Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Genesis 1:1 - "So Will I"

When I think about how God created this world from nothing, I am amazed. Every tree, plant, animal, etc. was nothing until He spoke it into existence. It amazes me how people can look around at nature and not believe in God. Nothing was here before He spoke it into existence. When I think about how He made man and then made woman from a rib of man, I am in awe. Every aspect of creation He did was not done on a whim but instead He knew what He was doing. This time of year was always my favorite because of the beauty of the trees. Since moving to South Carolina I miss that. I am grateful for memories and pictures of such beauty. When I lived in Ohio, I dreamed of living close to the beach so I could see its beauty. Now I no longer have to dream of it because we live it. No matter where one goes, God's beauty can be seen. The fall trees, the beach, the cotton fields, the mountains... everywhere. But most importantly His love can be felt. His empowerment can be realized no matter where we are when we live in His presence day in and day out. The beauty of His presence is something available for all to experience. It takes trusting Him and walking by faith. It takes dying to self and allowing Him to work in and through you. It takes saying 'yes' even when it does not make sense. As I read my textbook this week, I was reminded of this. Kinlaw wrote, “God's redemptive power becomes effective for others when we give up our rights to ourselves and become sacrificial instruments of His Spirit!" (Kinlaw 122). As I read this statement, God brought to my mind the way our stepping out in faith as we listened to Him to come to South Carolina affected many people. We have been told by some that we were crazy for leaving the situation we were in up in Ohio to come here. Going from one hundred and twenty people on Sunday to twenty on a ‘good’ day seemed like a step backward to many. But it was and continues to be a step forward. It’s all about His will and the desire of His heart. We must die to self so we no longer seek happiness but instead seek holiness. That is the desire of my heart, holiness. I do not want to live in doing what I desire in the flesh but instead want to do what He desires of me. He created me for a purpose and I want to make Him proud by fulfilling it.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for all of the aspects of Your creation. Thank You for loving me so greatly that You enabled me to see You have a purpose for me. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me. May You ooze out of me today in a great way through my words, actions, and attitude. May people see/hear You through me. May the beauty of Your creation be seen through me. Lord, I pray for more people to see the purpose You have upon their life. May more people desire holiness instead of happiness. Thank You God for being My Creator. Amen.

No comments: