Thursday, May 13, 2021

THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD

 

            I have noticed a phenomenon that occurs when you are driving nicely in your own lane and someone is waiting to come out of a side road hoping to enter your lane. They often avoid making eye contact with you. It seems they think if they don’t acknowledge you, then you don’t exist and they can take the right-of-way to pull right out in front of you into your lane. It may work for them if you are watching closely, but on their part it’s dangerous to presume.

            I wonder how many people use that technique with God. Some think that if we just don’t acknowledge God, then we can do whatever we want to and get by with it. We can believe whatever we choose to believe and make it a reality. But it is a dangerous presumption that has eternal consequences. Whether we believe in God or not, whether we believe in Jesus to save us or not, we will stand before Him in the end. We won’t be able to avoid Him then. God will not join us in our errant beliefs. He will not accept sin. That’s why, in His love for us, Jesus died, taking on Himself all our sins. But we have to implement that belief into our lives by surrendering to Jesus and walking in His principles, power and understanding, or we will stand before Him in judgment unprepared.

            The nineteenth chapter of the Psalms gives us a description of the oratorical skills of God’s universe. Although there are no words we can actually hear with our physical ear, the message is very clear. There is a God who is the Creator of heaven and earth and His glory is evident for all of us to see on a consistent basis. Just look at the eloquence of these words.

            The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands. Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars]; Their voice is not heard. Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world.” (Amplified Bible)

            With all these wonders surrounding us, many still refuse to believe God. Instead of seeing the works of His hands and giving Him worship and glory, mankind has chosen to make up their own stories of how the earth and our universe came into existence and how it manages to maintain itself with perfect balance. So they say they believe it happened quite by accident over a period of billions of years. Rather than serving the one true God, they have created their own gods, gods they can control, but who cannot satisfy them or help them in their time of need because they are not gods at all. It’s like a childish game of pretend, but the stakes are much higher in this self-imposed delusion, because God has clearly made Himself known, and mankind has rejected the truth.

Romans 1 tells us, that God will not overlook sin because the signs of His creation speak of Him and His glory. They point clearly to Him, His power and His majesty. He goes on to say, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.” (Amplified Bible)

            Even though God will not overlook sin, all is not lost if we will just turn to Him, acknowledge Him for Who He is and believe that through Jesus Christ we can have forgiveness of our sins. Not only that, but we can have the Holy Spirit of God living within us to help us understand spiritual things and purify our hearts and minds to serve Him. That is the only way to find true peace and contentment in this world and prepare for eternity. When we give ourselves to reading and meditating on God’s Word instead of the words of men, we will find ourselves drawn to follow Him. When we open our lives to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have within us the power of God to teach us and lead us in His paths. His commandments are not oppressive. On the contrary, they set us free. We don’t keep His commandments to be saved. We keep His commandments because we are saved. It comes down to a matter of our will. Will we surrender our lives to Jesus and allow Him to live through us? The next verses in Psalm nineteen show us the perfection of God’s laws and precepts and how they renew us to walk with Him.

 

“The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

Wouldn’t you like to have your soul refreshed and have wisdom and clarity of mind to make even the most difficult decisions with confidence that you are taking the right way?

 

“The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Don’t you need joy in your life? And wouldn’t you like to have your spiritual eyes opened to know the reality of life, to have information that is reliable and trustworthy? I know I would. I hear so many voices that I simply cannot rely on because they are deceitful. But I can go to the Word of God and learn the truth. He never disappoints me.

 
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.”

When we come to recognize the majesty, power and wisdom of God, we will fear Him with deep reverence and awe that will produce a cleansing effect in us. When we see our sin displayed against the backdrop of His holiness, we can cry out for mercy and be made clean. The blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all sin. The righteous judgments of God will be satisfied through the blood of Christ.

 

“They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”

When we know the Lord and understand His precepts, we will realize they are more valuable than anything this world can offer. Only those who don’t know Him and love Him will find Jesus’ teachings to be a burden.


“Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed];
In keeping them there is great reward.”

Not only are the principles of God good, full of wisdom and strength, they keep us safe. We need to be reminded often of the Word of God and His precepts. When God gives a warning through His Word, He isn’t being critical or threatening. He is helping us stay on the right path and away from danger.

Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.

There are times when we will make mistakes or omit to do something we should have done. We can ask of the Lord and He will forgive those “unintended faults.” But our heart needs to be open to hear from Him and trust Him enough to follow His words to change.
 
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins;
Let them not rule and have control over me. Then I will be blameless (complete),
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

 

We can even go to the Lord when we have deliberately sinned against Him and find forgiveness and restoration there. We don’t have to be ruled by sin. It is better to listen to God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us rather than our own will. He will keep us from sinning as we follow Him.


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

What we meditate on will determine what we say and do. It is best to meditate on the One Who is Our Rock. Who do you know that is like an immovable rock? Someone who makes no mistakes, has your best interest at heart, and will do anything night or day to guide you and provide for you? One who never gives false information whether by accident, innocently or purposely? There is none but the Lord our God, Creator of heaven and earth. And He loves us with an everlasting love.

 

            How much wiser it is to see the works of God and acknowledge Him as God than to deny Him. His works and His Word will lead us in His perfect way, as perfectly balanced as His creation. Then, in the end, we can stand before Him complete.

No comments:

Post a Comment