Respecting God’s Stuff

Read: Colossians 1:15-20 Judah stomped into his brother’s room. “You are not going to believe this, Isaac!” Judah was so angry his ears were red. Isaac closed the book he was reading. “What’s the matter?” “Just look at my new interactive robot!” The robot’s arm dangled from its side. “That’s the last time I ever let Sam use one of my toys. Do you know how much I paid for this?” Judah shook his head. “That guy has no respect for other people’s stuff!” The next morning, Isaac and Judah were late for school. “Here.” Isaac tossed Judah a granola bar. “We don’t have time for breakfast, so eat this on the way.” As the brothers took a shortcut through a neighbor’s backyard, Judah ate his granola bar in just three bites, then tossed the wrapper on the ground. “Hey!” Isaac stopped and pointed to the wrapper “That’s littering! Go pick it up.” “Oh, come on. It’s just one wrapper, Isaac.” “It’s not your yard, Judah. How do you think the neighbors would feel if they saw you dropping trash in their yard?” Judah sighed and picked up the wrapper. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.” “Yeah,” said Isaac. “Kind of like Sam wasn’t thinking when he broke your robot.” On Sunday, Mrs. Rawlings gave a lesson on creation. “God made everything,” she said. “But because our sin has made a mess of everything, Jesus is making everything new—not just the people who trust in Him, but one day, all of creation! Everything belongs to Jesus, and He wants us to enjoy everything He’s made. But we also need to respect that it belongs to Him and take good care of it.” I know what it’s like to have someone not respect your stuff, thought Judah. I wouldn’t want to do that with God’s stuff! The next morning, as Isaac and Judah passed by a neighbor’s yard on their way to school, Judah saw a plastic bag blowing across the grass. “I got it!” he called out. He raced over and stepped on it before it blew away, then placed it in the trash can at the end of the driveway. “Hey!” shouted their neighbor from the porch. “Thanks for cleaning our yard!” “No problem!” Judah shouted back. “And actually, it belongs to Jesus!” –Kelly Carlson How about you? Do you respect what doesn’t belong to you? Jesus created everything in the world around you—trees, grass, land, animals—and will one day make everything new and even better than it is now! Everything belongs to Him, and He wants you to help take care of what He’s made. How can you be respectful and take care of God’s beautiful creation? Today's Key Verse: The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. Acts 17:24 (NIV) Today's Key Thought: Care for God’s creation