GOD'S NATURE REVEALED IN CREATION

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard." (Psalm 19:1-3, NKJV)

Devotion 3 of 6

DIVINE JUDGMENT

God's wrath, or indignation, is being revealed from heaven--today. It is not being made known like it will be at the end of the world. Then He will burn the heavens and the earth with fire, and pass eternal judgement upon those who chose to ignore Him. He does not do that now-- but He is not inactive. His wrath, or anger, is being revealed in a different way. He is responding to those that have stopped their ears to His message through nature. That message is clear enough to know there is a God, and that He ought to be sought. But some have chosen to worship what God MADE instead of God Himself. It might seem innocent, but it is not. Because humanity was stubborn, refusing to listen to the message of the universe, God has allowed them to degenerate to unbelievable levels. Sociologists attempt to explain the abnormal conduct of people. They say their environment, some illness, or some other supposed uncontrollable factor, has caused depraved behavior. God gives us the real explanation.

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." Sexual impurity, or immorality, is the result of stifling the knowledge of God! It is as though God pulls back far enough for people to sink into conduct that is unreasonable at any level. God's Word traces the rise of homosexuality to this situation, and it is done in vivid language. "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men." Some may object to these words from God, but they are nevertheless true.

Our point here is not the immorality of humanity, but WHY it has arisen. It is because God spoke to the human race in crude, yet discernible language. If His creation is seen correctly, His "invisible qualities" can be detected. God made the universe so men would see something of Himself there, and want to know Him. Our race DID see some evidence of God in creation. That is why they began to worship what was IN the creation instead of the One that made the creation. God was so sensitive about this inexcusable response, that He withdrew from them--far enough so they would act senselessly, or unreasonably.

What are those "invisible qualities," clearly seen in creation. They are His "power and divine nature." Talk about power--there is nothing like that generated by nature. A hurricane, tornado, firestorm, flood, ice-storm, heat-wave, cold-wave- all of them put men in a helpless situation. When nature flexes its muscles, so to speak, the power of men disappears. What is the lesson to be learned there? That the God Who made nature is more powerful than nature itself! God HIS WAY in the "whirlwind and storm" (Nah 1:3). In what men call "acts of God, " we see the helplessness of men before an awesome Lord. These things are not designed to merely frighten or scare us. Rather, they are to help us look for God.

The "Divine nature" is God's character. He is not only powerful, He is orderly, working for a reason, and fulfilling a plan. The precision of nature tells us about this aspect of the Lord. Nature cannot explain itself! You can never discover how or when nature came into existence by studying rocks, soil, and heavenly bodies. The point to be seen in nature is not WHEN it began, but WHO created it. God's purpose, or objective, for humanity is not to understand WHAT He has made, but to understand Him. The Bible is about Him! When men spend countless energy attempting to discover WHEN the universe was created, they have veered off course, and are wasting their time. They should be seeking the Creator!

The word "Divinity," or "Godhead," as used in the King James Version of the Bible, emphasizes the completeness of God. That is another way of saying He has no weak spots. There is nothing about God that is not sufficient. There are, for example, some things the sun cannot do; but there is nothing God cannot do. A pocket full of money and a new car can give you some things, but there are some things they cannot give you--like health, length of life, and a good conscience. But there is nothing God cannot give you! He is Divine! He had no beginning, and He will have no ending. He is Divine! He created everything, and He sustains everything. He is Divine!

Nature testifies to this aspect of our God. It does by confronting us with absolute precision, beauty, and order. If you see nature correctly, you will know it could never support itself. There is too much of it, and too much to be done. Nature is like a giant arrow pointing up to God. It is as though it were shouting in our ears, "God made me--can't you see it?"

We will focus upon two texts of Scripture that talk about the message of creation. First, we will find there is no acceptable excuse for anyone NOT seeking after God. There is sufficient evidence around us to cause us to engage in a hearty effort to find God. Second, we will find nature only INTRODUCES us to God. What it tells us is necessary to provoke us to seek the Lord, but it is not sufficient to give us a personal acquaintance with Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, deliver me from any propensity to seek after what You have made or given rather than seeking You through Christ Jesus.

-- TOMORROW: GOD IS ABLE! --