Are you gifted in the prophetic?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Romans 11-12; Psalm 138

TO CHEW ON: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith.” Romans 12:6

When you think of “prophecy” what comes to mind? Are you of the opinion that a prophet is someone who can foretell the future?

Actually, the word “prophecy” in the New Testament doesn’t refer  primarily to predicting the future at all. This definition from my study Bible bears that out:

“Prophecies” - propheteia - means to speak forth. The primary use of the word is not predictive in the sense of foretelling but interpretive, declaring or forth-telling the will and counsel of God” - Dick Mills, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1689.

Artist Rebekah R. Jones (from whom I have learned much about Bible art journaling) also formerly administered a prophetic arts Facebook group (Prophetic Arts for Jesus). In an article on her blog, she explains the connection between art and the prophetic. Her helpful definition of prophecy and its function comes from Seth Dahl’s The ABCDs of Prophecy—a book for children. I quote her (quoting Dahl):

“The reason He (God) wants us to have this gift is because of what prophecy does. Look at what it says in 1 Corinthians 14:3: ‘He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” These lessons will teach your children that “edification” is “to build up,” “exhortation” is “to cheer up,” and “comfort” is “to draw near” - from “Prophecy and the Creative Community”.

Here are links to the three words in a lexicon, so you can check them out for yourself:

edification: oikodome (Strong's #3619)
exhortation - paraklesis  (Strong's #3874)
comfort - paramuthia - (Strong's #3889)

And here’s the 1 Corinthians 14:3 definition of prophecy in the Amplified:

“But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies—who interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching—speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation” - 1 Corinthians 14:3 AMP.

All that to say, I believe we all exercise the gift of prophecy as we build up, cheer up, console, comfort, and encourage each other. And I would submit we can use many means—direct teaching and preaching of course, but also friendship, and the arts (writing, music, the graphic arts) to exercise this gift.

How will you use your prophetic gift today?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as I use my spiritual gifts. Help me to faithfully use the gift of prophecy—speaking the will and counsel of God—using various means to build others up as well as cheer, console, comfort, and encourage them in You. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 138

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Do you know?

Mountain goat kid - Photo from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 38-39; Psalm 145

TO CHEW ON: "Do you know…?" Job 39:1

In His reply to Job, God draws Job's attention to several animals that humans only observe from afar. They have little or no use to mankind and we often don't understand their mysterious ways.

The wild mountain goats go through their cycles of bearing young without any help or attention from people. They even seem heartless in the way they abandon them - Job 39:1-4.

The wild donkeys shun the city and are useless as beasts of burden that would obey and help people - Job 39:5-8.

The wild ox, though strong, is not an animal people would entrust with their precious harvest - Job 39:9-12.

The ostrich is without wisdom. She challenges the horse for speed but doesn't even have the good sense to incubate her eggs in a safe place - Job 39:13-18.

I'm sure we could all come up with similar lists of things about creation that we don't understand. Much of it may be of little use to us and even seem frivolous. For example, what's the point of high alpine meadows filled with summer flowers when there's no one there to see? Why did God create the vast expanse of stars and galaxies or the mysterious creatures of the ocean depths?

However, there is also much we do understand. Modern microscopes, telescopes, and nature cameras have revealed things to us that the people of Job's day had no idea about.  

The wonderful thing is that the more closely we look and drill down, the more (not less) awed we become at our creator God's wisdom, foresight, creativity, and design smarts. It brings us to the place of admitting that there's enough we do understand to be confident of the intelligence and intention of the One behind all the things about creation and life that we don't know.


PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at the intricacy and intelligence that's obvious in creation. Thank You for the beauty, variety, and attention to detail that You gave to created things. I worship you! Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 145

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A sanctified imagination

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Judges 4-5; Psalm 71

TO CHEW ON: "'Thus let all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But let those who love Him be like the sun
When it comes out in full strength.'" Judges 5:31


Judge Deborah was a woman with a vivid imagination. The "Thus..." in the verse above refers to the details of her victory over Sisera as we find them in her song (Judges 5:1-31). This victory ballad is full of imaginative specifics.

She describes the incident of Jael, the tent peg, and the hammer in gory detail (Judges 5:24-27).

She imagines Sisera's mother waiting for her son to return from battle. When he delays, she envisions how this woman and her maids will explain his lateness to themselves:

"Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:
To every man a girl or two;
For Sisera plunder of dyed garments..." (Judges 5:30).

But Deborah's most inspiring use of her imagination is in Judges 4, before she ever had reason to sing that song. Then the situation was still dire. Israel under the thumb of Canaanite King Jabin (and Sisera, his army commander), hadn't seen a ray of hope in twenty years (Judges 4:3). Yet Deborah said to Barak (the commander of Israel's army):

"Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" (Judges 4:14).

Her faith in God fueled her imagination so that she saw the victory before it ever actually happened.

Deborah's use of imagination demonstrates three ways we can use our imaginative ability.

• To communicate the human experience in literature: Her description of Jael's actions is imagination put to use in the service of story and poetry. It is one God-given way we can use our visionary ability.

• To reassure ourselves: Deborah's speculation of how Sisera's mother was handling her son's delay shows how imagination can bolster feelings of well-being. However this kind of imagining can easily disintegrate into worry when we  fuel it with pictures of the bad things that could be happening.

• To affirm our faith: We sanctify our imaginings when we use them in the service of faith like Deborah did. This is building a visionary future on God—His person and promises—and then going into action to make it a reality.

May we have more of the kind of imagination that, ignited by God's promises and fed by faith, sees victory before the battle has even begun.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my imagination. Please help me to fuel it not with fear but with faith in You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 71 

MORE: The gift of imagination

"Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. If you have been bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, it will be one of the greatest assets to faith when the time of trial comes, because your faith and the Spirit of God will work together" - Oswald Chambers, February 12th entry in My Utmost for His Highest.

*************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Company of proclaimers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 13-21; Psalm 68

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord gave the word;
Great was the company of those who proclaimed it." Psalm 68:11

Some verses in the Bible remind me of icebergs—relatively small and seemingly simple. But below the surface they are huge. Psalm 68:11 is one such verse.

It seems a little out of place, sandwiched between words of praise to God and a poetic description of battle. It feels almost like David's thoughts in parenthesis—an aside: 

"The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it."

What word?

We may think of creation. The Genesis account is that—God creating with words: "Then God said 'Let there be light …' Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament…' Then God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered…'" Genesis 1 3,6,9.

Paul writes to the Romans about how this creation communicates or spreads the word about God: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and God head" - Romans 1:20.

But there's more. For word also brings to mind the beautiful passage in John 1 that links creation with Jesus God's Son: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. … All things were made through Him. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" - John 1:1,3,14.

So aspects of word are God's creation and Jesus (including all that He did and is)—two ways we come to know God. They are proclaimed by a company.

Who is that company?

• It is the hosts of heaven—the stars, planets, black holes, galaxies, nebulae - Psalm 33:6.

• It is the hosts of earth - Genesis 2:1.

• It was Israel's leaders like Moses - Numbers 11:24.

• It was individuals like the prophets and apostles - Ezekiel 2:7; Acts 18:9.

• It was a couple of disciples set free from prison by angels - Acts 5:20.

• It was bands of persecuted Christians - Acts 8:4; 1 Peter 4:9.10.

• It was ministers in training - Titus 2:15

• Someday it will be the armies of heaven - Revelation 19:11-14.

• And today it is us, communicating the gospel using the written word (Bible) and our words - Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14; Acts 1:8.

I ask myself, am I being faithful as part of that company of proclaimers? Are you?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the word—Your creative power, Jesus the Word come in the flesh, the words of good news that His life accomplished as recorded in the Bible. Help me to be faithful as part of the company who proclaims this word. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 68

*********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What is "the voice of the LORD" to you?

 "The erection of the Tabernacle and the Sacred vessels"

as in Exodus 40:17-19; from the 1728 Figures de la Bible*

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 35-40; Psalm 29

TO CHEW ON: "The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty." Psalm 29:4

The phrase "The voice of the LORD" repeats seven times in this psalm. In this way David draws our attention to God's (Yahweh's) presence, especially in nature where God's voice is over the waters (recalling the scene of creation), breaks and splinters cedars, divides the flames, shakes the wilderness, and causes the deer to give birth. It truly is a powerful, majestic voice.

The Bible speaks of God's voice in other settings as well. God's voice:

• Filled Adam and Eve with terror after they had sinned - Genesis 3:8.

• Gave Moses instructions for the building of the tabernacle, including who he was to enlist to make these things (Exodus 25-31). Though these Exodus passages don’t describe the sound of God’s voice, the content of His instructions is full of technical detail, precise measurement, the knowledge of how to make things, and how to make them beautiful. (with our reading today describing how all these instructions were carried out.) 

• Spoke "still" and "small" to weary Elijah - 1 Kings 19:12.

• Came to the aid of His people - Isaiah 66:6.

• Gave Ezekiel glimmerings of His glory and majesty - Ezekiel 43:2.

• Vanquished a powerful king - Daniel 4:31.

• Witnessed that Jesus was God the Son - Matthew 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17.

The "voice of God," as David uses it here, is actually a literary device called synecdoche: "A figure of speech in which a part of something indicates the whole" - Poetry Dictionary p. 312. It is similar to metonymy which uses an object associated with something to indicate the whole (e.g. we talk of "crown" when we mean "royalty.").

And so, it is not really God's voice per se that we're talking about but God Himself as we envision and experience Him in various ways.

I ask myself, if I wrote a psalm or poem using synecdoche, what part of God would I choose? His voice, or maybe His hands, or heart, or thoughts, or feet?

If I used His voice, what kind of 'voice of the Lord' poem or paragraph would I write? What about you? In other words, how do we view and how have we experienced God?

Has our view of Him been affected by how our society sees and portrays Him--distant and disinterested? Limited by the evil around us? A prudish potentate who doesn't want us to have any fun? A soft grandfatherly figure who, in the end, will welcome us all into heaven because we've done the best we could?

Or does our view of Him reflect how the Bible portrays Him? Are we open to see and know Him in new biblically based ways?

PRAYER: Dear God, I think my concept of who You are has been affected by my culture and its portrayal of You.  Help me to experience You as the holy, righteous, powerful, majestic, creative, glorious etc. etc. deity of the Bible. Amen.  

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 29

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

* Photo attribution: By illustrators of the 1728 Figures de la Bible, Gerard Hoet (1648–1733) and others, published by P. de Hondt in The Hague in 1728 - http://www.wcg.org/images/b2/_0303160501_038.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9416912

Spirit-filled for arts and crafts

"Bezalel" by James Tissot

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 30-31, Psalm  27

TO CHEW ON: "And I have filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship." Exodus 31:3

This passage contains one of the earliest scriptural references to a person being filled with the Spirit of God. The exciting thing is that it’s for work in the arts and crafts.

We tend to look at the gifted artist or craftsperson as someone with a natural gift or talent not needing outside help. No doubt there was some native talent in Bezalel and Oholiab, the men God told Moses to put in charge of constructing the tabernacle and its accessories. But here we find that in addition to any inherent talent they possessed, God imparted to them extraordinary abilities in three areas:

1. Wisdom: Have you read the instructions for building the tabernacle and furnishings? One would certainly need wisdom to know how to interpret and carry them out.

2. Understanding: I am always amazed by reno and fix-it shows on HGTV. Craftsmen like Mike Holmes understand how to solve complicated structural problems from the inside out. The Holy Spirit gave these men that kind of understanding.


3. Workmanship: God imparted Bezalel and Oholiab the skill to actually do the work – to carve the almond blossoms and pomegranates, to cast the rings and the cherubim, to fit the pieces together and overlay them with gold.

 "The Tailor" by James Tissot

I find myself readily asking for the Holy Spirit’s infilling when it comes to “spiritual” things. But doesn’t this passage indicate we can also ask for His infilling when our assignment is to design the centerpieces for the church potluck or the church’s float in the community parade? I know these jobs aren’t as exalted as building the Tabernacle but they are part of our worship, and thus worthy of our best and more than we in ourselves have the natural ability to accomplish.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this example of Your filling people for work in the arts and crafts. Help me to rely on Your Spirit’s filling for all I do. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 27

MORE:  In 2012 I published the book Destiny's Hands. In it, I imagine and fictionalize Bezalel's life before he got the call to oversee the building of the tabernacle.It's available for purchase.

• Destiny's Hands (Amazon.ca)

• Destiny's Hands (Amazon.com)

Articulate creation

 Creation's Fives 

(Photos & collage by V. Nesdoly)

TODAY'S SPECIAL:  Exodus 7-9 and Psalm 19

TO CHEW ON: "The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork." - Psalm 19:1

In this beautiful psalm, David points out two ways God reveals Himself—through NATURE (Psalm 19:1-6) and through HIS WORD (Psalm 19:7-14). Today let's focus on the NATURE message.

Here are some things Bible writers say we can learn about God through creation:

He is a wise and powerful provider

• Job, speaking of God's wisdom and power in nature, challenges his listeners to learn about God from the beasts, the earth, and the sea creatures - Job 12:7-10.

• Later in Job, Elihu praises God in a similar way, illustrating his point with a description of the water cycle - Job 36:24-33.

• Jesus too points out this aspect of creation when He instructs, " 'Consider the lilies…' " drawing our attention to their care-less and beautiful existence -  Luke 12:27.

He is a judge

• Psalm 50:6

• Psalm 97:6.

One can easily see how people could get a judgment message from a sky that crackles with lightning, rattles with thunder, and drops hail and snow.

God is big. We are tiny

• Isaiah describes God: "He sits above the circle of the earth"… while we are the "grasshoppers" on it - Isaiah 40:21,22.

In creation we have enough evidence to believe that there is a God and to know some things about Him.

• Paul and Barnabas waste no time turning the attention of the crowd at Lystra—who want to crown them gods after Paul heals a man—to the God of creation whose witness, Paul says, is the rain and fruitful seasons - Acts 14:15-17.

• Paul speaks clearly about creation's evidence of God in Romans 1:20: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

I love how Paul says we can deduce things about God by what is "seen" and "the things that are made." Isn't it true! Our study of natural things—creatures, plants, elements, atoms, our own bodies—shows how wisely and creaatively God has designed them all. Design elements, that repeat across created things (like the five-pointed star shape in fish, flowers, and the core of fruits), show creation's unity—the signature of the same creator.

Man's observation of creation leaves him with no excuse before God

• Paul, in answering his own question in Romans 10:14 ("How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?") says they actually have heard: "But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed." Then he quotes Scripture:  " 'Their sound has gone out to all the earth and their words to the end of the world' " - Romans 10:18. Who is Paul quoting here? Psalm 19:4 (part of our today's reading) that speaks of the fact of God's existence going  "... to the ends of the world." 

Let's look for God and enjoy Him in creation today!

PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at Your wisdom, creativity, care, and majesty evidenced in creation. Thank You, however, that you didn't leave us with only that, but also gave us Your Word and Yourself in Jesus. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 19

The Bible Project VIDEO: Heaven and Earth (Theme Series)



*********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The hovering Spirit

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Today we begin our new Bible reading plan from The Bible Project! 
You can download a PDF of it HERE. 
 

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 1-3

TO CHEW ON: “The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2


Here, early in Genesis, we have the first mention of the Holy Spirit, active in creation. The word used to describe His action (rachap) means to “hover”:

“The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters” - Genesis 1:2 AMP.

Maybe it’s a stretch, but I can’t help but transfer the picture of the Spirit moving, hovering, brooding over the unformed earth to Him moving, hovering, brooding over my 2018—this new and yet unformed year of my life.

I notice that the first thing that God created after that “hovering” was light—created several days before even the light-makers were made (on the fourth day - Genesis 1:14-19).

My prayer for this year is that the Spirit’s presence will also fill my life with light. May it cause something beautiful and useful to be formed from each of 2018’s yet unlived days. May the verdict be: “And God saw that it was good.”

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, move, hover, brood over my life today. Bring Your light and creative life to this day and each day and moment of 2018. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 1

The Bible Project VIDEO:  Genesis 1-11 (Read Scripture Series)



 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

The only appropriate response

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Romans 11:19-36

TO CHEW ON: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33

Paul has just made a long theological argument (my Bible’s study notes: “… the longest extended theological argument in the NT—Romans 1:16-11:33” - Wayne Grudem, Notes on Romans, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1568).

Paul ends this treatise with an outbreak of praise to God for His “unsearchable judgments” and His “ways past finding out.” He praises God as the source and receptacle of all knowledge, the creator and sustainer of all things - Romans 11:33-36.

I love how Romans 11:33 is expanded in the Amplified:

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments—His decisions! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways—His methods, His paths!” - Romans 11:33 AMP.

I can’t say I understand all the theological points Paul makes in Romans. I admit that my understanding of God’s person and ways may be superficial when it comes to what some (like Paul) grasp. But what I do know of Him—His wisdom and creativity in nature; the beauty, complexity yet simplicity of His plan for humanity as laid out in the Bible; the multitude of ways He draws people to Himself; the way He coordinates my little life—is reason enough for me to break out in praise

And so I join Paul in the only appropriate response to God and His greatness by exclaiming “To Him be glory forever! Amen—so be it” - Romans 11:36 AMP.

PRAYER: Dear Father God, words fail to capture the bigness of who You are and what You can do. As the source and sum of wisdom, creativity, justice, goodness, love… I give you glory. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Meditate on creativity

A Bible journal meditation on Psalm 104 - V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 104:19-35

TO CHEW ON: "O Lord, how manifold are Your works!In wisdom You have made them all" Psalm 104:24


Do you know what happens in your body when you do something as simple as cut your finger?

The first thing you'd probably notice is that your finger bleeds. In the blood are cells called platelets which begin to stick onto the ragged edges of the skin cut.

The blood plug that fills the cut soon changes from liquid to jelly -- a clot. In the clot another type of blood cell -- fibrinogen -- lets out strings or fibers. They attach to the sides of the cut, holding them together. They also form a net which collects more blood cells needed for healing. As the clot dries it forms a hard crusty covering called a scab.

Under the scab white blood cells attack and engulf any foreign invaders that might have entered via the object that cut you. They also eat the old damaged skin and remove all the garbage through the blood stream.

At the same time skin cells begin to fill the space that the cut made. They slide over each other, soon forming a bridge over the cut. In about a week the scab falls off, revealing a patch of new skin.

Drilling down into even one tiny aspect of how the human body works is enough to fill us with awe. As we explore the vastness of creation, we keep finding design features that boggle the mind (which is one reason I think it takes far more faith to believe that all this came about by chance, than that it was created by a very intelligent creator).

The complexity, intricacy and sheer wisdom of creation is one of the reasons I love studying and writing about it (the above facts, for example, were gleaned for writing a kids' article "As Good As New - How Skin Heals"). If we acknowledge God as our creator, our study of creation will probably do one thing above all others: stimulate us to awe, praise and worship.

Psalm 104 is a list of creative acts and creatures, which the psalmist ends in just such praise:

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him.
I will be glad in the Lord."

Next time you have a free hour, why don't you do a little sleuthing around about some natural process or creature that has piqued your curiosity. From finding out about your blood's ability to wage war on disease, to a woodpecker's bony tongue, I guarantee you will be filled with amazement, delight and admiration at such a Creator!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for creation. May my knowledge of it result in thoughts, words and songs of praise and worship. Amen.

MORE: Reverse side of the tip in above...

Reverse side of the globe tip in, above - V. Nesdoly

 

*************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Wisdom for creativity

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Proverbs 8:22-36

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old …
Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.” Proverbs 8:22,31

Today in our continuation of the Lady Wisdom poem we began yesterday, my attention is snagged by one of her strengths or functions—to inspire and facilitate creativity.

- Wisdom speaks here as an eye-witness of creation - Proverbs 8:22, 27-30.
- She especially delights in God’s created humanity (“… and my delight was with the sons of men” - Proverbs 8:31).

The video about the book of Proverbs that was on yesterday’s devo emphasized that the wisdom Proverbs speaks of is not only head knowledge but help in developing practical skills for living well in God’s world.

One of those practical skills is the wisdom of creativity and skill to make things. It’s the wisdom that God bestowed on the craftsman Bezalel and his colleagues to make the worship accessories for the Tabernacle (God to Moses: “‘See, I have called by name Bezalel … And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship to design… to work… and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans that they may make all that I have commanded you…’” - Exodus 31:2-6, emphasis added).

Do you like to make things? No matter what your preferred medium—wood, paints, crayons, pens, fabric, metal, glass, precious stones, clay, words, etc.—wisdom to create is a divine gift to you. Use it. Develop it. Embrace it. Joy in it. Put it to work for its highest purpose—to reflect glory back to God.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the wisdom of creativity. As I seek to develop my interests in this area, help me to use any talents you’ve given me toward their highest purpose—glorifying You. Amen.

MORE: Bible Journaling
I recently reviewed the book The Complete Guide to Bible Journaling and got hooked on a new-to-me area of creativity—meditating on Bible passages through art. If you enjoy activities like doodling, lettering, sketching, drawing, scrapbooking, etc., this might be an avenue of creativity you’d like to explore.

Check out #biblejournaling on Twitter, Instragram, and Pinterest to see some of the amazing art people are creating in Bibles formatted especially for that purpose. 


 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Create!

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 2:4b-25

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” Genesis 2:8

Have you ever watched a child create their own world with sand, blocks, or Lego? “This is going to be a castle with a big moat. And there will be a shell fence so no one can get close, and towers for lookouts, and a flag, with kelp decorations all around. It will be awesome!”

That’s what this chapter reminds me of, only with God as creator on a global scale: “I’ll make a garden and water it with mist. I’ll put creatures in it and a creature somewhat like me to take charge. And there will be life, and resources, and riches, and beauty, with only one rule. It will be awesome!”

(If only it had all ended there!)

I take from this description the permission—no, the appropriateness, even necessity for us humans (made in God’s image - Genesis 1:26,27) to create too. We have within us the urge to imagine and form in a multitude of ways. It is part of who we are, of what makes us tick, function, and flourish.

This year let’s embrace our creative projects with the excitement of God creating Earth: “I’ll do the reno, knock out this wall, put in a window here, a door there; get that motor running; paint that scene; write that book… and it will be awesome!”

PRAYER: Dear Father God, thank You for the urge to create that’s within me. Help me to affirm it with my effort, energy, and faith. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wisdom and the Creator

"He drew a circle on the face of the deep" 

Sand artistry by Valentina Beyard (V. Nesdoly photo)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 8:20-36

TO CHEW ON: "When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep …
Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman
And I was daily His delight
Rejoicing always before Him."  Proverbs 8:27,30

Have you ever watched a sand artist perform? Using a table which has a shallow layer of sand on it (and which is usually lit from the bottom so observers can watch her movements), the artist's deft fingers and hands create scenes that become faces, then symbols, back to scenes as she draws in the sand.

That's the kind of picture I imagine here as God creates, only on a massive and real scale. He "draws a circle on the face of the deep" and we have earth (attesting to its roundness long before Magellan's voyage or satellite photos). He goes on to settle the mountains in place, craft the fountains, make a boundary for the seas. All the while Wisdom looks on "as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him."

Can't you just see it? The creative trinity (for Jesus, the Word [John 1:1-3,14] and the Holy Spirit were present [Genesis 1:2] at creation) feeding off each others ideas, adding their own, laughing in excitement, delight, and admiration at their ingenuity. In fact, some have suggested that "Wisdom" in Proverbs 8 is the Holy Spirit talking:

"She (wisdom) is speaking to God in Proverbs 8, on her own, and God is working through Wisdom in the creation of the world. They are one! The Father created the world through the Son in the power of the Spirit" - explains theologian Dr. Jurgen Moltmann (quoted by Trudy Beyak in The Mother Heart of God, p. 218. 

My Bible's commenter says about this section: "God's wisdom … has been likened to a woman, is identified as the Eternal One and the life-giver who, according to the New Testament, is Jesus (John 1:1,2; 11:25)" - John Garlock, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 813.

I take two things with me from today's reading:

1. We do well to explore and delight in God's creation.
One of the reasons I enjoy my camera so much is because it lets me capture images of this world's beauty. I have a photo blog where I share some of my photos. Come by sometime! Every aspect of God's creation we study—from the tiniest building blocks of matter to the vastness of outer space—demonstrates His wisdom and becomes reason to praise.

2. It's good to be creative.
When we are "creative," that is, organize images, words, and  matter in interesting ways (because we never truly create something out of nothing but reassemble things already made) we are demonstrating the image of God in us. I love the picture of Wisdom / Jesus beside God, "His delight" and "rejoicing before Him." Not criticizing or putting Him down but appreciating, enjoying, and cheering. It's an attitude we can cultivate toward the creative efforts of the people in our lives (and toward ourselves).

PRAYER: Creator God, I am in awe of You and Your creativity and wisdom in how You made this world teeming with life and beauty. You are AMAZING! Help me to nurture the creativity of those around me, and within myself. Amen.

MORE: Sand artist in action

Watch the sand artistry of Valentina Beyard. This is from a community Good Friday Service at our church on April 11, 2012.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Genius design

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 38:22-41

TO CHEW ON: "Have you entered the treasury of snow? ....
Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water
Or a path for the thunderbolt?...
Can you send out lightnings that they may go
And say to you 'Here we are'?" Job 38:22, 25, 35

A few years ago I received a fascinating book to review. Nature Never Stops Talking by Samuel J. Alibrando is a collection of short essays on the wonders of nature. Alibrando comments in the Introduction: "Personally, I see hard evidence of intelligence in every tree, every flower, every star, and every single natural thing in the universe" - S. J. Alibrando, Nature Never Stops Talking, p. 13.

Reading Job 38 this morning reminds me of Alibrando's book. Let me share two bits from his essays on snow and lightning.

Snow:

"My fascination with snowflakes was renewed when I recently read that they are not white. In fact, they are ice crystals formed from water vapour. The crystalline shape is a product of the below-freezing temperatures that converts the moisture. Once formed, each crystal attracts a microscopic dust or salt particle as its own core. As its descent continues toward earth, it continues attracting more particles enlarging its size and uniqueness ....

"Each one contains millions of tiny, clear, light-reactive prisms. Imagine millions of prisms. What a sight to consider. While these prisms break up the light that strikes them into all the colors of the rainbow our own eyes receive a sensory overload; it is too many colors, we are unable to perceive the dazzling display, so our eyes see "white" instead. With all the mystery of such splendour as snowflakes, I learned that we don't see the half of it. The Millions of prisms creating millions of colors in each snowflake are too beautiful to even perceive" - Alibrando, pp. 17,18.

Lightning:

"Clouds build up positive and negative charges like on a battery. Why they separate is unknown....

"Typically within the cloud, the charge (negative) moves downward about 165 feet in microseconds. This aimed collective movement is called a 'stepped leader.' When the stepped leader reaches 330 feet ANOTHER stepped leader from the ground (positive) moves UP. This especially happens on protruding objects such as trees or buildings. The swift climb of the positive stepped leader meets the descending stepped leader and BAM! The brilliant light we call 'lightning.'

"Several subsequent strokes can follow the same channel in less than a second, until the negative charge centre in the cloud is eliminated....

"Lightning is huge. It is powerful. It is constant. We don't know much about what would happen to our world if lightning stopped but it is here with all of its properties with millions impressed by its dramatic power" - Alibrando pp. 21,22.

We love it when people appreciate and enjoy the things we create (actually we don't create at all, but assemble and re-assemble). But do we ever pause to consider what God has made—truly created—out of nothing? Job 38 is an invitation to us to ponder the wonder and variety in God's creation. Let's spend some time today appreciating His creation all around us.


PRAYER: Dear God, Your creative ability, imagination and ingenuity boggles my mind. Thank You for Earth, the miracle of a liveable climate, and my body with its millions of cells that work together as a unit. You are amazing! Amen.

MORE: A few more Job-like questions

In an article about Earth and the solar system, Alibrando describes earth's size in relation to the planets and the sun:
Uranus's diameter = 32,500 miles (compared to Earth's 8,000-mile diameter).
Neptune = 72 times larger than Earth.
Jupiter = so big, 1400 Earths would fit inside it.
The sun (only a medium-sized star) = 1.3 million times larger than earth with a surface temperature of 9300 F but an inner temperature of 29,000,000 F.

Alibrando then asks:

"So, what percent of all this space does man think he has mastered? Does he understand what he sees? Does he understand what keeps the planets spinning? Does he know why the planets orbit counter-clockwise instead of clockwise? Does he know why some moons go in opposite directions on other planets? Does he know why the sun itself revolves every 27 days? Can we make our own miniature solar system that is more accurate than any clock? Can we then make that man-made miniature solar system float in the air, orbit around a centre ball with mini-orbits of moons and satellites around the orbiting planets?

.... What percentage of all knowledge does man really have, 50%, 10%, 1% or some tiny fraction of one percent? We don't even know.

Yet we still have the gall to shake our fist at the very notion of any greater intelligence than ourselves.

Amazing!" - Alibrando, pp. 24, 25.

Nature Never Stops Talking on Amazon.ca

*******
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Nature—a catalyst of praise

Creativity in the heart of a  tulip

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 104:19-35

TO CHEW ON: "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." - Psalm 104:33

Have you ever looked deep into a tulip's cup and seen the designs? During tulip season a month ago I was out with my camera and on one day photographed four tulips: two yellow, two red. When I enlarged the pictures on my computer I saw they were all different. They did have similarities of course, designs which reflected sixes and threes, but there were subtle differences even within their similarities.

They spoke to me of God their creator. What I saw told me that God loves color and beauty, is detailed and organized, has put order, structure, and design into things as common and simple as a spring tulip. And I observed only the outside. I know that if I took sections of these flowers and put them under a microscope, I would be even more amazed at the design, order, plan, and beauty of the makeup of their tiniest parts.

The writer of Psalm 104 reminds us of the variety and grandeur of God's masterpiece—creation. What he does at the end is what we can also do as we appreciate created things, from noticing the designs in a tulip, to pondering the complexity of the human body, to trying to wrap our minds around the vastness of space: we can praise.

And we can study Him to understand Him through His works, in a way similar to how we probe a human work of art for an understanding of its creator.

PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at Your creativity. Help me to recognize Your hand, signature, essence in the created world and to let that be a catalyst of wonder and praise. Amen.

MORE: More about tulips

This bit from tulip entry in Wikipedia explains the sixes and threes:

"The showy, generally cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings."

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spirit of order

"Creation of Light"
- Woodcut by Gustave Doré

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 1:1-2:4a

TO CHEW ON: "The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2


What is an earth "without form and void"? The Hebrew uses two rhyming synonyms "tohu" and "bohu" for "without form and void." A sidebar article in my Bible defines them:

["Tohu" - a formless chaotic mess, a waste, a worthless thing, emptiness and desolation, for no purpose, for nothing. Tohu and its rhyming synonym bohu are coupled to describe a scene of disorder, confusion, and lack of arrangement. Elsewhere tohu refers to a howling waste, a trackless wilderness, a scene of utter disarray, desolation, and barreness. Tohu suggests 'sheer emptiness' as opposed to order and balance" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 927.]

And who was there "hovering" over that chaos? The "Spirit of God" that same Spirit who came to inhabit individual Christians on the day of Pentecost and who comes to lives in us when we are reborn.

My Bible's notes on Genesis comment on the word "hovering": "Hovering connotes sweeping or moving rather than staying stationary. The Holy Spirit is the 'executive arm' of the Trinity so He was quite active as God spoke each word" - R. Russell Bixler,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 4.

A grand account of creation follows. It's a marvel of writing, really, if you think of how much the verses of today's reading describe.

It's also a majestic display of the Trinity working in harmony.

God: "In the beginning God created..." Genesis 1:1.

Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:1-3,14.

Holy Spirit: "And the Spirit was hovering ..." Genesis 1:2 — sweeping, moving, and executing the Word.

If we bring together these thoughts about the Spirit, we have a wonderful promise to take into the day:

• God the Holy Spirit can bring order to chaos.

• This Spirit lives in us (1 Corinthians 6:19)
  

• We can trust Him with the chaotic messes, the mysteries and confusions of our lives. He can order them into something meaningful, beautiful, and fruitful;  make out of them something that could be described as "good."

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this account of You working in creation, Please bring order to the confusing, disordered, chaotic parts of my life. Help me to cooperate with You in this. Amen.

***********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Rejoicing fields and clapping trees

"Let the field be joyful and all that is in it" - Psalm 96:12

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 96:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Let the field be joyful and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord" - Psalm 96:12

I have a photo-blog and in it I try to join two of my favorite things: my love of nature with my admiration of the Creator. I have been on the lookout for quotes and Bible verses that will direct the attention of my readers to God the creator of earth's beauty. When I saw the verse above, I immediately matched it to the photo of 'rejoicing' tulips that I happened to catch when the light seemed to illuminate them from within.

The Bible shows nature giving praise in many places and for various reasons.

• The vastness of sky and earth inspire the writer of 1 Chronicles to exclaim "The Lord reigns" - 1 Chronicles 16:31.

• The praise bounty of field and flock direct the psalmist's attention to God in Psalm 65:13 and 96:12 (our focus verse).

• The sound from rivers and trees—like applause perhaps—inspires the writers of Psalm 98:8; 96:12 and Isaiah 55:12.

• In another place the psalmist refers to "everything that moves" in the heavens, earth, and seas as praising God - Psalm 69:34.

• Praise also comes from the sun, moon and stars - Psalm 148:3.

• The creation of humankind and God's dealings with us are more reason for nature to erupt in song and shouts - Isaiah 55:12 and Luke 19:40.

• Nature also praises because of the people of the covenant and God's plan of redemption through their race - Isaiah 44:23; 49:13.

Do we see God in nature and view all of creation as offering praise to God in this biblical way? Or have we been indoctrinated with the theories of our day to the extent that we view the created world as more of a natural / scientific / evolutionary phenomenon than a work of our creator God?

Let's let these ancient poets and seers once again direct our attention Godward as they interpret the heavenly bodies and the earth with all its land and sea life as the handiwork and praise vessels of the God who also formed us and loves us.

PRAYER: Dear God, Your ingenuity and creativity is beyond my comprehension. Help me to view nature as Your work and join in its praise to You. Amen.

MORE: "Trees of the Field" sung by the Gaithers

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Multiplied seed

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:15

TO CHEW ON: "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown, and increase the fruit of your righteousness." 2 Corinthians 9:10.

Today—the day I am writing this, June 9th—I am looking at a box that wasn't in my office yesterday. It is a box filled with glossy folders. Each contains five sheets of paper. They make up what is called a press kit or media package, supplied by my publisher to help me sell a novel that I have written, and should be out by the time you read this. As I read our passage this morning, the focus verse, 2 Corinthians 9:10, jumps out at me as a benediction on my project.

Writing Destiny's Hands, a Bible fiction based on the character of Bezalel (the man God filled with His Spirit to make the tabernacle and its accessories) has been years in coming to fruition. Its history is full of seeds.

It started with the seed of an idea and grew into a story. Now I have these media packages—more seeds to help me grow interest in the book. Finally the book itself will work as seed, to plant truth within readers. Thus this prayer that Paul prays over the offering he is encouraging the Corinthians to give (for them the seed of money) resonates with me. It is what I pray will happen when the seed of the book I have written is flung around the world.

What seed has God supplied you with? Perhaps it's a creative project similar to mine. Perhaps it's people, a family of little or not-so-little ones, or the people you serve and mentor in your job. Maybe it's the money you make in your work, or your abundance of time.

For whatever seed we have and are planting, let's pray together that God will supply and multiple the seed we have sown and increase the fruit of our righteousness into more seed.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the many people who have contributed to the making of my novel. Now I need You more than ever to oversee its distribution. Please help all who read this with their seed. May our efforts come together to produce a wonderful harvest for Your glory. Amen.

MORE: A little more about Destiny's Hands

• The story of how I came to write this book.

• The Destiny's Hands page on my website (with Janette Oke's endorsement and the back cover copy).

• My Facebook author page (to help you keep up with book events and my other writerly endeavors).

• Preview the book  (Chapters 1-3 of Destiny's Hands are online at Amazon: wait for a bit for the preview to load).

• The book released on June 29th and I got my copies last Thursday, July 5th. The book is now available for purchase!

Amazon (e-book version available)
Barnes and Noble
Chapters
Word Alive Press

OR

Get a signed copy from me sent directly to you.
$17.99 Cdn. + Shipping and handling

• Within Canada: $4.25 
• To the U.S.: $7.75

Email your order.
PayPal is available.

Creative Son

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 8:20-36

TO CHEW ON: "Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman

And I was daily His delight

rejoicing always before Him

Rejoicing in His inhabited world

And my delight was with the sons of men." Proverbs 8:30-31

If you need proof of the wisdom necessary for the creation of planet Earth, you need only look at a few of the details. While other planets have atmospheres that range from non-existent on Mercury (with temperatures of 660 F. by day, -274 F by night) to Neptune with its methane-rich atmosphere that is liquid, then becomes metallic toward the center (with an average temperature of -369 F), earth's atmosphere is just right for life:

"The atmosphere is an envelope of air kept near the Earth by gravity. It absorbs energy from the Sun, recycles water and other chemicals, and works with electrical and magnetic forces to provide a moderate climate and so supports life on Earth. It also shields us from the high-energy radiation and the vacuum of space."  

Facts At Your Fingertips - Readers Digest Books, 2003, p. 46.

The ingredients of that atmosphere combined with Earth's distance from the sun, the angle of its axis and speed of rotation all work together to maintain these life-friendly conditions. If just one of these variables changed, life on our planet would be threatened. (Which is why those who hold to the theory of human-caused global warming are so adamant that no price is too high to pay to reverse what they fear human activity is doing.)

Proverbs 8: 22-31, where Wisdom speaks of her part in creation, changes in tone at verse 30. Suddenly it's as if someone human has grabbed the mike. The speaker describes Himself as a "Craftsman…I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him…and my delight was with the sons of men."

Do your thoughts go, as mine do, to Jesus and how He is described in John 1?

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made…. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. John 1:1-3, 10-11

Other Bible passages also describe Jesus as Creator: 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2.

Put it all together. Here we have ultimate, eternal Wisdom, who created the earth and all the intricacies of life on it, come to earth, offering Himself for us, so we can be reconciled to God. Then He defeats death and after He ascends to heaven, gives His followers the indwelling presence of His very Spirit. What wealth of creativity and wisdom is available to us!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I worship You for Your creative wisdom. Help me to demonstrate that worship by entrusting my life to You for Your purposes. Amen.

MORE: Mark Raborn's speculative fiction Journal of the Angelic, Odyssey of the Divine is an interesting read for anyone interested in an imaginative delve into the time before time. Here are the first paragraphs my review:

“Karmus…Karmus…

Hearing my name is my earliest memory, and my clearest...Like a whisper awakening me from a long, deep slumber, the call seemed ghostly, perhaps dreamlike, though I could see nothing.”

These earliest memories introduce us to Karmus, the last created angel, as he becomes conscious. He is our guide through events that take us, in Mark Raborn’s speculative fiction Journal of the Angelic, Odyssey of the Divine, from eternity past — when the angels were one glorious and united community — through the rebellion of Lucifer and a great heavenly war, to the heartbreak of a divided heaven, and the saga of earth and humanity.

Read the rest of the review here.