Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. – Isaiah 24:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 2, 2023): Isaiah 24

The closest planet to the sun and the hottest planet in our Solar System are actually two different planets. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and we would think that Mercury might be the hottest place within our planetary system, with a maximum temperature at the equator on the sunny side of the planet at 427 °C (800 °F). However, the average temperature on Venus surpasses Mars's extreme temperature by a few degrees; the average temperature on Venus is 464 °C (867 °F). The reason why the hotter planet is the one further from the sun is the presence of an atmosphere. Mars doesn't have an atmosphere; Venus possesses an atmosphere with an out-of-control greenhouse effect. Venus is often considered our sister planet, the one planet in the solar system most like the planet on which we live. So, our sister planet might also provide us with a look at our future. Maybe a hot mess suits us.

Christians haven't paid much attention to climate change or ecological dangers. We often seem to be on the side of those destroying our planet rather than standing with those trying to save it. But the reality is that many tribulations listed for the end of time could be produced by a world whose atmosphere is dying or changing. Cancerous tumors, increasing heat, and the death of the plants and animals we depend on are all in keeping with atmospheric changes. We won't experience a new Venus; the human race will be gone long before the transformation reaches that stage, but we will have destroyed the planet on which we live.

Is climate change something that we should be concerned about? My answer is yes. For me, it is our overlooked sin. The first job God gave to humans was to care for the planet. For the past decade, every year has presented us with a new record high temperature from a global perspective, and it seems to be part of our mismanagement. I know many things that produce climate change are out of our control. Many argue that most of our atmosphere's contaminants naturally occur, as if that fact somehow absolves us of our guilt. But the truth is that it magnifies the importance of doing what we can do to help the planet. We do not want to be the ones who provide the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Maybe climate change is inevitable; Isaiah says that the curse is coming. My problem is, when I stand before God at the end of all things, I don't want God to ask me why I contributed to the planet's curse rather than being on the side of those trying to fix the problem. It might be a lost cause already, but then again, a lost cause has never stopped God before, and I can't see the impossible stopping him now.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 25