In Genesis One, God commands Adam to rule the earth and subdue it. God placed man in a position of responsibility over the earth. Inherent in that responsibility is the need to care for the earth. Also, in the Jewish law, God ordered that every 7th year the land be allowed to be unplowed or unplanted so that the soil could recover. I just think that through out the Bible, God speaks of the glory of creation and man should treasure the earth the way God does. The Bible has many things that say you should take care of his creations. A couple verses that relate to this are:
- Genesis 2:15 - "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
- Leviticus 18: 26, 28 - "You must keep my decrees and my laws.... And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited the nations that were before you."
- Numbers 35:33-34 - You shall not pollute the land in which you live.... You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the Israelites."
- Genesis 1:28 - "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves the ground.""
So I feel that everyone, not just Christians, should be going on and doing their part to keep the greatest planet in the universe clean. If we do not take an effort to get out and help our community and our environment, then we will do exactly what God doesn't want done. We will destroy the greatest invention of all, the Earth.
What if you out in my community and help when you are able but you have talents to help in other means? What does that mean? Well, when you are not out in the community volunteering, you could be doing more acts from your own home? So you are probably wondering what I mean. Here is an example, I am really good at building websites because I do it as a business and it is a passion of mine. So, I decided to build a website for my future father-in-law who is a pastor of two churches. Doing this benefits in many ways, some for myself and a lot for others. I am able to expand my knowledge and gain practice all while doing something for the church/community.
I feel that society now days require payment for everything. When you go into a store and you see a sign saying: "FREE Books" or "Buy 1 Get 1 FREE" you think to yourself, "What's the catch?" You wonder if the books are in very bad condition or you wonder how much the first item will be before you get the free one. You wonder if you will have to fill out a mail-in rebate and if you will actually get it. I have had several occasions where I filled out the mail-in rebate and never for the money so I even have my own doubts. You just doubt that it is truly free because money is everything and for some reason its not so you just wonder whats going on because its not something you see everyday making it new to you. When you see the words "Free" on a sign then you should be able to say "They are great people and I want to see what they have to offer" rather than "I wonder what's the catch. How am I going to get screwed over on this deal." I think a very bad part of society is that we are not doing enough to help non-profit agencies. There are many agencies who cannot get enough donations so they are forced to close.
This means that many people are without food, clothing, shelter,counseling, medical help, and many other services that are a necessity to people. If you can help an organization rather it be a church food pantry or The Red Cross then DO IT! You will be helping a lot of people who will be very grateful for it. If you were homeless, wouldn't you want some food or a shelter? The non-profit organizations want to succeed and do great things to help society but most require the help of volunteers and donations. An article from ezarticles.com says there there are over 43,000 Christian organizations and 25,000 of them are hiring. I know everyone needs to make money to survive but you should still find the time and be able to accept that you don't need to get paid for everything. You should volunteer for a non-profit agency. If you feel compelled and you feel God is talking to you, then start your own organization. That is a great way to please God.
So do they mention anything about helping people in the Bible? Yes! There are several verses that talk about volunteering:
- Exodus 23:5 - "If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help."
- Proverbs 19:17 - "If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord and He will repay you!"
- Romans 12:13 - "When Gods people are in need, be ready to help them."
- Galatians 6:1 - "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sun,
you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path."
So I have given you a few verses to prove that God does talk about volunteering and helping other even if no one is looking. Even if you don't get any personal gain; which shouldn't happen because you should have gained self-esteem due to the fact that you are doing something good and God is watching. You are reaping great rewards but it may not be in a materialistic manner.
I love to help people because I know if I needed help I would want to be helped. So my words of advice is to take a hour or so out of your week and do something for the community. Rather it be picking up trash, creating a piece of artwork for the town hall, or even building a website for a non-profit organization. Do what you can when you can. You will be fullfilling God's word and he has a reward for you that will last for eternity.
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