“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth… all things have been created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15-16).
In the law given to Israel through Moses, God made provision for renewal of the land (Exodus 23:10-12) as well as for the poor (Leviticus 23:22) and for other creatures (Deuteronomy 25:4). Following the law was costly for the Israelites. Creation care may be costly for us in similar ways, today.
Our actions have caused the loss of biodiversity across the world today. Biodiversity refers to the number of different kinds of plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi in a given ecosystem. Because of human impacts on the environment, species are becoming extinct at a much higher rate than normal. The natural rate of extinction is estimated to be 1-5 species per year. The current rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times faster. On average, one species goes extinct every hour. All creatures have value before God, because God made them and called them good (Gen. 1). If we love what God loves, then we must lament biodiversity loss and the extinction of other species—especially when we’re the cause.
Loving others means caring for creation; To some Christians, “creation care” can sound like we value the planet more than people. But caring for the planet really is caring for people. The effects of environmental degradation on human health are devastating. Malnutrition from food shortages, higher rates of tropical disease, cardiorespiratory distress from pollution, and conflicts over natural resources are just some of the ways environmental problems impact the lives of real people. At first climate change might seem unrelated, but it is more than a matter of warming up a few degrees. Climate change is a “threat multiplier.” It will make lots of bad problems worse—refugee crises, hunger, disease, poverty, biodiversity loss, deforestation, air pollution, and scarcity of resources. Christians working in Majority World countries often see the effects of environmental degradation and climate change in ways we don’t here in the United States. They can attest to the realities of drought, pollution, and conflict that are exacerbated by human activity. The poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet are negatively impacted by the choices and actions of the wealthiest (see the booklet Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment, produced by the National Association of Evangelicals).
Caring for the planet is caring for our fellow humans. We tangibly show love for our neighbors when we act in ways that promote their good. Who is our neighbor? When Jesus was asked that question, he responded with the story of the Good Samaritan. Today in the context of the climate crisis, that must mean we are not to prop up the lifestyles of those of us in the wealthy, industrialized economies at the expense of those who will suffer most as a result of the changing climate.
At some finite point in the past, relative velocities would have reached the speed of light. Scientists generally agree that the speed of light is the maximum possible speed. Thus, this point would have to mark the beginning of time and the universe as we know it. Even if it turns out that there is a velocity greater than the speed of light, that will not undermine the theory—it only states that there is a “maximum velocity.”
Suppose, however, that a higher velocity than the speed of light was discovered in our universe. The Borde-Vilenkin-Guth proof would not be undermined. For the BVG proof, it does not matter what the highest velocity is, but only that there must be a maximum velocity (whatever it may be). As long as there was a maximum velocity, the past velocities would eventually reach it.
What's more, there must always be a maximum possible velocity in any universe or multiverse. To understand why, you should imagine that physical energy could have an infinite velocity. If its velocity were infinite, it would be everywhere at once. This would create a problem of multiple manifestations of energy and a series of intrinsic contradictions.
Thus, there must be a beginning of every universe or multiverse which has an average rate of expansion greater than zero—such as our universe, which has been expanding ever since the Big Bang
Scientific Evidence for a Beginning: Entropy; The second line of scientific evidence for a beginning comes from entropy.
To understand this evidence, understand that physical systems tend to move from disequilibrium to equilibrium. For example, there’s a difference in temperature between an ice cube and a glass of water. When you put the ice cube in the glass of water, it melts and cools the water. The physical system ends up with the same amount of energy, but more evenly distributed, i.e., in equilibrium.
Now, whenever a physical system’s energy moves, it loses some of its disequilibrium overall. The ice cube can’t melt again; it’s already melted. You can refreeze the water in the glass, but to do that requires putting energy into your freezer: the overall system still tends to equilibrium.
Over time, then, the universe necessarily moves from disequilibrium to equilibrium. Statistically, it has to.
Now, if the universe had always existed, then it would today be at maximum equilibrium; all energy would be evenly spread out throughout the universe. No movement or work, in the scientific sense, would be possible.
The universe, however, is not in such a state; therefore it cannot always have existed. And since the universe exists now but didn’t always exist, it must have had a beginning.
For more on entropy and if it can indicate the beginning of the universe, watch the video below taken from Fr. Spitzer’s 12-part series “God and Modern Physics.”
These two pieces of scientific evidence—the Borde-Vilenkin-Guth proof and the evidence from entropy—make it clear that the universe had a beginning. Taken together with the principle that “nothing comes from nothing,” they are strong evidence that the universe originated from a supernatural, transphysical being separate from it. In other words, they are strong scientific evidence for God.
Scientific Evidence for Fine-tuning: Further Evidence for God
The universe, remember, is the sum total of all-natural, physical things. Thus, the “something else” that existed prior to the universe could not have been a natural, physical thing. If it had been such a thing, it would be part of the universe, not separate from it.
Thus, if the universe had a beginning, it had to come from a supernatural, transphysical being.
Consequently, if science indicates that the universe had a beginning, then that is powerful evidence for a supernatural, transphysical being that created the universe. In other words, that is powerful evidence for God.
But does science in fact indicates that the universe had a beginning? The Standard Model states that the observable universe suddenly expanded from a small singularity around 13.8 billion years ago—an event known as “The Big Bang.” But there’s little more than speculation about what kind of physical existence there might have been before the Big Bang.
universe-11636_1280Timeline of the universe beginning with the Big Bang. / NASA/WMAP Science Team / Public domain
Despite the limit that the Big Bang places on our knowledge, science is able to provide two strong arguments why physical existence had to have a beginning. The first is called the Borde-Vilenkin-Guth Proof, and the second is evidence from entropy.
Scientific Evidence for a Beginning: the Borde-Vilenkin-Guth Proof To understand the Borde-Vilenkin-Guth (BVG) proof, we need to start with the Hubble-Lemaitre Law. This law states that galaxies are moving away from Earth (our observation point) at speeds proportional to their distance. The further away they are from us, the faster we observe them moving away.
The "Hubble-Lemaître" law describes the speed at which objects move in an expanding universe.
The standard scientific explanation for this is that space is expanding. Consequently, the more space there is between us and another galaxy, the more expansion there will be. Hence, from our perspective, the galaxies' velocities grow greater over time.
Now, imagine that you could hop in a spaceship and head toward one of these other galaxies at 100,000 mph. Since the galaxy is moving away from you, your velocity relative to that galaxy will be lower than 100,000 mph. If the galaxy is moving away at 20,000 mph, for example, then your velocity relative to it will be 80,000 mph.
Bearing that point in mind, we come to the beginning of the BVG proof. Since galaxies are moving away from us at a faster and faster speed over time, the relative velocities of objects moving toward them would slow down over time. Thus, the relative velocities of such objects must have been faster in the past.
Why do some companies say; You have visited this site 3 times, the last. time........ Should I feel guilty or they believe I have forgotten I had been there? I really wonder why............
Jesus went on to say, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered: and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).
Notice that the branches in this passage represent individual Christians, not individual denominations. There were no denominations in existence at the time Jesus spoke these words. If everyone today would follow the pattern for the New Testament church given to us in the Bible, there would be no denominations in existence today.
God’s word plainly teaches it is possible for a Christian to sin in such a way that he can fall from grace and be eternally lost. Submit to God’s plan for saving man: believe in Jesus Christ as your saviour
(But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him – Hebrews 11:6), repent of your sins
(And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: - Acts 17:30), confess your faith in Jesus Christ before others (And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God – Acts 8:37) and then be baptized in order to receive the forgiveness of your sins
(Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost – Acts 2:38). Then guard your salvation like your eternity depended on it – because it does!
The green dot online indicator goes off after 30 minutes of inactivity. I've got 3 computers running here (business, personal, play) and switch between them for various needs. If I stay logged in at CS, I can hit refresh once every 30 minutes or so and go back to other things. While it may appear I'm actually here non-stop, the truth is it's only a few minutes per hour. You sure get a lot done in those few minutes. Do you keep files of everything, Chat, you "remember" a lot, even from years back, amazing......... You must have a lot of storage space...............
My profile is telling exactly why I am here Chat. Too bad my family spent most of the day in bed, leaving me lots of time. Lucky, I love to read and do so a lot of the time. Your profile makes it look like you are listing the ages on purpose so "they" fall for it. You are succeeding..........................
Suspend your disbelief for a moment— just like you would in a musical when a character bursts into song—and experience life as if you feel sure that God is supporting you and guiding you. How does that change the way you see the world? You might be surprised to find that some of your disbelief stays away.
This is an especially useful exercise to engage in as you participate in church. You need to be able to bring your whole self to church, doubts included. But if you’re too focused on bringing you’re doubts with you, you might actually forget to bring your faith along. Suspending your disbelief is a way that you can name that you do have doubt, but give yourself permission to experience worship wholeheartedly in the moment. You can unpack the questions you might have around your worship experience later.
You can’t be fully present in the quality time you need with God and your church if your mind is stuck on whether God’s in the room with you or not. And feeling God in the room with you, loving you and guiding you, might be the very answer your restless brain is seeking. Give God a chance to respond to that need.
7. Take your time and let yourself work through this at your own pace. Pace yourself. Faith is a lifelong journey, and sprinting won’t change that; it will just make you tired. You don’t have all the answers right now, and that’s okay. Nobody has faith completely figured out, even (maybe especially) the people who are convinced they do. Why expect something of yourself that not even the most famous theologians and preachers have managed to do?
Thankfully, experiencing and extending the love of Jesus Christ doesn’t require you to know everything about him. It is okay not to have all the answers. It is okay to take your time with the questions. And it is okay to take a break if you need one.
The faith journey rarely follows a linear path. The fact that you’re struggling with faith now doesn’t mean you’ll be struggling forever. Many people who feel far from God find their way back. And even the people who seem closest to God don’t feel close to him all the time. If you continue in your faith, there will be times when you are at peace with God again. There will be times when you feel close to God again. And yes, there will also be times when you find yourself in tumult again.
Remember that you don’t have to take on all the tumult at once. If you’re full of unanswered questions for God but feel too weary to take them on, pay attention to that feeling. It’s probably a sign that your soul needs to rest. Consider taking a breather. Watch a show, read a book, spend time with the people you love, try a meditation exercise, or take a walk.
Taking a break doesn’t mean you’re giving up. You’re giving yourself what you need to keep going. You can’t wrestle without rest. And resting in God can be clarifying in ways that theological wrestling never will be. But even when you set aside your faith questions for a while, make sure you keep listening. Sometimes God speaks in a whisper.
Sea I believe that a lot of us are having these doubts at times When I first became a Christian as I was called a baby Christian I had that problem of not being able to believe that I was really His. So one day I said Lord I need You to show me that I am Yours, I am not moving until I know. It took a few hours and I received a vision. I saw thousands of people all dressed in white, sitting in a circle, and low and behold I saw myself there amongst them.
SCIENTIFIC AND HISTORICAL FACTS SUPPORTING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST Conclusive Evidence Validates Faith In Jesus Christ Plus, Confirmation That Faith In Christ Leads To A Closer Relationship With God How would you respond if someone approached you at a convenient moment and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, how sure are you that Jesus Christ is divine and one with God?” (1 = ‘not at all’ & 10 = ‘completely’). What would you say?
Perhaps, if you’re a strong Christian, you might be quite sure. Your faith might even be strong enough to carry you through periods of doubt. For the rest of us, questions persist regardless of whether we consider ourselves Christian, atheist or somewhere in-between. You may have even answered “zero” on that one-to-ten scale. Or perhaps, with snark, some negative number.
This is an important question because, as we will see, it is through Jesus Christ that we gain God’s free gift of grace – that is, salvation from our sins – leading to a close relationship with Him and confidence that one day we will have eternal life in His presence. We will also see that we do, in fact, sin and such sin prevents us from having a close relationship with God so redemption through Christ is essential.
Approach; This website presents scientific and historical facts from experts supporting faith in Jesus Christ. Specifically, the evidence demonstrates Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man so belief in his ability to deliver salvation from sin is justified. Furthermore, it is that faith that reestablishes a close relationship with God and gives us confidence that one day we will be in His presence. This conclusion is developed using this framework:
Jesus Christ genuinely existed as a real person The Bible, our primary source of information about Jesus, is accurate, reliable and trustworthy The Bible represents the inspired word of God Jesus demonstrated his divine power as being both fully God and fully man Jesus, as fully divine and one with God, was sent by Him to announce His kingdom and to deliver His free gift of grace – that is, salvation from sin We are saved from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ so that we can develop a close relationship with God and have confidence one day we will have eternal life in His presence.
How to Know God Personally; Find God - What does it take to know God? This will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now. By EveryStudent.com
What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Wait for a spiritual experience? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds. Become a better person so that God will accept you. None of these. God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. This will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now…
Principle One: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."1
Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life.
What keeps us from knowing God? … Principle Two: All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.
We sense that separation, that distance from God because of our sin. The Bible tells us that “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way.”2
Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and his ways, but it’s all evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
The result of sin in our lives is death -- spiritual separation from God.3 Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably fail.
Find God - know God - God help here is a distance, a gap between us and God. The arrows show our efforts to reach God...doing good for others, religious rituals, trying to be a good person, etc. But the problem is that none of these good efforts actually cover up our sin or remove it.
Our sin is known by God and stands as a barrier between us and God. Further, the Bible says that the penalty for sin is death. We would be eternally separated from God. Except…for what God did for us. So, how can we have a relationship with God? … Principle Three: Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin for us. He now offers us complete forgiveness and a close relationship with him.
Jesus Christ took all of our sins, suffered, and paid for them with his life on the cross. Jesus died for us, in our place. He did this out of his tremendous love for us.
“…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”4 Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, our sin doesn’t have to separate us from God any longer.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”5
find God - know God - Jesus not only died for our sin, but after this death on the cross, he physically came back to life three days later, just as he said he would.
This was final proof that everything Jesus said about himself was true. To know him was to know God; to love him was to love God. “I and the Father are one.”6
Jesus said he could answer prayer, forgive sin, judge the world, give us eternal life. His countless miracles supported his words.
Jesus was clear, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me.”7
Instead of trying to reach God, he tells us how we can begin a relationship with him right now. Jesus says, “Come to me.” “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”8
It was Jesus’ love for us that caused him to endure the cross. And he now invites us to come to him, that we might begin a personal relationship with God.
Moving Beyond “God won’t give you more than you can handle” By: Colin Mattoon
If you have been a Christian for longer than a month, then I’m sure you have heard someone say, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” I’ve heard pastors, biblical counselors, and many other Christians make this comment. However, we need to think critically about this statement though based on what the Bible says: Is it really true to Scripture?
I want to make a case that this statement is untrue and unhelpful. Many godly, mature, and more knowledgeable Christians may disagree with me. If you are one of them, I still hope you read this and engage in the conversation so we can charitably help one another deepen our thinking on this topic. My goal is not to make anyone feel condemned or attacked, but rather to help us all sharpen our thinking, so we can be more precise and helpful as we minister to individuals who are suffering.
Why do I believe the statement “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is untrue and unhelpful? Here are two reasons: The Bible does not teach this. The Bible teaches the opposite truth (at times God does give us more than we can handle). In addition, I think we can give more precise and helpful encouragement to individuals who are suffering.
Reason 1: The Bible does not teach that “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Many believers claim that 1 Corinthians 10:13 teaches “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” This verse states, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Many people teach that “God won’t give you more than you can handle” explain that the word “temptation,” or peirasmos in Greek, can refer to a temptation to sin, a trial, or any type of suffering. They are right. In fact, the Greek word used here for “temptation” can be used to speak of both suffering and sin. If you look in a Greek lexicon, it will show “testing” or “trial” as a possible way this word can be translated. Why, then, is it wrong to claim that this verse is addressing testing, trials, and suffering?
Any good book on hermeneutics will tell you every word has a range of potential meanings. The specific meaning an author intends to communicate when using a word is determined by context. A specific example of this concept is that the phrase “beat it” can be used as a command to tell someone “get off my porch,” or it can refer to one of the greatest Michael Jackson songs on the radio. You know which meaning I, the author, intend based on the context of the statement in which I use the phrase. It is here that we come to an important interpretive rule. I can intend to communicate the first or second meaning, but not both at the same time. This rule should be applied to 1 Corinthians 13 as well: Can “temptation” be referring to the temptation to sin and to testing/suffering at the same time? There is one way it might–if I am intending to communicate with a pun. However, I do not know of anyone who claims that Paul is attempting to make a pun in this passage. In the context of this passage, we cannot claim Paul meant to reference both temptation to sin and trials/suffering simultaneously through this single use of the Greek word peirasmos. In fact, if we attempt to interpret this verse as though Paul has intended both meanings simultaneously, we commit what New Testament scholar D.A. Carson calls an exegetical fallacy. In his book entitled Exegetical Fallacies, Carson calls this specific type of exegetical fallacy “illegitimate totality transfer.”
The chimes of time ring out the news, another day is through Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you? You may have longed for added strength your courage to renew Do not be disheartened, I have news for you It is no secret what God can do What he's done for others he'll do for you With arms wide open, he'll pardon you It is no secret what God can do … There is no night for in his light you'll never walk alone You'll always feel at home, wherever you may roam There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side Take him at his promise, don't run away and hide It is no secret what God can do What he's done for others he'll do for you With arms wide open he'll pardon you It is no secret what God can do
Why four Gospels? I see it as four journalist descripe an accidend letting you see if trom a different site. Mathew; Genealogy, Royal and legal, Kingships and the law Gospels. Mark; Jesus the servant of God. Luke; Jesus the Son of Man. John, Jesus the preexistent God.
L. Michael White: Professor of Classics and Director of the Religious Studies Program University of Texas at Austin
A PROLIFERATION OF GOSPELS; So, if there were so many bibles, how come there are only sort of four gospels included in the New Testament? How did that happen?
The process of the development of the canon; that is, the bible itself as the normative document in the way that we now have it, is really a product of the second and third century use of the gospels tradition. Now, from early on, of course, we have the four main gospels that we now see in the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but there were many others that we know existed. There's the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas, each of which may go back to a very early tradition. There's the Q document; the source, the saying source that underlies the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It's now lost but obviously it was known at one time, and it, too, is very early, probably dating as early as the 50's of the first century.
In the second and third century, we know that there were many other gospels that were developed. We have a charming array of popular kinds of stories of the life of Jesus. There's baby Jesus stories; the infancy Gospel of Thomas is one of these where you have the stories of the little child Jesus performing all sorts of miracles. And obviously these are developing out of a kind of what we might call popular interest. You can imagine the stories of Jesus developing in a lot of ways much like any famous figure. I mean, let's think of a Superman character. Once you know that Superman's a great guy, what was he like as a child; the same thing happens with Jesus. Baby Jesus stories are one of these, and we get some wonderful little legends that develop this way.
We also hear of other kinds of gospels that develop. Stories of the birth that tell you in lurid detail, really, how true it really was or how marvelous and miraculous it was; stores of apostles traveling to all kinds of strange lands; Thomas, who goes to India; Andrew, who goes out to some strange world, and so on. These kinds of stories proliferate through the second and third century. There's a burgeoning Christian literature, and in some ways, I think we have to look at it as if it were really taking over the market, in a literary sense, of the popular imagination of the second and third centuries.
At the same time, this burgeoning literature, ... even when it's used for local traditions or is, for example, the official gospel of a particular church, also presents a problem because if there's only one Jesus, how can there be all these different gospels? And when you look at them all, even the four gospels in the New Testament, not to mention all these other kinds of things that we read; when you look at them all, you really see that there are rather different portrayals of Jesus that come out of them. There's a different image in each different tradition. So, the proliferation of the gospels on the one hand reflects the growth and the kind of upsurge of popularity of Christianity. On the other hand, it produces a dilemma; how can there be so many gospels when there's only one Jesus? And this is even a problem that faces the development of the New Testament canon itself. If there's only one Jesus, why even four gospels, why not just one?
Yes, it takes a while to readjust as the environment is of course so amazingly different, especially after you have not been there for so long............ Now back to the old grind Shawnthor and really you have not missed anything of substance okay? Have the very best New Year, may it fulfill all your wishes.Shawnthor.............
The song is an old Scottish tune. But, a Canadian bandleader named Guy Lombardo is responsible for making it a New Year’s tradition. He performed the song at midnight at a New Year’s Eve party in New York City in 1929. It was eventually broadcasted on the radio and TV stations around North America for New Year's. Even though it’s become the go-to song every New Year’s Eve, very few people actually know its words!
Who celebrates first … and last? Want to be one of the first people to welcome the new year? Then you’ll want to visit the tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati. It’s located in the world’s earliest time zone, so it’s always the first place on Earth to welcome a new year.
As for the last place to ring in the coming year? That title belongs to American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean.
The new year's prayer! Looking back, may I be filled with gratitude; Looking forward, may I be filled with hope; Looking upward, may I be aware of strength; Looking inward, may I find peace.
Author unknown I pray you to have! Enough happiness to keep you sweet, Enough trials to keep you strong, Enough sorrow to keep you human, Enough hope to keep you happy, Enough failure to keep you humble, Enough Friends to give you comfort, Enough wealth to meet your needs, Enough enthusiasm to look forward, Enough faith to banish depression, Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday.
Jack, we have to agreeably disagree with each other now as we can go on until doomsday. You told that you had "made it so far" I sincerely pray that in your case this is true. Just don't understand how you became a Christian believing as you do.....................jenny
Tell me Jack how did you become a believer in the saving grace of what Jesus had done for you on the cross? How do you know this is true? On what do you base your beliefs on You did not answer my question as to which Bible you believe is the best translation, or non are.
I too can say; I made it so far. How much have we been tested, could we still say the same if we were severely tested? We really don't know do we? Okay so you know the OT very well, does that give you a heads-up somewhere Jack?
No one can say oh I will make it, we don't know what is coming down the pike in the days to come. Some have made it by staying faithful to the end not having gone through a lot. What about if we have to go through the real end times when we are told; No one can buy or sell unless they have the mark on their forehead or hand. I know enough about the Bible to never accept the mark, because if you do accept the mark you have lost your last chance to be forever with the Lord So not taking the mark means I will starve to death, can I go through that? Can't say yes, ahead of time, easy to now say oh I make it.
Jack a lot of people wonder if this is the end time. we are supposed to hear rumors of wars, don't see that right now. I do believe we are living close to the last dispensation....... I do agree with you that things in the world are not getting better but worse and that is all over the world so.
Just talking today with my husband, so little crime was happening in Holland when we were growing up that when it did happen, a song was made of that fact. That was just before world war 11. Today things happen so often that we become desensitized.............
online today!bcjenny Blog Comments (4,367)
What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth… all things have been created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15-16).In the law given to Israel through Moses, God made provision for renewal of the land (Exodus 23:10-12) as well as for the poor (Leviticus 23:22) and for other creatures (Deuteronomy 25:4). Following the law was costly for the Israelites. Creation care may be costly for us in similar ways, today.
Our actions have caused the loss of biodiversity across the world today. Biodiversity refers to the number of different kinds of plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi in a given ecosystem. Because of human impacts on the environment, species are becoming extinct at a much higher rate than normal. The natural rate of extinction is estimated to be 1-5 species per year. The current rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times faster. On average, one species goes extinct every hour. All creatures have value before God, because God made them and called them good (Gen. 1). If we love what God loves, then we must lament biodiversity loss and the extinction of other species—especially when we’re the cause.
Loving others means caring for creation;
To some Christians, “creation care” can sound like we value the planet more than people. But caring for the planet really is caring for people. The effects of environmental degradation on human health are devastating. Malnutrition from food shortages, higher rates of tropical disease, cardiorespiratory distress from pollution, and conflicts over natural resources are just some of the ways environmental problems impact the lives of real people. At first climate change might seem unrelated, but it is more than a matter of warming up a few degrees. Climate change is a “threat multiplier.” It will make lots of bad problems worse—refugee crises, hunger, disease, poverty, biodiversity loss, deforestation, air pollution, and scarcity of resources. Christians working in Majority World countries often see the effects of environmental degradation and climate change in ways we don’t here in the United States. They can attest to the realities of drought, pollution, and conflict that are exacerbated by human activity. The poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet are negatively impacted by the choices and actions of the wealthiest (see the booklet Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment, produced by the National Association of Evangelicals).
Caring for the planet is caring for our fellow humans. We tangibly show love for our neighbors when we act in ways that promote their good. Who is our neighbor? When Jesus was asked that question, he responded with the story of the Good Samaritan. Today in the context of the climate crisis, that must mean we are not to prop up the lifestyles of those of us in the wealthy, industrialized economies at the expense of those who will suffer most as a result of the changing climate.