All of creation is a finger pointing to the Lord of creation, in whom life can be found. Creation was made to introduce us to him over and over again. The temporary pleasures of this present world are meant to point you to the lasting pleasure of knowing God.Here are some good posts for you to consider this weekend:
So You Want to Sin, Do You? – Tim Challies
10 Ways to Resist the Devil – Tim Challies
12 Ways to Preserve Christian Unity – Tim Challies
Can Life Have Meaning Without God? – James Anderson (Gospel Coalition)
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping the Lord with your local church!
Creation points to God; it declares its Creator. Waterfalls, as part of creation, point to God.
Waterfalls point to God’s beauty. The cascading water sparkling in the light is a reflection of God’s beauty.
Waterfalls point to God’s power. The deafening roar of the thundering water speaks of God’s great power.
Waterfalls also point to God’s infiniteness. Each waterfall is different – different heights, different widths, different angles of descent, different rocks, different cascades. I’ve never seen two waterfalls the same. Each one is a new sight to behold. And so it is with God. There is always a new beauty to behold, a new manifestation of his power. We will never exhaust the depths of God.
In Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol, Scrooge wakes up to the coming of the Ghost of Christmas Present. He peaks out of his bed curtains to see a large jolly man with a never-ending chuckle and an incredible feast of food. The Ghost calls out to Scrooge, “Come in, and know me better, man!”
I believe this is a wonderful picture of God. God is big and full of joy, and his blessings surround him. And he calls to us, “Come, and know me better!”
The difference between believing that God is gracious
and tasting that God is gracious is as different as
having a rational belief that honey is sweet
and having the actual sense of its sweetness.
– Jonathan Edwards
God is love (I John 4:8) and God is holy (I Peter 1:16).
He is neither more loving than he is holy, nor more holy than loving.
God’s love is holy, and his holiness is love. He is holy love and loving holiness.
– Michael Wittmer
Those who do not fear God do not live in the reality of God.
– Gary Thomas
God’s chief gift to those who seek him is himself.
— E.B. Pusey
I was gone the past week to attend the RHMA Small Town Pastor/Wife Conference with my wife. I hope to share some highlights next week. In the meantime, here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
When I Am God – Tim Challies
How life changes when we try to make ourselves God instead of acknowledging the one true God.
Praying Past Our Preferred Outcomes – Nancy Guthrie (via Gospel Coalition)
Related to the post before, am I willing to pray for God’s will in my concerns?
Christ-Centered Accountability – Jared Wilson
A good consideration of helpful and not-so-helpful accountability.
Keep Looking Unto Jesus – J. C. Ryle Quotes
Keep on looking unto Jesus. Faith shall soon be changed to sight, and hope to certainty.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church celebrating the one true God!
God is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. Nothing exists without his creating it. Nothing stays in being without his sustaining word. Everything has its reason for existing from him. Therefore nothing can be understood apart from him, and all understandings of all things that leave him out are superficial understandings, since they leave out the most important reality in the universe. We can scarcely begin to feel today how God-ignoring we have become, because it is the very air we breathe.
– John Piper
in A God Entranced Vision of All Things
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Upper Peninsula, MI
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Every summer my family goes camping along Lake Superior. I love this lake. It reminds me of God.
It reminds me of God’s power. There are days when the waves come crashing in ready to knock you over if you choose to wade out into them. I see the power of the waves, and I think of God’s power. I think of his power which made those waves, the lake, the earth, the entire universe. I think of his power of which these waves give only a small glimpse.
I need that glimpse of God’s power. In my weakness, I need to see his strength. In my weariness, I need to see his great power that can renew my strength.
As I see people hurting from great tragedies, I need to see God’s power which is sufficient in our weakness and is greater than anything that can come against us.
As I see people wounded from their past, I need to see God’s power that can bring healing.
As I see people on the brink of despair, I need to see God’s power that can bring hope.
As I see people in turmoil, I need to see God’s power that can bring peace.
As I see people wrestling with depression, I need to see God’s power that can bring joy.
As I see people caught in the strong bonds of sin, I need to see God’s greater power which can break those bonds and bring freedom.
As I see people morning the loss of a brother or sister in Christ, I need see God’s power that will one day raise the dead.
I need to see God’s power. And I get a glimpse in the waves.
Brian J. Mikul 