Creation Epic

The worlds were framed by the Word of the Lord

And the earth embraced by His Spirit of Love;

He spoke and boundless light poured forth…

The mantle of darkness was peeled away,

Revealing the marvelous miracle of the very first day;

His powerful Word like a sword did split

The highest heights of the firmament

From the broiling depths of the ocean deep,

Which seemed to have no end…

He sent forth the heavenly decree

Which established the border of the seas

Bringing forth the dry land,

Soon to be the home of man…

With tender love did His voice forth

The pleasant herb of the field,

The abundant bounty of fruit trees,

The  blessed Orchard of Eden…

The earth needed not the moon, nor sun

For it was illumined by the Holy One;

Nevertheless, for the dividing of time did He them create…

In one breath did He decorate the tapestry of heaven

With the star-spangled banner of Love,

Their dazzling beauty like sequins

In an exquisite garment above…

With just a word He created

The teeming multitudes in the sea,

Leviathan frolicking in the waves

And birds flying high on the breeze…

He spoke the Word and there appeared

The varied beasts of the field,

The creeping things of the earth;

After their own kind they would yield…

On the sixth day God had a special work in mind,

The crowning glory of creation,

Distinct from every kind…

“Let us make Man in our image” He said,

“And put the crown of dominion upon his head;

Let him  rule the earth and the sea,

Custodian of all that have life by Me…”

And God stooped down and gathered dust,

With His own hands, He fashioned a bust;

On the earth did Adam lay,

Beautiful, but lifeless man of clay…

God breathed His own breath into him

And the man came to life;

“Adam, my son,” thought God,

“Your loneliness will soon require a wife…”

So our first parents were made,

In the similitude of God

To multiply and replenish the earth

And rule it with hearts of love;

Their home was carpeted with the plush mossy meadow

And the windows of heaven a roof over them…

And God looked upon His creation

And declared it very good;

The sons of God shouted for joy and heavenly anthems raised

As the earth broke forth in chorus of resounding praise…

All was rest and beauty on that hallowed first Sabbath day,

Precious memorial of creation that forever would remain…

This poem/song was inspired by: Genesis 1, Job 38

The True "Cost of Living"

Sometimes I wonder what our predecessors would have thought if our current headlines had made breaking news in their day! They would probably have thought the end was near, yet surprisingly we refuse to see the signs! Just a few years ago, none of us would have expected to hear that in 15 years time, South Africa’s freshwater resources would be totally depleted or polluted to the extent that it would not be fit for consumption. Yet, a few months ago radio news emphasized the looming water crisis that is soon to hit our country.

This year, the Lord is especially impressing upon us the importance of our environment  and natural resources and our God-given mandate to be the earth’s custodians. Indeed, if mankind continues to deplete the world’s non-renewal resources as we have been doing, we had better pray that the coming of the Lord be hastened lest we end up destroying ourselves!

Poaching has increased this year with the senseless killing of over 200 rhinos to harvest their horns for sale on the black market. Their bodies lie scattered across the African plains, a sad testament to the cruelty of a human race that has abandoned its God-given purpose to care for God’s creation and elected to serve Mammon instead.

We thought technological advances would make our lives easier. Well, life was never meant to be easy! (Gen 3:19) Anyway, we have only succeeded in making the physical aspect “easier”, but we bear the scars of a populace that faces greater mental and emotional strain than ever before. The human body works much the opposite way to the man-made machines we are so used to. While machines suffer the effects of wear and tear and are broken down by physical use, the human body was designed to be used. In fact, the human body gets stronger through physical exercise! However, our space-age lifestyles have eliminated any desire for such exercise, resulting in myriads of physical ailments. Seems like the cost of technology is outweighing the perceived benefit, doesn’t it? Cost is measured in more than just financial terms, but we seem to have the habit of feigning ignorance until our disobedience hits our pockets! Just a FEW examples to bring the true cost of living to light:

-increase in child and adult obesity and related diseases

-violent crime, abuse against the vulnerable in society

-immorality on the increase resulting in transmission of deadly diseases

-abandonment of children & the orphan crisis

-plundering of natural resources and resultant consequences e.g. acid mine drainage problems in Gauteng

-large scale oil spills

-looming water crises

-global warming, climate change & war

We cannot leave it to politicians and environmentalists to fix the problem and just throw money at it, hoping that it will disappear. We need to change our mind-set for the time is coming when God will judge and destroy those who destroy the earth. (Rev 11:18). The Bible says that Jesus would make His grand entrance upon the scene of Earth's destruction in time to save His elect; if He doesn't, there would no one left alive on the Earth. He has promised to cut short the days of tribulation to save all those who trust in Him. Until then, be the custodian of the Earth that the Lord intended you to be. 

Scripture refs: Gen chapters 1 to 3, Rev 11

Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

The Presence of Suffering-Why?

I continue the message from last week on the topic of suffering. Last week we focused on whether the presence of suffering proves the absence of God, and a simple story helped illustrate that it does not.  Stories are powerful tools to help us wrap our minds around seemingly abstract concepts like suffering. Jesus often used parables to teach important lessons about His Kingdom from the simple elements of our earthly existence.

There is much suffering in our world today. When our first parents in Eden made the fateful decision to disobey the commandment of the Lord and eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their choice unleashed a “Pandora’s Box” of suffering on our world. Since then, we have been writing a history steeped in the blood, sweat and tears of the human race.

The Lord had given Adam and Eve every advantage in their perfect Eden home, yet they failed the one test of allegiance he placed in their path. Had he not put this test before them, satan would have accused him of making beings with no moral choice, mere robots acting on his whim. The Lord did not want a nation of robots; he wanted a people whom He could love and who would of their own free choice, love Him in return. Their eyes were already opened to good since He had open communion with them in the beautiful garden; it was only the knowledge of evil that was withheld from them but only as long as they desired not to know evil. They made their choice. They longed to know both good AND evil. Satan had conveniently tricked Eve into thinking that they were missing something when actually they were not! His clever use of rhetoric that fateful day is still felt in our world today in the form of terrible suffering from the consequences of years of sin. (Gen 3:1-10)

However, Christ did not leave us alone in our suffering. He, of His own volition, joined the ranks of suffering humanity to ensure that we would not die from the curse of sin. The blood, sweat and tears we shed in this life mingle with the blood, sweat and tears the loving Saviour shed as he walked the dusty streets of Galilee, and as He hung suspended on a cruel cross, too sinful for Heaven to regard Him as He took upon Himself the sins of all humanity, yet despised and rejected by the ones He came to save.

Christianity is no bed of roses. If you think by becoming a Christian, you will escape suffering, you are sorely mistaken. In fact, many have increased their sufferings by joining Him. “In this world you will have trouble,” He said, WITH THE CROSS STILL AHEAD, “but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"-Gen 3:1-9