God blessed us with a wonderful thing when He created us with eyesight. The world He made for us is full of beauty to behold. All of creation shouts of the magnificence of His power and His glory. I love the outdoors, and everywhere I look I see Him. He shows His power in the magnitude of the mountains. His vastness is shown in the ocean, as it spreads itself over 71% of the earth’s surface, and has depths that are sometimes unmeasurable. His eye for beauty is shown as He paints the sky with a sunrise or a sunset. His work in creation is beyond our comprehension, as we think of all He created out of nothing. As I look at His creation of nature, I see His love for beauty.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Can you see Him in the creation of Man? God created a perfect world, then He created a perfect man and woman to inhabit it. We were created in the image of our creator. The other parts of creation were spoken into existence, but when it came to mankind, God reached down, cupped His hands around the dirt, and formed man. To make man a living soul, He breathed His own breath into him.
Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
In the beginning, man was perfect, without sin, until Adm and Eve decided to do what they wanted to do, not what God had told them. Can you see the pride that is exhibited in mankind as most continue to follow their own path, their own way? The world is full of people who want God as their Savior, but they desire to live their lives the way they think is most profitable for them. Their pride is their guide. They have deceived themselves into believing this is ok with God. It appeases their conscience to have a little bit of God in their life. However, this is not God’s design for us, and we will never be completely content and happy until we surrender full control to Him. God hates pride because it exalts us and not God. Can you see the pride that lives within your own heart?
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
Proverbs 6:16 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:”
Proverbs 6:17 “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”
Can you see Him as the babe in a manger, lowly, and humble? When Jesus came to this earth, He came in the form of human flesh. The creator of the universe humbled himself to become a man. He came as a servant, not to be served. Can you see this Servant’s heart in your own life? We are called to be like Christ, to emulate Him in our actions and attitudes. No matter what our position in life is, no matter how much money we have, or how educated we are, we are to be humble, and not see ourselves as better than others. God takes no delight in our status in this world. When we do for others, it must be done with pure motives. It must be done out of love for the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ. If it is not done with this motive, God is not pleased because we get the glory, not God.
Philippians 2:6-7 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
Can you see Him as He surrendered His will to the Father’s? As He prayed in the Garden, He was in agony over what was about to happen. I believe His agony was not about the pain he would suffer physically, but more about the one time in history he would be separated from His Father. When our sin was placed on Him, His Father turned His face away. All of creation reacted as the earth shook, the entire earth became dark, and the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Have you surrendered your will to the Father? Can you see Him in your desires and actions?
Matthew 26:39 “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
Mark 15:33 “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
What do you see when you see the Christ of Christmas? Do you see a sweet baby lying in a manger, or do you see the risen Savior who will one day come back for those who have surrendered to Him? Do you see Him in your actions and attitudes of your daily life?
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