Day 148
“Their message has gone out to all the earth.” Psalm 19:4
God is the author of two books described in this Psalm. The first half of Psalm 19 describes His Book of Creation (vv1-6); the last half describes His Book of Scripture (vv. 7-11). Psalm 19 then concludes with a fitting prayer of confession and commitment in verses 12-14.
The psalmist opens with a sweeping appreciation for God’s handiwork in the skies. The sun, he said, is a runner who starts a sky race every morning and completes it each evening. It’s a star 93 million miles away, composed of hydrogen and helium, a literal fireball of remarkable energy generated by nuclear fusion reactions, producing 10 million megatons of energy per second. Its temperature is about 10,000 degrees on the surface and approximately 25 million degrees at its center. If it were a little larger, its gravity would pull us into it and we’d burn up; a little smaller and we’d and we’d drift off into deadly coldness. If it were a little hotter, we’d be consumed; a little colder and we’d freeze. If it were a little brighter, we’d be blinded; a little dimmer and our world would be perpetually dimmed.
BOTTOM LINE:
In every way, the sun perfectly matches earth, making our planet the only known spot in the universe for human life. There’s no locale or person on Earth where the sun doesn’t shine. God’s creation is accessible to all, telling everyone of God’s majesty and declaring His glory.
All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions. Robert J Morgan 2008
MY FURTHER REFLECTION: The potential hypocrisy of my (man’s) heart’s past, present & future belligerence to acknowledge God as the sole Creator of our universe, considering the preponderance of evidence now known, or, yet being discovered, even within the human body (brain, genetics, nutritional & chemical influencers, etc), or beyond our bodies, in such as by the transforming power of His Holy Spirit in matters of our relationships past, present, & future, not to mention the healing impact of His Divine Love throughout our lives at this very moment…
We are truly blessed beyond our mere comprehension. How can I even begin to worship His creation and works in me appropriately?
Next, consider the marvel His salvation provides us, and the “access” to life He provides us?
Today, and in the future, the key word in this techie world may be “ACCESS.” How does one insure continual access to whatever? Avoid the ACCESS DENIED caption!
Next, consider the invitational Jesus of the Scriptures, and our timely response to insure our future access…
Next, consider the perspective of “Our puny rituals” vs. “His endless realities of Love!”
Go forth today celebrating His abundance that is NOW accessible to you! Indeed! The message has gone throughout the earth! Psalm 19:4
As I conclude this post, I am reminded that my very first computer purchased in 1984 was indeed named “Access” housed in a black box cube with a hinged lid. Weighing 43 lbs., Monochrome of course, 2 floppy drives, with both phone modem receptacles top side as well as an Epson printer, and we were in business and on the move! I’m now just reflecting now how well named it was. I’m wondering now what power it’s developers had access too?
About all I remember now is that I wrote a check for $2000 and picked it up at 8 am at a unmarked side door in a nondesript warehouse in N. Canton just up from the Toyota dealer. I presume my dairy nutrition guru friend Donovan Beyeler, formerly of Orrville, then of Elkhart, was instrumental in arranging the sale as he was continually researching the then dribbling pipeline of portable home business computers prior the introduction of laptops… as I certainly was not knowledgeable of the latest and greatest. And it was because of Don, I’m sure that they even took my check!
But here again, we return to ACCESS, don’t we? It is the WHO we know! Be it via “puny rituals” or His “endless realities.” Don’t you love that we serve an “invitational Jesus” capable of both empowering us and opening the necessary doors? Pure Kingdom Joy! None of this fabricated synthetic Chicago misnamed vocab! First, the New Agers hijacked His rainbow, now even the word joy! May we concertedly live every moment “invitationally alive” with Jesus. Do not become consumed by the encroaching dark deception about us. It is so temporary!
I’m reminded today(Aug 28) of Job’s words in the One Year Bible from Job 24:22-24 “though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.” And if you were ever “privileged” to monotonously gaze into a combine header watching the heads of grain being gathered in, you better understand being brought low and gathered up like all others, be it spiritually, or mechanically!
Seriously now, today (Aug 28) One Year Bible has these verses from I Cor.2: 14-17 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in joyful triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
Now read it from the Message. Both are powerfully inspired! 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (MSG) In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.
Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.
But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on?
No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.
Got the picture? Then I must act accordingly!