15 March 2023 – Pause & Pray

Every Wednesday we invite you to Pause & Pray with us. Today’s reflection is written/curated by Shan Gao.

Image Source:
https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/24864:invest-in-climate-education-to-build-a-better-workforce-for-a-greener-future

Scripture:

Genesis 2:15-17
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Meditate:

God created Adam and Eve and gave them the freedom to enjoy all things in the world. However, the freedom God gave Adam and Eve is not absolute freedom. God set rules for them to till and keep the beautiful world. God put limit at the center of humans’ freedom. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the symbol of those things God forbid humans to touch.
Though God provided everything humans needed, humans still wanted more. Stealing the forbidden fruit means humans take what they want by any means, regardless of the sacred order created by God. When humans want more lumber, then they engage in more deforestation and more animals lose their homes. If humans want more meat, then more animals are slaughtered. When humans want economic growth, then more pollution threatens the lives of all living creatures on the earth.
Today, the problems of environment degradation are serious. Pollution, climate change, deforestation, habitat destruction, extinction of wildlife, and so on happen every year. Our earth is crying. What can we do? Let’s control ourselves not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of the good and evil, which God forbid us to eat.