Look around

 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20)

When you consider all the wonders in nature and the beauty all around us, it is almost impossible to deny the existence of God, but some still do. Why? There is this innate desire to 'explain away' the things we don't understand - the things that are very hard to wrap our heads around. So, we deny the existence of a higher power and say all that is around us is the result of some big bang - it just evolved that way. I have t ask - if it just 'evolved', who put it there in the first place with the capability to 'evolve'?

Like it or not, the 'invisible qualities' of God are all around us. We cannot escape the fact that heaven and earth exists and there must be a way it all came together. The more we consider the sheer miracle of all things working together, the more we must consider there is a creator of it all. There is no excuse for anyone not being exposed to the Creator of the Universe - they merely need to look around to see him. If creation was enough to reveal God to us, how is it he gave us his Word, sent his Son, and continues to speak to us through his Holy Spirit?

Perhaps we need to see (creation), hear (the Word of God and the life of Jesus on earth), and feel (the ministry of the Holy Spirit prompting us). God made us 'multi-faceted' in that we have emotions, the power of rational thinking, and even the capacity to interact with each other and the things around us. He ministers to us in all the ways we are capable of knowing him. Now, that tells me we have a Creator that didn't leave things to chance and continues to reach out for those he has created. Just saying!

The mystery at work

It was Dickens who reminded us that, "the whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists." (Charles Dickens) The 'created thing' is loved before it even exists - think on that one a little bit and you might just begin to feel a little differently about yourself. In fact, when you realize that God saw you fully formed, created you specifically for his purposes, and enjoyed you even before he created you - that is the beginning of wisdom! We may not fully understand how he sees each of us, but we can stand assured that he sees us as we are often incapable of seeing ourselves.

Just as you’ll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, So you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 MSG)

What is the 'all that God does' in your life? This is a pretty open-ended question, but I really must ask it this morning because it may just be that you and I are not entirely certain God has been at work at all within us! We have fallen too many times, doing the wrong things over and over again, and then we get all wigged out over stuff we shouldn't have even been engaged in at all. We might think there is just too much water under the bridge to ever 'come back' from wherever we are at the moment. We could even imagine God isn't interested in this beat up, broken down life of ours - made all the worse for the wear because of all the junk we have put it through. Regardless of where we have been, how many times we have fallen, or whatever 'stuff' has drug us down into the mire, God sees us as he has always seen us - his perfect and totally loved creation.

I have studied the process of human conception, recognizing the coming together of ova and sperm, the division of cells one after another at what is sometimes an astronomical pace, but I still marvel at how little we know about how life 'comes together' in the womb. The process is nothing short of a miracle. The mystery at work in all that God does is most certainly the result of his loving care over all he does. His 'design work' isn't limited to a cookie-cutter creation - it is uniquely different in each of us. We might think we aren't as 'good' as the one we admire or look up to as a role model, but trust me on this one - God didn't design that individual with any more care than he has taken in designing you! There is no 'difference' in his love for us - even though there is a 'difference' in the color of our hair, tone of our skin, or shape of our body. His 'total care' is the same for each of us.

What is the 'mystery at work' in what God is doing in your life today? If you don't know, then maybe it is time to ask him yourself. God isn't put off by that question - he doesn't think we are questioning his love or challenging his authority. He is genuinely interested in us being interested in what it is he sees in us, and in fulfilling the specific purpose he has created us to fulfill. Even the most 'insignificant' life in this world's eyes is a much treasured life in the eyes of God. He has created each life with a purpose and the mystery at work in each life begins and ends in him! Just sayin!

Transfer of Ownership

Cyber Monday has become a great 'feast' of bargains for many. Those "prime" days for internet shoppers on one well-known site draw in millions to hunt for that super deal of some sort. Even if they don't need it, shoppers are lulled into a shopping frenzy. The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally called "Black Friday" - the beginning of the bargains that kick off the season of Christmas shopping. Thousands will wake earlier than usual, down a quick breakfast, then charge head-long into the hoards of holiday shoppers just looking for the next great "buy". There is one "great buy" that has already been acquired for us - one that we cannot find or purchase on our own regardless of how hard we try to find it - it is our salvation.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

We are bought at a price - the price of the cross - not a 'great deal' or 'true bargain' for the one who paid the price, but something we could never pay no matter how hard we tried. God has provided the greatest gift of all - not so that we can squander it anyway we please - but so that we can honor him with the transformation of our lives as a result of that received gift. We are no longer our own to do with as we please - we serve a higher purpose after receiving this gift of Christ - the purpose of the gift was to make a way for us to serve a holy God with a holy life. We are purchased at a price that we could never afford to pay. When something is purchased it is no long the property of the one who formerly owned that thing. When we buy that shirt from the storekeeper, it becomes ours to wear and place on the display of our bodies instead of the store's mannequin. When the exchange of that "property" takes place, there is a surrendering of the rights of ownership of that "property".

That which is purchased has had a price paid - there has been a sacrifice of payment that paid the exact price that was owed for that which was purchased. That is what Christ's sacrifice did for us - paid the exact price owed for our sin - redeeming us from the coldness of being somewhat like "mannequin dwellers". We are presented as a gift to another - Jesus. You and I are God's special love-gift to his dear Son, Jesus. Purchased specifically for him - to become that which will bring him honor and praise. We are offered to him, no longer slaves to our sin, that we might fellowship with him in the depth of the communion known only by intimate friends. The purchase of our lives has a purpose - bringing honor to God.

The one who possesses the thing that is purchased has the enjoyment of that item. He savors our presence as much as we savor his. There is a change in us that allows us to submit to the one who is now owner of our lives. We call this obedience - not just because we have been purchased - but we have been brought into the full possession of the Son. It is also true that what is owned requires special attention - in order to keep what is possessed in "tip-top" condition. We would be silly to buy something of great value and then leave it out in the elements, rotting in the sun, rain, and winds of the storms that come. We don't place a thing of great value in harm's way - we cherish it, give it a place of honor, and direct our attention to it on a regular basis. So it is with Christ's treatment of his greatest gifts - us. He places us right in the center of his presence, so that we might be given the direct attention we so desperately need. In turn, we bring him honor. He enjoys (delights) in us and we experience the enjoyment of his great delight.

You and I have been invited into the place of being purchased - to be possessed by another - Christ. In that possession comes an exchange of position - being brought into the very presence of a holy God. In that exchange of position comes the privilege of being the object of his affection - his undivided attention. Are you ready? Just askin!

The skies display his craftsmanship...

The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. 

(Psalm 19:1-2 NLT)

Scripture describes the accolades that are raised as Jesus enters Jerusalem just before he is crucified, with throngs of people laying down garments and palm branches to make a pathway for his entrance, all the while calling out praises to God for all the miracles they had been witnesses to as Jesus ministered on this earth. The religious leaders are none too excited Jesus is receiving all this "attention", so they tell him to rebuke these followers for the things they are saying. Jesus simply turns and pointedly says, "If they keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" All of creation is meant to praise the eternal God, even the majestic skies, roaring seas, and soft babbling brooks.

As a kid on hot summer days, I'd find a semi-shaded spot and just "sky gaze" while luxuriating in the coolness of that shade. I'd listen as birds sent their melodious messages from one branch to the other, crickets chirped their incessant songs of impassioned pleas, cicadas buzzed as the busily shed their outer shell of skin, and the occasional breeze rustled the leaves underfoot. As I gazed upward, I noticed something - the skies are never the same. From day to day, the hue of the blue changed and the colors painted at various times of the day were always different. Even the con-trails of the passing airplanes sometimes stretched from one corner to the other, while at others they disappeared into what seemed like "thin air" almost as soon as they were formed. The skies were full of clouds one moment, than clear the next. There was a constancy to the uncertainty of the changes I observed, but a beauty to be found in that "constant change" nonetheless - a beauty that declared the majesty of the Creator indeed.

It should come as no surprise to us that nature even has a way of praising the Creator of all things. The constant lapping of waves on the shore produces a melody of rhythmic praise all its own, while the gently ruffling of the mulberry leaves in the gentle afternoon breezes declare a melody quite unique to them alone. The whispering of the pines and the gurgling of the brooks, each declare some simple, yet profound truth of praise to the one who both created them and sustains them at the same time! All of creation - that includes us - will join in praise one day, bowing before the feet of Jesus and echoing accolades that not only declare what we have seen, but what we have come to know in our hearts - that God exists, rules supreme, and is the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings!

In the meantime, let us never lose sight of the fact God is deserving of our praise - not just because he does miracles in our midst, but because he is the one who both created and sustains us in all things. Yes, those miracles create a sense of awe, but it is the beauty of his creation - the complexity of it all working together - that causes me to praise him. From the complexity of the skies and seas, to the inner-working of the many systems which make up the human body, all declare there is a Creator deserving of praise and worship! Just sayin!

The great design

Charles Eames said, "Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design." He was an American designer made famous during the 50's and 60's. He worked with is wife in a design business, whose mission was to create the first types of furniture which could be "mass produced" in warehouses and sold to the millions. He is also known for saying, "Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose." Sometimes we see all the elements (pieces) in life, but we really cannot break past the mess of the pieces to see the design which those pieces can produce. We might recognize the need for a particular thing to occur, but we just don't know how all the pieces of life we are juggling at the moment all come together to create anything even remotely like what our "condition" demands.

We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. (Romans 8:28 VOICE)

If we look at what Eames said - that the arrangement of the elements can be done in such a way so as to accomplish not just ANY purpose, but a specific purpose - we might just begin to wonder what the "specific" purpose is for these PARTICULAR pieces we are given right now.  God isn't unaware of what those elements are designed to form - the unique way they are to fit together in our lives to create something beautiful, functional, and purposeful within, for, and through us.  Those elements have a purpose within us - maybe to change a fear into a trust, a hope into a motivation, or a desire into a fulfillment.  They also have a purpose for us and that may just be to allow those elements to begin to work in us so that what comes "through" us will be a blessing to others.

I have moved a few times in my life, dreading the endless task of packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking.  Why is it such a drudgery to "start anew" in a new location, a new home, or a new job?  I honestly believe it is the chaos of seeing all the pieces, but not knowing how they will all fit together yet.  As I moved into a new home, for example, all the boxes get stacked in the rooms I "believe" they belong in.  My first move, I simply marked them "Kitchen", "Bedroom", or "Bathroom".  After trying to find a coffee mug for almost an hour going through boxes labeled for the kitchen, the next move included just a little more detail on those boxes!  The furniture gets put in the general space of the room it is intended to go in, but until it all put together in then "placed" into position, it has not really served the purpose for which we placed it there.

We have pieces, but we don't have order to them yet - we have a vision, but we don't know what that design will fully produce.  Good news is - God knows both the design and how to make the pieces fit as they were designed!  Don't we wish that life was as easy as rearranging the furniture to get it to "fit" a room?  Life is way more complicated, though, so I am pretty certain the "designer" of the pieces is much better at fitting them together than I am.  The boxes we move into the various rooms of our new home are capable of being called "pieces", right?  They are labeled that they belong where they have been placed, but not too many of us leave the boxes.  We know their "design" was to house the pieces inside until they had a place to be mounted, displayed, housed, or function.  The box served its purpose, but once the move is over, it no longer belongs.

Sometimes there are pieces of our lives which no longer serve a purpose - things we need to take to the curb, so to speak.  We break down all those packing boxes, placing them in piles to be hauled away by the recycling folks.  We don't leave them in their original form because in order to get rid of them, we have to have them "broken down".  The same is true in our lives - sometimes the pieces we are ready to get rid of must be "broken down" a little so we see they are no longer useful, serving a purpose, and so we can easily move them to the place where we can finally be rid of them!  We recognize the need for something in our lives.  God prepares the design of what will be needed to meet that need.  We allow him to bring the pieces together in such a way the design begins to unfold, then we allow the stuff which no longer fits to be removed so it no longer clutters up the space for that which he has designed! Just sayin!

Pondering the "unknown"

We had hopes of getting rain this past week, with lots of lightening, blowing wind, and very grey skies.  It was almost black in places - with evidence rain was falling in some parts of town in pretty significant quantities.  As I left for work that morning, I saw a beautiful double rainbow - not just pieces of it, but the entire two "bows" of the double beauty.  It was awesome to look upon, and I remember thinking how awesome God was.  It was not a fleeting thought because I continued to see that rainbow off to the west as I made my drive north to the freeway.  The sun was rising in the east, resulting in the most vibrant of colors against that black sky of the west.  It is times like those when we can look at the beauty of what God has created and begin to ponder his greatness.  It also makes me ponder why man is so important to God - why it is he chose to work with such a "feeble" and "fickle" lot as us.  If you stop long enough to appreciate what is around you, you might be wondering why God chose to make humans so important in the scheme of all things created.  This is not a new question - for prophets, priests, and kings have pondered that same question down through the ages.  

I look at the heavens you made with your hands.  I see the moon and the stars you created.  And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?  Why do you even think about them?  Why do you care so much about humans?  Why do you even notice them?”  (Psalm 8:3-4 ERV)

God didn't create humans one day because he wanted a bunch of friends he could "hang out with" on cool summer evenings, or linger with over cool lemonade on a hot summer's day.  Think about it - God already had hundreds and hundreds of angels he could "hang out with" in the heavens - so he didn't just need more "company".  In fact, those angels gave him enough "problems" since Lucifer was an angel in the heavens and managed to take about 1/3 of all the angels into sin with him when he decided to choose his own devices over God's, wanting to be like a god rather than serving the one true God.  So, even with 1/3 of the angels determining their loyalty to be aligned with Lucifer (Satan), God still had 2/3 of the angels worshiping him, doing his every command, and "living large" in his presence.  He had lots of "company".

Man has pondered this question for centuries and I don't think we will ever quite understand the answer to it until we stand face-to-face with God one day.  In the meantime, we can simply stand assured of this one thing - we serve the one who gives breathe to all living things, created everything which is for our benefit, and intentionally gave us the inner ability to choose who it is we will yield our lives to.  It wasn't because he wanted "company", but because he wanted fellowship with those he created in his tremendous love.  Fellowship differs from merely keeping "company" with someone.  In the ability to choose, we have the ability to determine who it is we will serve - fellowship is based on service.  Even if we consider our fellowship with each other, we will find there is a tremendous basis of service to each other which binds us together.  It is more than you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.  It is deep-seated, intimate building up of each other, and exhorting one another into right actions and right motivations.

Fellowship suggests communion - not just "doing" what needs to be done - but deep relationship with each other whereby there is a deep "knowing" of the inner workings of each other.  One day, as Paul was in Athens, he noticed a sign on a statue, alongside many other statues erected to the other "gods" of the lands.  On this statue or altar, he saw these words:  "To an unknown god".  As you may not realize, Athens was known for their great "philosophical" discussions about the "latest ideas" which were emerging in varied fields of study.  There were councils who gathered together - great "thinkers" who pondered this stuff.  One such council was the Areopagus council.  Paul is taken into the council one day, because men hear his teaching and are intrigued by the message that Christ has risen from the grave.  

He begins with:  I found an altar that had these words written on it: ‘ to an unknown god.’ You worship a god that you don’t know. This is the God I want to tell you about. “He is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. He is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples built by human hands.  He is the one who gives people life, breath, and everything else they need. He does not need any help from them. He has everything he needs.  God began by making one man, and from him he made all the different people who live everywhere in the world. He decided exactly when and where they would live. (Acts 17:23-26 ERV) 

He ends with:   “God wanted people to look for him, and perhaps in searching all around for him, they would find him. But he is not far from any of us.  It is through him that we are able to live, to do what we do, and to be who we are. As your own poets have said, ‘We all come from him.’

 “That’s right. We all come from God. So you must not think that he is like something people imagine or make. He is not made of gold, silver, or stone. In the past people did not understand God, and he overlooked this. But now he is telling everyone in the world to change and turn to him. (Acts 17:27-30 ERV)

We can "ponder" this God in the heavens, or we can "know" this God in the depths of our heart, entering into deep relationship with him.  The choice is ours, but the question isn't if we will can understand why we were created, but that he is the Creator.  Just sayin!

Stop to consider

I think we humans sometimes forget just who is in control of this entire universe and who it is who actually holds all things in motion.  We forget that our sphere of control is not really our own - but is something "granted" to us by a loving and caring God.  Lest we get ourselves all puffed up and proud about what it is we do, possess, etc., let us remember it is God who "lets" us rule everything his hands have made!  Sometimes we think it is the other way around - we do all the making and ask God to have a little oversight into the matter!  If we were to be totally honest, we actually have the intelligence we have to create because the Creator gave us that small bit of intelligence we possess!

I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place.  Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans?  Why are you concerned for us weaklings?”  You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.  You let us rule everything your hands have made.  And you put all of it under our power—the sheep and the cattle, and every wild animal, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and all ocean creatures.  (Psalm 8:3-8 CEV)

It is good to step back on occasion to actually consider what it is God has made and how it is we come into possession of what it is we have influence over in our own lives.  You see, although I am a mother of two, I could do nothing to actually cause the miracle of life's creation to occur.  I didn't create my womb, nor did I make the egg which would be fertilized, nor did I dream up the tremendous miracle of cells replicating at astronomical speed.  I "participated" in the birth of my children, but I did not create them, nor do I sustain their lives.  All this is the doing of one much greater than I - God himself!

I enjoy the times I get to be away from the hustle and bustle of my daily work life, often choosing a place to vacation which allows my pace to slow a little and my thoughts to be able to just focus a little on the beauty God has created.  I have enjoyed several trips to Virginia, where I took in many caverns extending deep into the earth, majestic with all the beauty of a crystal cathedral.  I took in the beauty of leaves changing colors, hillsides covered in lush green grass, and wildlife not normally seen from my own backyard view. Yet, even in the sparseness of my most recent trip through the Arizona desert via automobile, I took some time to reflect on the beauty of God in the tiniest of butterflies gently gliding across the roadside, and the prickliness of the tall saguaro cacti, lifting their "arms" toward the sky in what I imagined to be praise to the one who created them!

Equally as important is for us to remember who remains in control, even when we aren't. We often "get out of control" and think the entire universe is crashing in just because we are for a moment in time not able to "maintain".  Keep this in mind, my friends - God made us a "little lower" than himself, crowning us with his glory and honor, but he never made us gods! He still wants us to submit the control of our lives into his hands - just managing what it is he gives us to manage the very best we can - as stewards of his grace and love.

A couple things I would like us to remember today:

1) We have a limited focus, but one which is to bring intent and purpose to our lives. God places us in control of some things in this life, not because he needed help in keeping it all organized, or running smoothly, but because he knows we need purpose and intent to help us experience the value he sees in us.  

2) We don't always see what God sees, but it is good to stop on occasion to just refresh ourselves on just how majestic and totally awesome our God truly is.  Just as we might consider how it is the birds can soar high upon the wind drifts, or how it is the tiny caterpillar makes the cocoon from which it will "hatch" forth a totally different life, we might just consider how it is God elevates us above circumstances beyond our control, or creates something totally different from what our lives seemed to be at one point in time.  In so doing, we are moved to praise and adoration of the one who holds all of creation firmly in his hands.

We don't always "get this" when we are just going about the hustle and bustle of our daily routine, so build in time to reflect from time to time. We need these "seasons" of refreshing and refocusing.  They help us to reconnect with the one who made it all and the one who has a unique purpose in the design of our lives.  Just sayin!