April 1

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” —ROMANS 1:20

All of creation reveals something about the Creator. When an artist paints a picture he normally does two things. He copies something and he expresses himself. If we were to look at an artwork of Picasso, we may quickly recognize it was a woman he painted, but will probably conclude he saw things quite differently than we would. His painting may tell us something about the woman, but it tells us more about Picasso himself.

When God created the universe, he did only one of those two things. He did not copy anything because there was nothing to copy. What He did was express Himself. When our lives are filled with Jesus Christ, we have a new appreciation of beauty, for behind the creation is the mind and heart of the Creator. We see God in the tranquility of an early morning sunrise, in the magnificence of a setting sun, and in the splendour of a starlit sky. We see God in the mountains, oceans, forests, flowers, birds, animals; all of nature becomes a glorious tribute to the unparalleled artistry of God.

We also see God in our circumstances. We need no longer fear events in our lives that would normally threaten us, because we see God in His sovereignty, working out His purpose in them. Nothing frightens God, and therefore, nothing need frighten us. When Christ lives in us, we see people through His eyes, and barriers of race, religion, status, wealth, power; every one is broken down, because God sheds His love abroad in our hearts, and we become one with Him in loving others. 

When we come to know Jesus, He changes our lives in immeasurable ways. Paul writes, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” (Philippians 3:8). It is this single-minded disposition of coming to know Christ that is reflected in how we see creation, how we fare in our circumstances, and in how we treat others. As Paul says, “this one thing I do,” not the twenty things I dabble with, and everything else in our lives derives its place and its significance from this central spinal cord to which everything else is attached. The goal of the Christian life is attaching every aspect of our lives to Jesus Christ, so that as His creation, our lives reveal the Creator.

PRAYER: I am in awe of creation, Lord. Thank You for being the central cord of my life from which all else is attached, and allowing me the peace and joy of seeing everything through your eyes.

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I relating everything in my life to Jesus Christ?