God’s Gift of Creation

Our joyful journey with you here on Fridays is through ten loving acts of the Father. Number three is our Father created the universe to show us His glory and power and infinite goodness. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God, not the mystical big bang over 13.6 billion years ago. Or was it 14 billion years ago? When I was in school, I think it was three billion years ago. My how the billions of years just fly by when you don’t have a clue!

If we want to be theologically precise about it, God the Father created the universe, though He did it through His Son as His agent and though the Spirit was intimately involved. And given that God is self-sufficient and self-existent, I believe with all my heart the Scriptures teach, directly and indirectly, that God created it all to show off His power and glory to moral creatures made in His image, but especially to us who would become His children and know the truth.

Creation is God flexing His muscles. Creation is God saying, “Check this out. Then fall on your knees and worship Me!” Creation is our Father showing us His power and goodness so that we boast in Him.

So let’s do some boasting! Our earth travels 67,000 mph around the sun and it still takes 365 days to complete a lap. This planet spins at ~ 1,000 mph at the equator and does so consistently, day after 24 hour day. Of course this is all terribly slow compared to light, which travels at about 186,000 miles per second. Count to one. Light could have traveled around the earth seven times.

Our small star the sun puts off a fair amount of light. That’s because it is wider than 100 earths side by side and yet is dwarfed by many other stars, with emphasis on many. Our galaxy alone has 150 to 200 billion stars and we are one of 150 billion other galaxies, each with billions upon billions of stars. The Virgo Galaxy has an estimated 5 trillion stars. Why so many?

One star can weigh 50 million times the earth! One teaspoon of a Neutron star weighs three billion tons. Why so heavy?

Closer to home, anyone looking for a really deep swimming hole? There’s a lake in Russia that is almost one mile deep. If that’s not enough, take a plunge in the Pacific near Guam where the water is almost 7 miles deep!

Weight watchers anyone? The Blue Whale is 94 feet long and weighs in at 174 tons. Its tongue alone weights as much as an elephant; its heart is the size of Herbie the slugbug. Imagine housing and feeding this pet. Only God can. It eats 2-9,000 pounds a day during a feeding frenzy that lasts 120 days of the year.

The next time you set the cruise on 70, roll down all the windows, hold your head outside and think – there’s a fish that can swim this fast! The sail fish holds the in water speed record of all God’s creatures.

I remember watching the Olympics last summer and just marveling at the sprinters in the 100 meter race, especially Hussein Bolt, currently the world’s fastest man. He just recently broke his own record, running the 100 in 9.58 seconds. Now, consider this. A huge grizzly bear could run him down. Mr. Bolt tops out at 23 mph according to one internet source. A male grizzly can run up to 30 mph, goes from standing still to 25 mph and can cover 110 yards in 6 seconds.

At the age of 40, I could bench press more than my weight before shoulder problems developed, that were brought on by benching more than my weight. Not smart and not impressive. The rhinoceros beetle can carry 850x his weight. That would be like loading me up with just over 75 tons. Help!

As I read the Bible, especially the Psalms, I come to the conclusion much of it was written outside! Check out Psalm 19:1 and 33:6-9 for why.

No one should love it and stand in awe more than the Christian. We alone of all people most clearly know we are not just the result of some impersonal Intelligent Design. We are the very Handiwork of our Father, allowed to live in a theater of His glory!

We exult with Nehemiah. “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it; the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the host of heaven bows down before You” (9:6).

We marvel with Moses. “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2).

-Pastor Chris
Kerrville Bible Church