Christ's Peace for His Suffering Creation

Opening Prayer: 

Our Lord, we believe our biblical mandate in relation to your creation is that all human beings are to be stewards of the rich abundance of your good creation. You authorized us to exercise godly dominion in using it for the sake of human welfare and needs, for example in farming, fishing, mining, energy generation, engineering, construction, trade, and medicine. You also commanded us to care for the earth and all its creatures, because the earth belongs to you, not to us. We do this for your sake, because you are Creator, Owner, Sustainer, Redeemer and Heir of all Creation. Amen.

Reflection:

We encourage Christians worldwide to: 

a. Adopt lifestyles that renounce habits of consumption that are destructive or polluting; 

b. Exert legitimate means to persuade governments to put moral imperatives above political expediency on issues of environmental destruction and potential climate change; 

c. Recognize and encourage the missional calling both of (i) Christians who engage in the proper use of the earth’s resources for human need and welfare through agriculture, industry and medicine, and (ii) Christians who engage in the protection and restoration of the earth’s habitats and species through conservation and advocacy. Both share the same goal for both serve the same Creator, Provider and Redeemer. 

Closing Prayer: 

We lament over the widespread abuse and destruction of the earth’s resources, including its bio-diversity. We note that a serious and urgent challenge faced by our physical world now is the threat of climate change; believing that this could disproportionately affect those in poorer countries, for it is there that climate extremes will be most severe and where there is little capability to adapt to them. Thus we pray that world poverty and climate change be addressed together and with equal urgency. Amen.

Ask God to pour out his Spirit to stir us with a vision of an evangelical church for every people.

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Let’s continue praying and working together for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The next daily plan we recommend is Living the Love of Christ Among People of Other Faiths.  

Learn more about this series and receive other free, handpicked missional resources from the Lausanne Movement by visiting www.lausanne.org/devotional-plan-ctc.

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