Well, it's here at last... COP26. The great, the good and perhaps a few of the not so good, descending upon Glasgow. And all with the aim of accelerating action towards combating what has been described as the greatest challenge facing our world today... climate change. Of course, let's hope they do make genuine and solid progress and that all the 'hot air' generated won't simply increase the rate of global warming we're seeing today!
LONG RANGE FORECAST
In our never-ending search for a more comfortable, convenient and pleasure-filled life it seems that we've been ready to sacrifice tomorrow for the sake of today... we've been all too ready to squander, abuse and destroy our natural world, ignoring the fact that...
'The earth is the LORD'S and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it
upon the waters.'
Psalm 24:1-2
And yet no matter how enlightened we may become, according to God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the world is on a collision course to disaster...
'You will hear of wars and rumours of wars... nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes...'
Matthew 24:6-7
Perhaps the environment is under such threat today because of the creeping self- centredness which seems to influence and even dictate so much of our daily living...
'People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...'
2 Timothy 3:2-4 Thankfully, 2000 years ago, God took a wonderful initiative. Instead of sending a politician to be our leader, or a scholar to be our teacher, He sent His Son, to be our Saviour.'...God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.'
John 3:17
'Whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'
Romans 5:8
READY FOR CHANGE
There's no doubt about it, nations, communities and individuals all need to face up to the reality of global warming... and become truly committed to the cost of change. We all need to 'do our bit' for the sake of the planet. And yet Scripture makes clear to us that there's another 'environment' beyond this world which is of even greater importance and to which we must give even more serious consideration. In the words of the Lord Jesus Christ...
'I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has
eternal life and will not be condemned...'
John 5:24
'...but whoever does not believe stands condemned already...'
John 3:18
In this 'climate of change', surely we can't just do nothing... for it's the road to ruin!But at the end of the day I have the feeling that no matter how much we do to try to save the planet,Almighty God will have the final say in the matter... after all it belongs to Him!
