Tuesday; June 25

When I cite Scriptures, I usually quote from the New American Standard Bible, but the other day a friend of mine showed me something in the New Living Testament than caused me to see a passage in a new and different way.  I have read James 1:18 several times but I had never seen it translated in this way, “He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”  Imagine that – as people, especially godly believers – we are special in the eyes of God!  We live in a world that has done a good job of protecting our environment, but I believe that in doing so, we have diminished the value of people.  I may not make many friends here, but there is biblical evidence that humans (the only creation made in the image of God) occupy a special place in the heart of God.  Yes, we should take care of the rest of nature, but when it comes to appreciating value, we must remember that we (human beings) are God’s most prized possessions!  Please don’t misunderstand me, this is not a justification for abusing creatures or destroying the planet God created, but we have a direct responsibility to care for mankind in a very special way.  We are commanded to love them, we are called to respect them, and we are challenged to protect them.  The key to making this world all it can be is treating each other like “God’s prized possessions”.
This planet will eventually come to an end, but people – all people, from all nations and all ethnicities – have an eternal soul that will continue after life on earth is done.  Let’s do what we can to save the planet, but let’s make it an even higher priority to save the people.
          Think About It!

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