This Amazing Creation (2 Peter 1:4)

Today’s scripture: 2 Peter 1:4

Oh, what an amazingly gracious and loving God we serve! He, knowing the choice Adam and Eve would make, still created them. He, knowing the choices we’d make, still created us. He gave us a beautiful world. He made trees and flowers, seas and mountains. So much to bring us joy. He loves us that much.

My husband and I love to explore our beautiful nation. In 2010, we drove up the California coast through the Redwoods up in to Oregon and then down through Yosemite. The towering, majestic trees. The roaring ocean. The magnificent, awe-inspiring mountain peaks. And then in 2011, we visited Zion and Bryce National Parks in southern Utah. And since we moved to East Tennessee, we’ve been able to see more of God’s amazing creation.

Words just can’t describe …

Such beauty. Created just for me. Just for you.

But creating this beautiful world isn’t the most amazing thing. Instead of giving us what we deserve—divine punishment—He gives us what we don’t deserve—His divine nature.

He loves us so much He wants to make us more and more like Jesus Christ, God the Son. He gives us His written word. He gives us brothers and sisters in Him. And He molds and refines us daily to be “partakers of the divine nature.”

Amazing.

Perfectly Created (Psalm 19:4b-6)

Today's scripture: Psalm 19:4b-6

Yesterday, I wrote about nighttime skies full of stars. Today's verses bring us to the sky at day.

I think the existence of the sun and its precise placement is one of the greatest testaments to a Creator. I've read that if the sun were in any other place than its exact position, life on the earth would not be sustainable. I'm not a scientist, so I visited The Institute for Creation Research's website. In language I don't fully understand (it's been many, many moons since I took a science class!), the ICR states:

The spiral-shaped galaxy in which the earth is located is called the Milky Way. The spiraling arms and center of this galaxy contain many stars set close together, giving off its characteristic brightness.

Some stars explode into supernovas, causing deadly radiation to flow through nearby stars and planets.

The center and arms of galaxies are flooded with high amounts of radiation. Most stars are located in places with too much harmful energy for life.

Our solar system is located about two-thirds of the way out toward the edge of the Milky Way, where we are least likely to suffer collisions with other stars. Most of the stars in our galaxy are in the larger spiral arms or in the center. Because there are few stars near us, there is a low amount of radiation surrounding our solar system and we can observe the rest of the universe and our own galaxy much better.

So, when we look toward the sun (not at it because that's not good for our eyes!), we can remember yet again the awesomeness of our Creator God.

Declare His Glory (Psalm 19:1-4a)

Today's scripture: Psalm 19:1-4a

We live in an amazing, amazing world. So much beauty. So much diversity.

My husband and I love to travel, and one way we especially love is taking road trips. We've traveled up and down the west coast several times. We've headed east through Arizona and New Mexico, and up into Utah. We even flew into Anchorage last year and then took a road trip north to Denali and south to Seward.

We've enjoyed cruises that took us to eastern Canada and islands in the Caribbean, and when I was younger, I traveled to Europe and the South Pacific.

Every where I've had the privilege to travel, I've marveled at the awesome beauty of this planet. Snow-capped mountains. Raging rivers. Powerful oceans. Mysterious deserts.

Every place so different and unique.

One thing I really love is being out in the country away from city lights. I love looking up and seeing an expanse of sky full of stars. I may not be able to pick out one constellation from another, but there is something both majestic and reverent when it is quiet and all I can see are stars upon stars. In those moments, I truly feel like the "heavens [are] declar[ing] the glory of God ..."

His creation is awesome. This universe we live in is a testimony to His greatness and creativity.

So we too can declare His glory and delight in His handiwork.

God's Green Earth (Psalm 111:2-4b)

Today's scripture: Psalm 111:2-4a

Yesterday as I was driving to do some errands, I was blessed by the sight of majestic mountains, which I don't often see clearly, in the distance. Later, I glanced out into my backyard and had a splash of joy, watching hummingbirds flitting about.  Still later, I looked into the brown eyes of my sweet lab, and my heart was touched.

I couldn’t help but be in awe of God’s creation, and I thought to myself, How can anyone truly deny the existence of—at the very least—an Intelligent Designer? To think that all of this came from some kind of big bang that led to plant life and animal life. To think humanity developed from a single cell.

It makes no sense to me, and frankly takes a lot of faith.

What does make sense is that a loving, creative, glorious God created this world and all that’s in it. So much of what He created, He did so for our pleasure.  Those tiny birds and majestic mountains and my unconditionally loving pup … those things that bring us so much joy …

Just to make us smile …

I’m reminded of a line from a Point of Grace song, “God’s Green Earth”:

On God’s Green Earth
If every color was the same
And every child had just one name
There’d be no beauty for each of us to claim …

What an amazing, loving, creative God we serve!