Category Archives: Creation

Abiding, Bible, Change, Creation, Deliverance, God's Will, Scripture, Transformation

BOY, HOW I’VE CHANGED

GALATIANS 1:13

“For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it;”

Most of us before Christ aren’t worth spit. That sounds kind of harsh, huh? But it’s true. Before Christ, we are self-centered, self-absorbed, belittling, snobbish, etc. All we care about is our self or some other issue that has no redeeming value. Before I came to Christ, all I cared about was fulfilling my own pleasures. I won’t go into details. They aren’t necessary. You can fill in your own details from your own life before Jesus. But, wow, what a change after coming to Him.

Paul was exclaiming the same thing. He recounted briefly how he had persecuted believers before that faithful day on the road to Damascus when Christ struck him blind and called him to Himself. (Read Acts 9 for the full story.) Paul’s reputation had spread quickly, but he was now a changed man. Christ had recreated him into an apostle of Christ. Now, Paul belonged to Jesus.

APPLICATION

I am reminded of Colossians 3:10 which says, “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it.” All throughout the New Testament we are told of the “new man” replacing the “old man.” Out with the old and in with the new. A change takes place, and this change should be noticeable. People should notice.

Jesus takes us right where we are, but He changes us into a new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us so, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We have a fresh start, a fresh clean slate. Just as Paul changed from persecutor to believer, you also are changed from your former state to a child of God.

My own transformation began in 1977. I say “began” because I am still being made into the image of Christ. I still have a lot of things I need to give over to Him. Every time I think I have given it all, He shows me another box of stuff I have kept from Him. I want Him to have it all. I want to be that totally willing vessel ready to be used at any time. Are you changed? Are you ready?

I praise You, O Lord, for my changed life in Christ.

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Abiding, Bible, Blessing, Creation, Faith, Glory, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Scripture

THINGS GOD DOES

ZECHARIAH 12:1

“The pronouncement of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: The LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of a person within him, declares:”

Creation! Isn’t it amazing? I had the privilege recently to visit Newfoundland. One day we visited several sites in Western Newfoundland and saw majestic mountains, rocky shores and beautiful landscapes. My friend who accompanied me said several times, “How can anyone see this and not believe in a Grand Creator?” I agree.

Zechariah begins a new prophecy in chapter 12 and opens up by describing the Great Creator. Look at the verse again. God is the one who created the heavens (all the stars, the sun, the moon, etc.). He set the foundation of the earth (established boundaries for the seas and land, formed mountains and the landscape). He also formed man and placed a spirit in each. Just read Genesis 1:26-28. Look at all that God does.

APPLICATION

Just because God is finished creating, that does not mean He has stopped working. He is still very much at work in the world. We just have to open our eyes to see it. In Romans 1, Paul says it is apparent, if we look. Verse 20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Look at all the Lord is doing all around you. He has placed His Holy Spirit in you, if you are a believer. Do you get that? The Spirit of God dwells in you. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God,…” God loves you and wants to dwell within you. God is still at work.

So, if God is in you and is still at work, there is no limit to what you can do. But you must submit your will to His. Then He is able to work in and through you to accomplish great things. Jesus even told us we would do greater things than Him. Hard to believe, huh? But Jesus said it, so it has to be true. Let’s get to work with God today.

Father, I want to do Your will today. Use me as Your vessel.

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Belief, Bible, Creation, Deliverance, Destruction, Following, Scripture, Submission

ALL MEANS ALL

ZEPHANIAH 1:2

“‘I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD.”

My late brother-in-law used to say that the Greek word for “all” means all. He said it jokingly but said it to make a point. When God says “all” He literally means all. He requires our all. He gives us all. He loves us with all His heart. All is important to the Lord. Let’s look at what Zephaniah meant here.

In this second verse of Zephaniah’s discourse, he begins to describe God’s judgment. He quotes the Lord God and says that He will “completely remove all things.” The word “things” is not in the Hebrew text but is simply entered in the translation. And Zephaniah uses the same Hebrew word twice at the beginning of the verse. He literally says. I will “destroy destroy.” He uses the adverb of the word and then the verb of the word to emphasize the totally destruction of all, of everything, of anything.

APPLICATION

As believers, we do not fear destruction by God. We are safe in the arms of Jesus. His embrace covers us. He has promised us eternal life and our role as joint heirs of the kingdom. “All” for us now implies the blessings we will receive upon reaching our heavenly home. All the kingdom will be ours to enjoy. Can you imagine?

But we have to give Him our all. He demands all of us, not just a piece. What if you gave your child or grandchild a jigsaw puzzle one piece at a time. That little piece does not come close to being the whole. They can’t do a lot with it. God has a plan for our lives but it requires all of us. He will not complete His plan for us with only partial submission. Give Him your all today.

I have quoted this hymn before in my blog, but it seems especially appropriate today.

All to Jesus, I surrender

All to Him I freely give

I will ever love and trust Him

In His presence daily live

I surrender all

I surrender all

All to Thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all

I do surrender my all to You, Lord. And that “all” means all.

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Bible, Creation, Glorify, Power, Praise, Scripture

NATURE RESPONDS

HABAKKUK 3:10

“The mountains saw You and quaked; the downpour of waters swept by. The deep raised its voice, it lifted high its hands.”

I have said it before, but creation groans at the presence of God. When we keep our mouths shut and don’t extol His greatness, the trees and birds will take up the slack. God’s presence can be seen everywhere around us if we will just look.

Habakkuk is telling us the same thing. The mountains see God and quake. Perhaps there were actual earthquakes or the thunder echoing off the mountains made them appear to quake. The waters sweeping by like the judgment of God on His people. The ocean deep raises its voice, and its waves lift high His name. What a beautiful picture.

APPLICATION

I do not want creation to outdo me when it comes to giving God praise. I want to “out glorify” the trees and rivers, mountains and oceans. I want my praise of my King to be loud and proud. I want the world to know where my allegiance is.

Today, we are so busy worshipping creation that we forget the Creator. So many environmental groups will fight to protect a single salamander in a forgotten stream somewhere but won’t pause for a second to recognize the creative force behind it all.

This Christmas, as you celebrate Jesus’ birth, take a minute and celebrate our great Creator. Thank Him for His presence in all of creation which points us back to Him. But also, glorify Him above all. Don’t let the trappings of Christmas “out glorify” you. Make your voice heard above the clamor of Christmas. Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

I will shout it from the mountaintop that Jesus is Lord. Praise the God of all creation.

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Accountability, Bible, Christ's Return, Commands, Creation, God's Will, Judgment, Obedience, Salvation, Scripture, Witnessing

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

JONAH 4:8

“And when the sun came up God designated a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, ‘Death is better to me than life!’”

Can you name the four basic elements of matter? No, this is not a science test. They are earth, water, air and fire. Now, we all know Who created these elements, don’t we? The Supreme Creator of all creation spoke these into existence thousands of years ago (that’s right, I said thousands, not millions). He controlled them then and does now.

Do you realize God used all four of these, plus a few created things, to speak to Jonah? He used the sea (water) and the fish, the plant (earth), the scorching east wind (air) and the sun (fire). I wonder if God was trying to send Jonah a message about just Who He was. There was nothing that God could not and would not use to accomplish His Will.

APPLICATION

God is sending us messages today through all of these. The Word says that all of creation will moan as the day nears for His Son to return. Man, have we seen the earth moan in the past few years? There has been a dramatic increase in earthquakes, storms, weather extremes, etc. The scientific community explains these away as global warming or some other theory. Did you know there have been 10 earthquakes in the past three days measuring 5.5 or greater?

God is trying to get our attention just as He did Jonah. We read this story about Jonah and easily point fingers and judge. But we are just as guilty. What was God trying to show Jonah? That He was a merciful God who desires that all come to Him. We are just as unwilling to share the good news as Jonah. We may not run to Tarshish and board a ship, but we sit idly by while the earth tumbles into eternity.

Do not wait for the earth, air, fire or water to send you the message. Pick up your copy of God’s Word and go share the good news with a lost and dying world. Tell your neighbors. Tell your waitress at the restaurant. Tell everyone you meet that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, if only they will turn to Him.

I love to tell the story. It will be my theme in glory. To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

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Bible, Commands, Creation, Encouragement, Faithfulness, God's Will, Heaven, Obedience

WATER HANDLER

AMOS 9:6

“The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, the LORD is His name.”

I have told you before that I am a fan of the Marvel films. I have seen most of them. But I am also a DC comic fan and have see their films. Call me nerdy, okay. I liked Aquaman when it was released a couple of years ago (Teaser – Part 2 is to be released in 2023). Aquaman, of course, rules the seas and all the creatures in it. Or does he?

Actually, according to today’s verse, God rules not only the waters of the seas but also all the waters in the heavens. He is the one who measures out the rain on the earth. He is the one who tells the waves where to stop on the seashore. Since He created them, He controls them – not Aquaman, not anyone else.

APPLICATION

The next time you see it raining, remember that God is the one who tells the heavens how much and when to rain. The next time you go to the beach or to a lake, remember it is God who gives the boundaries of that body of water. God is still involved with creation, even though it is a fallen version of the original.

How does all this apply to us today. Just as God controls the waters of heaven and earth, He still stands in control of your destiny. From the moment you were conceived, God desired for you to come to Him. We are designed to worship Him, but our fallen nature gets in the way.

I am thankful that His calling became so intense in my life on July 31, 1977 that I yielded control of my life to Him. With Him in control, my life has made so much more sense. It has not always been easy, but He is faithful. I know He will only let the waves of this life to crash so far on me.

Father, I praise You that You are in control of all things. Nothing escapes Your eyes or hands.

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Advice, Beauty, Belief, Bible, Creation, Exalting, Glory, Inspirational

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

AMOS 8:2

“And He said, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘The end has come for My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer.’”

There are many advantages to getting older. Senior coffee and discounts, senior matinees at the theater, etc. But one disadvantage is your eyesight. Almost everyone has some loss of vision as they age. That plus two stem cell transplants (chemotherapy) have really changed my eyesight. Thank God for glasses, lol.

God wasn’t giving Amos an eye exam. He wasn’t asking him to read the letters and numbers on a chart. The Lord was giving him a message to share with Israel. He wanted to make sure Amos saw clearly what He was telling him. He wanted his hearing of the message to be reinforced by a vision.

APPLICATION

God often shows us things that we just don’t see. Take for instance, a sunrise. How many of them have you seen in your lifetime? But how often do you stop and thank God for seeing another day? God’s message to us is love. He shows us that love in so many ways, but we often fail to see it.

Let me challenge you to do something. Start taking note of “God sightings.” Those are times when you are made aware of God in something or when there is no other explanation for something. Write those down and put them in a box or jar. At the end of the year, read them. You will be amazed.

I see God in my wife, my children, my grandchildren and even in my “grandpups.” God’s creativity in forming each uniquely amazes me. Take a break and people watch. Look at all the faces God has made. It’s really unbelievable. Yet, God never stops creating. I thank God for that today. Yes, God, I see.

I praise You for eyes that can see. Help me see as You do.

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Advocate, Bible, Comfort, Creation, Encouragement, God's Will, Inspirational, Intimacy, Relationships, Scripture

WHAT’S YOUR NAME

AMOS 4:13

“For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind, and declares to a person what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the LORD God of armies is His name.”

Throughout my over four decades of ministry, I have sought to learn the names of the children I was serving. There is something about being called by your name. But I have had to develop some tricks to help me. I have used acrostics to memorize the names of multiple children in a family. I have used hair color or a birthmark to help. There was usually something about the child that I could remember that would trigger the name.

God tells us who He is in is verse before He tells us His name. Look at what He does. He forms the mountains and creates the wind. That’s pretty powerful. He knows our thoughts. That’s a little scary, right? He controls the sunlight and walks on mountaintops. Then He says, “the LORD God of armies is His name.” In other words, He is in charge! Period!

APPLICATION

While all these attributes might be terrifying, I find comfort in them. If God can do all that, He can certainly handle my little problems. The LORD God of armies cares enough about little, ole me to hear my prayers and dry my tears. The LORD God of armies loves me enough to send His own Son to rescue me from an eternal damnation.

No matter how little I may feel, He still reaches down with His powerful right hand and scoops me up to safety. In fact, He will send those armies of His to my rescue. I am His child, and He will protect me. Even when He is busy forming mountains and creating wind, I am on His mind. That’s mind boggling.

I am so thankful that my God is not too big for me. I don’t mean that disrespectfully. God, of course, is big. He is too big for my mind. But He isn’t too big that He forgets about me. In fact, He wants to hear from me every day. He wants to hear from you, too. Talk to Him. Tell Him your needs. I promise He can fit you in.

O God of the universe, I praise You for looking on me. I know You are forever mindful of my needs and desires.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Brokenness, Christ's Return, Creation, Destruction, Scripture, Sin

CREATION MOURNS

HOSEA 4:3

“Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea disappear.”

Have you ever seen a natural disaster? I, unfortunately, have seen this firsthand. I have seen the devastation of tornadoes and hurricanes. I have seen the effects of droughts and floods. I have seen animals suffering from lack of water or food. We forget how fragile our earth is in these circumstances. But do you realize how creation is tied to the fate of man?

Hosea is reminding us here how we are so knit together. God used nature to show man the effects of sin. I am not talking about the carbon footprint of men on the earth. I am referring to how God uses nature. We see it all around us. We are so dependent on each other. Just think about it. Scientist have warned us how the demise of the little honeybee could devastate crop production, thus bringing famine across the globe.

APPLICATION

Creation groans for the return of Jesus. We are told that in Scripture. We have seen the increase of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and the such. Creation is preparing. The question is are we. We seem to ignore these and blame it on global warming. Who do you think really controls the balance of nature? It’s not us.

We are a mere speck on the fabric of time. God orchestrates the heavens. He determines where and how much rain falls. He gives or withholds the snows. And even though we think we can change time by adding or taking away an hour in each day, there are still only twenty-four hours available to us.

So, what can we do about this? Very little, except to yield to the almighty hand of God. We must bow before Him, recognizing His power and majesty. Just as Israel ignored God’s hand on their nation and suffered the consequences, we are just as susceptible to the same ignorance. We have to acknowledge that it is He who is in control over everything.

Mighty God, I bow before You, recognizing You as the supreme power over all that exists. I praise You for allowing me to be a part of Your creation.

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Creation, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Mercy, Obedience, Parenting, Redemption, Salvation, Surrender, Testimony

BORN AGAIN

TITUS 3:5

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”

You’ve heard this expression, I’m sure. You are born again at salvation. Well, in today’s verse we have that expression defined in the word “regeneration.” The Greek word literally means birthed again. It’s only used twice in the New Testament. It’s used here and also in Matthew 19:28 where it refers to the rebirth of physical creation when Christ returns to begin His millennial reign.

But not only are you reborn, you are also renewed. This word means to have a whole new development, a renewal which is through God’s power. You see, this is all done by God. You didn’t rebirth yourself nor renew yourself. God saved you. That’s a fact. And if He does something, you can take it to the bank. It’s done. It’s complete. It’s forever.

APPLICATION

Explaining this to your children can be challenging, depending on their age. Do you have any videos of their birth? Drag them out. Show them the video and celebrate their birth. Then ask them this question. “Did you do anything to help in your birth?” Of course, the correct answer is “no.” All they did was surrender to the process. They were depending on mom pushing them out and the doctor delivering them.

The same is true for their spiritual birth. For that to happen they have to surrender to the One who is drawing them out of darkness. When they do, He delivers them into the light of His love. They are totally dependent upon the Lord to bring them into this new life.

Let me ask you this. If you are born again, are you living like it? Are you walking in your renewal? So many of us come to Christ and then try to keep one foot back in the old life. Regeneration and renewal imply a fresh start, a clean slate. The old has passed away. There is no room in the regenerated, renewed life for the old ways. Accept the change. Embrace your new life.

Lord, I will walk in newness today. I will lay aside all the past ways and embrace all You have for me in my new life. Thank You for my rebirth in Christ.

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