A number of years ago, John and I decided to take a summer vacation in western Canada. We chose to go in a recreational vehicle (RV) so that we could take my younger sister with us. John and I rented the RV and made arrangements to pick up Kathy while going through Saskatchewan.

We were travelling to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and British Columbia. The Rocky Mountains of Alberta were beautiful but the mountains of British Columbia were breathtaking. The height of these mountains was a huge surprise. We all said, "Canada is a marvellous, spectacular creation of God from British Columbia to Newfoundland."

All I could think of was this verse: "O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." (Psalm 144:3-4 NIV)

When we look at God's creation all around us, we need to marvel that He chose humanity to care for it. The creation story in Genesis tells us that God first made everything that would be needed to sustain humanity, then He made mankind. When He looked at the land, the sea, and the living creatures that He had made, "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:25b NIV), but after man was created, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31a) And He gave it all to mankind to take care of.

John, Kathy, and I enjoyed seeing the wild animals on the hills and roadways. We were in no hurry to end our vacation. Being retired made it easy to change our plans.

It is wonderful to watch the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the creatures of the land and know that they were all created by God. It is amazing to think that God loves all of us human beings, and that He made us with a spirit so that we could worship Him.

We can read of God's love for humanity in many verses all through God's Word. A favourite that I learned as a very young child in Sunday school was:

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

Do we appreciate God's creation all around us? Are we good caretakers of all that He has made? Are we destroying creation, or are we leaving it better for the next generation?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray that we would care for Your creation as You commissioned us. We pray that people throughout the world would recognize their responsibility to You and care for Your creation. We pray that the leaders of our country would make the right decisions. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Ruth Rowe <ruthjohn.rowe@gmail.com>
Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada
Send your feedback to the author