A Sci-Fi Tale

I love science fiction. I enjoy reading someone's sometimes-unbelievable concept of a futuristic society.

I remember watching episodes of "Star Trek" and "Lost in Space" in the late 1960s and 1970s. Captain James T. Kirk, the commander of the Starship Enterprise, and others had this gadget that bears a resemblance to today's cell phone. All they had to do was flip it open and speak into it, and they would be beamed up into the ship. If someone got hurt or was sick, all they had to do was go down to sick bay, the main medical centre, lie down on a piece of equipment, which resembled a stretcher for transporting hospital patients, and another piece of equipment would automatically scan their whole body, find the spot, and heal it.

Years ago, I read a book about man flying to the moon and starting a new settlement there because we had completely destroyed then then-present-day earth. Back in those days, that was considered science fiction — a scientific thought that was not real, something that was made up.

Genesis 1:16,26a,28 – God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (NIV)

In Bible times, other nations worshipped the natural world — sun, moon, and stars — as gods. Instead, Israel, and subsequently Christians, worship God the Creator. This sets Christians free to analyze and explore God's creation without fear. It also gives us a responsibility to be good stewards of what God has given us dominion over.

Samuel Morse, inventor of the electric telegraph (Morse code), was the son of a Calvinist minister. Isaac Newton saw God as the master creator whose existence could not be denied in the face of the grandeur of all creation. Christopher Columbus, the explorer, showed a keen interest in the Bible and biblical prophecies throughout his entire life. There are many other such individuals.

May each and every one of us do our part to make our planet earth a better place to live. We can help by recycling, volunteering on a road clean-up crew, fixing and re-using material items, and buying environmentally friendly products, and so on.

Prayer: God of our past, present, and future, we ask that You would continue to inspire us with Your goodness and love. Fill us with Your wisdom and grant us ideas. With Your help, we will be able to bring science fiction ideas to reality and aid in healing our planet. Amen.