Have you ever stopped and just looked at nature? There is no doubt about it – we live in a beautiful world. Whether we look at it from the standpoint of the vivid colors we see, the variety of landscape and plants and animals, or the intricacy of the patterns in nature, this world we live in is beautiful. And, each place has a beauty of its own. The beauty of the mountains differs from that of the plains. Deserts differ from swamps and wetlands. All of them differ from the ocean shore and all of them are beautiful in their own way.
It didn’t have to be like this. God could have made the world so it had only a few colors instead of the infinite variety we see. He could have made it like the moon which, when we look at it from earth, appears to us only in different shades of gray. God could have made the world so it only has one type of terrain. He could have made it so it has a uniform temperature and no seasons. Yet, God gave us variety and environments which are suitable for every type of preference and temperament.
Yes, we live in a beautiful world. But, in spite of all its beauty our world lacks something – righteousness is not easy to find. It is also subject to death and decay. We live in a world which is dying. The Apostle Peter writes, “…The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” (2 Peter 3:10 NIV) Science confirms that this world will not last – one day the planet we know and love will be destroyed.
God did not intend for it to be this way. The Bible teaches us that when mankind sinned by disobeying God, it also had a profound effect on creation. The perfect place which God first gave Adam and Eve was damaged. Death entered. The ground was cursed and thorns and thistles sprang up (see Genesis 3:17-19).
Though the world will be destroyed, the Bible tells us a time is coming when it will also be restored. The Apostle Paul writes, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21 NIV)
Peter writes, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13 NIV)
Now if this present world, which is under a curse and is subject to death and decay, is still so beautiful, the new heaven and earth must be beyond our imagination! However, it is the home of righteousness. If we want to experience it, then we must be righteous also. Thank God, that through Jesus Christ we can be righteous. John writes to the followers of Christ, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)