Sabbath: Stewardship and the Environment
Read for This week’s Study: Psalm 8, Gen. 2:15, Rev. 4:11, Exod. 20:8-11, 1 Cor. 3:16.
Memory Text: “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).
The world in which we live is a gift of love from the Creator
God, from ‘Him who made heaven and the earth, the sea and the springs of water’ (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). Within this creation He placed humans, set intentionally in relationship with Himself, other persons, and the surrounding world. Therefore, as Seventh-day Adventists, we hold its preservation and nurture to be intimately related to our service to Him. . . .
“Since human poverty and environmental degradation are interrelated, we pledge ourselves to improve the quality of life for all people. Our goal is a sustainable development of resources while meeting human needs. . . .
“In this commitment we confirm our stewardship of God’s creation and believe that total restoration will be complete only when God makes all things new.”-Excerpted from “Caring for Creation—A Statement on the Environment by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.”
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 9.
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Amen,truly blessed by this lesson it reminds us of the special time we should have with the Lord our God .
Today's lesson teaches that our stewardship needs to extend beyond just caring for ourselves but that it includes caring for the animals that God created on the sixth day. What does that tell us about the preservation of animal lives?
From this point of view therefore environmental polution and degradation is sin before God. I don't know why the church do not teach this strongly. In those days when I decided to became an Adventist, I remember those who were my hosts were absolutely hard workers. But in these days there is a problem within SDA. people are lazy, don't want to work hard as the result poverty prevails and hence contributes to environmental degradation.
stewardship begins and ends with understanding of Gods ownership of all. I am alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Theological Stewardship is the belief that humans are responsible for the world and should take care of it.
Its true. Now with the issue of global waring and climate change we as Christians need to take a stand. The problem with us is we take the dominion given to us as dominance but dominion is not dominance
Thank you for this week's wonderful lesson. Am glad Madamombe you have raised the issues of climate and land degradation.The church has well crafted mission as it relates to the environment and touches on our role as stewards.My major concern is its applicability of such on the ground.I believe such lessons should be seen to be practical.I stand to be corrected here, or may given some information as far as the church's stand is as far as climate change i and other environment issues are concerned.I am still to hear the church take a stand on issues of climate change when there are being discussed various forums. As church should we be seen coming out voicing our concern on such issue that now affect us in our day to day lives especially caused by the main polluters the developed countries or we risk being construed as taking some political stand. What should be the approach to such issues as indeed us the poor and downtrodden in the developing world are the ones who are serious affected by climate change impacts such floods and recurrent drought?