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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything
made that was made… He was in the world, and the world was made through him,
yet the world did not know him. He
came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in
his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of
blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
~ John 1:1-5, 10-12
“I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence — why there is something rather than nothing.”
~ Allan Sandage, PhD (award winning astronomer)
I love springtime,
especially since moving to the UK almost a decade ago now, I have come to
appreciate it more because it comes earlier than my birth country of
Canada. I was shocked the first winter residing
in the UK when at the end of January there were crocuses poking through the
ground. Daffodils come up early as well
and I often get them confused with the bluebell stems. But when the daffodils die out, it seems
immediately, the bluebells come out in bloom.
The splendour of spring reminds me that there is a creator. C. S. Lewis once said, “Men became scientific
because they expected law in nature and they expected law in nature because
they believed in a lawgiver.”[1] From a Christian perspective, we believe in a
creator God, a grand designer and have come to expect meticulous creativity and
design in nature. How often do we miss
the genius of our Creator because we are not looking or too busy? The Apostle Paul writes, “For his invisible
attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been
made. So, they are without excuse,” Rm 1:20. Did you see that? Gods invisible
attributes are clearly perceived in the things God has made!
In John 1, the Apostle
John, who was closest to Jesus, shares with us that Jesus is the one who made everything
that we see, cannot see and experience.
He is God, is from the beginning and God through Jesus made all
things. However, the issue that really
stands out in the passage is the sad reality that many people will miss Jesus because their eyes are not truly open.
John says, “He came to his own,” but he was rejected because they did not know him as the creator, their maker
and did not receive him. God through the
Apostle John in this text is trying to get your attention and mine. Paul the Apostle says, “The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the
gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,” 2Cor
4:4. If you don’t believe in God or
haven’t given him much thought, those who do know God and know him intimately are
trying to help you see, to open your eyes to the splendour of the creator who
loves you and cares for you because he made you. This passage tells us that the God of this
age, which we know is Satan, who is real, as real as you and me, wants you to
live life blind to God. It’s like
spiritually, he has put a blindfold over the eyes of those who do not believe
in God or have not truly considered him.
Why am I writing
all of this? My heart aches for people
to know God and his Son Jesus Christ.
Why? Because our world has a
problem, it messed up in so many ways.
Just look at the local news this morning, you will most likely see stories
of stealing, attempted murder, abuse and much more. But what is worse is that the problem is not
just out there in communities, but it is in our homes too, and much closer
still is an issue of our own hearts.
When we take a cold hard look at our lives, our thoughts, our actions of
today and the past we know there are things that we are ashamed of thinking,
saying or doing. Maybe we spoke harshly
to a work colleague, fellow student or neighbour? Maybe we're not fully honest with our spouse
or employer about something that we had done or not done, lying to get out of
trouble. Some people will say to me, well
I am nice, and I do a lot of kind things for others. To that I say, ok, it is great to do nice, kind
things for others but have you really asked yourself why you have done these
things? Often, even our best intentions
are full of selfishness. An example is
that I might buy flowers for my wife on the way home from work, not thinking
that it is not really out of love, but because I know she likes flowers and I
hope she might feel more amorous toward me.
Another example might be that I give money to my favourite charity, as it
makes me look good in the community.
When we dig down deep, often our motives are selfish and not out of pure
unconditional love for others. The Bible
says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rm 3:23 and that
because of our sin, we deserve eternal death, “And these will go away into
eternal punishment,” Mt 25:46a.
We have all missed
God really; we have missed God’s mark of holiness and perfection. Yes, we might look pretty good compared to
our brother or sister, neighbour or friend but according to God, none of us
make the cut, we are all too messed up.
Yet, the Good News is our creator, Jesus Christ, as I say, “God in a
Bod,” came to the world, out of love for you and I, his created people, and the
Apostle John pleads with us saying, “But to all who did receive him, who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Can I encourage you to open your eyes, open them a
little further to see your loving creator, Jesus Christ? Will you receive him and believe in his name,
the only name that can save you from your sin, selfishness and messed up life
and heart. “If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” Rm 10:9. This a free gift, offered by the God of the
universe to you and me, and it cannot be earned or bought by anyone, only by
grace and mercy does God extend this invitation to be saved. Jesus your creator
wants to have a relationship with you, he wants to save you from all the messy
stuff. When you call on Jesus to be your
Saviour, your God and choose to follow him, he will flood your life with meaning,
purpose, love, joy and so much more. Do
we still have bad days? Yes, but he has
promised to walk with us, we are never alone.
Will God still allow us to suffer at times? Yes, but he is with us through every difficulty. Sometimes life’s greatest lessons come
through adversity and suffering. These
things God can use to help us learn to persevere and to help others who may be
struggling with identical challenges.
I plead with you today, open your eyes to the
Lord, to the splendour of your creator who loves you and has given his life for
you.
For further information, please connect with “The
Story” at http://story4.us/jeffjameslee
PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
Open our eyes Lord, to the splendour of your
creation, to the beauty of your loving salvation purchased for us through your
coming to the earth over two thousand years ago to save us from our sin and
eternal death. Thank you for your creation
which gives us a glimpse of your great genius, to your amazing creativity. Thank you for your love and grace given to us
through your death, burial, and resurrection.
Help those who today are living in blindness and darkness to have their
eyes opened to the truth and light that Jesus is God and Creator and has given
his life out of love for them, their very creator, who knows them more
intimately then they could even know themselves. God, please bring about change in this world of
darkness today for your glory. Amen
