A Statement We Cannot Ignore

On this Monday morning, let’s go back to a familiar line in the Scripture – “In the beginning, God created …”  (Genesis 1:1) We cannot over-estimate the importance of those five words for our understanding, words that will give us hope, purpose, and meaning in a confused, disorderly world. Have you forgotten these words or set them aside because of the controversies that swirl around them among those who argue about whether there is a literal 6 day creation or whether we live on a young earth created just a few thousand years ago, as some insist?

All we can know about the existence of this universe flows from that declaration. It is a bedrock foundation for our faith. God says that we are not accidents, nor are we simply the latest development in a random sequence of events ranging back over millions of years. He created – intentionally, beautifully, wisely, and with order.  If we erase that statement from how we understand life, all of the rest of our faith disintegrates.

That chapter includes three additional words that we need to know – “And God said … “  Nine times that those opening lines of the inspired Scripture tell us that God spoke the world we know into existence. The universe, as we know it, came from the mind of God and reflect His intent.

Genesis 1 causes me to know profound joy and deep assurance. I am not an insignificant organism, my body a mere collection of star dust! Oh, it may well be that God used the matter of His universe to create my body. But, it was His purpose to do so. Those words also call me to reverence and worship, to love and care for what He has made for me.

The opening passage of Scripture ends with this - "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31, NIV)  “Very good” is a rather weak translation of the Hebrew text which includes the richer meaning of excellent, beautiful, pleasant, and abundant! That is the Creation that He made for us. Look at the colors that are painted in the sky this morning. He made them. The renewal of the earth with the coming of Spring; He designed that. Those eyes that drink in the beauty of the earth, those ears that hear the sound of the wind, those hands, that heart that beats, that brain that processes … these were made by Him with excellence!

Have you forgotten the majesty of Genesis 1?

Have you allowed the conceit of human wisdom to rob that foundation of faith from you?

Are you arguing over the ‘how,’ the ‘why,’ of that revelation and missing the meaning for you?

Today, this Monday morning – confess these three things:

“In the beginning, God created …”

“And God said…”

“God said it was very good.”

Then, worship Him with awe and step into this new week with the assurance that you exist in His Plan, that your life, though just one among 7 billion, matters to the One who called you into being. Let this revelation preserve you from the ancient, and now once again renewed, error of worshipping the Creation rather than the Creator! The earth He has made, the universe He has formed – these are for His glory.

Here is a word from the Word, a song of praise to the Creator.

" O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen—

Even the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea

That pass through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"

(Psalm 8, NKJV)

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How Great Thou Art

(A hymn for worship, in beautiful simplicity)

O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds

Thy hands have made

I see the stars

I hear the rolling thunder

Thy pow'r thru'out

The universe displayed

Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

And hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze

And when I think

That God His Son not sparing

Sent Him to die

I scarce can take it in

That on the cross

My burden gladly bearing

He bled and died

To take away my sin

When Christ shall come

With shout of acclamation

And take me home

What joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim

My God how great Thou art

Stuart Wesley Keene Hine

© Copyright 1949 and 1953 Stuart Hine

CCLI License # 810055

A mirror reflecting His majesty

 

Harry A. was a man who loved Jesus and it showed. There was nothing artificial or forced in his faith. He laughed heartily with others and he spread the love of God. He was a retired missionary who had served in hard places where Islam was the majority religion and Christians had to tred lightly. One of the things I loved about him was his little notebook in which he jotted down thoughts and impressions he felt were inspired by his conversation with the Holy Spirit. He would occasionally reach for it and say “let me tell you what the Lord and I have been discussing.” Then, he would share some insight he had gleaned from reading Scripture or meditation. Lest you think he was preachy or religious, let me quickly tell you that Harry was neither. I cannot remember a visit with Harry that wasn’t challenging, or inspiring, or comforting! He was an ambassador for his King.

Do you know how you become like another? There is just one way – spend time with that person! People start to ‘rub off’ on us when we sit at dinner with them in a Life Group, when we learn their stories, when we live through stormy times and triumphs with them.  Our associates will always influence us – to lift us up or pull us down. Harry’s life revealed Who he spent time with. He was like Jesus.

When others spend time with you is it obvious that you have spent time with Jesus?  I have been reading and studying the stories of the Acts.  When Peter and John were hauled before the ruling council of Jerusalem for a lengthy interrogation, that hostile group came to this conclusion: “these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) His love, wisdom, strength, and character had become theirs.

You probably know people who try too hard to be like Jesus. Their words often are just repeated phrases of things they have read or from sermons they have heard. Their efforts come off like a parody of the Christian life. You can’t fake love; not for long anyway. You can’t fake the life of the Spirit because the fruit of His Presence only ripens in us when we spend time in the Son.

My prayer that others will see Jesus in me. Paul says this - "Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom … so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)  How amazing that ordinary people – you and I – can become mirrors that reflect the brightness of His majesty into our world.

Here’s a word from the Word. Let’s let Him shine today.

“All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us.”  The Message (2 Corinthians 4:5-7)

Spend some time with Him and let His love rub off on you.

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Forever Reign

You are good You are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love You are love

On display for all to see

You are light You are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope You are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace You are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true You are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy You are joy

You're the reason that I sing

You are life You are life

In You death has lost its sting

 (Oh) I'm running to Your arms

I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more You are more

Than my words will ever say

You are Lord You are Lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here You are here

In Your presence I'm made whole

You are God You are God

Of all else I'm letting go

My heart will sing no other Name

Jesus Jesus

Jason Ingram | Reuben Morgan

© 2009 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

So Essential Tunes (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

Spirit Nashville Three (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

CCLI License # 810055

Will you love me more if …

Did you see the news story yesterday about wealthy parents who hired a ‘consultant’ to get their kids admitted to prestigious universities? The allegations include bribes to coaches for places on athletics teams, fixed test results, and fake online profiles created to impress college admissions officers. It is a sad reflection of the drive to ‘succeed,’ the need to be ‘someone’ defined by letters and awards instead of inner character. Is this something new? Silly you, if you think so. It is sad that some deserving kid got pushed out of the place he had earned by the child of a family who used their wealth to buy a spot at the front of the line. Even more sad is what this kind of lying does to the heart of the student who knows she is living as a fraud.

Here is some good news – God does not love you more if you are taller, richer, faster, stronger, or smarter! You do not need to buy His favor or approval. Grace is a gift – freely available to all at Christ’s expense. What a revelation for us who live in a competitive world that creates the kind of insecurity that drives a few to try cheat their way to the front of the line. 

We desperately need a revelation of grace. Without it, we slide into religion that demands more and more of us as we vainly attempt to earn what we can only gain by faith.  Many years ago, during a trip to Latin America, I saw many towns with beautiful churches at their center.  Inside those buildings there was a common sight that broke my heart.  Poor people, mostly older women, crawled across rough stone pavement and splintery wooden floors to ornate altars that depicted God far above them, just out of reach. In many cases, the knees of those old women were bloodied by their effort. Their devotion was admirable, but terribly misguided. God isn’t impressed by bloody knees. We do not need to inflict pain on ourselves to gain His attention! The Word tells that we "have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22, NIV)

While you won’t find many Americans crawling across a splintery floor to a church’s altar, the same misunderstanding of Who He is makes many of us believe that He is out of reach, that we need to give more, do more, or find someone with ‘pull’ to help us to gain His favor.

To be clear, our Christian discipleship demands much of us but not to earn God’s love. We serve from love and gratitude, fully assured of His acceptance. “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” (Reclaiming Jesus’ Teaching on Discipleship, Dr. Dallas Willard)  The grace of God is no excuse for lack of reverence. There is a pseudo-grace to which some cling who have misunderstood the Gospel as much as those with bloodied knees. The Word describes them "godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 4, NIV) Authentic faith deepens awe, replaces self-confidence with God-confidence, and grows a holiness in us that results from our walking ‘in the Spirit,’ relying on God’s promises that bring our lives into alignment with His purpose.

My earliest experience of Christianity was something like that of those who crawl to God. I thought that He was distant, angry, and bent on my destruction, restrained only by Jesus. In a season of brokenness, the Spirit caused me to re-examine the Scripture and what I saw in the Gospel of Christ was amazing, graceful, and liberating. The Lord brought maturity that revealed the joy of holy living. But, it was not Self trying harder, it was God, the Holy Spirit, living in me, and our partnership allows something supernatural to happen in me.

Disciple, do you somehow think that bloody knees bring greater blessing?
Are you asking God, “Will You love me more if …?”

Are you so trapped by the need to perform that you are willing to try short cuts, tempted by ‘fraudulent’ offers made by religious charlatans?

Hear the challenge of the word from the Word that Paul wrote to some Christians who had slipped back into mere religion after having known the revelation of grace.
"Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? … After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?  I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Galatians 3:1-6, NLT)

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Amazing grace,

How sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but

Now I’m found,

Was blind but now I see!

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