God's Wondrous Works

Psalm 104:24
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

I went to the Grand Canyon this week with my family for the very first time. Yes, I have lived in Arizona for over 8 years, and have just visited the state’s most recognizable feature. Oh how I wish I had gone sooner.

I can’t stop thinking about it.

It has captivated my mind and thoughts since I set eyes on it. It has touched me deep within, as I imagine my Creator speaking it into existence. Yes, Jesus has captured my heart, once again, with this amazing piece of workmanship.

Psalm 104:24 is the verse I found on a plaque on one of the buildings. When I read it, it so perfectly described how I felt that it brought me to tears. I was so blessed to see that it had not been removed for fear of offending someone, rather it publicly proclaimed the Artist whose hand had carved the very wonder everyone was there to experience!

I cannot even fully express how it has affected me. Even now I am in tears thinking about how magnificent it was. . . almost too precious to share.

So, I will leave you with the poem that followed this verse on the plaque:

“Father Almighty, wonderful Lord, Wondrous Creator, be ever adored; Wonders of nature sing praises to You, Wonder of wonders - I may praise too!” MB

All We Need

Proverbs 3:13-18
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Wisdom and understanding – something we all truly need. It seems so illusive, doesn’t it? As though something never to be gotten or attainted. Yet, we look for it – we search in schools, books, magazines, the starts – everywhere. Rather ironic, isn’t it, that the very book from which these words come is the very book in which we will find wisdom and understanding.

They are not something we can attain or achieve; rather we receive them through the person of Jesus Christ. He is all the wisdom and understanding we need, after all, He’s the smartest man ever. He knows all things, so with Him, we can know all that we need! Isn’t that an amazing thought? I love the idea that He is truly all we need, even when it comes to knowledge.

And look at all that we get through the wisdom and understanding afforded us in Christ – profit more than silver, better returns that gold! We will have something more precious than rubies, long life, riches, and honor. We will have pleasant ways, following paths of peace. Truly, we will be blessed if we follow these ways!

What do you desire in life? Wisdom? “Nothing you desire can compare to her.”

Bragin' on Our Jesus

Galatians 6:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

Boasting in Christ. How often do we boast in Christ? How often do we go around boasting about what Christ is doing in our lives, our churches, our families? Not very often, I would be willing to bet, at least for most of us. Sure, it’s easy to boast about the achievements of our children, our spouse, even ourselves, but start to mention Jesus and most people shut-down or put up the thickest wall of defense we’ve ever seen. And so, Jesus is not someone we tend to mention much is He?

I wonder what it would take to get you and me to start talking about Jesus everyday, in ordinary ways (not that Jesus is ordinary – far from it! But to talk about Him as though He is a constant part of our lives). I read an e-mail some time ago about how our lives would be so much different if we would treat our Bibles the way we treat our cell phones – always with us, always in it, always consulting it when we have extra time or a problem, etc. It makes me wonder how much of the world really has seeped into my pores.

So, I look at myself in the mirror and wonder – am I a new creation? Yes! Praise God, I am!! I am not the person I was – even compared to 3 years ago! So, is the rest of life reflecting that newness? Or am I still caught up in the habits of the old creation, like a butterfly stuck in his cocoon? Am I truly dead to the world and all its trappings? Is the world truly dead to me, holding no appeal or luster? And is Jesus the one person I am truly proud of? I don’t know.

These are tough questions I need to ask myself. I need to spend some time reflecting and ask God to reveal the truth to me. I wonder, would you ask them of yourself along with me? Then we can face the answers together and work side-by-side to become those who truly desire to brag about Jesus and all that He is!

Just Like . . .

Galatians 6:12-13
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

There are those, even in Christendom, who want to be popular. Hey, we all want to be liked, right? But these people will take it step further – maybe even two or three steps. Or one giant leap. These are the people who are going to start preaching to us and teaching us that we need to be like them. They want a little fan club, with people they can point to and say, “Look at all the people who are just like me! See how much they love me?”
You and I need to be cautious when we come across teachers and preachers who begin to set themselves up as the standard, instead of Christ. When these people begin to tell us that we need to be just like them, and try to step-up as the example we are to live up to, great big bells and whistles should start sounding in every cell of our bodies. Christ, alone, is our standard, and we need to seek to be like Him and no one else. Of course, if we all are trying to be like Christ, then it seems to reason that we’ll start looking similar. However, it is Jesus we look to, Jesus we praise, Jesus we look like, and Jesus who gets all the credit. No one else.
You and I need to steer-clear of those teachers who would tell us to look and act like them. And we need to watch ourselves, that we don’t get drawn into the game of wanting everyone to look and act like us. Jesus loves diversity, and so should we!