Skip to main content

Recycled, Repurposed or New?

Environmental issues are of great importance to many.  As a result, they work hard at being environmentally aware and invest significant efforts to minimize their carbon footprint.  They desire measurable results for their efforts and they also want others to be onboard.

To some degree, it’s even cool to be “green”.  And since so many people want to be cool, it does get some onboard.  If that doesn’t generate enough participation, sometimes those who are significantly engaged in environmental efforts resort to shaming others to get them involved.

One of the more common environmental initiatives is recycling.  Recycling is the processing of materials or substances (such as liquid body waste, glass, or cans) in order to regain it for human use. 

Another environmental effort is to encourage people to repurpose things instead of just throwing them away and filling landfills.  That old wooden hutch, for example, could be repurposed into an entertainment center.  The old pots and pans could be repurposed into suitable planters for those herbs you want to grow.

One of the premises for both recycling and repurposing is that our natural resources are limited and the constant usage of these resources without appropriate recycling and repurposing will likely result in those resources being exhausted.

While I do, to some degree, engage in both recycling and repurposing, there is one area that I insist on enjoying new resources in my daily life.  But before I share what that is, a basic definition of new might be helpful:  new is to be made or become fresh.

So what is this new that I insist on?  Here it is:  “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  (Lam 3:22-23)

God’s steadfast love and mercies are new every morning.  We should access them each and every day.  They are fresh and are never recycled or repurposed.  In addition, they will never run out and are more than sufficient for everyone’s needs today!

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can't Get No Satisfaction

One of the songs that were popular in my youth was not particularly upbeat or helpful but it probably did express some of the angst of my generation.  It was not one that particularly resonated with me but as I recently read the book of Haggai, it did come to mind, well, at least some of the lyrics did.  It was the Rolling Stones song with the lyrics “I can’t get no satisfaction”.  Take a look at the chorus of that bleak song:   I can't get no satisfaction; I can't get no satisfaction; Gonna try and I try and I try and I try; I can't get no - I can't get no –   Now take a look at Haggai 1:6 – “ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” It sure sounds like the people of Judah couldn’t get any satisfaction with the things of life that normally should have brought some type of s...

A Horse Of Course

In Biblical times, horses represented military power and strength.  And if you had both horses and chariots, well, that was the ultimate of military powers and wars were often won with them. Yet in seeking to have what would normally be considered insurmountable military strength, there was one factor that was often overlooked.  The Psalmist made it clear what that factor was when he wrote:  “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”   (Ps 20:7) While Israel did at times trust in the name of the Lord, there were other times when they tried to trust in horses and chariots to win their battles.  This is what the Lord spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah:  “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,   who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots   and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord .”  ...

Stouthearted!

Steve the Stouthearted; it has a nice medieval ring to it, maybe even middle earth overtones.  I noticed that word “stouthearted” recently in Psalm 138, verse 3:   “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”   (NIV, 1973) The word stouthearted is used in the Bible to describe individuals who exhibit courage, determination, and resilience, often in the face of adversity or opposition. This characteristic is seen as a virtue, reflecting steadfastness in faith and purpose. The stouthearted are those who remain firm in their convictions and are not easily swayed by fear or doubt (from The Bible Hub website). And yet to be bold and stouthearted for most is not something that just comes naturally, we need the Lord to make us bold and stouthearted.   And, from the verse above, it appears that he does so in response to us calling on him.   So it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that those who have been made bold and stouth...