Being Mindful of God’s Creation

I’ve been working the last couple of days and yesterday was a particular beautiful autumn day here in Nova Scotia. I work outside so I have an opportunity to look at the beauty of my surroundings. I couldn’t help but be mindful of all the wonders that surround us, that we take for granted and how when you really stop to think about the complexity and beauty of this world, even in it’s fallen state, I find it hard to comprehend how so many see but don’t really see. But I once was one of those people so I do understand. But I also understand why so many people enjoy walking in the woods and enjoying the wonders of God’s creation.

There is no denying the wonder of it all.

Even the little birds are amazing and the different sounds that they make. When I stop to think of how small their brains are and yet how they can see and hear and fly, landing on a twig of a tree like it is nothing. But it isn’t nothing, it’s really amazing. Totally independent beautiful little creatures. Even with all of our technology we can’t even come close to doing that. We think we are so smart but how little we really know. God’s wonders are all around us and within us. I often pray when I’m outside and yesterday I was admitting to God how little I know. Of course, He already knew that.

I really don’t even know how little I know.

There is so much happening around me that God controls, that most times, I am not even aware of, even when I am looking. I wondered yesterday how anyone can honestly look at all the beauty around us, at the sky, clouds, lakes, oceans, plants, land and the variety of creatures around us and really think that all this just happened by chance. I think, instinctively, all of us, believers and non-believers alike, are aware and mindful of the work of our Creator. But it all comes down to what we want to focus on, ourselves or our Creator. If it is ourselves then we (non-believing humanity) use the means (theories like evolution) that are readily provided, by others who also choose to focus on themselves, to explain away what we see, to ignore or disregard, so that we (non-believing humanity) remain pre-eminent. 

But when all is said and done, all of humanity is without excuse because inside, where we truly live, we all know our world was created, it just didn’t happen by chance..

Romans 1:20 NIV says “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

I am also mindful of what God’s Word tells us about what is to come, what waits for those who believe in Him. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV God’s Word says  “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

I don’t have any problem believing that because I don’t even understand much of what I do see here on earth. It’s not that I’m stupid, it’s not that I haven’t honestly looked at what science has discovered, on how special this planet earth that we live on is, how unique it is, and then there is our solar system and galaxy and universe. And on top of all that there are the continual discoveries that are being found in biology such as complexities of DNA, the “simple” cell and on and on it goes. Complexity upon complexity, information imbedded before construction or replication, knowledge and coded information far surpassing anything that we can reasonably hope to ever replicate. And all this just happened by chance. Improbability upon improbability to reason away our Creator, so that we don’t have to acknowledge or answer to someone greater than ourselves.

And all this just happened by chance, the earth, life on earth, the solar system, our galaxy, our universe, – all by sheer chance, and all ultimately from nothing.

That’s what our learned secular wisdom tells us. People like Carl Sagan (deceased), Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins. I don’t buy it.

Somehow the Garden of Eden doesn’t seem all that remote, when we recall the words spoken in Genesis 3 “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” or the words ““You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• We can ignore God’s creation and say it just happened by chance, originating from nothing.
• We can ignore what God says is right and wrong, we can determine our own “accepted” morality, what is “good” and what is “evil, within our own mind.
• We can ignore our own imperfections and focus on the imperfections of others.
• We can plot our own course and believe what we want to believe and answer to no one.
• We can ignore God’s call for justice and allow those who value capital gain and power to increase their wealth and domain at the expense of the common man and our environment.
• We can ignore God’s call for justice and mercy and allow those in authority to mis-use their power, either for personal gain or to fulfill prejudices.
• We can ignore God’s call for mercy and sacrifice for others and live for ourselves.
• We can ignore God’s message of deliverance and deny that it is required.
• We can reject God’s love by denying the requirement of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross.
• We can reject the factual evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and believe that when we die it is all over.

I recall a conversation I had with a co-worker recently wherein he stated, “I believe in God, I just don’t want to get into that because I am afraid of what He might ask me to do.” At least he was honest, albeit, if he really believes in God, one would have to question the logic he used. That’s like saying I believe in gravity but I don’t want to think about it. It doesn’t really matter what your decision about believing in gravity is, because gravity is real and it is going to apply to you whether you believe in it or not. One would think that if you really believe in God that you would want to know what He says.

If God is real would He have told us about Himself?

Enter the old fallback, “Well there are so many religions, it’s impossible to know which one, if any, is true.” Really …. is that just a convenient excuse that validates your indecision or are you really looking? Every major religion recognizes Jesus but Christianity does not recognize other major religious founders (Judaism excluded), why is that? When is the last time that you heard someone profanely swear in Buddha or Mohammad’s name, why is that? All other religions exhort man to reach up to God and grasp hold of Him through their own efforts. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches down to man, why is that?  Buddha did not rise from the dead. Muhammad did not rise from the dead. Confucius did not rise from the dead. Krishna did not rise from the dead. Only Jesus has physically risen from the dead, walked on water, claimed to be God, and raised others from the dead, why is that?

It’s not overly difficult to see how Christianity is unique, historical and fact based. Then check the message. Who is a “messenger” and who claims to be God? How was the divinity of He who claimed to be God validated? And lastly, what founders of the world’s major religions rose from the dead? Is this an over simplification, probably somewhat so, but the point is if you are serious about finding God you can find Him or better yet, He will find you. The main point is that you have to be seriously looking for God, not just giving lip service, hoping you won’t find Him.

Just some of my thoughts, early this Thursday morning.

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!