The Privilege of Stewardship

Hello, my name is Xochitl Dixon. In today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread, I share a personal story in The Privilege of Stewardship. While on vacation, my husband and I walked along the beach and noticed a large square patch of sand blocked off by a makeshift fence. A young man explained that he worked around the clock with a team of volunteers committed to guarding the eggs in each sea turtles nest. Once the hatchlings emerged from their nest, the presence of both animals and humans threaten and decrease their chances survival. Even with all our efforts, he said, scientists estimate that only one out of every 5000 hatchlings reach adulthood.

These bleak numbers didn't discourage this young man, however. His passion for selflessly serving the hatchlings deepened my desire for respecting and protecting sea turtles. Now, I wear a sea turtle pendant that reminds me of my God-given responsibility to care for the creatures he's made. When God created the world, he provided a habitat in which each creature could live and thrive. When he created his image bearers, God intended for us to 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. He helps us serve him as responsible stewards who use our God-given authority to care for his vast creation.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Genesis 1 verses 20 to 21 and verses 24 to 28. 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.

And now, picking up at verse 24. 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. Let's pray. Loving Creator and Sustainer of all, please show us tangible ways we can fulfill our responsibility as stewards of your creation and inspire others to care for the world you've entrusted to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.