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.

Praise in Retrospect

Memories are a powerful force in our lives. Good memories lift us but some are not so enjoyable. We are advised not to let our thoughts run wild. We are encouraged to choose our thoughts and make them good ones. (2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8).

Praise is an important part of worship, and that includes praise for His answers to past prayers. In Nehemiah 9, the people stood humbly before God while Ezra blessed God and gave praise for things He had previously done for them. 

To this day I give God praise for His mighty acts in my life. Let me share briefly in retrospect: God delivered me from breast cancer in 2007 after nearly a full year of treatments. He answered my prayers for a Christian husband in my last year of college. In forty years of ministry, He helped me accomplish each item He laid on my heart. I also praise Him for faithful church workers and volunteers who helped me fulfill His will.

Even as I write these things I am lifted and encouraged. Scripture says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and that God’s word stands eternally firm in heaven (Hebrews 13:8; Psalm 119:89). What a hope we have in Almighty God.

Did you know you have a God-given assignment to share with the next generation? (Exodus 3:13-15; Psalm 145:4). God makes it clear His mighty care is for every generation (Psalm 100:5, 102:18, 145:4-6).

When reading your Bible, don’t you find encouragement in the praises given for God's marvelous works, in both the Old and New Testaments?

Praise in retrospect is important. Some people like to share family legacy stories and oral histories. Other people share through art, music, writing, movies, or wireless communications.

How would you like to pursue this? The options are as endless as your creativity and your desire to praise God.

Pixabay Illustration: Writer, Thinking; Mohamed_Hassan. 

  

The Silent Marvel

How often do you take time to look up at the night sky? When we lived in the desert, I used to enjoy night rides in our little 914 Porsche. It didn’t take long to get away from city lights, and the sky was so beautiful. We moved and the Porsche is long gone, but I still enjoy nighttime beauty.

Think of the night skies as David would have seen them thousands of years ago. As a shepherd boy, he did not have to contend with city lights. He beautifully describes the worldwide enjoyment of the heavens in Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT):

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

Night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

Their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

And their words to all the world.

Have you ever given God praise for His craftsmanship? I find it easy to be in awe of Michelangelo’s artistry on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his well-known sculpture of David. Though I’m not familiar with all of Michelangelo’s works, it’s easy to give praise for those that I have seen.

Let’s not forget that the living God, Creator of the Universe, is open to praise for His works, too.

If you go back to the order of Creation, night and day were brought into being on Day One. The lights in the sky, such as the sun, moon, and stars were put in place on Day Four (Genesis 1:1-3; 1:14-19, NLT). To see the complete order of Creation, read Genesis 1:1-2:4 and make a list.

People of every generation have witnessed the silent marvel. In Romans 1:20 (NLT), Paul wrote that people have seen God’s eternal power and divine nature in creation. On that basis, no one has an excuse for not knowing God. It’s just a matter of choosing to acknowledge Him.

Psalm 113:3 (NLT) says, “Everywhere - - - from east to west - - - praise the name of the Lord.” This week we have focused on the night sky. Next week we’ll consider the sun.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Night Scene photo from Pixabay by Pezibear.  

How Do You Spell "LIFE?"

HOW DO YOU SPELL “LIFE?”

Questions Need Answers

Some of you may remember a clever bit of advertising from the mid-seventies. It had people answering this question: How do you spell relief?

Whether their problem was acid indigestion or gas, each answer and spelling was the same: R-O-L-A-I-D-S.

I’ve been asking myself lately, “How do you spell life?”

What first comes to mind is C-H-A-N-G-E. I always thought I liked change, so why think about it now? After all, change has been part of my life since conception.

To Live is to Grow

I faced up to change through years of education and a variety of jobs. Then I dealt with change through unexpected health challenges. But, for me, the biggest change, came with retirement.

It doesn’t matter how you spell it, the interesting thing about change is our ability to adjust or adapt to it. 

When we were making a major move years ago, a friend jokingly said, “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken.” Wise words in their own way.

The next spelling is my personal favorite: C-R-E-A-T-I-V-I-T-Y. I don’t have to wait for change, I can make my own.

Create With Color

Unhappy with the colors in the house? I can study paint chips and come up with some new tones. Tired of the furniture arrangement? I can experiment with moving things around. Need some new inspiration for meals? I can consult a cookbook, changing ingredients even more if I so choose.

The creative part of my life has varied. I took lessons in tole painting. It was so exacting I got a headache. I switched to oils and felt more freedom.

I took piano lessons but wanted to learn how to play the organ, so I taught myself. I enjoyed writing letters and sending cards, but decided it would be fun to write more.

Creativity developed as I took classes and studied books about writing. Interest deepened as I experimented with different genres. Short inspirational stories became my focus. It was satisfying to publish a collection of them as *REFLECTIONS: Inspirational Stories from Everyday Life.

There’s one spelling of life that we cannot avoid: R-O-U-T-I-N-E.

Seasons Bring Change

Since Creation there has been a routine of days, weeks, months and years. Imagine life without them. . . what a jumble. Cycles of sun, moon, and seasons change our lives, but we adjust.

These changes may challenge my flexibility, but the One who set them in motion is strong and steady.

The Apostle James wrote, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17 NLT).

That’s why I spell life H-O-P-E-F-U-L.

Who better to understand the challenges in CHANGE, CREATIVITY and ROUTINE than the One who put LIFE in motion?

I’m hopeful because, in all of life, if we need the steadiness of His strength or the wisdom of His advice, all we have to do is ask (James 1:5-6).

*Available from BookLocker.com