Week 19 Devotions

May 7 - - Scientists tell us that as large as the earth is, one million earths would fit into our sun. We are further told that the Milky Way galaxy we exist in contains one billion stars similar to our sun, and that there are over 100 billion galaxies besides the Milky Way. We are further told that light travels 186,282 miles per second, meaning that light is able to travel 93 million miles from the sun to the earth in only 8 minutes and 20 seconds. We are told the circumference of the earth around the equator is 25,000 miles. If we were to drive that distance at 70 miles per hour, it would take us 355 hours or 15 days to do so, without stopping! And yet, light could travel the same distance seven times in only one second. Scientists tell us that the next nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is 86,000 light years away. Can we even begin to wrap our minds around these facts? As a young boy, David was often tending sheep for his father. No doubt, he spent a considerable amount of time under the night-time sky, gazing at the myriad of stars and constellations. The more one sees the wonders of creation and contemplates how it all came into existence, the more one comes to the conclusion, only a Creator greater than ourselves, could paint such a masterpiece. “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a). When we admire the details of a system of highways passing over and under each other; as we contemplate the magic of the Internet and the workings of a computer, as we watch many people around us all on cell phones wondering how so many voices can be traveling through the air; or, as we marvel at the precision of an automated assembly line, none of us is so foolish as to think such things simply happened into existence. Why, then, would we think that such a huge and complex Universe could evolve into existence? David had it right when he said, “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1). They do so because they don’t want to believe the facts. They do so because there are aspects of their lives that are evil and they don’t want their evil to be exposed (Psalm 14:1b; John 3:18-21). The next time you gaze into the night-time sky, consider this; the God who created and brought it all into existence, is the same God who has promised, “no eye has seen, no hear has heard, and no mind can conceive of the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9). Enjoy the beauty of God’s Creation. And then remember, it’s just a foretaste of what He’s got in store for those who love Him and are committed to Him. May 10 - - The sinful who have never, or rarely, been exposed to the truths of God, have very little concept of how depraved they really are. “Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God to restrain them. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.....They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots” (Psalm 36:1-4). Their conscience has been seared and they know nothing different. When people turn away from God, they are corrupt and their actions are evil (Psalm 53:1,3). We can pity them, ignore them, and thank God we are not like one of them (remember the unrepentant Pharisee in Luke 18:10-12?). Or, we can demonstrate by the way we live, the joy and peace that comes from following God. IF they saw more of a contrast between what we have and what they don’t have, maybe they would be more interested in the God we serve. Maybe, one of the reasons they aren’t attracted to the Jesus they observe in us is because they really aren’t seeing much of Jesus in us. Jesus said that if we lift him up in the way we live, if we show the world Jesus in our lives, he would draw the unsaved world unto himself (John 12:32). Living my life for Jesus is not just about the eternity I can have because of the salvation Jesus brings me. Neither is living my life for Jesus just about the abundant life I can experience in the here and now because of the wisdom Jesus brings me. If my life is going to count for any-thing, then living for Jesus is also important because doing so attracts other to the Jesus I know. That is the ultimate purpose of our lives. That is a meaning beyond anything we will ever do for ourselves. Those who “trust in the Lord and do good will live safely in the land and prosper.” Those who, “take delight in the Lord” will find the Lord giving them, “your heart’s desires.” “Those who trust in the Lord will possess the land” (Psalm 37:3-6,9). “For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly” (37:17). So, what are you doing with your life these days? Are you making any kind of impact in the lives of others? The only way to do so is by following the example of Jesus (John 13:15). Are you?