"Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.' God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day." -Genesis 1.20-23
Creation continues, God continues to speak and the words of His mouth continue to be obeyed. The earth is full of plants, the sky is full of stars, and day five, God fills the sea and the air with fish and birds. Each one is unique, and the creation of the first animals shows God infinite creativity.
I did a quick google search, and there are nearly 10,000 known species of birds in the world, that doesn't include all of the extinct varieties, or the ones deep in the rain forest that no one has discovered. God said "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures", this goes beyond fish. Whales, shellfish, turtles, krill, sea horses, even the microbes. There are over 17,000 species living in the depths of the oceans where no light reaches, and in a single liter of sea water there are 38,000 different microbes. Estimates greatly vary, but some experts say that the most explored region of the oceans, the coast to 65 feet deep, could contain up to ten million different species.* And all of these originated from a few words from the mouth of God.
During the summer, put out a bird feeder and look at the variety of birds that show up in your own backyard (no the brown fluffy thing with the bushy tail doesn't count). Do a google image search of fish, if that doesn't blow your mind, try searching tropical fish, or sea life. And remember, that the pictures available only show the ones we're aware of.
God is infinitely creative. The life contained in the sky and the oceans of our own planet show that. If you need further convincing, go back one day of creation, and do a google image search of the universe, or two days back and search flowers. Everything on this planet originated from the mouth of God. The gentle sound of water falling over rocks and the booming clap of thunder. The brilliant flash of lighting and the breathtaking colors of a sunset. The scent of a rose and the taste of strawberries. The way gills of a fish work and how birds are able to fly. All of these amazing things came from the words spoken by God who is infinitely creative.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://ocean.si.edu/census-marine-life
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Purpose
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day." -Genesis 1.14-19
As creation progresses, God continues to bring order and to show his authority. He has made light, and now He contains it in a source. He makes the sun, the moon, and the stars, and in doing so, He creates the seasons and years with the earths revolution around the sun, days with the earths rotation on it's axis. He makes these lights to illuminate the earth, the sun fully by day, and the moon and starts partially by night, so that darkness will never dominate.
With the fourth day of creation, we see that God makes everything with a purpose. The earth rotates so that days occur. If the earth did not rotate, one side would be a scorching desert, while the other would be a dark frozen wasteland. The moon is created, and we now know that it reflects light from the sun, to give light at night. The stars are there, and by them people can navigate where they are in the world. There is a point to everything in creation, and ultimately that point is to glorify God.
Louie Giglio gave two talks years ago, Indescribable* and How Great is our God**, and in them he talks about the stars, and how they exist to give God glory. In the beginning, God said "Let there be light" and there was light. It came from the mouth of God, and Revelation 21 and 22 tells us that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates the inhabitants of the city. The sun, moon, and stars, serve as a reminder of God. They are not God, and they should not be worshiped, prayed to, or sought for the future, but as God's creation, they reveal and remind us of who God is. The sun gives light, warmth and comfort. At the same time it is powerful and dangerous, too long under it's rays, and your skin will burn. The moon gives light to the darkness by gently reflecting the light of the sun. The stars remain constant and can lead a lost sailor or traveler home. God is warm and comforting, but He is also powerful and dangerous. God is gentle, reaching into the darkness, and God is constant and unchanging.
The Sun, the moon, and the stars, declare the glory of God. That is their purpose.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvNs8IrfKWk
**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFFc20_Ub4
As creation progresses, God continues to bring order and to show his authority. He has made light, and now He contains it in a source. He makes the sun, the moon, and the stars, and in doing so, He creates the seasons and years with the earths revolution around the sun, days with the earths rotation on it's axis. He makes these lights to illuminate the earth, the sun fully by day, and the moon and starts partially by night, so that darkness will never dominate.
With the fourth day of creation, we see that God makes everything with a purpose. The earth rotates so that days occur. If the earth did not rotate, one side would be a scorching desert, while the other would be a dark frozen wasteland. The moon is created, and we now know that it reflects light from the sun, to give light at night. The stars are there, and by them people can navigate where they are in the world. There is a point to everything in creation, and ultimately that point is to glorify God.
Louie Giglio gave two talks years ago, Indescribable* and How Great is our God**, and in them he talks about the stars, and how they exist to give God glory. In the beginning, God said "Let there be light" and there was light. It came from the mouth of God, and Revelation 21 and 22 tells us that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates the inhabitants of the city. The sun, moon, and stars, serve as a reminder of God. They are not God, and they should not be worshiped, prayed to, or sought for the future, but as God's creation, they reveal and remind us of who God is. The sun gives light, warmth and comfort. At the same time it is powerful and dangerous, too long under it's rays, and your skin will burn. The moon gives light to the darkness by gently reflecting the light of the sun. The stars remain constant and can lead a lost sailor or traveler home. God is warm and comforting, but He is also powerful and dangerous. God is gentle, reaching into the darkness, and God is constant and unchanging.
The Sun, the moon, and the stars, declare the glory of God. That is their purpose.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvNs8IrfKWk
**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFFc20_Ub4
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Life
"Then God said, 'Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them'; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day." -Genesis 1.9-13
As the creation progresses, God continues to bring order and show His authority, and the use of His authority continues to bring about greater and more complex things. The second day of creation God separates the waters, making the sky, and at the beginning of day three He commands the waters to be gathered into a place and for dry land to appear. At His command the waters become seas, and for the first time the continents appear on the earth. But that isn't where God stops.
Once there is dry land, God begins to fill it. He commands vegetation, plants and fruit trees to come forth and it happens. Think of the creativity this shows. God simply said vegetation, plants, and fruit trees. He doesn't specify anything, but from the words of His mouth come apples and oranges, raspberries and blue berries, plums and peaches. At a single word, oaks, pines, and maples appear, along with cacti and palm trees. Roses and lilies, tomatoes and green beans, all of them come from the mouth of God.
Over the past few years I've really gotten into gardening, and as I have, I've noticed something about this passage that I hadn't before. God does not simply create the plants, but plants the produce seeds. He creates a way for life to continue and spread. I once heard the question, "How many apples are in an apple seed?" Within a single seed is the potential for a tree, and that one tree has the potential to produce countless apples over decades, maybe centuries. Within each apple are more seeds, each one containing a tree that will produce countless apples. That was God's design, ongoing life.
When God creates life, He does it in a way that allows that life to create more life. Death and barrenness are not part of His design. God is a god of life.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
As the creation progresses, God continues to bring order and show His authority, and the use of His authority continues to bring about greater and more complex things. The second day of creation God separates the waters, making the sky, and at the beginning of day three He commands the waters to be gathered into a place and for dry land to appear. At His command the waters become seas, and for the first time the continents appear on the earth. But that isn't where God stops.
Once there is dry land, God begins to fill it. He commands vegetation, plants and fruit trees to come forth and it happens. Think of the creativity this shows. God simply said vegetation, plants, and fruit trees. He doesn't specify anything, but from the words of His mouth come apples and oranges, raspberries and blue berries, plums and peaches. At a single word, oaks, pines, and maples appear, along with cacti and palm trees. Roses and lilies, tomatoes and green beans, all of them come from the mouth of God.
Over the past few years I've really gotten into gardening, and as I have, I've noticed something about this passage that I hadn't before. God does not simply create the plants, but plants the produce seeds. He creates a way for life to continue and spread. I once heard the question, "How many apples are in an apple seed?" Within a single seed is the potential for a tree, and that one tree has the potential to produce countless apples over decades, maybe centuries. Within each apple are more seeds, each one containing a tree that will produce countless apples. That was God's design, ongoing life.
When God creates life, He does it in a way that allows that life to create more life. Death and barrenness are not part of His design. God is a god of life.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Authority
"Then God said, 'Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.' God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day." -Genesis 1.6-8
Then God said... and it was so. God speaks, and what He says happens. Without question or hesitation, God's commands are obeyed, even by the water and sky. That is authority. God commands the universe with His voice, and what He says is accomplished by inanimate objects. His words bring everything out of nothing. By His authority chaos is brought to order, light fills the darkness.
The reality of who God is should put us flat on our faces, in reverent humility of His absolute authority, and yet we arrogantly defy Him. Psalm 19.1 says, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." I'm looking through the window at the sky, it's clear and a bright shade of blue at the moment. God spoke and it was made, I can't even command the window to open. Who am I before God? Who are you?
Let us never forget that the absolute and ultimate authority belongs to God. When He speaks, what He says happens exactly as He says it. His will is perfectly accomplished.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Then God said... and it was so. God speaks, and what He says happens. Without question or hesitation, God's commands are obeyed, even by the water and sky. That is authority. God commands the universe with His voice, and what He says is accomplished by inanimate objects. His words bring everything out of nothing. By His authority chaos is brought to order, light fills the darkness.
The reality of who God is should put us flat on our faces, in reverent humility of His absolute authority, and yet we arrogantly defy Him. Psalm 19.1 says, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." I'm looking through the window at the sky, it's clear and a bright shade of blue at the moment. God spoke and it was made, I can't even command the window to open. Who am I before God? Who are you?
Let us never forget that the absolute and ultimate authority belongs to God. When He speaks, what He says happens exactly as He says it. His will is perfectly accomplished.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, September 26, 2016
Order
"Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day." -Genesis 1.3-5
God is moving in the silent darkness, and then He breaks the silence with the words that set everything into motion, "Let there be light". Immediately the darkness is banished as light comes from the mouth of God. For the first time the world is visible. For the first time the world feels warmth. God speaks, and something happens. He looks at what He has made and see that it is good. And then he brings order.
God does not destroy the darkness, because at this point everything is good, functioning as it was supposed to. He separates the light and the darkness, creating day and night. He creates a time to work, and a time to rest. God creates order at the beginning of His creation. God is not chaotic or random. Everything He does is intentional and with purpose. There are no accidents with God. God is a god of order.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God is moving in the silent darkness, and then He breaks the silence with the words that set everything into motion, "Let there be light". Immediately the darkness is banished as light comes from the mouth of God. For the first time the world is visible. For the first time the world feels warmth. God speaks, and something happens. He looks at what He has made and see that it is good. And then he brings order.
God does not destroy the darkness, because at this point everything is good, functioning as it was supposed to. He separates the light and the darkness, creating day and night. He creates a time to work, and a time to rest. God creates order at the beginning of His creation. God is not chaotic or random. Everything He does is intentional and with purpose. There are no accidents with God. God is a god of order.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Friday, September 23, 2016
Present
"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." -Genesis 1.2
Chaos, that is the picture of Genesis 1.2. The earth has no form, and it is void and empty. It is dark, cold, and silent. There is no land, no light, no birds singing, and no tress from them to sing from. It sounds miserable and honestly, a bit frightening. And yet, we see that God is there, and He is active. In the midst of the chaos, God is present, and He is moving over the surface of the deep.
God is present in the chaos, always. For my undergraduate degree I took a class on Job and Psalms, and the biggest thing I took from the class is that God's silence is not equivalent to His absence. At this point in the creation narrative, God has not yet spoken. He has been silent, allowing the darkness and chaos to rule, but He is not absent, and He is not stagnant. He is there, and He is moving.
It is so easy to feel that God is not present when things are difficult and uncertain. When God does not answer prayer it is so easy to feel that He hasn't noticed or doesn't care. But the Bible shows us here, that even in the darkest moment, before light had ever been created, God was there. The darkness does not chase Him away, the silent void does not incapacitate Him. In the midst of chaos, God is always present.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Chaos, that is the picture of Genesis 1.2. The earth has no form, and it is void and empty. It is dark, cold, and silent. There is no land, no light, no birds singing, and no tress from them to sing from. It sounds miserable and honestly, a bit frightening. And yet, we see that God is there, and He is active. In the midst of the chaos, God is present, and He is moving over the surface of the deep.
God is present in the chaos, always. For my undergraduate degree I took a class on Job and Psalms, and the biggest thing I took from the class is that God's silence is not equivalent to His absence. At this point in the creation narrative, God has not yet spoken. He has been silent, allowing the darkness and chaos to rule, but He is not absent, and He is not stagnant. He is there, and He is moving.
It is so easy to feel that God is not present when things are difficult and uncertain. When God does not answer prayer it is so easy to feel that He hasn't noticed or doesn't care. But the Bible shows us here, that even in the darkest moment, before light had ever been created, God was there. The darkness does not chase Him away, the silent void does not incapacitate Him. In the midst of chaos, God is always present.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Beginning
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." -Genesis 1.1
I've heard the debate for so long, young earth vs. old earth. Science says this, faith leads this way. It's one of those arguments that seems like a big deal because the truth, or reliability, of the Bible over science seems to hang on nailing down a date for when all of this started. Christians use the Bible to piece together a timeline and come to the young earth mindset, but science says this dinosaur fossil is 65 million years old. I've heard the theories proposed to reconcile the two opposing views, and I even reached out to one of the most brilliant Biblical minds I have the privilege of knowing, asking his thoughts on one particular theory. His response, "I don't think the Bible provides support for any of the theories. It is theological document, not concerned with our scientific questions. Even in Gen 1 the writer utilizes his knowledge of the world in his description of God as the creator of everything visible and invisible to us. I think it gives us a pattern for us to follow. Could we do the same today?"
The Bible doesn't tell us when the beginning was, because it doesn't matter. The time is not important, the Who is. What matters is not how long ago the creation took place, but who made it happen. Whenever the beginning was, God created the heavens and the earth. God is the one who began time, setting the universe into motion. Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is eternal, existing before everything, and bringing everything into existence. It shouldn't shake your faith when science says, "The universe is 13.8 billion years old"* because if that is the truth, it just means that 13.8 billion years ago, God decided to create everything.
It does not matter how old I believe the universe is. What matters is what I believe about it's originator. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created. That is what matters. The focus is not on me being able to argue that my timeline is correct for these reasons, but that when everything began, when this amazing creation came into being, God was there making it all happen.
The Bible tells us who the creator is, God. The Bible tells us that God existed before the creation. These are the things that matter. God is eternal, and God is all powerful. The universe exists because God created it.
Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is the eternal creator.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
*http://www.space.com/24054-how-old-is-the-universe.html
I've heard the debate for so long, young earth vs. old earth. Science says this, faith leads this way. It's one of those arguments that seems like a big deal because the truth, or reliability, of the Bible over science seems to hang on nailing down a date for when all of this started. Christians use the Bible to piece together a timeline and come to the young earth mindset, but science says this dinosaur fossil is 65 million years old. I've heard the theories proposed to reconcile the two opposing views, and I even reached out to one of the most brilliant Biblical minds I have the privilege of knowing, asking his thoughts on one particular theory. His response, "I don't think the Bible provides support for any of the theories. It is theological document, not concerned with our scientific questions. Even in Gen 1 the writer utilizes his knowledge of the world in his description of God as the creator of everything visible and invisible to us. I think it gives us a pattern for us to follow. Could we do the same today?"
The Bible doesn't tell us when the beginning was, because it doesn't matter. The time is not important, the Who is. What matters is not how long ago the creation took place, but who made it happen. Whenever the beginning was, God created the heavens and the earth. God is the one who began time, setting the universe into motion. Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is eternal, existing before everything, and bringing everything into existence. It shouldn't shake your faith when science says, "The universe is 13.8 billion years old"* because if that is the truth, it just means that 13.8 billion years ago, God decided to create everything.
It does not matter how old I believe the universe is. What matters is what I believe about it's originator. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created. That is what matters. The focus is not on me being able to argue that my timeline is correct for these reasons, but that when everything began, when this amazing creation came into being, God was there making it all happen.
The Bible tells us who the creator is, God. The Bible tells us that God existed before the creation. These are the things that matter. God is eternal, and God is all powerful. The universe exists because God created it.
Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is the eternal creator.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
*http://www.space.com/24054-how-old-is-the-universe.html
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
The Subject
I've started this post close to half a dozen times this morning. It's been a while since I've written, and to be completely honest I think a lot of my writing to this point has lacked proper focus. When I started this blog it was with the desire to reach the hearts of men, and help them to see and understand who God had created them to be. As I have reflected back over the past few weeks, I feel that focus was incorrect. We are not the point, and our destiny is not the ultimate goal. The Bible is not a moral compass, a field guide to getting through life. It is not science or history. The Bible is a theology book, and the subject is given in the very first sentence.
"In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth."
The subject of the Bible is God. The point of life is to come to know Him so that we may glorify Him. His desire is for us to know Him, so much so that He became man in the person of Jesus to show us what He is like, and left us hundreds of pages telling us who He is.
I've lost focus in my life. How many blogs have I written, how many sermons have I preached, how many studies have I led that were focused on getting people to live better lives, striving to do more or be more righteous? How much time have I wasted in pursuit of good things, neglecting the best thing?
Paul said in Philippians 3.7-11, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
The subject of life is God, and our goal must be to know Him. I want to want to know Him more. I don't want to write, or teach anything that does not help people to know God better. I don't want any focus other than Him.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
"In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth."
The subject of the Bible is God. The point of life is to come to know Him so that we may glorify Him. His desire is for us to know Him, so much so that He became man in the person of Jesus to show us what He is like, and left us hundreds of pages telling us who He is.
I've lost focus in my life. How many blogs have I written, how many sermons have I preached, how many studies have I led that were focused on getting people to live better lives, striving to do more or be more righteous? How much time have I wasted in pursuit of good things, neglecting the best thing?
Paul said in Philippians 3.7-11, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
The subject of life is God, and our goal must be to know Him. I want to want to know Him more. I don't want to write, or teach anything that does not help people to know God better. I don't want any focus other than Him.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
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