About our planet and why we should cherish it

The first gift our God and creator gave us was this beautiful, wonderful earth full of the creatures we have the privilege to share it with.

‘Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’ Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)

But was does dominion really mean and how should we interpret it?

Dominion comes from the Latin root; Dominus (or Lord and Master) and indeed we have become ‘Lord and Master’ over all that Genesis 1:28 specifies, but the bigger question is what does our creator expect of us in this role? Are we good stewards of this planet he created for us, or for that matter caring monarchs of the creatures who share it with us?

If I give my Son or daughter a gift, perhaps a new Car, when I hand them the keys they too have dominion over it, what they do with it and where they go with it. How would I expect them to look after it? As their father, is not the way they look after it both a testimony and a sign of their deep respect for my generosity?

‘For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body’ Romans 8:22-23 (NKJV)

That was over 2,000 years ago, I wonder what Paul would write if he saw us today?

You see, there is the earth and then the world – they are not the same! One was created by God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega through His Son Jesus Christ, the other is a construct of man full of all sorts of evil, deceit and inequalities. Yet we as followers of Christ are here living with both, no wonder it is so important that we share the Light of the World, our Saviour Jesus Christ and show His deep love of all He created – even us.

‘Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’

I believe that if we have love in our hearts, then looking after the planet and the creatures within it is not just a pleasure, it is a natural outworking of our deep love and respect for our creator and this wondrous gift he has given us to live in.

So what does this look like in practice? It might mean reducing waste, making thoughtful choices about consumption, treating animals with real kindness, or simply pausing to appreciate the beauty God has placed around us. Small acts of stewardship, whether recycling, conserving energy, or protecting local green spaces, can be expressions of worship when done out of gratitude to our Creator.