Tag: Creation

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Can You Trust God?

AUGUST 15

MATTHEW 6:30_which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven…

The life span of grass sounds pretty brief – maybe it is. Regardless of how brief, during its time on earth, God gave it soil, rain, and sun. And beyond the basic needs, God added beauty. This is not to say a field of grass does not have beauty of its own – it surely does. But, God loves to add beauty in life. This kind of beauty is a fringe benefit of a life of faith. Faith in the true God – not just a god.

This is the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God who gives provisions. God’s supplies to His creation include beauty – amazing beauty. Even the wealthy, resplendent King Solomon had no match for God’s beauty in nature. 

Jesus wants you to see how much God cares for and about you. Jesus helps with trust. Can you trust that the God who takes care of grass is concerned about every aspect of your life? Psalm 16:11 (KJV), “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

God wants you to stay on His path. He wants to fill you with joy. God wants to stretch forth His hand and give you pleasure.        

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I praise You that only You can give me fullness of joy. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the fulfillment of joy—He fills me with it!

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Fulfill Life Before Death

AUGUST 14

MATTHEW 6:30_which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven…

The grass Jesus refers to is a pasture. The grass in the pasture has a purpose – more than one. It gives life by feeding the livestock that graze – for as long as its growing season. 

If you have a pasture and are growing grasses such as alfalfa, clover, ryegrass, fescue, or wheatgrass, then you have something beyond the growing season – hay. When the grass is tall enough, pull it to find the seed head. You know it’s ready to cut. You don’t want the seed to reach the top. When the grass is cut and baled, it is ready to put up for winter feeding. Hay provides nourishment for livestock during the months the grass is not growing.

If you grow wheat in your pasture, the left over stalks can be cut for straw. Straw furnishes good bedding material for livestock in barns. Straw can also be bundled and used to start fires. 

Have you noticed a common theme in the purposes of the grass? Grass gives up itself to nurture life for something else. When Jesus says, “which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven,” the grass doesn’t sound too useful. But, the grass has a purpose in life and death.

Did it fulfill life before death?    

PRAYER

Holy God, I want to fulfill my purpose in life! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants me to fulfill my life purpose—He helps me!

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Love Creates Beauty

AUGUST 13

MATTHEW 6:30_Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field…

The I AM has another name, Jehovah-Jireh, which means My Provider. You may only consider provisions as food, clothes, and shelter. The Jehovah-Jireh is able to provide much more than basic essentials. He provides such things as beauty in nature.

In this verse, Jesus the Creator says God clothes the grass of the field. I love that! The world can be a very wicked, evil, dark place. Jesus says God dresses it up – even an unkept field! There are many awe-inspiring scenes in the world – all presented by the hand of nature.  God could have created plain, boring nature. But God’s love sees beauty in everything, so it is only natural that His love creates beauty. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV), “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” There are sunrises, sunsets, the Blue Ridge mountains in Autumn, dogwoods and cherry trees in Spring, a field of sunflowers in Summer, and an untouched blanket of snow in Winter. These are only a micro-portion of God’s handiwork. Verse 11 says, “He hath made every thing beautiful in His time …”

Even though God’s ultimate creation, the Garden of Eden, fell to disobedience – He still gave beauty to the earth. 

PRAYER

Jesus Creator, I see Your world of nature and know it is full of Your love! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ’s creation reflects His love—I can reflect it too!

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Thrive!

AUGUST 9

MATTHEW 6:29_And yet I say unto you …

This verse begins with another of Jesus’ pay attention proclamations.

Previously, you were meditating on the beauty of the lilies of the field. All they do to acquire their beauty is to be in good soil, and take in some sunshine. But something is missing. Rain. All life is dependent upon water.

Rain is another part of the lily’s effortless beauty. Lilies do not make rain any more than they make the sun or the soil. In order for a lily to be a lily, it requires all three. All three come from God.

If you’ve done any gardening, you know during dry spells you must water plants to keep them alive. Earth water will satisfy your plants’ thirst.

If you’ve done any gardening, you know something else. Earth water keeps plants alive, but rain from heaven causes them to thrive.

Human life is made of three parts, a body, a soul, and a spirit. For a life to become the beautiful, fragrant creation it is intended to be requires three ingredients: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These life sustaining ingredients make the difference in a life that survives and one that thrives.

Don’t miss what’s coming. Jesus’ and yet means that after all you’ve learned about lilies – there’s something deeper.

 PRAYER

Dear Jesus, Help me to thrive in the power of the Triune God! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ calls me to thrive—He has made a way!

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The Only Creation Made in His Image

AUGUST 2

MATTHEW 6:26_Are ye not much better than they?

Do you agree with Jesus’ question? Are you better than the birds? Better in what kind of way? Better looking? Hmm, when’s the last time you’ve seen a Roseate Spoonbill? A Franklin’s Gull? A Red-breasted Merganser? A Wood Duck? An American Goldfinch? A Cardinal? An Eastern Bluebird, or a Mountain Bluebird?  And it would be hard for me to decide who is more handsome – the Indigo Bunting, the Painted Bunting, or the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak? If you are not familiar with these, look them up. Talk about good looks?!

Perhaps, you think you are far more useful to the world, than a bird. Well, farmers and gardeners sure welcome the handsome Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. One of the Grosbeak’s favorite meals is potato beetles – they like the larvae as well. Talk about intelligent design!!

On the other hand, when I see Godly people performing self-sacrificing deeds, making wise decisions, and spreading love in the world, I don’t think there is any greater part of creation. 

Yes, I think God considers us much better than animals. He gives us the opportunity to bear the name of Christ when we become Christians.

I believe God thinks very highly of the only creation made in His image. 

PRAYER

God of Intelligent Design, Praise You for the opportunities You give me to be like You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ values me over all creation—I praise Him!