By Whom ALL Things Consist

By: Steve Huston

We are often reminded that the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made. The human eye is an amazing feat of creative engineering, our nervous system and circulatory systems are vast and amazing. All these and much more show the ludicrousness of the theory of evolution. Even today there are many secular scientists that admit evolution is not feasible, yet they still do not bend their mind, will, and knee to the Creator.

Fewer talk about the specifics of this world and God’s placement and design of it. God, through the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God made the earth to be inhabited. “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” (45:18)

We were placed in the perfect position in relation to the sun. If we were closer we would burn up; further away and we would freeze. Our atmosphere is protectively perfect, harmlessly burning up the great number of meteors that hurtle through space at us. If it were thinner we’d be in trouble. If the moon were not the size and distance that it is, the ocean tides would flood the land twice a day. Even the continental shelf is made just right to sustain us; if it were smaller, the oceans would be deeper near the shore and would lower the oxygen level in the atmosphere making life much more difficult. There is much more to consider, whether the delicate balance of the various cycles and ecological processes of nature or the thousands of other variables that keep our universe running in place, all point to the awesome power and care of our Creator for mankind, for those who are willing to see it. Take some time to read Colossians 1:15-20, stopping to think on Jesus about whom it is written in verse 17, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

This is much more than a science lesson or simply pointing to the glory of God and His worthiness of worship and glory (although it is that too). This is meant as an encouragement during troublesome times and a call to love and to draw deeper in trust and faith in our Creator and Sustainer God.

As Christians see the uncertainty that surrounds them—whether from a political, economic, or medical viewpoint—some respond with worry, others with wonder, and still others with worship. “What about COVID and vaccinations?” “What about the political turmoil coming down upon us both nationally and globally?” “What about my …” and you can fill in the blank with any number of afflictions that have come and are coming upon us daily. All these are important and all need to be viewed in truth; but, we must always recognize and stand boldly on the truth that GOD IS TRUTH! The Scriptures never fail us and we must know them in order to declare and defend them; in doing so, we declare and defend truth, we declare and defend our God! In truth, God needs no defending; but our burning love for Him will move us to do so.

I don’t imply that the afflictions, tyrannies, and movements within this nation are of no concern or we fold our hands and twiddle our thumbs resting in the Lord and His mighty power. No, we are called to stand, having done all to stand in the Lord’s mighty power. We follow His leading, decked out in all His armor, with the belt of Truth holding it all in place.

I began this article with truths that stem from the Word of God yet are questioned by many in the church today. There are many other ills of society that stand against Scripture and are accepted by the church today under the guise of “feeling” or “science” or “history” and “being on the right side of history.” Let us recognize the Bible as the standard of truth, live our lives by its authority, and declare what God has made known. Let us walk in the truth that our spiritual need, which is eternal, outweighs that which is temporal; so, let that be our greater concern, even as those temporal concerns press hard in upon us. Truly, we must trust God and know Him more intimately through times of devotion and leave our closets ready to move within society, willing to wield the Sword of Truth. Walking where the Spirit leads and doing as He bids us to do. We must find our peace and hope in our God, not in our surroundings, political situations, or creature comforts. We must find our actions motivated by and willing to be endured from our love for God and man.

Let me close with a quote from Puritan writer Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), who sums the above well with these  pointed words: “…if that which a man loves is touched, he is immediately all on fire. Here the best Christians have cause to be based. If God is their love, how can they bear to hear him disgraced and his name abused without being greatly moved and set on fire? Where there is no zeal, there is no love.” He also reminds us, “It is a great shame for a Christian to delight and comfort in the earthly more than in God. Jonah, a good man, was distraught when his gourd was taken away. Many who should joy in God above all things, act as if there were no God in heaven when their outward comforts are taken from them. They act as if there were no providence to rule the world and as if they had no Father in covenant with them. We must rely and depend upon him above all things! Whatever we trust in most, that is our god!”

Click here to read Fight on with God in Mind by Bill Johnson.

 

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