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David wrote, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1). He wasn't alone in this. Paul said, "... That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made ..." (Romans 1:19-20). Now, I know that our younger generation is often bored with church and even the older generation can, at times, question its relevance, but I have to be honest. To me, I think we have a corner on the excitement market.

Consider ... the universe. No one actually knows how big it is. Here's what we do know. In terms of size, mass, energy, power ... so many things ... we are insignificant, invisible dots when laid beside the universe. Stars that dwarf stars that gather into galaxies that outnumber us and dwarf us and leave us slack-jawed ... God made those. He not only made them; He ordered them. Their orbits, their structures, their content, their functions -- He put them there and maintains them. We can't even see to the end of them with our best telescopes, but God holds them there without missing a beat. And the God that flung stars into space loves me.

Consider the animal kingdom. I have to start with birds, of course. These things are designed ... no doubt about it. Their feathers are carefully crafted like nothing else on the planet for flight. These creatures (well, okay, most of them) fly without having had a single course or obtaining a single license. Each operates according to its programming, eating, flying, reproducing, mating, all in the manner prescribed by the Maker without fail. And they do it beautifully. Or consider the camel. Yes, that humpy thing. Interestingfunfacts.com lists a variety of things about the camel. Its hump stores fat so it can function without food for long periods. Its red blood cells are oval allowing it to go long periods without water. It can drink up to 40 gallons of water in a sitting. Camels can close their nostrils, a good trick in a windy, sandy environment. The camel's thick skin provides insulation against heat. Camel's eyes have three eyelids giving them better protection against blowing sand. Their hooves are broad and padded ... you know, for operating on sand. Shall we talk about "design"? That God -- that Intelligent Designer -- loves me.

How about the human being? There isn't enough room on the page to talk about this fearfully, wonderfully made creation. The god of this world, Science, can't explain us. How we work, how we are constructed, how the brain operates, how we think, how we feel, how we see, how we function inside ... it is all too, too big. Even with the best of modern advances, we don't really know how it works. (Seriously, ask any doctor. They don't call it a "practice" for nothing.) We're built of complicated systems like the circulatory system and the digestive system and the immune system ... oh, the immune system! Think about it! It has cells that know "me" and "not me" and memory that recalls "This is how we handled that in the past" and control functions to call out the troops and ... did you get that? ... cells. Not computers or even organs, but cells. And can you even begin to imagine the nervous system? It's an entire network that communicates between brain and body, controlling, moving, sensing, operating. It tells temperature changes by minute amounts and feels things smaller than you would think. It operates your lungs and heart without your conscious control. And on and on and on. Fearfully and wonderfully made, skillfully balanced, carefully designed. And that God is the One we get to recognize together every Sunday.

I'm sorry. When I start piling up all this stuff and compare it to the latest hip-hop hit or the coolest computer graphics, the latest crazes seem crazy. Imagining that God's creation and love and Son and sacrifice has to compete somehow for the attention of people -- people who claim to believe in Him -- seems ludicrous. What does a bungee jump have in excitement to compare to God? What does a painter have in beauty to compare to God's work? What does the kindest fellow have to offer to compete with God's amazing grace? I'm sorry. There is no competition. And if God is considered boring or irrelevant, someone isn't paying attention.

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Honoring A Father