Gò0dNews for Everyone
God Loves All Creatures Great & Small
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by Cheryl L. Dunson
n the fifth and sixth days, God created living
Billy Graham once wrote, “We must never treat any
creatures to fill the water, the skies and the earth.
part of God’s creation with contempt. When we do, we
God saw that it was good, and He blessed them.
are indirectly treating our Creator with contempt. Instead,
When God created man in His own image, His first
God calls us to be stewards or trustees of His creation and
mandate to man was to have dominion over the creatures
the Bible reminds us that we are responsible to Him for
God created. The Lord delegated responsibility of His
the way we treat it…The Bible commands us to take care
creation and everything in it to us, and He entrusted us to
of the animals under our care…. Even the animal of an
be good stewards (Gen. 1:26).
enemy was to be treated kindly…” (Ex. 23:12).
In other words, animals matter to God! August 26th is set aside as National Dog Day to
Naturally, some of us are more receptive to animals in our lives than others. Some of us choose to invite warm
recognize dogs in need of rescue, and to acknowledge
and furry creatures into our home, while others prefer to
those dogs that work selflessly each day to save lives,
keep them at the barn or in the pasture. Still, some favor
keep us safe, and bring comfort. But let’s expand upon the recognition of canines and appreciate the importance of all animals in God’s kingdom. In Genesis 1 & 2, we see animals bring joy to God. He declared them “good!” In Psalm 104, God demonstrates His care for the animals, beginning with giving water to all beasts of the field, wild donkeys and birds of the air (11 & 12). The Lord makes grass to grow for the cattle (14), and prepares homes for the birds in the cedars and pine trees (16 & 17). God made the high mountains for the wild goats and rabbits. He made the forests for the lions to seek their prey and then to lay down in their dens (20 & 21). He spilled teeming creatures beyond number into the sea (25), and all of God’s living things look to Him for their food at the proper time (27). By giving man kingship of His creation and everything
keeping their living spaces free of animals altogether. God certainly recognizes and appreciates our preferences.
in it, the Lord commands us to secure the welfare of its
But, in deference to God’s awesome creation, let us be
subjects: “The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
kind to all living things and commit to never abuse,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” (Psalm 12:10).
neglect or mistreat any of God’s wonderful creatures.
22 // August 2022
