OUR DAILY BREAD: USE IT WISELY

[cimi]

JUN 18
MONDAY


READ:
Genesis 2:7-15
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The earth is the Lord's,
and all its fullness.
__Psalm 24:1
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God gave us an incredible gift__the beautiful world in which we live. Naturally, though, as we share this planet with so many others, we run the risk of seeing its beauty diminished and its resources depleted.

While we have every right to use the resources God placed in and on the earth, we also need to recognize our responsibility to respect the earth as His and to preserve its resources for future generations.

In Genesis, the Lord told Adam (and, by extension, all of us) to "tend and keep" the earth (2:15). Because we don't know when Jesus will return, it would not be responsible stewardship to leave our children and grandchildren without the resources that God provided for them as well.

We might think our individual efforts to preserve God's world aren't valuable . But we can all work together to do our part. Buying and consuming less, simplifying, repairing instead of replacing, reusing, and recycling are all good stewardship practices.

One way we can testify of our love for God and to express our gratitude for what He has done is by tending and keeping the earth and all that it offers. Until the Lord returns, let's use our world wisely. __Dave Branon
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~~~~~~~~~~~~The natural world that God has made~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Is given to us and must be shared;~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~May generations yet to come~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~Be thankful that we cared. __D. De Haan~~~~~~~~~
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God created the world and placed it in our care.

***************Today's Bible Reading__Genesis 2:7-15*************

7 And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living
being. 8 The LORD God
planted a garden eastward in
Eden, and there He put the
man whom He had formed
9 And out of the ground the
LORD God made every tree
grow that is pleasant to the
sight and good for food.
The tree of life was also in
the midst of the garden, and
the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of
Eden to water the garden,
and from there it parted and
became four riverheads,
11 The name of the first is
Pishon; it is the one which
skirts the whole land of
Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of the land
is good. Bdellium and the
onyx stone are there. 13 The
name of the second river is
Gihon; it is the one which
goes around the whole land
of Cush. 14 The name of the
third river is Hiddekel; it is
the one which goes toward
the east of Assyria. The
fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took
the man and put him in the
garden of Eden to tend and
keep it.
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Greek word translated "stewardship" is oikonomia, literally,
oikos, "a house "; nemo, "to arrange." It means to be a manager
or ruler of a household or estate. In different English versions
it has been translated "steward," "governor," "treasurer," and
"chamberlain." Central to the idea of stewardship is delegated
responsibility__caring for all persons and items left under one's
charge. Because the believer has been delegated stewardship over
this world, our responsibility includes a conscientious nurturing of
those living things left in our charge (Gen. 1:26; 2:15). __HDF

___Adapted from Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament