For the next 21 days, Pastor Colin Smith will post a devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings will follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.
Creation (Genesis 1)
Imagine nothing. It’s almost impossible. But before the creation there was nothing, except God. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
In schools, we challenge our children’s creativity by giving them materials to work with: ‘See what you can do with this,’ we say. But there were no materials for God to work with in shaping the universe. He created all that exists out of nothing, and He sustains the universe by His own power.
Take a fresh look at what God has created today. Look at the sky; it proclaims the work of God’s hands. Listen to the birds; they testify to God’s gentle care. Every snowflake bears witness to His majesty. Every sunrise speaks of His faithfulness.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard, (Psalm 19:1-3).
This majestic Creator made you. He chose to bring you into being. He has never made anyone quite like you before, and He will never make anyone quite like you again. His purpose in giving you life is that you should radiate a unique reflection of Jesus Christ forever.
As you fill your mind with the vastness and beauty of creation, consider this: The One who made it and sustains it lay in a manger. God took our flesh, entered our world and lived our life. The more you think about that, the more breathtaking it gets.
God came into the world to fulfill His own promise. At the creation He said, “Let us make man in our image,” (Genesis 1:26). Christ came so that you should be renewed in the image of your Creator (Colossians 3:10). Think about that: The Savior came so that you would reflect the beauty of God’s holiness and live in the joy of His love as you reflect the full glory of His image forever. That’s your future in Christ. So live today in anticipation of it.
This promise could only be fulfilled in Christ who is the image of God (Colossians 1:15). The world does not see Christ’s glory. But wise men came and knelt before Jesus in adoration. They saw His glory and worshipped, as we do today.
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
