Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 24:1, which says this:
"The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein."One of the biggest international religious fads to be in vogue right now is earth-worship. The hysteria over "environmentalism" is its creed, and a myri-ad of fools are its high priests. The idea is that the earth is of ultimate value, and that human beings are to be subservient to it, (and are to essentially worship it).
But according to Ps. 24:1, it is GOD who ultimately "owns" the earth, because He is the One who created it. The Lord has "given” the earth to the meek of His church (cf. Matt. 5:5)—but He did this, not so that we would worship it, but so that it would bless us. God would have us be good stewards of His crea-tion; but He would have us pay homage to *Him* alone, and not to what He has made.
[Puritan quote of the day: "And so, as to the church in general, by Christ it will have its victory.”—Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]