Galatians 2:10 “Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” As I wrote yesterday, the first reason to protect our planet is because we love God, and the earth is his creation. In listening to a podcast last night I realized that the second reason is that we are to love others as ourselves. Specifically God commands us many times in scripture to love those who are less fortunate than us. We’ve seen through the coronavirus outbreak how those who are less fortunate bear the brunt of pandemic impacts. The overwhelming majority of cases in Singapore originate in the migrant worker dorms, and mostly black inner-city populations in the United States have suffered far higher deaths than their mostly white and wealthier suburbs, fueling the racial riots we have seen across that country in recent weeks. The same can be said of the environmental damage. Because power plants, factories, garbage dumps and other unwanted societal necessities are generally placed closer to lower-income families, numerous studies have shown that they are much more likely to die from air pollution, water pollution and extreme weather events caused by climate change. So if we are to love others, and especially if we are to love those who are less privileged in society, it is our responsibility to take care of our planet. God you are so good to reveal more and more to me each day. Thank you for being such a loving Father, and for lavishing us with incredible gifts of your creation. In admiring you, I pray that I will be filled with a greater measure of your love and concern for others. In your son’s name, Amen.