What Should You Do?
TODAY the problem of pollution affects each one of us to some degree. In the near future God’s permanent solution to the problem will affect us even more. It will have a direct bearing on the continued existence of every person on this earth, including you.
In view of this, what should you do? There are two things to consider. The first is what you can do now to reduce the problem of pollution. Then there is the far greater consideration: what you can do to survive the end of this system of things and live in the paradise that God will bring to this earth.
What Can You Do About Pollution?
There are many practical things you can do to cut down on pollution.
A chief offender is the automobile, especially as to air pollution. Even if you buy unleaded gasoline your car will still emit pollutants, particularly so if you fail to keep it tuned up. Cutting down on unnecessary trips, joining with others in a ‘car pool’ can greatly reduce your share in pollution.
Keeping home furnaces in proper working condition will also help. And what of the many people who complain about the air pollution but then pollute their own lungs (and those of others) by smoking cigarettes? How consistent is that?
You can help keep down water pollution by not using water unnecessarily, not wasting it. For laundering, you may be able to purchase cleaning products that are “biodegradable” and largely free from phosphates, a major pollutant.
As to the land, where do you throw your waste? You may not realize it, but your entire thinking on the problem of pollution can be reflected by what you do with rubbish, including minor items like paper napkins or small wrappers. True, you cannot make others properly dispose of waste and keep streets and parks clean. But by what you do with waste you show whether you respect other people, their property, or even your own.
These few suggestions may seem very small compared with the vast problem that exists. This, of course, is true. Whatever you do to avoid polluting will not affect the overall picture greatly. Yet doing what your circumstances allow for is important. Why? Because it shows you have respect for the Creator and his creation. The psalmist long ago wrote: “To Jehovah belong the earth and that which fills it.”—Ps. 24:1.
In God’s new order, polluters will likely be called to account, since that is what happened in ancient Israel when under God’s rule. The camp of Israel was to be kept clean in all respects, morally and physically. Pollution by improper disposal of sewage was not permitted. That was God’s way of dealing with his people in times past, and that will likely be the way he will deal with his people in his promised new order. (Deut. 23:10-14) Surely all those living will then be required to work in harmony with his laws governing the natural creation. Will he want you in that new order?
The Greater Consideration
Commendable and desirable though they may be, your efforts at reducing pollution will never change the course this world is taking. Only action by God can do this. His clearly stated purpose is “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Rev. 11:18) Without fail he will cleanse this earth of both mental and physical pollution and polluters.
You are therefore faced with a choice. Will you prefer and seek to find your happiness in the present system that men have developed and that—to put it bluntly—is making a mess of the earth? Or will you show that you are not in heart harmony with this selfish system, that you sincerely want to do what will bring honor and praise to earth’s Grand Creator? Will you put your trust in human technology and governmental programs to solve the problem, or will you look to the all-wise Sovereign of the universe, Jehovah God, and to his kingdom by Christ Jesus?
Men did not foresee the catastrophic results of their innovations and ways. God did and he foretold it in his inspired Word, the Bible. Men, especially scientists, are gravely concerned as to finding a way out of the global dilemma. God’s Word gives the one sure hope for a happy future. How much wiser and infinitely more realistic it is for us to look to God for relief rather than to fallible, dying men!
How You Can Demonstrate Your Choice
How can you show that you have put yourself in harmony with the Creator in this matter? You may say, “But I go to church.” Perhaps so, but as we have seen the key to a pollution-free earth is love and consideration for others. The Bible tells us that: “He who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also.” (1 John 4:20, 21) Again, you may say, “But I do love my neighbor—I try to do good to others.” Well, what is the greatest good that you can do for others now? God’s Word says He is going to put an end to the present order and bring in a righteous new order. It states that God’s will is for people everywhere to be informed of this so that they can have the opportunity to bring themselves into harmony with his purpose and survive to life in a gardenlike earth. (Matt. 24:14) Has your church equipped you to aid others in this way?
There are persons who are helping others to be thus equipped. Jehovah’s Christian witnesses do this by Bible educational work in the homes of the people all around the earth. Simply by writing to the publishers of this magazine, you can also receive such free Bible instruction in your own home. What will it mean for you?
Taking in knowledge of God’s Word will help you to combat the mental pollution so prevalent today. People are bombarded by this world’s propaganda, its appeal to materialism, immorality, its confusing theories and vain promises of imperfect men. All of this can turn a person’s mind into a garbage dump. But by taking in God’s thoughts, learning his ways, you can begin transforming your mind into a garden spot, in which the fruits of God’s spirit flourish. (Gal. 5:22, 23) The Bible counsels in this regard: “Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Rom. 12:2.
Learn now God’s purpose for our day and the part you can play in that purpose. Thereby get a “firm hold on the real life,” eternal life in a paradise new order where never again will man threaten to turn this earth into a garbage dump. (1 Tim. 6:19) Yes, under the direction of God’s kingdom, share in converting this earth into a global garden, to the delight of honest-hearted persons throughout all eternity.