Through the Ups and Downs of Life.
“The twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” – Revelation 4:10-11. NLT
The Bible contains poetry and songs, prophecy and proverbs, but mainly narrative– a story of sorts. It is the history of a people, but it is more than this. It is the history of a nation in relationship with God. It is not so much the history of a nation as it is the history of the acts of God. The Bible is one narrative describing how the Eternal God of the Universe has dealt with this planet in rebellion. It details our way of escape from this orbiting cemetery.
We often think of worship as a time when some preacher reminds us of what we’re supposed to do. But biblical worship is not about what we should do, it was about what God has done. “He has caused his wonders to be remembered.” (Ps111:4, NIV) When Israel recounted what God had done for them, their relationship with God was enhanced. But more than this the acts of God were powerful acts, acts that changed history in a mighty way. In rehearsing these acts, the power of the original act was rekindled. God would again break into history and change things for the better. When the Israelites recounted His deeds in the past, God became real to them in the present.
When your spiritual experience appears to go dry, recount the works of God in the past. Remember your salvation is not based on how you feel. Tell yourself, “be my feeling what they will Jesus is my saviour still.” When going to church is a chore, that is the time you most need to go. Jesus said, “persevere to the end.” Hang in there through the ups and downs, because the final “up” is out of this world!
The three great philosophical questions of life are: Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? All three questions are in play in Revelation 4 and 5, nowhere more so than in this text
Why are we here? To participate in continual, grateful, worshipful response to the God who made us. Where did we come from? We all began in the mind and heart of God, who put shape on his thoughts when He created us. Where are we going? We are going to live with him forever in a universe filled with love and peace, “and there will no longer be any curse.” Revelation 2:3.
What a wonderful frame to live by! How much better is Revelation’s view of the world than one where the three great philosophical questions are answered with a shrug! Without the insights of God’s revelations, we would be tempted to believe that we all ultimately descended from single-cell creatures in primordial mud. “Like father, like son” is a frightening concept when combined with that kind of past. The “where we came from” and “why we are here” questions are both answered by evolutionary science with something like “whatever.” I’d rather know that I originated with a thought in the mind of a loving God who wants me to live with a sense of purpose and meaning.
Without the insights of God’s revelations, the future of this world looks dark indeed. Scientists warn us of the perils this world faces on many fronts. Many take the Christian world view for granted. They aren’t conscious of the degree to which it provides stability and meaning to life. Without that world view eating and drinking, waking and sleeping tends to become empty routines, devoid of purpose.
Many of us have become totally dependent on the electricity monster. Often it fails when you need it the most. Perhaps dependency isn’t such a bad thing. God has designed a universe in which every part is dependent on other parts. The trees breathe in our exhaled breath and give us oxygen in return. There are birds who enjoy the food crawling on the backs of rhinos, giving the rhinos relief from bugs and a comforting back scratch! The atomic and sub-atomic particles of the universe exist in intricate relationships with each other. Humans are dependent on plants and animals for their food, and we are all dependent on our Creator.
Jesus was the greatest human being who ever lived. Yet even Jesus was dependant on His Father for guidance and direction (John 5:19; 8:28). In His Humanity, He would rise up each morning before sunrise and go off by Himself and pray to the One who sent Him (Mark 1:35). Although He came down from heaven, He did not depend on Himself. So, remember that you are not a generator, you are a receiver and transmitter. God is the great power source of the universe, plugin and turn on the lights!
There are numerous references in the New Testament to Jesus being the creator. “In Him all things were created in heaven and on earth” Col 1:16. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him…”John 1:10 He is “the author of life,” Acts 3:15 “He created our world” Heb 1:2
Jesus’ first miraculous sign to His disciples involved the creation of wine (John 2:1-11) (His first miracle recorded in the Gospels is actually the creation of the universe John1:3). John’s Gospel records 7 miracles of Jesus’ creatorship including the giving of life back to Lazarus. (John 11:1-16)
i,m so glad i was created in God,s image and not as most of the world believes that we came from evolution
🙂