God’s Glory ~ God’s Word (by guest Mark Sweatt)

During a recent trip to the beach, I took walks on the cool sand in the early morning and late evenings. The beauty of God’s creation dominated my thoughts. Looking up, I saw the sun, moon, stars, and clouds. Looking out, I saw the vast waters, sand, and waves. As I strolled along, I was in awe of God’s magnificent creation. I wondered how anyone could deny the supremacy of an Almighty God.

Descriptions of God include creator, redeemer, preserver, and ruler of the universe, to name a few. Creation’s expanse is a testament to the glory of God. How can we maximize our intake of His creation?  He teaches us about Himself using His creation and His Word through Psalm 19, written by David.

Attending to our Spiritual Health

I recently went on a diet. Here are a few observations from my experience:

• Things that are the best for me, taste the worst.
• Things that are bad for me, taste the best.
• Things that are bad for me are everywhere (McDonalds, Popeyes, Guthrie’s)
• Things that are good for me may be difficult to find. (Have you ever tried to order broccoli in a drive-through?)

We can easily be drawn into unhealthy things like a Krispy Kreme donut shop, especially when the flashing red “hot light” is on. Same for me with TV and social media. As believers, we must be intentional and disciplined to remain spiritually healthy. Nothing is more important to spiritual health than a regular intake of scripture and meditation on God’s goodness. 

The Revelation of His Glory

One of the ways God reveals Himself and His glory to mankind is through creation. Through it, we see His greatness and design. Where there is a design, there is a designer.

The heavens declare God’s glory in the sky displaying His craftmanship. How true. The sky does not contain His glory; it speaks OF His glory.

Interestingly, a space agency collected 22 months worth of data on stars. From the data, a map was generated of the 1.7 billion stars revealed. Each star demonstrated unique characteristics in color, size, shape, and brightness. Giant stars have been found to exist hundreds to thousands of times bigger than the sun. The sun is 864,900 miles in diameter, equivalent to 109 times that of the Earth. More than one million Earths could fit inside a hollow sun.

It is amazing to me how even God’s silence displays greatness and power. I was reminded of that on my beach trip, watching the crashing waves. They spoke no words, but their power was evident. Nothing is hidden in God’s creation; it is out there for all humanity to experience equally.

The Value of God’s Word

God’s Word gives us instruction and foundation. The Bible Intake Discipleship commentary uses six words to describe God’s Word:  

1. God’s Word is PERFECT.  It is complete, without blemish, and lacking nothing.  We uncover all we need to know about who God is and who we are in His Word. We can learn of His perfect plan and the devastating effects of sin. We learn about the perfect sacrifice through Jesus Christ. To know Him, we must read and study His perfect Word.
2. God’s Word is TRUSTWORTHY.  It does not change and is always reliable. We can turn to His word for wisdom rather than relying on our own understanding and foolish thoughts.
3. God’s Word is RIGHT. It is a roadmap of where we need to be. His Word will never lead to a dead end, steer one down a wrong road, or go out of date. His precepts are not meant to burden but to bless.
4. God’s Word is PURE. It gives light to the eyes of our understanding.
5. God’s Word is CLEAN. His word has a purifying effect on our soul, pointing to a right relationship with Him that endures throughout eternity.
6. God’s Word is TRUE. It defines what should be and what should not. The truth of sin, forgiveness, heaven, and hell is found. 

I fear the value of hand-written words may become a lost art. When I was in college, my girlfriend (now my wife of 41 years) corresponded via letters. After class, I raced home to see if the mailman had delivered a card or letter from her. It wasn’t the grammar that impressed me, it was who had written it and the value I placed on it. Shouldn’t that be our reaction to God’s Word?  Shouldn’t we be eager to race to His word to see what He has to say to guide us in our relationship with Him?