GOD AND CREATION

“The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land" (Psalm 95:5 NKJV).

Today a lot of folks want to disassociate creation from God. This is especially evident in our schools where evolution is taught. However, the Bible makes God and creation inseparable. Without God there is no creation. Thus from our verse we want to note three things about God and creation: the ownership of God, the omnipotence of God, and the organization of God in the creation.

Ownership of God - “The sea is His.” God owns the creation. It is His, for He made it. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told about other areas of creation which God owns. Such as Psalm 50:10 where we read, “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” Man thinks he owns the world, but man is only a steward for God and must treat creation in accord with God’s commands.

Omnipotence of God - “He made it.” In Genesis 1 we have a description of God’s work of creating the universe. Man boasts of his great power, but man’s power is microscopic when compared to God’s power. It is unimaginable the enormous power it took to create the world. And one day those who ignore God will discover that His power will banish them to eternal condemnation for their rejection of Him.

Organization of God - “His hands formed the dry land.” The word “formed” is the Hebrew word “yātsar” and means to fashion or design something. God organized the creation according to His will and power. Evolution would tell us that creation simply happened, that there was no builder or designer. However, the Bible insists on a designer for creation, and says God is the One Who organized and “formed” the creation. It makes sense, something evolution never does.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Just because God is ignored doesn't mean that He doesn't exist!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Distressed

In Phil. 2:26 we read, “Since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick!” (NKJV).

Distressed is the Greek word adēmoneō (ἀδημονέω = ad-ay-mon-eh'-o). It means to be deeply troubled or distressed, be upset, be dismayed, and be in anguish. The word describes the confused, chaotic, heavy state of restlessness that results from a time of turmoil or great trauma.

One commentator state that adēmoneō finds its origin in a word that has the idea of not at home, thus, uncomfortable, troubled, distressed. Hence, the word does not refer to homesickness, but to the discomfort of not being at home. In our verse, the heart of Epaphroditus was not at rest; he was more concerned about the Philippians’ worry for him than he was about his own difficult situation.

In spite of his sickness, he kept on working for the Lord. Our churches today need men and women who are burdened for missions and for those in difficult places of Christian service. Epaphroditus was not content simply to contribute to the offering; he gave himself to help carry the offering!

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be silent before His accusers (Psalm 38:12-13)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 27:12-14

Did You Know…

After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their eyes “were opened” to the fact that they were naked (Gen. 3:7). On the way to Emmaus, after the disciples ate the blessed bread, the followers of Jesus “eyes were opened” and they recognized Jesus (Luke 24:30-31).

Bible Quiz

How many women were in Noah’s ark?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: God placed the rainbow in the sky after the flood to signify what promise? To never again destroy the earth with water (Gen. 9:11).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

"Burn the midnight oil”

“And at midnight a cry was heard: behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him! Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out” (Matt. 25:6-8 NKJV).

“Burn the midnight oil” - The expression “burn the midnight oil” carries the idea of working late into the night. In context, the declaration of the coming of the bridegroom caused the five foolish virgins to discover they were in a crisis - their lamps had gone out, and they did not have oil to replenish their lamps. The promise of Christ’s coming is not without duty. But those whose interest is only that of curiosity will have missed the command. The coming of the Lord is near and we must all be spiritually prepared for it.

Did You Know – Christian History

Frank Laubach was born September 2, 1884 in Benton, PA. He was a Congregational Christian missionary mystic educated at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. He became known as “The Apostle to the Illiterates.”

Laubach had become aware of the importance of literacy while serving as a missionary among the Maranao Moro Muslims in the Philippines. Poverty and injustice had crushed their lives. Laubach believed that much of this could be remedied, so he conceived simple instructional primers and charts that allowed these poor people to learn to read. He also founded a community newspaper for them. Gradually he realized that he could enlist the newly-literate to teach their neighbors and friends. ‘Each one teach one,’ became his slogan.

After they were adapted for world-wide use, his methods are credited with equipping over one hundred million people with the ability to read, relieving mental and spiritual poverty. In 1955, he founded Laubach Literacy, which helped introduce about 150,000 Americans to reading each year and had grown to embrace 34 developing countries. An estimated 2.7 million people worldwide were learning to read through Laubach-affiliated programs. In 2002, this group merged with Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. to form ProLiteracy Worldwide.

In spiritual matters, Laubach urged Christians to think to Christ instead of thinking to ourselves. He suggested turning to Christ constantly for advice on what to do next. One of his most widely influential devotional works was a pamphlet entitled “The Game with Minutes.” In it, Laubach urged Christians to attempt keeping God in mind for at least one second of every minute of the day. Laubach’s insight came from his experiments in prayer detailed in a collection of his letters published under the title, Letters by a Modern Mystic.

Laubach is the only American missionary to be honored on a US postage stamp, a 30¢ Great Americans series stamp in 1984. He died at 85 on June 11, 1970, having given his life to service for mankind. Laubach, “The Apostle of Literacy” and his wife are buried in Benton, Pennsylvania under a tombstone that reads “World Missionaries.”

A Little Humor

A lady is sick of her husband’s drinking, so she decides to teach him a lesson. She dresses up like Satan, and when her husband walks in from being out all night, she jumps out from behind the sofa and screams. He says, “You don’t scare me. I’m married to your sister.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Fear God and you’ll have nothing else to fear!”