August 2024 - Creation Beckons

Not As It Appears

2 Corinthians 4:18 Not As It Appears

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (NIV).

At first glance, this appears to be a springtime picture of a tree or bush covered with beautiful white blossoms. Well, I took this picture during a rare snowfall in Tucson, and all the white stuff is snow. So, in this case what is seen is very temporary. The snow melted within a few hours. What is unseen, the twigs covered by snow, are certainly not eternal, but they will last longer than the snow.

I have two applications for this Scripture. First, If we are to live by faith, we must be able to take our eyes off what we see and put them on what God has promised. That is often not easy to do. The car payment is due tomorrow, but the bank account is empty and payday isn’t due for a week and a half. It’s not easy to see the car payment made on time. The most extreme circumstance I had of this kind involved my wife who was in intensive care. I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the room. At least four or five people were working feverishly on her, and numerous tubes and several machines were attached to her body. I felt like they had let me come in so I could say goodbye. My heart hit the floor, and my spirit cried out to God. She soon stabilized enough that the medical personnel seemed to slow down and give a sigh of relief. In my prayers that night God asked me to put her in His hands. After a while, I did, and He assured me that He would take care of her and give her back to me. I was able to see not what I had seen but what He showed me, my wife healed. She left intensive care about twelve days later.

The second application is not as dramatic, but it is important. In this world, we need to be careful that we are not deceived. Not all that looks good or sounds good is actually of God, but may be from the deceiver. Deceit is his major tool, so we have to be careful to be constantly checking God’s Word to determine the source and the “goodness” or “badness” of what we hear.

The Abundant Life

John 10:10 The Abundant Life

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (NIV).

Even in the desert, we have abundant life, and in a saguaro cactus, we have abundant life. Near Tucson there are large abundant stands of saguaro cactus, and this particular one exhibits the trait of abundance well with the large number of arms. What little rain that falls is collected and stored in the arms of the Saguaro and other cacti. After a good rain, the cacti are plump, and when the rains are far apart, the arms of the saguaro and the paddles of the prickly pear get visibly smaller. Somehow, they seem to be able to hold enough to last until the next rain. I think that was planned by the same God who created all of this in the first place.

If there is evidence of abundance in the desert, how much more should abundance be evident in our lives and in the life of the Church. Perhaps we should take a clue from the cacti and drink in all of God’s blessings we can get whenever we gather together as His children. It seems like His blessings flow in greater abundance when our praise and thankfulness are in abundance, whether it be corporately in a church gathering or in our one-on-one time with our Lord. He has provided for abundance as a gift, but like all gifts, it must be received. If we showed our desire to receive the blessings of God to the extent that God shows His desire to give them, the world would have to take notice. The greatest compliment that we can receive, and the only compliment we desire from this world, is when someone says, “I want the peace and joy you have. How can I get it?” By sharing the love of God and demonstrating the peace and joy we receive from Him, we open the opportunity to share God’s message of salvation. That’s when we let the Holy Spirit take over and speak the words that need to be said. Our actions and our lives are the gateways into the realm of the spoken word, and when we let the Holy Spirit speak, we know that the message is spoken with love and grace. It appears that one of the best ways to spread the Good News is to live the life of abundance that God provides.

Steady and Trustworthy

Colossians 3:23,24 Steady and Trustworthy

“Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ” (NLT).

The plant in the center of the picture can be easily overlooked. It is not particularly bright or showy in appearance, but it does add a certain beauty to the section of the garden in which it is growing. But you have to stop to look at it to appreciate it. Fortunately, there are many Christians just like that in our churches, and they form the solid glue that holds the congregation together. They don’t stand out. They don’t demand attention, and they don’t detract from the attention given others. It’s not that they are “just there” because they do much more. They spend time greeting newcomers. They greet and speak with many regular attenders at every service. The joy of the Lord is visible on their faces as they sing His praises. They are attentive to the sermon, and they are able to discuss it even the following Saturday. They are a little like the bread in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Like the bread in the PB and J sandwich, they provide the solid substance that holds the whole thing together. Thank you for being one of these special people. Although not much is said about your presence or of your normal church activity, you and your witness are important and appreciated. Just by being there and doing what you do every week, you help the church draw closer together, and the Lord appreciates your service. He is preparing a reward for you, an inheritance, that is yours for all eternity.

Like A Child

Luke 18:17 Like A Child

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (NIV).

Jesus was with His disciples, and mothers were bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus. The disciples got annoyed at the frequent interruptions and tried to move the women and children out of the way. Jesus took the opportunity to tell us how we must receive His act of sacrifice and enter into eternal life. I’ve read this passage many times, but today the Lord stopped me and insisted that I meditate upon it. The Lord may have not shown me anything new, but He made me realize that this description had better apply to me if my desire is to be a joyful, blessed citizen of His kingdom. Little children accept new things with joy and excitement. They “jump right in.” They don’t question what their parents offer them but rather accept it as “gospel truth,” which is an appropriate way to accept the kingdom of God. It is not until children get older that they learn from us to doubt, to question, and to reject many good things. If a mother tells her daughter that she will get a new doll for Christmas, the daughter expects a new doll. She knows she will get one. I need to accept the kingdom of God with great joy, excitement, no doubts, no questioning, and no “but what if” statements. “Jesus said it. I believe it, and that settles it for me.” I’m not sure I adequately expressed the effect God’s insistence that I meditate on this verse has had on me, but it has been profound. I hope I’ve helped you to have a complete childlike acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice and His assurance of eternity with Him.

Set Apart

Romans 12:2 Set Apart

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you” (TLB).

The flower certainly stands out from the background. It is unique in the picture, being obvious to the viewer. God is calling us to be just that distinct from the world, from the hate, the anger, the bitterness, the lack of boundaries, the dark and sinister view of life, the hopelessness that this world presents. Oh, I know that this world claims to be enlightened. That’s exactly what satan told Adam and Eve, that they would be enlightened and know what God knows. Once they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, things went downhill, and it’s been a slippery slope since then. A long list of “unthinkable” changes have become common place. The differences are becoming more and more easy to see, and we are called to stand firm and remain the salt and light in this age. If we want to know if something is wrong according to our Lord, we need to read His Word and speak to Him in prayer. We have been given a guidebook that shows the goodness of God and provides footsteps to follow. Following in His footsteps guarantees buffeting from all sides in this world amid blessings from Him. The road is a difficult one, but it is one that leads to eternal rewards. It is time to choose to purposely make ourselves stand out from the insidious darkness of satan’s domain.

Now Is the Right Time

2 Corinthians 6:2 Now Is the Right Time

“For God said, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.’ “ (NLT).

It may not be the most beautiful picture ever taken of Multnomah Falls, but it is special to me. It was a foggy, misty, rainy morning, and it was my chance to get pictures of Mulnomah Falls, pictures I had been looking forward to taking for fifty-six years. I was disappointed by the misty conditions, but it turned out to be a rare photograph. I didn’t realize it until I showed the picture to my son, who said,
“How did you get that picture with no-one on the bridge?” Then I realized that even while we were there there was almost no time when the bridge was empty. It was “at just the right time.” I was blessed to have been there at just the right moment, a very small moment in time.

There’s a big difference between the “right time” for me with this photograph and the “right time” mentioned in the Scriptue verse above. I “just happened” to pick the right time to activate the shutter. I’m sure there was no other right time that day to take this picture. The Scripture verse says, “Today is the day of salvation.” That was true the day that it was written by Paul two thousand years ago, but that was not, and is not, the only “Day of Salvation.” God first extended salvation on the day that Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, and every day since then has been the “Day of Salvation,” and every day until Jesus returns to call His church home will be the “Day of Salvation.” So, the day is now, the opportunity is now, to accept Jesus as Savior and claim your ticket for eternal life with Him and me and many, many other rejoicing Christians in heaven. He is preparing a place for you. Be sure you claim it!

Go with God and Rest

Mark 6:31 Go with God and Rest

“Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them. ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’ ” (NIV).

In the past week we felt the busyness that Jesus described to His disciples, although others weren’t coming and going, we were constantly on the go with many tasks that needed to be completed in a short period of time. Needless to say, we were exhausted. We needed to “Come away with Jesus, and He will give us rest.” Even when Jesus spoke those words to His disciples, they did not have a long time to rest, but a short time alone with Jesus can wipe away the exhaustion and reinvigorate the most tired. There is a way to make the time particularly restful and refreshing, and make us ready to re-engage with the world. I suggest taking the time to find a place where interruptions are excluded and then pour out your heart–all of it, the problems, the concerns, and the feelings of hopelessness. Then, sit and listen for His still small voice. Sit and feel His arms surround you. Look up and see Him sitting on His throne reaching His hand to you. Hear Him say, “I love you.” It may take some time to calm yourself enough to experience His peace, but the time will be worth it. Jesus is always ready, willing, and able to spend alone time with us. Just call Him. I guarantee that you will not get a busy signal, that He will listen attentively to what you have to say, and that He will answer you.

God Has Dealt Bountifully with Me

Psalm 13:6 God Has Dealt Bountifully with Me

“I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (NKJV)

This picture gives me a definition of “bountiful.” There are ferns as far as the eye can see, but if you worked really hard, and paid very close attention to what you were doing, I suppose you could count them all. David speaks of God dealing bountifully with him, and I know He deals bountifully with me. I’m not sure I could count all the blessings God has given me, but I’m sure the word “bountiful” is appropriate. If I thought hard and long, maybe I could count all the blessings God has given me. Wait a minute; who am I kidding? The longer I think, the more I realize that I can’t remember them all. I’m not even sure that I am aware of all the blessings God has given me. But, I think it would be time well spent for me to think hard and long about all the blessings I have received from God. Thank you, Lord, for dealing bountifully with me.

Spread Out and Spread the Word

Mark 16:15 Spread Out and Spread the Word

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (NIV).

Rivers are beautiful, and they can be majestic in their size, flow rate, and power. Sitting beside a river and watching it flow can be an energizing, as well as relaxing, experience. Watching a river flow is something I greatly enjoy. To physically partake of the river, to get wet, one must put his hand or other part of the body in the flow. But if one stands near a waterfall, he can partake, get wet, without any effort of his own. The spray of the river spread out, separated into its individual particles, can immerse anyone standing close.

I believe the same to be true of the Church. Watching a strong God-fearing and God-loving church can be invigorating, but to take part in the activity, a person needs to make the effort to join the action. God, in Mark 16:15, has asked us, the Church, to reach out, to go beyond the walls of the church building. He asks us to move into society with His love and not to wait for them to ask to join us. We are to be as the water droplets of a waterfall–reach out and touch them with His love and presence. A waterfall affects many more people than a flowing river does. It spreads out to make everybody near it wet. That’s what we are told to do–spread out and splash the love of God, the love of Jesus Christ on to all those we meet. It’s more fun to be part of a waterfall than it is to be a part of a flowing river. Let’s get excited and splash all we meet, and sometimes even those just passing by.

Grow As the Son Shines

2 Peter 1:5-8 Grow As the Son Shines

“For this very reason, make very effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).

Sunrise in the Grand Canyon on a hazy day—the sunlight kind of creeps in across the landscape and eventually drives the haze away making for a bright clear day. As the sunrise ages and grows, there is beauty throughout the process. This incremental process brightens until the entire landscape is bathed in sunshine.

We can compare our growth in Christ to the sunrise in that we continue to grow as we learn, and the growth is a process, as the verse above indicates. None of us are greatly effective and productive the moment we accept Jesus as Lord. We may have much to learn, and there is beauty in every step we take toward the goal of becoming like Christ. I think I can also say that none of us are ever fully grown in Him here on earth, but as we grow in Him, we increase in beauty, and, as the Scripture implies, we become more and more effective and productive. I’m not sure that Peter meant the above list to be strictly in the order presented. I hope I don’t have to go through faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness before I can show mutual affection and love to my fellow believers. Perhaps after progressing through the entire list, my love for my fellow believers and for the lost as well, becomes deeper and more burning in my heart.

I know that there are times when I have forgotten some things I have learned in this list and need to go back to reacquaint myself with the particulars of each area of growth. I do know that moving through the list can be daunting even though it is necessary. Each quality listed adds blessings to our lives and improves our attitudes and actions toward others.

Lord, please let me know when I need a review of these qualities and guide me through the relearning I need.