Head-Heart-Hands — The Intellectual Side of Christianity - Wednesday
Today’s Verse
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (ESV)
Today, we continue thinking about good reasons to believe in God; let's think about the beauty of creation. Stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon; it will take your breath away. As we said on Monday, God has “made himself known through the earth and sky. Through everything He made.” One only needs to watch a sunrise or sunset to say “Amen!” Have you ever noticed the marvelous creativity of a skilled decorator? God’s touches are everywhere in creation. Yosemite, the Colorado Royal Gorge, crashing waves on Florida beaches, the whole subterranean world beneath the seas, a bird’s song, a lion’s roar. Every frolicking butterfly, busy ant, or buzzing bee proclaims, “Made by God!” The evidence, in every way, is exotic and lovely. He is near.
Then, there’s the argument from personal experience. I’ve followed Him long enough to witness ample evidence of His existence. I’ve seen hundreds of answered prayers that, in no way, could be called “coincidence.” I’ve seen Him heal, save, and transform people. I’ve experienced the tenderness and drank in the miracle of His forgiveness. I’ve reveled in the power of His word and swam in the ocean of His redemption. Friend, I know what I know. And so do you; we should never apologize or take it for granted.
But the main reason I believe in God isn’t an argument; it’s a Person. Jesus is the best picture God ever had made, the most influential person who ever lived. He said things only God could say and did things only God could do, radically transforming the world in a mere 3 ½ years. A prisoner faces multiple life sentences but reads the Bible and discovers Jesus. An alcoholic who drank away all his money and destroyed his family now sits in a men’s group with me every Tuesday at 7 AM in his 27th year of sobriety. Ask for his secret, and he’ll give you a one-word answer: “Jesus.” No other historical person holds such power or has changed so many lives. It’s how Saul, the man who persecuted Christians, became Paul, the evangelist for the cause he once tried to destroy. It’s how slave trader John Newton became the world-renowned hymn writer. His best hymn says it all: “Amazing Grace.”
REFLECTION
On and on we could go, but the point is that the man who died on the cross and rose again was not merely a man; He is the incarnation of God Himself. He’s everything He claimed to be, and every believer knows that; that’s why I’m writing this and why you’re reading it. Let’s encourage each other to persevere!
