Literally, there is no place in God's creation where God is invisible. Gary Henry has said, “Surely, we are surrounded by traces of God. God has not left Himself without "marks" or "signs" that He has been here. So telling are the tokens of His creativity, we can hardly come into contact with anything that God has done without being reminded of the power of His existence and the richness of His love.” (www.wordpoints.com) Among countless considerations about a supreme being are these:
‰ 1. GOD'S EXISTENCE. The fact that "God is real" is made known by the marvels He has let drop from his creative hand. If we fail to see this truth, it’s not because it hasn’t been made plain to us: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." (Rom. 1:20) “Without excuse.” Wow! So, it’s not a matter of our “overlooking” nature’s indications of a Master Planner. They are “clearly seen,” leaving us unjustified in our refusal to accept the obvious. All of us are uncomfortable about being “without excuse” for our thoughts and actions. And we ought to be even more so when it comes to our accountability before the Creator of the universe. Don’t you think?
‰ 2. GOD'S BENEVOLENCE AND BEAUTY. As important as it is for us to recognize the traces of God's existence, it is even more important for us to see what the creation says about God's nature. It’s said that every work of art reveals the heart of the artist. (I don’t claim to always see it.) God's creative work unfailingly tells us he is a God of love. A world like ours couldn’t have been made by One who didn’t take delight in beauty and joy and even good humor. The Alps and the Grand Canyon surely make some kind of comment on God's nature. But so do the dandelion and the duckbilled platypus!
‰ 3. OUR PURPOSE AS CONTAINERS TO RECEIVE GOD'S JOY. Surrounded by so many proofs of God, how can we take in the wonders of the world and miss what these wonders say about us? The very fact that we have the ability to think rationally and appreciate the significance of important things ought to convince us we were made for something more than mere existence, or — perish the thought — that we are products of an “accident!” (Even “accidents” unwaveringly imply the existence of the thing(s) involved in the accident, as well as the possibility intent of rationally avoiding the accident!) The glorious truth is, we are made to be receptacles — vessels through which our Creator-Father wishes to express His delight.
Let me close this by sharing this brief Gaelic Prayer. “As the hand is made for holding and the eye for seeing, you have fashioned me for joy. Share with me the vision that shall find it everywhere: in the wild violet's beauty; in the lark's melody; in the face of a steadfast man; in a child's smile; in a mother's love; in the purity of Jesus.”
Larry Sheehy is the preaching minister at Statesboro Church of Christ. He can be reached at (912) 764-5269 or sborococ@frontiernet.net
‰ 1. GOD'S EXISTENCE. The fact that "God is real" is made known by the marvels He has let drop from his creative hand. If we fail to see this truth, it’s not because it hasn’t been made plain to us: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." (Rom. 1:20) “Without excuse.” Wow! So, it’s not a matter of our “overlooking” nature’s indications of a Master Planner. They are “clearly seen,” leaving us unjustified in our refusal to accept the obvious. All of us are uncomfortable about being “without excuse” for our thoughts and actions. And we ought to be even more so when it comes to our accountability before the Creator of the universe. Don’t you think?
‰ 2. GOD'S BENEVOLENCE AND BEAUTY. As important as it is for us to recognize the traces of God's existence, it is even more important for us to see what the creation says about God's nature. It’s said that every work of art reveals the heart of the artist. (I don’t claim to always see it.) God's creative work unfailingly tells us he is a God of love. A world like ours couldn’t have been made by One who didn’t take delight in beauty and joy and even good humor. The Alps and the Grand Canyon surely make some kind of comment on God's nature. But so do the dandelion and the duckbilled platypus!
‰ 3. OUR PURPOSE AS CONTAINERS TO RECEIVE GOD'S JOY. Surrounded by so many proofs of God, how can we take in the wonders of the world and miss what these wonders say about us? The very fact that we have the ability to think rationally and appreciate the significance of important things ought to convince us we were made for something more than mere existence, or — perish the thought — that we are products of an “accident!” (Even “accidents” unwaveringly imply the existence of the thing(s) involved in the accident, as well as the possibility intent of rationally avoiding the accident!) The glorious truth is, we are made to be receptacles — vessels through which our Creator-Father wishes to express His delight.
Let me close this by sharing this brief Gaelic Prayer. “As the hand is made for holding and the eye for seeing, you have fashioned me for joy. Share with me the vision that shall find it everywhere: in the wild violet's beauty; in the lark's melody; in the face of a steadfast man; in a child's smile; in a mother's love; in the purity of Jesus.”
Larry Sheehy is the preaching minister at Statesboro Church of Christ. He can be reached at (912) 764-5269 or sborococ@frontiernet.net