THE CHRIST STORY

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  (John 1:1-4 NIV)

Much of our preaching is eviscerated because we tell the Christ story as if it began in a Bethlehem stable and ended on the day of the ascension. When all things began, He already was. His story is a story of a crucified carpenter whose death and resurrection long ago and far away give meaning and purpose not only to our individual lives, but also to the whole created universe. "The whole universe has been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). If that is true, then there is nothing in all creation, nothing in human experience of joy or pain, nothing in the physical world from the galaxies to the atom that cannot be a theophany, a Christophany, a revelation of God in Christ. 

-- Ian Pitt-Watson in “A Primer for Preachers” [1986] 

#6423

CREATION SPEAKS OF THE CREATOR – Part 2 of 2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:1,31a NIV)

Creation Reveals God’s Beauty. From the delicate symmetry of a snowflake to the vibrant colors of a sunset, to the soft petals of a rose, beauty is woven into the world. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:31)  Beauty is not accidental, it is intentional. It reflects a God who delights in goodness, creativity, and joy.

Creation Reveals God’s Faithfulness. The rhythm of seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, the cycle of seedtime and harvest -- all whisper the same truth: God is steady and dependable. “As long as the earth endures… day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22)  Even when life feels unpredictable, creation reminds us that God is not. He is faithful in every season.

Creation Reveals God’s Care. Jesus pointed to the birds and flowers as living illustrations of God’s tender provision. “Look at the birds of the air… your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Matthew 6:26)  “See how the flowers of the field grow… not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28–29)  If God cares for sparrows and lilies, how much more does He care for you.

Creation is not God. But it is God’s artwork -- His signature on the canvas of the world. When we pay attention, creation becomes a daily invitation to worship. May your eyes be open today to the God who speaks through everything He has made. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™ 

#6417

CREATION SPEAKS OF THE CREATOR – Part 1 of 2

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”  (Psalm 19:1)

Creation is not silent. Every sunrise, every crashing wave, every whisper of wind carries a message. The world God made is not merely scenery -- it is testimony. It reveals God’s character, power, and heart. When we slow down long enough to look, creation becomes a sanctuary where God’s fingerprints are everywhere.

Creation Reveals God’s Glory. The vastness of the heavens stretches our imagination. Billions of stars, galaxies beyond counting -- yet God calls each one by name. “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” (Psalm 147:4) The night sky reminds us that God is both majestic and mindful. If He knows the stars, He surely knows you.

Creation Reveals God’s Power. Mountains that pierce the clouds, oceans that roar with strength -- these are glimpses of His might. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -- His eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen…” (Romans 1:20)  Creation is God’s sermon without words. Its power points to a God who is never overwhelmed, never outmatched, never uncertain. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™ 

#6416

UNDERSTANDING WHO CHRIST IS

“[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”  (Colossians 1:15-20 NKJV)

In these verses Paul paints a breathtaking picture of Christ's unparalleled role in creation and redemption. It declares that Christ is "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation" and emphasizes that "by Him all things were created". This passage invites us to reflect on the majesty of Jesus as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Jesus is not just a historical figure; He is God revealed to us. Everything in heaven and on earth exists through Him and for Him. Recognizing His authority reminds us that He holds all things together, including our lives, even in moments of chaos.

This passage also highlights Jesus' mission to reconcile all things to Himself through His sacrifice on the cross. His love extends to every corner of creation, bringing peace where there was once brokenness.

Understanding who Christ is calls us to surrender our lives to Him. We can trust Him completely because He is the foundation of all things. Worship Him with awe, knowing that the One who created the stars also knows your heart.

Today, let these verses encourage you to deepen your reverence and gratitude for Jesus. He is supreme and yet personal, the creator and yet the sacrifice, and He invites you to experience His peace and purpose. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources 

#6089

THE VISIBLE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see -- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.”  (Colossians 1:15-17 NLT)

This is one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Christ found anywhere in the Bible. Jesus is not only equal to God, He is God; as the visible image of the invisible God, He is the exact representation of God. He not only reflects God, but He reveals God to us; as supreme over all creation, He has all the priority and authority. He came from heaven, not from the dust of the earth, and He is Lord of all. He is completely holy, and He has authority to judge the world. Therefore, Christ is supreme over all creation, including the spirit (unseen) world.

We, like the Colossian believers, must believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (that He is God) or our Christian faith is hollow, misdirected, and meaningless. This is a central truth of Christianity. We must oppose [the idea] that Jesus was merely a prophet or a good teacher.  

-- From the “Life Application Study Bible”

#5691

THE REIGNING KING

“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.’”  (Hebrews 1:8 NKJV)

The world sees Jesus as a man, perhaps even a good or great man and possibly even a prophet, but still a man. It is the Holy Spirit who opens our spiritual eyes of understanding so that we see Jesus as much more than just a man. We see Him as: our Creator, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the long-awaited Messiah, the only Son of God, the Redeemer of Israel, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, the Good Shepherd, the risen Lord, the Judge of all the universe, the reigning and ruling King of kings!

The only way we can be convinced of who Jesus is, is through the enlightenment we have received from the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained, "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you." (John 16:13-14) 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Just Give Me Jesus”

#5598

PRAISING THE CREATOR

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 ESV)

When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you... When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator. 

-- St. Basil the Great

#5481

CREATION’S GOODNESS

"[Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through Him and for Him. [Christ] Himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."  (Colossians 1:15-17 NRSV)

Come, let us dwell in God’s shelter.
Let us dwell in God’s work of art.
Come, because the Earth is the Lord’s,
And God’s Earth is our temporary home.
We live in God’s World; we are not alone.
We share this life with the heavens and the earth,
With the waters and the land,
With trees and grasses,
With fish, birds, and animals,
With minerals and creatures of every form,
And with all our brothers and sisters.
God is good and everything God makes is good.
God is love and everything God makes is love’s fruit.
Let us worship God -- Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

-- Adapted from Tatiana Valdez 

#5127

GOD’S FAVORITE NAME

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  (Galatians 4:4-6 NRSV)

Of all His names, Father is God’s favorite. We know He loves this name most because this is the one He used most. While on earth, Jesus called God “Father” over two hundred times. In His first recorded words Jesus explained, “Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). In His final triumphant prayer He proclaims, “Father, I give You My life” (Luke 23:46). In the Gospel of John alone, Jesus repeats this name 156 times. God loves to be called Father. After all, didn’t Jesus teach us to begin our prayer with the phrase, “Our Abba”?

"Abba” was, to Jesus, an everyday word, and remains so to Israel’s children even today. It is an affectionate, family word. The equivalent would be Poppa, Daddy or Dad. It is right for you to call God your Creator; indeed He is. You speak truth when you call Him your Master; indeed He is. It is appropriate for you to call Him your King, Lord and Sovereign God. But if you want to touch His heart, call Him by the name He loves to hear. Call Him “Abba.” Call Him your “Father.” 

-- Max Lucado

#5095

THE BEST, MOST SATISFYING

"So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."  (Genesis 1:27 NLT)

Clearly, God did not create us with desires simply so that we would renounce them. As Paul insisted, this world is God’s creation.  Like a loving parent, the God who created us wants for us the best, most satisfying life possible.

Christianity does not promise the ultimate in personal pleasure, a life oriented around hedonism.  Rather, it promises an ordering of life -- a putting together, not a reduction -- so that we realize pleasures as they were intended by our Creator.  Otherwise, we risk indulging to our own destruction, like an alcoholic who determines how much to drink.  Abuses arise from regarding pleasure as an end in itself rather than a pointer to something more.  "Perfect are the good desires You have given me," prayed Pascal; "Be their End, as You have been their Beginning."

-- Philip Yancey in “Rumors of Another World”

#4952

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

“In the beginning was the Word.” (John 1:1)

The words “in the beginning” take us to the beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) The baby Mary held was connected to the dawn of time. He saw the first ray of sunlight and heard the first crash of a wave. The baby was born, but the Word never was.

“All things were made through Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NCV) Not by Him, but through Him. Jesus didn’t fashion the world out of raw material He found. He created all things out of nothing.

Jesus: the Genesis Word, “the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) He is the “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NLT)

And then, what no theologian conceived, what no rabbi dared to dream, God did. “The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)… The Word of God entered the world with the cry of a baby.

-- Max Lucado in “God’s Story Your Story”


#4735

A RESPONSE OF PRAISE

https://davidt-wilkinson.pixels.com/featured/door-county-sunset-2-david-t-wilkinson.html

“From the rising of the sun to its setting

the name of the LORD is to be praised.”  (Psalm 113:3 NRSV)

Praising God has not come naturally to me.  Studying praise in the Scriptures has challenged me to increase my praise life and to be more aware of the Creator and His creation.  I remember a particular time in my life when I was deeply moved to write a psalm of praise to God.  I was on an airplane that had been circling the Denver airport for at least half an hour.  Tired and frustrated, I kept staring at the thick cloud cover responsible for our delay.  As the plane turned, I was startled to see the most beautiful oranges, yellows, and pinks brilliantly scrolled across the sky.  Tears sprang to my eyes as for the first time I witnessed a sunset over the mountains from thirty thousand feet up in the sky.  I was so deeply moved by this bold reminder from God that I wrote the following response of praise:

            Etched into the sunset,

            The signature of God.

            In radiant script

            He signs

            “I am.”

-- Cynthia Heald in “Intimacy with God”

#4713

THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S GRANDEUR

“For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”  (Psalm 95:3-7 NKJV)

Psalms presents a world that fits together as a whole, with everything upheld by a personal God watching over it.

This message, above all, leaped out at me during my frustrating attempts to read the Psalms in Colorado.  I could not fit together all the contradictory messages I was reading, but the magnificent wilderness setting at least affirmed the message of God's grandeur, His worthiness.  Wilderness brings us down a level, reminding us of something we'd prefer to forget: our creatureliness.  It announces to our senses the splendor of an invisible, untamable God.  How could I not offer praise to the One who dreamed up porcupines and elk, who splashed bright green aspen trees across hillsides of gray rock, who transforms the same landscape into a new work of art with every blizzard?

-- Philip Yancey in “The Bible Jesus Read”

#4327

NO WONDER

We understand how storms are created. We map solar systems and transplant hearts. We measure the depths of the oceans and send signals to distant planets. We… have studied the system and are learning how it works.

And, for some, the loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty. The more we know, the less we believe. Strange, don’t you think? Knowledge of the workings shouldn’t negate wonder. Knowledge should stir wonder. Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars? Than the surgeon who has held a heart? Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths? The more we know, the more we should be amazed.

Ironically, the more we know, the less we worship. We are more impressed with our discovery of the light switch than with the One who invented electricity… Rather than worship the Creator, we worship the creation (see Romans 1:25).

No wonder there is no wonder. We’ve figured it all out.

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

#4159

Editor's Note: Through my website -- DAVID T WILKINSON PHOTOGRAPHY -- I have tried to express some of this wonder that Max Lucado is talking about. Visit www.davidt-wilkinson.pixels.com.

A TESTAMENT TO THE CREATOR

“You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  (Psalm 139:13-14)

Those are some of the most poetic and prophetic words in the Bible. They may be some of the oldest, too. While most scholars attribute Psalm 139 to David, one rabbinic tradition says it goes all the way back to Adam. If that is true, these are some of the oldest and truest words in the history of humankind.

Every moment of every day, we experience the miraculous on both a microscopic and macroscopic scale. Miracles are happening all around us all the time. But the greatest miracle is the one you see in the mirror. There never has been and never will be anyone like you. Of course, that isn’t a testament to you. It’s a testament to the God who created you.

-- Mark Batterson in The Grave Robber

#3928

WATCHING OUR WORDS

Words, words, words. Our society is full of words: on billboards, on television screens, in newspapers and books. Words whispered, shouted, and sung. Words that move, dance, and change in size and color. Words that say, “Taste me, smell me, eat me, drink me, sleep with me,” but most of all, “buy me.” With so many words around us, we quickly say: “Well, they’re just words.” Thus, words have lost much of their power.


Still, the word has the power to create. When God speaks, God creates. When God says, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), light is. God speaks light. For God, speaking and creating are the same. It is this creative power of the word we need to reclaim. What we say is very important. When we say, “I love you,” and say it from the heart, we can give another person new life, new hope, new courage. When we say, “I hate you,” we can destroy another person. Let’s watch our words.


-- Henri Nouwen




#3704

STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE

God has set this whole thing up so that we cannot truly know who we are and how we are to operate except by coming to Him and hearing it straight from Him.  It is imperative for us to fellowship with the Father to understand Him, to understand ourselves, and to comprehend His plan for us.  Without intimacy with Him, we are clueless!

-- Tommy Tenney in The Heart of A God Chaser

#3669

OUR INTIMATE CONFIDANT

Intimacy connotes familiarity and closeness.  It involves our deepest nature, and it is marked by a warm friendship developed through long association.  In order for us to become intimate with another, we must find in him or her a true confidant -- one in whom we can safely confide our secrets.

What are the characteristics of such a true friend?  Most of us look for someone we respect as wise and just; one we can trust implicitly; one we feel safe and secure with; one who will respond to us, help us in the right way, and be available whenever we want to share.  True confidants are rare, and fortunate are those who have one.

There is One who meets these criteria perfectly: the Keeper of souls who never sleeps, who calls us into fellowship -- "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).  The marvelous affirmation of the psalmists is that the Creator of the vast universe is also our intimate Confidant. 

-- Cynthia Heald in Intimacy with God


#3234

THE ETERNAL ARTIST

In the created world around us we see the Eternal Artist, Eternal Love at work.

– Evelyn Underwood (1875-1941), as quoted in The Green Bible


 
#2848

"DO IT AGAIN"

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough... It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again," to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again," to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

-- G. K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy

 
#1809