God Showing Off

In the book of Romans there is a powerful statement about God's glory, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

This verse is preceded by a warning about the wrath of God against people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." (Romans 1:19) This theme of God revealing Himself through creation is echoed in Psalm 8, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them." (Psalm 8:3-4)

It is vital for us to realize that God's creation is not identical with God. God reveals Himself through the physical world where He communicates things about Himself that humans would not otherwise be able to discover.

Dads and Daughters

I will never forget the moment when my wife opened the bathroom door and said, "I'm pregnant!" Shock. Fear. Wonder. Reality. And I never doubted, from the very beginning, that we would have a girl.

Most of us are familiar with the science that the father partly defines the baby's sex by contributing either a Y chromosome (for boys) or an X (for girls). I didn't know until later that the father's hormones also play a factor in the sex of the baby. But the bottom line is I always knew I was going to have a daughter.

Early in my wife's pregnancy a friend passed along this statement, "A father should be his son's first hero, and his daughters first love." God designed the bond between father and daughter to be special, protected, for her to get a picture of Father God from the daughter's earthly dad. I determined before my child was born that she would always know she was lovely and loved from the first breath that she took.

The Ransom That Cost It All

As we approach the holiday season this may seem like a unusual topic to discuss during this time of year. The death of Jesus is not usually mentioned during Christmas, shouldn't that be reserved for Easter?

Christmas, as wonderful as the celebration can be, still signals the birth of Christ , who was born to die. There are plenty of New Testament verses, some from Jesus Himself, discussing His ultimate destiny on earth, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) is one of many verses on this topic. From the moment sin infiltrated earth, God implemented His plan to purchase our freedom and free all creation from the effects of sin. Which brings me to one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 49.

"Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre." Verses 1-4 I find so interesting, check out the Psalmist exclamation points, illustrating the importance of the words to follow, and that this wisdom to follow is for everyone, with no exceptions.

Calling Out Your Name (by Rich Mullins)

 

"Ask for whatever you want Me to give you."

As a child I loved the story of God appearing to Solomon in a dream. Solomon had just been named the King of Israel (God's people) by his father, David. Solomon traveled to Gibeon, which the Bible tells us was one of the high places near Jerusalem, and offered over a thousand burnt offerings as a sacrifice to God. That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask for whatever you want Me to give you." (1 Kings - Chapter 3)

I have often wondered if the story "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp" which is part of the collection of stories in the book, "One Thousand and One Nights" was inspired by this scripture. An all-powerful deity granting the wishes of a mere mortal is a story that will always captivate our imagination. Which brings us to the questions, "What would you wish for if the Creator of the universe asked you what you wanted?"