The only being that is completely self-sufficient is God, all others must and are driven to consume.  If you don’t, you die.  Whether it is good for you vegetables, or not so good for you half-pound hamburger covered with cheese and accompanied by greasy fried potatoes, you will consume.  Again, this is a motive or a decision point that you must come to order for you to live.  The desire to incorporate something outside of yourself is neither right or wrong, it is part of being God’s creation.  We come into the realm of good and bad is when we start making the decision as to how to satiate that desire.

I just pulled the bottom pan from a Dodge Dakota pickup transmission.  I was careful not to spill the slightly blackened, red fluid all over myself and the concrete behind my house.  It is my decision whether I pour it down the storm drain, or to pour it into the properly sealed container and take it down to the recycle center. It is my choice to do the responsible thing or the other way.  But it all boils down to what is my Christian responsibility.  What would God ask me to do with four quarts of used oil?

Sunday’s sermon, which did not include anything about used oil, helps me make the decision.  The preacher said, “I like the Savior part of Jesus, I have problems with the Lord part.”  I am saved by grace.  The Lord loves me, and I can’t stop Him from doing that act of love.  But, with my conversion, I have a responsibility to make decisions as He would have me make.  It is about who is in control.  It is about who is leading.  It is about who knows the correct path.  So what does this have to do with used petroleum products?  Two things:  Stewardship, and responsibility.

Adam and Eve’s first test before God, even before the forbidden fruit, was to take responsibility for the earth. It wasn’t an add-in later, it was not a sideline to be figured out when they had the time or the inclination.  It was a foundational understanding and requirement given to these two humans.  They were to be caretakers or stewards. Sometimes God limits Himself by letting his work become the responsibility of people. “I made this garden for you, it is perfect, it is filled with all kinds of animals, it has all that you need to consume, but it is your responsibility to keep it in order.” Or as the Message says, “God blessed them; Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!  Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

The sovereign ruler of the universe and all human affairs gave Adam and Eve the job of a steward.  But more than that He gave them responsibility for the outcome. That responsibility for keeping a watchful eye over and active participation in the guarding and nurture of the world that they lived in.  We are, as Christians, directly responsible for the current state of our environment.

The earth and all life in it and on it are gifts from God.  They are to be shared and developed.  They are not there to be exploited.  Our actions have moral consequences.  The goods of the earth and the beauty of the world around us are to be enjoyed and even celebrated as well as being consumed. We have a responsibility, as much as lays within us, to be good stewards and take direct responsibility for the outcomes.  We must consider the generations to come when we make our decisions on consumption.

I will dispose of my used automatic transmission oil responsibility, not because I owe allegiance to a mother earth society, but because it is demanded of me by my Lord.

Comments.  Suggestions.  Rebuttal?