Widen Your Focus

 

Our earthly home is no “hit or miss” operation. I, for one, am thankful God had a plan. His first act was to separate “light” from “darkness” to create “day” and “night” (Genesis 1:1-5).

Next, He created a vault called “sky” to separate the waters above and below it (Gen. 1:6-8). He gathered the water under the sky to create “seas,” and dry ground became “land” (Gen. 1:9-10).

He had the land bring forth vegetation, seed-bearing plants, and trees. From then on, they would reproduce themselves (Gen. 1:11-13). How’s that for good planning?

We are told He added lights to the sky: (1) to separate day from night, (2) to serve as markers for various times, and (3) to give light to the earth. The greater light (sun) ruled the day, and the lesser light (moon) ruled the night, plus He gave us beautiful stars to enjoy (Gen. 1:14-19).

Living creatures were then created to fill the seas, and winged birds were to fly over and live on the earth (Gen. 1:20-23). However, the land was also filled with livestock, wild animals, and creeping ground creatures (Gen. 1:24-25).

God continually reviewed His work and declared it “Good” (Genesis 1:1-25), but the best was yet to come.

He created mankind in His own likeness. They were to rule over all of His Creation. And all living things, including mankind, were created male and female to reproduce themselves. At this point, God looked at His Creative work and declared it “Very Good” (Gen. 1:26-31). Then He rested from all His work on the seventh day and declared it “holy” (Gen. 2:1-3).

As I was driving to a memorial today, I looked around me at the beauty of God’s creation. The sky was dark with rain clouds far off, but I was driving in sunshine. Next to the road, I saw people hiking the nature preserve trail. The difference today was a girl on horseback.

I started to think about animals and how they respond to us. My family enjoyed a part-Persian cat named "Bootsie," and we enjoyed our friends’ Shitzhu named “Sasha.” We used to joke that our pets had us trained as much as we had trained them.

Driving along, praising God for His Creation, is nothing new for me. I agree with the Psalmist David: I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips (Psalm 34:1).

The next time you’re out and about, widen your focus. Notice the great variety of colors and shapes around you. Who knows, you might get so happy you even break out in song (James 5:13).

Pixabay: Earth, Planet, Atmosphere image; AlexAntropov86. 

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., Used by Permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Powerful Winning Words

A childhood rhyme says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” By experience, both children and adults know that could not be further from the truth.

But words also have power for good . . . building up instead of tearing down . . . overcoming evil with good . . . stopping arguments and formulating peace.

Do you have a Bible? You have access to some of the most powerful words in the world:

 My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty,

But it will accomplish what I please,

And it will prosper where I send it

Isaiah 55:11

For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword,

It pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Jesus understood the power of God’s Word and set an example for us in its use. After Jesus’ water baptism by John, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted (tested) by the devil.

Read about it in Matthew 4:1-11. You’ll see the devil refers to scripture three times, but misinterprets it. Jesus, on the other hand, knows God’s word and applies it correctly.

Three times, Jesus refutes temptation by saying, “It is written.” He then follows up with an appropriate scripture.  

How can we use God’s powerful words? First, God’s Word will help us live God’s way. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” As we read our Bibles daily, God’s word can help us avoid temptation.

But we are also warned that the devil is our adversary, prowling around seeking someone to devour. We are told to resist him, standing firm in our faith (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus did this by knowing and applying scriptures when and where needed.

Powerful winning words are not automatic. Jesus said: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Remember: Daily food keeps us strong, both physically and spiritually. 

Pixabay: wooden blocks, visual concept; printablue.

  

A Time to Speak

I love Solomon’s classic contrasts in the Book of Ecclesiastes. While expressing “to everything there is a season,” he contrasts “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7, 3:1-9).

This past weekend, America celebrated 250 years of existence. That’s not long in comparison to many other nations around the world, but to us it was worth celebrating.

Along with the history of the nation's founding, we heard many patriotic hymns and songs. We also heard many prayers for America. Some were prayers of thanksgiving, while others were prayers for God’s continued mercy upon us.

What makes a nation? People! And such a wide variety, too. In America, we have fifty states, each with a varied history of its early settlers; however, it’s been my privilege to talk with missionaries. I’ve always enjoyed learning that each country has its own variety of people and cultures.

How can we ALL speak to the LORD? Psalm 100 gives some guidelines. The first verse says we can “make a joyful noise.” Psalm 98:4-6 tells us that joyful noise can be shouts of joy or songs of praise with instruments of various kinds.

Sometimes, I enjoy singing or making music on an instrument myself. At other times, I enjoy worshiping the Lord while listening to a CD or DVD of Christian songs. And, of course, church worship includes singing by the congregation, such a joyful sound.

Here are two basic guidelines: (1) Enter His gates with thanksgiving, then (2) go further into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). I picture it this way. First, I thank God for the things He has done, and then I praise Him for who He is.

Psalm 100:5 gives us three reasons to praise the LORD: (1) He is good, (2) His love endures forever, and (3) His faithfulness endures to all generations. Isn’t it easy to say “Praise the Lord” for all that?

Speak up wholeheartedly. Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His Holy name (Psalm 103:1).

Pixabay: Diversity, Earth, Family; GDJ.