Think on these things: Adam and Eve were environmentalists.

It's easy to say that you are green. It's the new "hot"thing to do. I realize that. But I don't want to be green just because. I want to be green because it's what I should do because it's the right thing.

I was reading a book, Velvet Elvis, that has nothing to do with being green--actually it had to do with Christianity and the modern church. But there was a paragraph or two where the author addresses being an environmentalist.

As he puts it, Adam and Eve were the first environmentalists. Think about it. God had just created the entire planet and everything in it and had told Adam and Eve, "Okay, here you go. Now take care of it."

Their only job was to take care of the planet. And what did they do? They immediately began using up it's resources, only worried about themselves and what the planet could do for them.

As the author, Rob Bell, of Velvet Elvis says, we cannot live independently from the planet. I love that! I read it over and over again. What a simple statement that makes so much sense! We need this planet to survive. Life's not going to work without it. But we continue to take it for granted. We assume that it's going to last forever, and that's simply not true.

The idea of being green has to bigger. We have to start thinking outside of our recycling bins.

There's a new movement called Creation Care. A book on my to-read list titled, Serve God Save the Planet, calls it a "Christian Call to Action." Obviously, you don't have to be a Christian to be green (there's lots and lots of people who have been a leading force in the green movement that are not Christians) but I believe that if you are a Christian it is your responsibility to be green. God has given you a gift and you should take care of it. Plain and simple.

I don't want to be preachy, I have no authority on anything. It's like celebrities talking about politics--they have no authority, but their opinions make for interesting discussion.

Here's what the Bible has to say about being green:

Why Be Green? Because the earth is God’s and full of God’s “stuff.”

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all that it contains…” Psalm 24:1

Why Be Green? Because God told us to.
“I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth…” Genesis 1:29

Why Be Green? Because abusing the earth hurts all of us.
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

Why Be Green? Because it honors God.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

Why Be Green? Because the planet is one of the vehicles created by God to point people to him.

"Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth . . . Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad..." Psalm 96:1, 11


Why Be Green? Because it is what’s best for all mankind.

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…" Phil. 2:4-8


Why Be Green? Because is glorifies God.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Rev. 4:11


Why Be Green? Because the earth is the Lord’s.

"All things were created by Him and for Him." Col. 1:16b


I think I'll choose to be a Godly shade of green. Just something to think about.