From Bruce and Stan we read:
The heavens tell us of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous
craftsmanship. (Psalm 19:1 NLT)
The world in which we live is one of the greatest proofs for the existence of God. The very fact that the universe exists at all points to a Creator. Even the most cynical scientist does not believe that everything around us came from nothing. There had to be a beginning. And if there was a beginning, there had to be Someone to begin everything (Genesis 1:1).
But God didn’t just create the world; He designed it. Whether you study the cosmos or the human body, you will find the systems and cycles and rhythms of life operate with incredible precision. And like many others, including a large number of the world’s top scientists, you will conclude that all of it came from one intelligent Designer, who is powerful, personal, and loving.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
From the time the world was created, people
have seen the earth and the sky and all that God
made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities
—his eternal power and divine nature. So they
have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.
Romans 1:20 NLT
Yet in spite of the evidence around us, people have done a strange thing. They have chosen to focus on the creation rather than the Creator. Paul wrote that people worship “the things God made but not the Creator himself” (Romans 1: 25 NLT). That would be like seeing a beautiful painting and concluding that the artist had nothing to do with it, or that the artist really didn’t matter. We just don’t do that. We acknowledge and praise the artist while showing appreciation for the painting.
The same things goes for God’s creation. We are to appreciate it, protect it, and even manage it while preserving. But we should never worship creation. All praise should go to the Creator, God Almighty.
. . .In the Small Stuff
- Your view of the world and how it works is directly related to your view of origins.
- Your view of origins will determine your worldview.
- When it comes to origins, there are only two alternatives: Either God created the heavens and the earth, or He didn’t.
- If God didn’t create the heavens and the earth, they happened by themselves.
- It is impossible for something to come from nothing.
- Don’t get hung up on how long ago God made the heavens and the earth.
- Don’t get hung up on how long it took God to make the heavens and the earth.
- If you want to know yourself better, get to know your Creator better.
- It is our responsibility to use and manage, not abuse and deplete—our natural resources.
- When you see a beautiful painting, praise the artist.
- When you hear beautiful song, praise the composer.
- When you experience beauty in nature, praise the Creator.
- Take time to appreciate God’s created world.
- Science is not the enemy of God, and religion is not he enemy of science. After all, when God made the world, He made science possible.
- You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.
Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, God is in the Small Stuff (Uhrichsville, Ohio: Promised Press) 65-69
(Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience, and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
