A Daily Devotion for Wednesday, April 22

Genesis 1:20-31

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning —the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. ” And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.

Psalm 104:24

How many are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

The verses from Genesis go through God’s acts of creation. The Psalm reminds us to be thankful. I remember once, many years ago, I wrote a letter of protest to a large zoo. I was full of righteous indignation over keeping large (and small) animals locked in cages, far from their natural habitats. I went on to complain that while visitors walked by and gawked at them, the animals were probably lonely and demoralized. Shortly after sending the letter, I received a polite and thoughtful response from the zoo. There was so much more going on at the zoo and because of the zoo, to benefit animals worldwide! Money was raised for research and education, endangered species were being protected, and people were learning to respect and honor animals because of the zoo. Although there are likely few zoos which identify themselves as institutions honoring God, they are, by their actions, honoring Him when their goals respect His creation.

Holy Lord, I can honor you by honoring your creation, including all of the animals inside and outside of our homes. Amen

Becky, transforming