Jesus - the A to Z

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 1-3; Psalm 40

TO CHEW ON: “’ I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come…. I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.’” Revelation 1:8, 11


God’s plan in time and space is wonderfully wrapped up and tied together in Jesus. Here He is called Alpha and Omega – the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet – the beginning, ending and everything in between.

As the beginning, Jesus is the creator (Genesis 1:1)  – the One through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3).

He is the first communicator – the Word (John 1:1-3).  In John’s vision  a “sharp two-edged sword” comes out of His mouth. Sound familiar? It’s right here (Hebrews 4:12).

He is the ever-present one – “who is and was and is to come.” Remember the strange name He called Himself to Moses: “I Am” (Exodus 3:14),  echoed by Jesus in John 8:58? What better explanation of that name than “the One who is and who was and who is to come.”

He is the end. He is the end of the law (Romans 10:4).

He is also integral to end-of-time events as the Bible predicts them – the time of harvest (Matthew 13:39) and judgment (Matthew 13:49,50). The end is the culmination of our opportunity (Matthew 24:13,14) to obey Jesus’ last command (Acts 1:8).  We have the promise of Jesus’ presence with us (Matthew 28:19,20) till then. But also until then our endurance and ability to stay true to Him will be tested (Mark 13:13).

Thinking about these things is like doing brain stretches. It’s almost impossible for our human minds to comprehend these dimension-challenging ideas – present before time, after time, ever present in time…

But we can grasp that here and now Alpha and Omega is the I Am to us. He can be present in our lives. He can help us endure. He  can enable us to live daily in obedience and on-task.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, be my Alpha and Omega. Live in my life as I Am today. Help me to fulfill my role in Your eternal plan. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 40


The Bible Project VIDEO - Revelation - Part 1 (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.

The excellency of God's Son

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 1-2; Psalm 25

TO CHEW ON: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” Hebrews 1:1,2

In Hebrews 1 the writer has put together a montage of Old Testament prophecies that predict the excellency of God’s Son.

1. He is creator - Hebrews 1:2,10 (quoting Psalm 102:25-27).

2. He is the One who “purged our sins” - Hebrews 1:3.

3. Mission accomplished, He now enjoys His inheritance at God’s right hand. As such He is King of the angels—greater than, served and worshiped by them - Hebrews 1:4,5,6,7,13 (quoting Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; Deuteronomy 32:43 NLT; Psalm 104:4; Psalm 110:1).

4. His kingdom is eternal - Hebrews 1:8,11,12 (quoting Psalm 45:6,7; Isaiah 34:4; 50:9; 51:6).

5. His kingdom is righteous - Hebrews 1:8,9 (quoting Psalm 45:6,7; Isaiah 61:1,3).

6. His kingdom is joyous - Hebrews 1:9 (quoting Isaiah 61:1,3).

7. His kingdom is unchanging - Hebrews 1:12 (quoting Isaiah 50:9; 51:6).

As we come ever closer to the day we celebrate the incarnation of God’s Son (Jesus Christ), let’s stir up our adoration and worship by meditating on these grand prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus:

“O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come, ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him
born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.”

~ John Francis Wade circa 1743 (Translated from the Latin).

(It sounds like John Francis Wade may have read Hebrews 1 before he wrote this beautiful Christmas hymn!)


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to purge our sins and establish an eternal, righteous, joyous, and unchanging kingdom. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 25

The Bible Project VIDEO: Hebrews (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.

God's whispers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 24-28; Psalm 141

TO CHEW ON: "Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?" Job 26:14

Job did not struggle with the fact of God's existence. He found evidence of God wherever he looked, and credits Him with the massive brush strokes of creation (for a man in physical distress, he sure hadn't lost his knack for poetry!):

"He hangs the earth on nothing
He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds are not broken under it
He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness..." Job 26:7-10

And these things, Job says, are just the 'edges of His ways,' a mere whisper of what He is really like.

I wonder if, in that mention of God's whisper, there isn't a hint too of Job's longing to hear God's voice more clearly? He seems to be saying, evidences of God's power are everywhere but does He see me? Is He aware of what's going on in my life? Couldn't He speak to me more loudly about why these things are happening?

I have felt this way. Perhaps you have too. That's why I'm glad that the Bible also contains passages that reassure us of God's detailed knowledge of us. Psalm 139 is one. If you're feeling abandoned or ignored by God as Job was so often during his illness, let the words of David reassure you:

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways..." Read all of Psalm 139:1-24.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for seeing me completely down to my thoughts, always and everywhere, and that Your eyes are eyes of love. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 141

****************
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.

Our "very great" Creator

Satellite view of Earth (Image: Pixabay.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 12-14; Psalm 104

TO CHEW ON: "Bless the Lord, O my Soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty." Psalm 104:1

The verse above begins Psalm 104. It is a poem of praise to God the creator. In poetic language rich with metaphor the writer describes the immensity and cleverness of creation.

The Creator (God / LORD), covered with light, "lays the beams of His upper chambers." Clouds are "His chariots." Wind has "wings." "His servants (the angels) are a "flame of fire." Earth is personified as clothed with the garment of water that flees at Creator's voice and "hasten away at the rebuke of His thunder" - Psalm 104:1-6.

We know this is poetic language. But isn't even the idea behind it—a world created by an Intelligent Creator—fanciful? Didn't the world just "happen" to form itself over millions of years of chance elements coming together and separating and forming new elements? That is what our society's scientists would have us believe.

Samuel J. Alibrando doesn't buy that. Always fascinated with nature, this layman would take a leaf and say to his children, "This was an idea before it was created" - Samuel J. Alibrando, Nature Never Stops Talking, p. 11.

For years this inquisitive journalist wrote a column for his local California paper. In it he explored and laid out the wonders and intelligence of nature. In the introduction to his book collection of these columns he says:

"Personally, I see hard evidence of intelligence in every tree, every flower, every star and every single natural thing in the universe. […] While multitudes idealize the supreme wisdom of nature they, at the same time, declare it required zero intelligence to design nature, which I find bizarre.

"Just as contradictory is the fact that in the industrialized world, man considers himself the ultimate intelligence. … But note the irony in claiming that it took absolutely no intelligence to create something as incredible as man" - Ibid., p. 13.

The shame is that our children and grandchildren are being fed these anti-creationist views  every day. The science books in the library are full of them, as are the science documentaries on video and TV.

But I believe the psalmist got it right. Creation was no accident or chance process. Rather, it was the idea and act of the LORD who is indeed very great. Let's not be silenced about this by the pooh-poohing voices of a science community whose theories are built on a need for a much greater leap of faith than required to believe that an intelligent Creator was behind the existence of matter and people.

PRAYER: Creator God, You are indeed very great! All we learn about the world through our investigations into its elements and creatures only increases our amazement at Your intelligence and the wisdom needed to put it all together. Amen. 


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 104
 
MORE: Oxford professor and scientist Dr. John Lennox spoke on the topic "Is God Really There?" on the radio program Haven Today, April 11-15, 2016. In those segments he made a persuasive case for the existence of God. You can listen to these segments by selecting the appropriate dates on this page.

 *********
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.

Loudest praise

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 4-7; Psalm 95

TO CHEW ON: "O come let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." Psalm 95:1-2

When were you last at a sporting event or concert where you restrained yourself from shouting? Probably not for a while.

"If we can shout at other public events, surely we can give loud and enthusiastic praise to God when with His people," says Dick Iverson, in a footnote to Psalm 95 (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 770).

According to the psalmist, we come into God's presence with thanksgiving. [It is the word todah  derived from the verb yadah: 'To give thanks, praise.' The root of yadah is yad - "hand.] "Thus to thank or praise God is to lift or extend one's hands in thanks to Him" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 760.

The psalm-writer tells why we would do that - "For (or because):

• God is superior - "The King above all gods."

• God is creator and holds in His hands every segment of creation. Whether the day ahead involves activity in the earth's depths, or the mountains, on the water or anywhere on land, God is present and directs destinies in all those places.

• God is "our God." Even though He is the great creator, He also sees and knows us as personally as a shepherd knows the members of his flock.

If you're like me just transporting yourself to church doesn't eliminate the preoccupations that fill the mind and drown out those songs of thanksgiving and shouts of praise. Let's join the writer of the old hymn and ask God to "tune my heart to sing Thy grace" by ordering our thoughts along the lines of this psalm. And then let's enter in wholeheartedly, joyfully, thankfully, and physically with "...songs of loudest praise."

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for inspiring Bible psalmists to turn our eyes toward You with reminders of Your greatness and personal care. Help me to worship You today with enthusiastic songs and shouts of praise. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 95



***********
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.

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 Jesus brand

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 148:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory above the earth and heaven." Psalm 148:13


In the world of books and authors there is a term called "branding." It begins to happen when a writer writes book after book in the same genre, written in the same recognizable style so that their name gets identified with what they write. For example when we say we read Brandilyn Collins, people familiar with Christian fiction will know we're talking about scary suspense stories, while if we read Beverly Lewis, we are readers of historical fiction about the Amish. The author's name becomes her brand.

[The Hebrew word shem translated name in "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted" comes from a root that suggests marking or branding. An article about "Name" in my Bible says, "...a person was named because of something that marked him, whether physical features or accomplishments he had made or was expected to make" New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 254.]

That idea of a brand (identified by a name) delivering on expectations continues till today. We buy a brand-name product (a book, a piece of clothing, a particular food) with expectations.

What we get when we choose Jesus is not so different. A look at the names of the Lord Jesus are a wonderful study of what we can expect to get when we choose the Jesus brand:

• Something that endures (Psalm 72:17).

• Something that is beautifully fragrant (Song of Songs 1:3).

• A Governor named Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

• A human person named Jesus, born to a real woman (Luke 1:31).

• A Lord, before whom every knee will bow and every tongue admit His supremacy (Philippians 2:9-11).

• A Being above the angels (Hebrews 1:4).

• A Being that is frightening, majestic and mysterious (Revelation 19:12).

• A Supreme Ruler: King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).

No wonder all of nature — the heavens (Psalm 148:1-4) and the earth (Psalm 148:7-12)— join their voices in praise of this name. Let's join in!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, my mind can't begin to grasp Your greatness, majesty, power, and creativity. Help me to remember these things about You when I am tempted by any other brand. Amen.

MORE: "All Creatures of Our God and King" sung by David Crowder

Words by Francis of Assissi 1182-1226
Translated by William H. Draper



*********
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 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.

A history of LIGHT

Creation of Light - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 1:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." Genesis 1:3

After reading this first chapter of Genesis tens of times, it finally sunk in, recently, that God created light before He created the light-givers: sun, moon, and stars. In fact, light was the first created thing. Perhaps it should not surprise us, then, to see that God is frequently associated with LIGHT.

He is the creator of the physical light-makers in our sky (Genesis 1:17) from whose properties and activities, I think we could argue (though I'm no scientist) come all the other light sources—lightning, electricity, lightning bugs…

Light often characterizes God-generated supernatural activities.

• When the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians, the cloud by which God led them was a light to them, to help them across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:20).

• Angel visits were sometimes accompanied by light. The "glory of the Lord" shone around the shepherds when they angels told them of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:9). Peter was sprung from prison by an angel whose presence was a "bright light" (Acts 12:7).

The writers of the Bible's psalms and praise songs often referred to God in relation to light.

• "The Lord is my light and my salvation" - Psalm 27:1.

• "In Your light we see light" - Psalm 36:9.

• "For the Lord God is a sun and shield" - Psalm 84:11.

• "You cover Yourself with light as with a garment" - Psalm 104:2.

Light surrounds the life and ministry of Jesus.

• Old Testament prophecies we believe were fulfilled by His coming make many references to light - Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 9:2; 60:3; Malachi 4:2.

• John the Baptist referring to One coming after Him, talked of  "witnessing to the Light" - John 1:7-9.

• Jesus, referring to Himself said, "I am the light of the world..." - John 8:12; 12:35, 46.

Now we, as believers in Jesus, His disciples, followers, children, are possessors of that light - John 8:12.

• We inherit that light - Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15.

• We distribute that light - Matthew 5:14.

In this season of short days and long dark nights (at least where I live), let's thank God for light of all kinds—the physical and the spiritual—which will culminate, one day, in a place where there is no more need for the sun, moon and stars, but God will be our sole source of light - Revelation 22:5; 1 John 1:3.


PRAYER: Dear God,  thank You for physical light, the light of mental understanding, but most of all for the spiritual light that overcomes sin and all the darkness that descended on the world and in us as a result. 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.

Mind-bending Incarnation

Merry Christmas!

"The worship of the Shepherds - Henri Lerolle - Bible Artwork Vol. 9

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

I love how, on Christmas day—today—our reading pulls us back, way back, to the beginning of time: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" - John 1:1. There, in those moments at the birth of time, we see Word, creating life and light - John 1:3-5.

In the next verses we zoom forward and see a God-sent messenger—John (the Baptist)—with a message about that Light. It's about Light who has become a Person already on earth: "In the world…"  - John 1:10.

Our "Aha"s begin to click here as we grasp John's mysterious words. It sounds like he is talking about the Creator Word we just met in verses 1-3. But how sad: "… He came to His own and and His own did not receive Him."

Then, if there's any doubt left, John dispels it: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:14.

And that is why Christmas is a really big deal: because Creator Word became Baby Word so that we could again be friends with (reconciled to) God. You will recall that humankind's friendship with God was broken when Adam and Eve sinned (Romans 5:12), but repaired by Jesus' (Word's) death, making this reconciliation possible (Romans 5:10,11).

This friendship repair—reconciliation—comes to each of us individually through a spiritual birth. John talks about that here too: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God" - John 1:12,13.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this good news—the gospel in fourteen verses. Words fail to express my incredulity, wonder, and thanks at your mind-bending incarnation.

MORE: Christmas Day

Today the church celebrates Christmas Day. The Christmas liturgy begins with this prayer:

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. 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.

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.

Our setting according to God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 2:4-25

TO CHEW ON: "This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created; in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." Genesis 2:4

When a science fiction writer sets out to spin her tale, she describes early on in the story the setting, letting us observe her made-up universe and explaining its rules. In some ways our reading today does that for our home — the earth. We find at least seven foundational pillars that hold up and explain, according to God, the way life on earth came about and functions best:

1. God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 2:4).

2. God formed man and gave him life (Genesis 2:7). Out of the lowliest, commonest part of creation — dust — God shaped him and intimately "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

3. God gave man work — a purpose for living as the keeper of a garden (Genesis 2:15).

4. God set boundaries for human behaviour — an opportunity for man to exercise his will to obey and live or disobey and die (Genesis 2:17).

5. God created animals and charged Adam with the task of naming them (Genesis 2:19,20). This implies a human precedence over the animal kingdom. We're not the same. For example, killing an animal is not murder, like killing a human being is.

6. God made woman and Adam recognized her as his "comparable" (Genesis 2:22, 23). "'Comparable to him' denotes complementarity. The needed help is for daily work, procreation, and mutual support through companionship" - Russell Bixler, notes on Genesis,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 7.

7. God established marriage (vs. 24).
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother..." Leave tells us there is a change of priorities here. Mom and Dad (Mom-in-law, Dad-in-law) are no longer the focus of this relationship.
"...and be joined to his wife..." They are to be joined in passion and permanence.
"...and they shall become one flesh." One flesh implies sexual union, conceiving children, being spiritually and emotionally intimate, and living with each other in the same way one does with one's blood family of birth.

These pillars have been under attack from the first Eden days ("Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You shall not surely die.'" - Genesis 3:4) till now. However, ignoring or flaunting any one of them in belief and behaviour does, I think, put us on a wrong track and cause our lives to be out-of-kilter with the way God designed us to work best.

The challenge for us is to stand firm on God's order of things in spite of society's clamouring against aspects of it, like the questioning of God's existence, the fact that He is the creator, the existence of an objective moral standard, the eternal implications of disobeying God, and the sanctity of marriage, to name a few.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for laying out our setting so clearly. Help me to stay focused on the way You say things are and not be distracted or swayed by the world's arguments against Your order. 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.

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 Her/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 spec fiction Journal of the Angelic, Odyssey of the Divine is an interesting read for anyone up for 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.

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