to find solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems. There is now huge, and increasingly widespread, concern for the future of this planet, and how it will be for our children and grandchildren.

Every one of has, to some degree, contributed to the problems we face. God gave us responsibility to look after His creation.

What is man that You are mindful of him, …You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands

Psalm 6:4 ,6

We have failed.

But God does have a long-term purpose with this earth which He created:

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other”

Isaiah 45:18

While in no way absolving us from our responsibilities, this can give us a different perspective, and so comfort and real hope. God’s plan cannot be thwarted by anyone or anything. The plan is for the earth to be changed to idyllic conditions full of His glory, with Jesus ruling as king. The angel Gabriel promised Jesus’ mother that he would:

…reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end

Luke 1:33

So the planet’s destiny is not entirely in our hands. Even though He may not be pleased with the mess we have made, God is still in control. Things will not just continue on a path to disaster (2 Peter 3:4). We may have limited power over the planet but we certainly have life choices affecting us and our children.

God has commanded us to ‘repent’ and to submit our lives to Him for whom ‘all things are possible’. He offers us eternal life in a transformed world. This is a solution infinitely more effective and awesome than anything we could ever imagine. It solves not only the problems of our planet, but also all the problems of human nature, including death itself. The Bible describes this as a ‘prize’: a priceless prize. There is, therefore, a personal urgency to respond to God. And there can be true optimism and hope if we do this with sincere enthusiasm and commitment.

Image by Bela Geletneky from Pixabay

A Stitch in Time….

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Last week, following a seemingly puzzling quote by the prime minister, lots of people Googled the meaning of the old proverb “A stitch in time saves nine”. It actually means that a bit of effort early on at the start of a problem prevents a lot of effort later on when things have deteriorated. Anyone who has tried to mend a ladder in tights or a tear in the leg of a child’s pair of trousers will appreciate the wisdom of the proverb. There are many such sayings which capture wisdom succinctly in a word picture. But, of course, if they aren’t familiar or understandable then they don’t convey the message!

Jesus often used word pictures to preach his messages. One of those was also about mending clothes.

“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse”

Mark 2:21

Of course, this is true. But Jesus was not talking about sewing. His disciples had just come under criticism for not following the pious customs of the religious leaders of the day. In particular they did not practice fasting, which was a ritual sign of unhappiness. Before his quote about the patch, Jesus asked:

“Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast”

Mark 2:19

Jesus’ disciples were happy that Jesus was there, and so did not fast. They had recognized who he was – the promised Messiah. The religious leaders did not acknowledge Jesus in this way, and so carried on with their traditions, many of which Jesus said were false religion. So Jesus’ words contained a warning. He also meant that following him was not just a matter of making small modifications to old customs. That would be like sewing pieces of new cloth onto old garments. It would not work: it was not what God wanted. Jesus asked his disciples, then and now, to listen to him and to try to do what he said. This requires accepting new priorities in life, and giving up old habits and practices even if they have been important to us.

In this life things can go from bad to worse, much worse. Reading the Bible is far more important than a ‘stitch in time’. It can give us true meaning to our lives now and amazing hope for the future.

Abstract photo created by Racool_studio – www.freepik.com

Trust

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The UK government has been under scrutiny for stating its intention to break international law for the sake of a greater principle. It is not our place to criticise, but we do well to examine our own personal attitude to ‘trust’.

The Bible says that it is better not to promise than to break a promise.

Better not to vow than to vow and not pay

Ecclesiastes 5:5

But which of us has never broken a promise, sometimes even knowingly. And worse still, have we made ‘fake promises’?

One of the ten commandments is:

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour

Exodus 20:16

In contrast to us, God is

‘the God of truth’

Isaiah 65:16

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He

Deuteronomy 32:4

And He cannot lie, so His promises are sure and certain:

…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began

Titus 1:2

So whether we can trust ourselves or trust other people, we can have no doubt whatsoever that we can trust God. In this world of uncertainty and ‘fake information’ that is surely something to cling hold of.

Image by Lisa Caroselli from Pixabay