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LOVING THE LEAST OF THESEthree-day devotionalIN PARTNERSHIP WITH

READPSALM 19:1-4 (NIV)The heavens declare the glory of God;   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words;   no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,   their words to the ends of the world.Having been born in New York City, I have plenty of early memories of city life — riding my Big Wheel on sidewalks, running on asphalt playgrounds and climbing on steel monkey bars and craning my neck to see the tops of skyscrapers. These are recollections of delightful entertainment.But one childhood memory is marked by astonishment. Our family went camping in the forested hills of Pennsylvania. It was long past my normal bedtime, and I was lying on a blanket looking up at the sky. Instead of the orangish glow of city lights, an impossible number of stars burst forth PHOTO BY ŠTEFAN ŠTEFANČÍK ON UNSPLASHWORSHIPING THE CREATOR

READPSALM 19:1-4 (NIV)The heavens declare the glory of God;   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words;   no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,   their words to the ends of the world.Having been born in New York City, I have plenty of early memories of city life — riding my Big Wheel on sidewalks, running on asphalt playgrounds and climbing on steel monkey bars and craning my neck to see the tops of skyscrapers. These are recollections of delightful entertainment.But one childhood memory is marked by astonishment. Our family went camping in the forested hills of Pennsylvania. It was long past my normal bedtime, and I was lying on a blanket looking up at the sky. Instead of the orangish glow of city lights, an impossible number of stars burst forth PHOTO BY ŠTEFAN ŠTEFANČÍK ON UNSPLASHWORSHIPING THE CREATOR

PHOTO BY ALEX ON UNSPLASHWe may not fully understand how creation praises God or how God receives such praise, but we share the vocation of worship with all the cosmos.with brilliance against the inky black backdrop of night. A few shooting stars even streaked across the sky. This was way more than the “twinkle, twinkle, little star” of a nursery rhyme. This was the heavens singing a hymn of praise.The adoration of God is not the job of humans alone: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). We may not fully understand how creation praises God or how God receives such praise, but we share the vocation of worship with all the cosmos. The psalmist conveys the exuberant silent speech that “pours forth” (v 2), which is language elsewhere used in Scripture to describe a gurgling stream (Proverbs 18:4). Creation cannot help but bubble with praise.Tragically, as with all things in this world, sin has blighted creation and has misshapen our stewardship of creation. We typically and rightfully think of Christ’s death as God’s response to human sin and separation from him. However, it accomplishes much more: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). The sacrifice of Christ on the cross oers a reconciliation of all things in the created order, which will one day become a new heavens and a new earth.For the believer, the care of creation is fundamentally not an expression of politics but an act of worship, whether in adoration, repentance or stewardship, and an aspect of divine salvation. It is also an expression of love toward others with whom we share the land, air and water. Read section 1 of Loving the Least of These to explore further what

PHOTO BY ALEX ON UNSPLASHWe may not fully understand how creation praises God or how God receives such praise, but we share the vocation of worship with all the cosmos.with brilliance against the inky black backdrop of night. A few shooting stars even streaked across the sky. This was way more than the “twinkle, twinkle, little star” of a nursery rhyme. This was the heavens singing a hymn of praise.The adoration of God is not the job of humans alone: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). We may not fully understand how creation praises God or how God receives such praise, but we share the vocation of worship with all the cosmos. The psalmist conveys the exuberant silent speech that “pours forth” (v 2), which is language elsewhere used in Scripture to describe a gurgling stream (Proverbs 18:4). Creation cannot help but bubble with praise.Tragically, as with all things in this world, sin has blighted creation and has misshapen our stewardship of creation. We typically and rightfully think of Christ’s death as God’s response to human sin and separation from him. However, it accomplishes much more: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). The sacrifice of Christ on the cross oers a reconciliation of all things in the created order, which will one day become a new heavens and a new earth.For the believer, the care of creation is fundamentally not an expression of politics but an act of worship, whether in adoration, repentance or stewardship, and an aspect of divine salvation. It is also an expression of love toward others with whom we share the land, air and water. Read section 1 of Loving the Least of These to explore further what

PHOTO BY EUTAH MIZUSHIMA ON UNSPLASH For the believer, the care of creation is fundamentally not an expression of politics but an act of worshipScripture says about our call to share God’s care for creation.PRAYAs you close with prayer, meditate on Psalm 19:1-4 and Colossians 1:19-20 to consider the beauty of creation in its praise of God and the scope of reconciliation at Christ’s cross.PSALM 19:1-4The heavens declare the glory of God;   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words;   no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,   their words to the ends of the world.COLOSSIANS 1:19-20For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the crossLord, we join the chorus of creation to declare your majesty, beauty and glory. Forgive us in our arrogance and thoughtlessness toward your creation. Enable us to love those with whom we share stewardship of your planet and to enter into the reconciling work of Christ whose cross encompasses all things.BY WALTER KIM President, National Association of Evangelicals

PHOTO BY EUTAH MIZUSHIMA ON UNSPLASH For the believer, the care of creation is fundamentally not an expression of politics but an act of worshipScripture says about our call to share God’s care for creation.PRAYAs you close with prayer, meditate on Psalm 19:1-4 and Colossians 1:19-20 to consider the beauty of creation in its praise of God and the scope of reconciliation at Christ’s cross.PSALM 19:1-4The heavens declare the glory of God;   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words;   no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,   their words to the ends of the world.COLOSSIANS 1:19-20For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the crossLord, we join the chorus of creation to declare your majesty, beauty and glory. Forgive us in our arrogance and thoughtlessness toward your creation. Enable us to love those with whom we share stewardship of your planet and to enter into the reconciling work of Christ whose cross encompasses all things.BY WALTER KIM President, National Association of Evangelicals

READGENESIS 2:7 (NIV)Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a livingbeing.The Breath of God is a mighty force, from which both spiritual and physical life springs forth (Genesis, 2:7; Psalm 33:6). Spiritually, Scripture reveals the Breath of God is no less than the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). In the physical, we also see that the air we breathe has the power to sow life ordeath.While pregnant with my first child, I lived just a few blocks from a busy 12-lane interstate highway. At the time, I didn’t realize that when the highway was choked and congested with tractor-trailers and honking trac, it was also choking the air with harmful air pollution, like smog and microscopic particles of soot.Because I couldn’t see it, I didn’t realize I was living in an area with unhealthy air. I didn’t realize that each breath I took was filling my lungs with THE BREATH OF LIFEPHOTO BY ALEX GINDIN ON UNSPLASH

READGENESIS 2:7 (NIV)Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a livingbeing.The Breath of God is a mighty force, from which both spiritual and physical life springs forth (Genesis, 2:7; Psalm 33:6). Spiritually, Scripture reveals the Breath of God is no less than the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). In the physical, we also see that the air we breathe has the power to sow life ordeath.While pregnant with my first child, I lived just a few blocks from a busy 12-lane interstate highway. At the time, I didn’t realize that when the highway was choked and congested with tractor-trailers and honking trac, it was also choking the air with harmful air pollution, like smog and microscopic particles of soot.Because I couldn’t see it, I didn’t realize I was living in an area with unhealthy air. I didn’t realize that each breath I took was filling my lungs with THE BREATH OF LIFEPHOTO BY ALEX GINDIN ON UNSPLASH

microscopic pollutants that could then lodge in the heart, brain and body of my unborn son. And it wasn’t until years later that I would realize the life-long impact breathing this unhealthy air may have played in my son’s life andfuture.The study of God’s creation through science and medical research reveals that poor air quality, rather than being a problem of the past, is a silent killer that is all too active today. This is true both here at home in the U.S., where up to 200,000 Americans die prematurely each year due to air pollution, and across the globe, with air pollution responsible for nearly 7million early deaths worldwide.Just like the impacts of a changing climate, polluted air hurts the poor, the vulnerable and the overlooked the most. This includes our children, both born and unborn. Medical research links air pollution to birth defects, developmental delays, neurobehavioral disorders, life-long asthma, pre-mature birth and even stillbirth. (Learn more about these impacts and others in Loving the Least of These, section 2)Is this the reality we want for our children, our neighbors and ourselves? Ofcourse not. And it’s not what God wants for us either.Take a moment, close your eyes and envision a place where you can breathe the Breath of Life. What does it look like? Perhaps it’s like Jeremiah 29:5, with neighborhoods lined with gardens that are filled with food to eat. Or Revelation 22:1-2, with the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing through the city watering the tree of life that bears fruit and whose leaves bring healing.Creation care is a matter of faithful obedience to God — taking seriously the awesome assignment God has given us to care for His creation. It is also an expression of our pro-life commitment to defend PHOTO BY MARITA KAVELASHVILI ON UNSPLASH Take a moment, close your eyes and envision a place where you can breathe the BreathofLife

microscopic pollutants that could then lodge in the heart, brain and body of my unborn son. And it wasn’t until years later that I would realize the life-long impact breathing this unhealthy air may have played in my son’s life andfuture.The study of God’s creation through science and medical research reveals that poor air quality, rather than being a problem of the past, is a silent killer that is all too active today. This is true both here at home in the U.S., where up to 200,000 Americans die prematurely each year due to air pollution, and across the globe, with air pollution responsible for nearly 7million early deaths worldwide.Just like the impacts of a changing climate, polluted air hurts the poor, the vulnerable and the overlooked the most. This includes our children, both born and unborn. Medical research links air pollution to birth defects, developmental delays, neurobehavioral disorders, life-long asthma, pre-mature birth and even stillbirth. (Learn more about these impacts and others in Loving the Least of These, section 2)Is this the reality we want for our children, our neighbors and ourselves? Ofcourse not. And it’s not what God wants for us either.Take a moment, close your eyes and envision a place where you can breathe the Breath of Life. What does it look like? Perhaps it’s like Jeremiah 29:5, with neighborhoods lined with gardens that are filled with food to eat. Or Revelation 22:1-2, with the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing through the city watering the tree of life that bears fruit and whose leaves bring healing.Creation care is a matter of faithful obedience to God — taking seriously the awesome assignment God has given us to care for His creation. It is also an expression of our pro-life commitment to defend PHOTO BY MARITA KAVELASHVILI ON UNSPLASH Take a moment, close your eyes and envision a place where you can breathe the BreathofLife

the life of every person at every stage of life. And it is another way to partner with Jesus in his mission to bring abundant life to all (John 10:10). Discover the many ways you can partner with God in sowing life through creation care in section 4 of Loving the Least of These.PRAYTurn your heart to Revelation 22:1-2 and meditate on its picture of renewed life:Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. Theleaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.Lord Jesus, align my heart with yours today. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Show me today how I can partner with you to bring more of heaven here to earth, to bring your healing to the nations and your promise of abundant life to all.BY REV. DR. JESSICA MOERMAN President and CEO, Evangelical Environmental NetworkPHOTO BY J V ON UNSPLASHCreation care is a matter of faithful obedience to God — taking seriously the awesome assignment God has given us to care for His creation.

the life of every person at every stage of life. And it is another way to partner with Jesus in his mission to bring abundant life to all (John 10:10). Discover the many ways you can partner with God in sowing life through creation care in section 4 of Loving the Least of These.PRAYTurn your heart to Revelation 22:1-2 and meditate on its picture of renewed life:Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. Theleaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.Lord Jesus, align my heart with yours today. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Show me today how I can partner with you to bring more of heaven here to earth, to bring your healing to the nations and your promise of abundant life to all.BY REV. DR. JESSICA MOERMAN President and CEO, Evangelical Environmental NetworkPHOTO BY J V ON UNSPLASHCreation care is a matter of faithful obedience to God — taking seriously the awesome assignment God has given us to care for His creation.

READJEREMIAH 2:7 (NIV)I brought you into a fertile land   to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land   and made my inheritance detestable.We learn in the creation story that God created water, land, plants and animals. We also learn that he created people. We learn that we are to care for what God has created because it is intended to be part of the way God provides for us (Genesis 1:28, 2:15). In today’s reading, we see a stark example of how land ceased to provide for people when they failed to care for it.As a boy growing up in the suburban United States, I was interested in environmental issues from a young age. I loved the outdoors. The thought that people’s actions could damage the environment and squander our resources broke my heart.So I took action. I insisted on water conservation in our house, we were way ahead of the curve using cloth bags for grocery shopping way back in the PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEFTHE EFFECTS OF OUR ACTIONS

READJEREMIAH 2:7 (NIV)I brought you into a fertile land   to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land   and made my inheritance detestable.We learn in the creation story that God created water, land, plants and animals. We also learn that he created people. We learn that we are to care for what God has created because it is intended to be part of the way God provides for us (Genesis 1:28, 2:15). In today’s reading, we see a stark example of how land ceased to provide for people when they failed to care for it.As a boy growing up in the suburban United States, I was interested in environmental issues from a young age. I loved the outdoors. The thought that people’s actions could damage the environment and squander our resources broke my heart.So I took action. I insisted on water conservation in our house, we were way ahead of the curve using cloth bags for grocery shopping way back in the PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEFTHE EFFECTS OF OUR ACTIONS

PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEF1990s, and I even organized a recycling program for my neighborhood.Even though I was engaged in fighting climate change, it took me twenty years to truly understand the most devastating eects of climate change on people’s lives.In 2007, I moved to Rwanda where almost the entire population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods. Farmer after farmer that I met spoke passionately about climate change, highlighting that the rainy season was predictable for generations. But in recent years, the rains had changed, and crop cycles were ruined. It was becoming harder tolive o the land, and many families were suering. That experience gave me a deeper personal understanding of why this challenge is so great.Thousands of miles may separate us from those impacted by climate change right now, but Scripture is clear: When one suers, we all suer (1Corinthians 12:26). It is important to remember that the actions we take in our homes may have an eect on the livelihood of people thousands of milesaway.As a boy, I was motivated in these issues out of a conservation mindset and heartbroken by the thought of destroying the environmental aspects of God’s creation. As I have gotten older, I see the eects of climate change on another element of God’s creation — other people.Even if we don’t feel the eects of climate change as dramatically as our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world, we share one planet and must acknowledge that our actions have a direct eect ontheir lives.The thought that people’s actions could damage the environment and squander our resources broke my heart.

PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEF1990s, and I even organized a recycling program for my neighborhood.Even though I was engaged in fighting climate change, it took me twenty years to truly understand the most devastating eects of climate change on people’s lives.In 2007, I moved to Rwanda where almost the entire population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods. Farmer after farmer that I met spoke passionately about climate change, highlighting that the rainy season was predictable for generations. But in recent years, the rains had changed, and crop cycles were ruined. It was becoming harder tolive o the land, and many families were suering. That experience gave me a deeper personal understanding of why this challenge is so great.Thousands of miles may separate us from those impacted by climate change right now, but Scripture is clear: When one suers, we all suer (1Corinthians 12:26). It is important to remember that the actions we take in our homes may have an eect on the livelihood of people thousands of milesaway.As a boy, I was motivated in these issues out of a conservation mindset and heartbroken by the thought of destroying the environmental aspects of God’s creation. As I have gotten older, I see the eects of climate change on another element of God’s creation — other people.Even if we don’t feel the eects of climate change as dramatically as our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world, we share one planet and must acknowledge that our actions have a direct eect ontheir lives.The thought that people’s actions could damage the environment and squander our resources broke my heart.

PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEFNone of us is exempt from Jesus’ call to love the least of these, and right now, one of the best ways we can do this is by being both the reactive and the proactive people Jesus calls us to be (Matthew25:40).Read section 3 of Loving the Least of These to learn more about the eects of climate change on people.PRAYTurn your heart to Romans 8:18-22:I consider that our present suerings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.Lord Jesus, help me to be a good steward of what you have created. Forgive me for the ways I have sinned against you and harmed others through my stewardship of resources. May your restoration of all of creation come.BY MYAL GREENE President and CEO, World ReliefEven if we don’t feel the eects of climate change as dramatically as our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world, we share one planet ... our actions have a direct eect on their lives.

PHOTO BY SEAN SHERIDAN FOR WORLD RELIEFNone of us is exempt from Jesus’ call to love the least of these, and right now, one of the best ways we can do this is by being both the reactive and the proactive people Jesus calls us to be (Matthew25:40).Read section 3 of Loving the Least of These to learn more about the eects of climate change on people.PRAYTurn your heart to Romans 8:18-22:I consider that our present suerings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.Lord Jesus, help me to be a good steward of what you have created. Forgive me for the ways I have sinned against you and harmed others through my stewardship of resources. May your restoration of all of creation come.BY MYAL GREENE President and CEO, World ReliefEven if we don’t feel the eects of climate change as dramatically as our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world, we share one planet ... our actions have a direct eect on their lives.