ICS Daily Devotions
We Are Stewards of God’s Creation
Gen 2:8-9 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
When we study how God made creation, we catch a glimpse of God at work, which reminds us of a gardener. Like any good gardener, God took special care over His work, with the goal of nurturing the plants to promote healthy growth and reproduction. Although gardening can be hard work, its purpose is also to enjoy the beauty and be nourished by or eat what it produces.
Secondly, God was pleased with His work. After each stage of the creative process He stepped back to survey what He had done and declared that it was good. Finally, after He had created Adam, He declared that it was very good (Gen 1:31). God not only took delight in, but was thrilled by what He had made!
Furthermore, through God’s work of creation, He was making a way of life, or what we call culture. Culture is creative work, and it is always a work in progress. The man and woman He created were to be actively involved in this process.
God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth (Gen 1:28). To “subdue the earth” essentially means shaping the growth of the other creatures of God, so man was to take initiative in determining how the natural environment and human civilisation were formed—to be proactive in shaping our way of life. Another word for that is “steward”, whose meaning is derived from “house” and “guard” or “keep safe.”
God had already commanded each species to be fruitful and multiply. He now says to man to oversee the whole process—that humanity and all creation flourish just as He had created them to be. To that end, we all have a responsibility because all work contribute towards making culture—the good and the bad.
If we are working creatively in the pattern of our Creator, we will want humanity to flourish, and not decline, wither or die. Do we see that happening? Do we, who recognise Him as God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, see ourselves in the grand design of His creation?
Sermon Series: God At Work
