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!

Wow!

AUGUST 7

MATTHEW 6:28_Consider…

The Greek translation for the word consider in this verse is, to learn thoroughly, or to note accurately. Jesus wants you to learn something. Every word Jesus spoke was either to create, or heal, or comfort, or teach, or express love. He didn’t leave the beauty of heaven to sit around and share idle chatter. That is not to say He didn’t talk casually with people, it’s just He spoke with purpose—not idly.

Purpose is Jesus’ main objective. He thoroughly investigates our heart, and accurately notes what holds prominence in them. 

When Jesus began a ministry, He proclaimed His purpose in the temple. Luke 4:18 (KJV), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

Jesus was reading from Isaiah 61. He let it be known that the fulfillment of that verse was standing before them. Now it was time for all people to thoroughly investigate and accurately note, who He was.

The word bruised in the Luke 4 verse translates, broken by calamity—wow!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, Help my heart to consider who You are. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ knows my complete person—I want to know His!

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!

Intelligent Design

 AUGUST 1

MATTHEW 6:26_yet your heavenly Father feedeth them…

Birds are well fed. Not only do they have people like me who feed them, but the Creator feeds them. As we have already said, God created the birds’ food before He created the birds.    

God’s creation glorifies Him. He designed it that way. To become a student of nature is to become a student of God’s workmanship. Remember Psalm 19:1-2 (KJV)? “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.”

Intelligent Design. I like that. What goes on in the world of nature every day and every night is a testimony of intelligence far beyond anything man can fathom.

You may decide to become some kind of hermit because you just don’t like people. They keep hurting you and trespassing into your life. Whatever rock you hide under or cave you hide inside—you cannot escape the world of nature. The rock and cave themselves are designs of God’s incredible intelligence, along with any and everything that dwells in them. They speak God’s name constantly.

God feeds His birds. God creates. God takes care of His creation.    

By the way, God’s intelligent design is for you to allow Him to teach you how to respond to the hurts and trespasses with good works. Hermits are not a part of His design.

PRAYER

God of Creation, Open my eyes to see Your greatness all around me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ’s intelligence is in all of nature—I see it!

It Was Not Created to Divide

JULY 26

MATTHEW 6:24_for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other…

What happens when you try to divide your allegiance between masters? Jesus says you love one and hate one. You may not believe this, but submit to the fact that the Creator knows more about the creation than the creation knows about itself. If the creation knew as much as the Creator, it could have created itself. And when it breaks, it could repair itself.

This teaching goes back to the wisdom of “where a man’s treasure is there will his heart be also.” You can’t divide the heart from the treasure. It is the heart that cannot serve two masters. The treasure must be one. Single vision. Focused on Jesus or focused on wealth.

When the heart is asked to divide itself, it stumbles. It does not have the ability to divide. It was not created to divide. Because it doesn’t know how to divide, it does what it can: turns love to hate, devotion to envy, allegiance to betrayal, and affection to jealousy. When you insist the heart equally share good and evil—evil will win. Because without Jesus, the heart is hard.

Jesus must abide in and be in control of the heart. 

PRAYER

God of All That is Good, Help me keep my heart united for You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ does not share with evil—He overpowers it!