In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:1, 31).
THEME: GOD'S POWER
When asked why he wanted to become president, John F. Kennedy replied, "That's where the power is."
Although people bow before the mighty on Pennsylvania Avenue or in Red Square, absolute power resides at an unknown address--deep in the universe. And were it not for creation, we would never have known such power.
Creation was God's signed original, and He spared no detail in His grand and glorious work of art. Even though sin spoiled God's handiwork and led to one calamity after another, Old Testament writers kept pointing back to creation as proof that God's power was sufficient to rescue people in peril. Thus creation became a focal point for an important truth: God has the power to deliver from danger.
In New Testament times, God became man, died, and resurrected Himself. This grave-robbing act brought creation full circle to its life-giving essence and provided the basis for another eternal principle: God has the power to deliver from death.
Whether we speak of the majesty of the first creation or the miracle of the second, we must declare as new creations, waiting for a new heaven and earth, "Thine is the power."
-------------------------------------
JAN 01
PSALM 8
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth (Psalm 8:1).
A friend of mine has a good reputation as an upholsterer. He believes in doing every job right. His work is so superior that his name is known far beyond our area. He has upholstered furniture for the state capitol, for top hotels, and for some of the wealthiest people in our state. Because of the quality of his work, he has made a name for himself.
God's excellent name is also known because of His workmanship. In Psalm 8 the psalmist said, in effect, Look to the heavens. See the majesty of God reflected in the planets and the stars. Look at the marvels of the sea and the wonders of the animal world--amazing and wonderful creations from God's hand that live together in awe-inspiring balance and beauty. And look at man--crowned with glory and honor, made a little lower than the angels, and given authority over all creation (vv. 5-6).
Let us praise God, the One who spoke the heavens into being by the word of His power, the One who keeps the stars and planets spinning on their unseen courses. Let us magnify Him, the One who gives us the mysteries of the oceans, the rugged beauty of the mountains, and the intricate marvels of plant and animal life. Let us exalt Him, the One who made us and crowned us with glory and honor.
"O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth."
--D.C.E.
The Creator deserves all praise from His creation.
-------------------------------------
JAN 02
HEBREWS 11:1-6
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
By faith we know that the earth came into existence through the creative power of God. Columnist Sydney J. Harris makes this observation: "Suppose, in olden days, you said to a medieval monk, 'The universe is made up of millions of galaxies of incredible size. Not only that, but each galaxy is rushing away from all the others, faster and faster. And the farther they get, the faster they go.' The monk would think you were mad." The point Mr. Harris is making is that either viewpoint we take--the "traditional religious viewpoint" or the "dominant scientific viewpoint"--involves faith. He concludes that a person who can accept the idea of a "black hole" in space, should have no difficulty believing in a "pearly gate" in Heaven.
Some scientists may accuse us of being naive because we believe the creation story as recorded in the book of Genesis. Yet they are inconsistent in making such a charge because they also arrive at their position by faith. But their faith is based on their own limited observation and fallible interpretation. And that puts those who reject God at a disadvantage. The basis of their confidence is faulty and unreliable. As Christians, we have a distinct advantage: we accept what the Creator Himself declares in the Bible. Our faith is based on what He has proclaimed. We need never be ashamed to say that we accept His word by faith. It gives us true understanding.
--R.W.D.
Creation is not only more complex than we think it is. It is more complex than we can think.
-------------------------------------
JAN 03
PSALM 19:1-6
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God"
(Psalm 14:1).
An unbelieving lawyer had a plaque on his office wall that read: GOD IS NOWHERE. His small daughter, while waiting for him one day, passed the time by copying that motto over and over on a piece of paper. Unintentionally she spaced the letters in a way that completely changed their meaning. Adding a space between the letters W and H, she wrote GOD IS NOW HERE.
This story suggests what happens in life. People with an unbelieving frame of mind say that the world is the result of a long, evolutionary process. Because of their prejudiced slant on things, they see no evidence of the Almighty's hand in nature, even though it is found all around them. They feel completely justified in concluding that there is no God. Christians, however, behold the beauty and design in that same creation and conclude that God is everywhere. With the psalmist we say, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork"
(Psalm 19:1).
The letters on the sign in the attorney's office may be read two different ways, but only one meaning is true. Many people look at God's mighty handiwork in the universe and think that it simply says "wild chance." But others see it as saying "wise Creator." The Bible gives us the right interpretation. Those who see God as NOW HERE instead of NOWHERE are the ones who know how to read the sign.
--R.W.D.
Nature is but a name for an effect whose cause is God.
--Cowper
-------------------------------------
JAN 04
GENESIS 1:9-13
O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all (Psalm 104:24).
While eating a slice of watermelon, William Jennings Bryan thought of a way to use it as an illustration in one of his speeches. After estimating that the melon was about forty pounds, he collected a number of seeds and weighed them. Applying a little mathematics, he was amazed to find that it took nearly five thousand to make up a pound. Then he sat down at his desk and wrote, "Recently someone planted just one of those little seeds in the ground. Under the influence of sunshine and shower, it took off its coat and went to work gathering about two hundred thousand times its own weight. It forced all the material through a tiny stem and built a watermelon. On the outside it had a covering of green; within that, a rind of white; and within that, a core of red. Scattered on the inside were more seeds--each capable of doing the same work all over again. What architect drew the plan? Where did that little watermelon seed get its tremendous strength? Where did it find its flavoring extract and its coloring matter?" Bryan then pointed out that until we can explain a watermelon, we dare not underestimate the power of the Almighty. In supplying us with these wonders, which our finite minds cannot understand, the Lord has shown us His infinite wisdom and power.
Viewing the wonders of God, as witnessed by even a single watermelon, we are amazed at His marvelous handiwork. In humble adoration we exclaim with the psalmist, "In wisdom You have made them all."
--H.G.B.
The signature of wisdom impressed on the works of God proclaims His glory. --Newton
-------------------------------------
JAN 05
MATTHEW 6:5-8
"Your father knows the thingsyou have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8).
A group of scientists are directing their thoughts and needs into the heavens, but not to the God of the Bible. They have calculated that as many as fifty million civilizations may exist somewhere in space, and they believe that some of them may have found methods to improve our lives and control the time of death. In November, 1974, these scientists, using special technology, beamed a message to a cluster of stars on the outer edge of our galaxy. But even if that signal were picked up, they estimate that it would take forty-eight thousand years for an answer to come back.
To Christians, these efforts seem ridiculous and destined to failure. Yet those scientists are serious about their efforts, while we, who do have contact with "another world," sometimes act as if our prayers are not heard. Every child of God has the opportunity to get in touch, not with other creatures, but with the Creator Himself! We have immediate access through prayer to the One who stretched out all the galaxies in the heavens. He hears us the instant we pray and answers according to His will. Through the wonderful privilege of prayer, every Christian can come to One who is all-powerful, who listens in heaven, and who can and does change the affairs of people.
In light of our relationship to Him, we can send our messages to heaven with renewed confidence, because we know personally our God-listener.
--M.R.D.II
When we bend our knees to pray, God bends His ear to listen.
-------------------------------------
JAN 06
PSALM 50:1-6
The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken . . . from the rising of the sun to its going down (Psalm 50:1).
Who has not marveled at the beauty of a sunset? We stand motionless, awestruck, hushed by the flaming sky as the sun moves toward the western horizon Seeming to hesitate a moment, the glowing orb drops out of sight, leaving the sky ablaze with brilliant shades of pink, orange, and red The frustrations of the day are silenced by the majestic yet soothing voice of God as we view a glorious sunset.
Because the earth's atmosphere slightly slows and bends the sun's rays, the sun appears oval-shaped rather than round And dust or smog in the air creates the dazzling array of colors that gives us so much visual pleasure at day's end And scientists tell us that a sunset can be even more beautiful than most of us have seen In the ENCYCLOPEDIA SCIENCE SUPPLEMENT, astronomer John B. Irwin wrote, "When conditions are just right, the last diminishing bit of the yellow-orange sun suddenly changes into a brilliant emerald green. This green flash puts an exciting exclamation point to the end of the day."
To Christians, every sunset is an exclamation point given to us by God the Creator to end the day. It's as if the Lord were saying, "Set aside your worries. Rest from your labors. Forget about those disappointments. I am still here, taking care of My universe. I am in control. I have not changed. Look up beyond the sun to Me and be at peace."
--D.C.E.
The voice of God in nature assures us of His power.
-------------------------------------
JAN 07
1 JOHN 3:1-12
It has not yet been revealed what we shall be
(1 John 3:2).
As Charles Simeon, the great nineteenth century English preacher, lay mortally ill in his Cambridge home, he realized that his time on earth was fast slipping away. He turned to those at his bedside and asked, "Do you know what comforts me just now? I find infinite consolation in the fact that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." His friends asked how that thought could give solace as he faced death. He answered with the confidence of one about to meet the Lord, "Why, if God can bring all the wonder of the worlds out of nothing, He may still make something out of me!"
To think of the glory that awaits God's children--to have a spirit perfectly pure and a resurrected body that will enable us to enjoy eternity to its fullest--staggers the imagination. The great changes we will experience in glory are beyond our understanding.
Even now God's transforming power is at work in us. At conversion we became children of God and were made "alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:5). But that is not all. Paul said that in the future God will "show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:7). No wonder the apostle John exclaimed with astonishment, "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be."
Glorious prospects await those who have trusted Christ for salvation. God is not done with us yet. The best is yet to be.
--P.R.V.
While you prepare a place for us, Lord, prepare us for that place.
