On Sundays I usually put up a photo of mine, showing a piece of the earth. I want to honor God's creative power. We worship Him on this holy day and part of that worship includes praising His eternal characteristics. He is Creator. As
Charles Spurgeon said,
"Was he powerful? Was he the mighty God when he spake the world out of the womb of nonexistence? Was he the Omnipotent when he piled the mountains and scooped out the hollow places for the rolling deep?"
God is incredibly powerful, we know that. But within His creative power is a beauty and a delicacy. He could have made a world that is utilitarian only, in drab colors of gray and brown. Earth could look like Mars, after all. He could have made all the animals look almost alike. Or all of us amoebas. He didn't. His imagination, ability to not just create, but to create
beautifully, is awe-inspiring.
Each bird has its own call. We have the harsh cry of the bluejay and the tweet of the songster warbler. Each bird has its own movement. We have the flits of the hummingbird and the soaring glide of the eagle.
Each animal has its own beauty, even jellyfish! Even bluebottle flies have a neon iridescence that catches the eye (just before you swat them...). Let's take a look at creation grace and the beauty within it.
He didn't have to create colorful fall foliage...but He did
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| Fall foliage, Crystal Lake, Gray ME. EPrata photo |
He didn't have to create colorful flowers...But he did
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| Wildflower, Comer, GA. EPrata photo |
From chickens to tapirs to cats, He made them diverse
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| Georgia Chicken House, Danielsville GA. EPrata photo |
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| Tapir, Amazon. EPrata photo |
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| Barn Cat, Gray ME. EPrata photo |
The sun & moon " for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:15).
He paints the sky!
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| Sunset, Comer GA. EPrata photo |
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| Sunset Daytona FL. EPrata photo |
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| Sunset Lubec ME. EPrata photo |
From the velvet beauty of the magnolia...
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| EPrata photo |
to the sudden deadliness of the pitcher plant...
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| Bog, Campobello New Brunswick Canada. EPrata photo |
to the prickliness of the cactus...
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| Cactus, EPrata photo |
The Lord creates, and He creates beautifully!
If you would like to see some truly beautiful photos of earth taken by talented photographers, here are some links well worth visiting. As you view the photos, praise the Creator who not only made us and made this place to live, but He chose not to make it solely utilitarian, but beautiful, too.
Ten Years of Gorgeous Images of Earth
Earth as Art: Stunning Images From Space
NatGeo: Extreme Earth
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteGod's artistry is utterly amazing. His creative designs are lavish, exquisite, refined, unparalleled, and breathtaking.
That He marries the most spectacular artistry with faultless engineering and precise design - incomprehensible.
Even marred by the curse due to our sin, creation is still magnificent and still testifies to His glory. (With the "bad" parts rightly understood in light of Biblical truth - ie death, disease, etc.)
-carolyn
Hi Elizabeth, you know it hit me tonight during Bible study that His artistry is truly a huge part of why men are without excuse as Romans 1 says. All that God has created has His fingerprints all over it, which shows that He Himself is so utterly amazing beyond our understanding!!! Viewing His creation should evoke our worship of Him and praise and thanksgiving for His goodness. And yet man rejects all of this, which is plainly known, that God is the most skilled artist and architect of all - man rejects Him as Creator, and worships the creation.
ReplyDeleteBut thank the Lord, our Creator is also our Redeemer!!!
-carolyn
carolyn, good thought!! I never thought of Romans 1 in terms of the connection of His artistry. The existence of earth and life forms, yes, but not the beauty. Thanks for enlarging my perspective
DeleteBeauty is an evidence of God's existence. The art and poetry of nature speaks of God's character. If all of these came out by random chance, I really doubt it would turn out to be as orderly and beautiful.
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