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By the time
you read this THE word may be lost in some other news item which
blots out the current screen-filler -
sustainability.
It is the
talking point of those gathered in South Africa for the International
Conference on the Environment. The cynic says it’s all talk -
ideas shared and decisions taken by world’s political leaders will
disappear in the fumes of the aircraft they jet home in.
But
sustainability is no new idea. God designed the world for
fruitfulness & replenishment. From the very beginning He purposed
for His creation to be fruitful & multiply. He designed
plants, animals & humankind to reproduce themselves. That’s
Sustainability.
Sadly,
wealthier individuals and nations sacrifice those objectives by careless
and selfish use of the planet’s resources. Thus the smaller part of the
world’s population enjoys all it needs and more, whilst the majority
experience poverty. Poverty is not God’s idea.
We may get the
impression that humans are better at reproducing themselves than the
plants and animals that provide their food sources. But even now, when
properly shared, there is more than enough food to satisfy the world’s
population. No one needs to lack an ample diet.
God created
everything - and it was good. When sin entered the world God needed to
give us commandments. Jesus summarised them as two – the second being
You Shall Love Your Neighbour As Yourself. To make God’s plan
for fruitfulness work properly, everyone must have an equal share. In a
selfish, sinful world that’s not easy - and without Jesus Christ in one’s
life it’s impossible.
Put
fruitfulness and genuine love of one’s neighbour together and you have a
really sustainable lifestyle. Very few environmentalists
appreciate that this is God’s model for life. |