Answers

By   •   June 1, 2004   •   Topics:

Q:

Does God really care how we use our natural resources?


A:

God does care about how we treat the earth which He has given us for a home. When God created man and woman, the Bible tells us, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28).

He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

God gave us natural resources to use to make our lives better, but He also gave us the ability to exercise wisdom in our use of these resources. As Mr. Graham has pointed out, “The Bible also warns against the misuse of those resources or exploiting them in the wrong or greedy way. You see, how we use (or misuse) our resources affects other people as well as ourselves. If we waste the earth’s resources today, we will be harming our children and grandchildren. Jesus said, ‘In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12). This can be applied to the way we treat our earth and its resources as well as our ordinary relationships.”