Daily Devotional April 9 - Is there something to being considerate of our earth?

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." Genesis 2:15

God created everything there is that is common to us, the earth, moon, stars, universe, galaxies, plants, animals, light, water and all that is. Just after Adam was created, God placed Adam in the garden that God had made and God instructed Adam to dress it and to keep it. I think that since this was the very first recorded command given to Adam we should give special attention to it. There are many similarities between all of the Bible characters and ourselves and many of the lifestyles, problems, solutions and concerns parallel our experience today.

When I read "to dress it and to keep it" I realized this was an intent of God that mankind should have the responsibility over the functions of dressing and keeping the earth, our home. It seems right and sensible. It makes me think that maybe we haven't done a very good job at it and maybe we are callous to the earth we live in. Don't get the wrong idea, this is not an endorsement of more regulation or government control over the environment. This is more of a personal call to individuals to look at the scriptures and see what God had in mind for us before we corrupt it into something else, going in a direction that is not God sanctioned.

To dress the earth means to adorn it, work it and keep it beautiful and maintained, dress it and make it look pretty. Be careful with it and use good sense in its use, but also to see it as a beautiful creation worthy of our respect and concern. God made a garden and put man in it and we should do what we can to make a garden out of what we have, not just in the physical sense, but in all areas of our life; a dressed and kept garden of our children, a dressed and kept garden of our work, a dressed and kept garden of our relationship with our spouse, a dressed and kept garden with our neighbors, a dressed and kept garden with God. Dressed means adorned and respected. I'll bet you and I can think of times, even recently, when we weren't very careful with our gardens.