Look at the heavens, Come to Him and be satisfied

Have you ever felt extremely thirsty and yet you did not have access to water? What did you do when you finally found something to quench your thirst? I guess your answer is, “I drank and was satisfied.” Thirsting for water can be a daunting experience for people without access to it. Did you know that our souls can also thirst for the presence of God just like we desire to be satisfied when we are thirty? In Isaiah 55, God gives an invitation to the people to come to Him and have their spiritual emptiness filled by His provision. The clarion call is popular in evangelistic messages:
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isaiah 55:1‭-‬2)

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

How can God satisfy our spiritual hunger? The presence of God fills our hungry souls. In fact, human beings have insatiable needs and no politician can completely satisfy our souls. The emptiness in our lives can only be filled with the presence of God. How does God do that? First, we have the responsibility to seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6). God has a plan to dwell in humanity. He has made a way to abide in us. Through Jesus, we have a personal relationship with God. No matter how far we have gone from Him, God is ever willing to return to us when we seek Him. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours. Why will God choose to forgive us our sins when we turn to Him? He loves us (John 3:16). If you are still struggling to comprehend God’s ways, look at the heavens. God says: 
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8‭-‬11)

God’s love is so high that we cannot jump over it. He used the heavens, rain, snow, and planting to show us how His word nourishes and feeds us. Every word spoken by God will not return to God empty but will fulfill the purpose for which God sent that word. No matter how far we might have gone from God, He wants us to come to Him and He will satisfy our souls. What do we do when we return to Him? The word of God says: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)
When we return to God, He gives us reasons to rejoice. He promised the Israelites that when they return to Him, He will do this:
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” (Isaiah 55:12‭-‬13)

God used nature to reveal His desire to satisfy our souls. His love for us is higher than the mountains but we can only experience it when we come to Him. It is a personal decision and we have the sole responsibility to either accept or decline. 

The birds and the flowers are preaching… Can you hear?

Recently, our family witnessed a show dubbed “Birds of prey” at the African Lion Safari. The very trained birds displayed tactical skills of catching food, searching for food and looking for food. We were all amazed that those wild birds were trained enough to respond to instructions from their trainers. However, in the wild, birds of prey are not trained by any Safari trainers. They are not given portions of food, they are not given water and they do not live in sheltered structures. How then do the birds survive? Unlike other animals that store food in the barns in anticipation of seasonal changes, birds do not. So, how do they survive throughout the year? How do birds survive harsh weather conditions? Who provides birds with food all year round?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26)

Our response to these questions might trigger a scientific explanation about the nature of birds. However, before we delve into science, let’s consider these: the Creator of birds has made provision for their survival. Their Creator feeds them, clothes them and ensures that they remain where they can thrive at every season. What of the flowers that grow in the field? Who designed their beautiful raiment? Why are roses so beautiful and full of positive vibes? Who designed the perfect features of roses? Both the birds of the air and flowers in the field point to a Creator. Jesus made profound statements in Matthew 6:26, 28-29: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

These verses remind us that the Creator provides for His creation. Thus, when we see a bird and a rose, we should be reminded of their Maker. Yes, they should point us to God! Similarly, all other creation indicates the presence of a Creator. Growing up in a small community in Ghana, I heard stories about different gods who are responsible for different creation. The river god was responsible for the river and so are other territorial gods. I believe this phenomenon occurs in different parts of the world. The God of the Bible is responsible for all creation. He made everything in heaven and on earth. He is not a territorial god. He is the God over all and He is revealed in all His creation. As Romans 1:20 states, people are without excuse because creation reveals the invisible qualities of God; His eternal power and divine nature. Creation preaches about God each day, but if you fail to see the invisible God through His visible creation, you will have no excuse on that Day!

The Creator reveals Himself through nature

Aurora borealis is a beautiful phenomenon in the sky that causes beautiful lights in the sky. It happens in specific geopolitical zones. According to Wikipedia, “Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. Major disturbances result from enhancements in the speed of the solar wind from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma.” Trust me, I didn’t understand all these definitions until I watched an Aurora borealis happening (on TV). I never gathered the courage to climb the mountains in Norway to watch as I lived further south. Thankfully, I still have the opportunity to watch it happen while living in Canada. If looking at Auroras on earth is fascinating, imagine watching it from space? What do Auroras and all the beauty of nature tell us? 

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) 

Whenever I consider Auroras and all the other natural phenomena that cannot be controlled by humanity, I am awed. These things could not be accidental occurrences. The arrangement of things in the atmosphere, the stratosphere, magnetosphere etc. and their coordination is amazing. The outer space is perfectly arranged so that the Earth does not miss its route during rotation or revolution. Jupiter’s rings have never been a problem for the Earth. The Sun, the biggest star in our galaxy, has never changed location. Such orderliness! What does this reveal about the Creator? Paul writing to the Church noted that; “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The beautiful world we live in portrays God’s invisible qualities, His power and His divine nature. He is a Master designer and His skills are incomprehensible. 

The Creator reveals Himself through nature and no one has an excuse as long as they live. Our daily lives reflect His power, wisdom and creativity. The Earth rotates to give us day and night. The same Earth revolves around the sun to give us seasons. Rotation and revolution are done simultaneously but the earth is never confused. Whoever designed this must be a master of all. Of course Genesis 1: 1 lays the background: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God’s invisible qualities are seen each day when we look at creation. Unfortunately, some people worship creation and ignore the Creator. Others have no regard for creation and constantly do things that put people and things in danger. A few others ignore any possibility of a Creator and celebrate scientific discoveries better than the God who made the scientist. Yet still, others choose to worship God the Creator. Which category are you?

Let all creation rejoice!

There are countless times we’ve had to deal with life’s issues that the last thing we do is to rejoice. In fact, the challenges of life can make you so sad that praising God becomes a chore instead of a lifestyle. We live in a fast changing and a fast moving world and instead of relying on one another, loneliness has become a norm. We have been drawn so close by technology that we are more distant than ever. Such an irony! Life is lived virtually,  we work virtually, we check up on people virtually, we study and write exams virtually and sometimes we celebrate others virtually. I have attended weddings, churches, funerals, parties, launches etc. virtually. How do we come together to rejoice when we barely see each other?  Maybe we could learn from nature.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. (Psalms 96:11‭-‬12)

Imagine a party in the heavens, a celebration on earth, a jamboree in the sea, a matching band of the fields and the singing trees! It sounds unrealistic right? But, creation rejoices each day before the Lord. The heavens and all the hosts in it declare the glory of the Lord. They sing to the Lord a new song. Aurora borealis, the shooting stars, the stars, the moon and the sun rejoice in their radiance. In the depth of the sea, the waves give a signal and all the fishes jump in glory. The trees on the fields wave in celebration of the glory of God. The Lord deserves all praise and the Psalmist proclaimed in Psalms 96:11-13, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

When we understand that everything was made for His glory, we will be careful to take care of creation. Humanity has been given dominion over created things and we should not use our dominance to destroy but to preserve. Afterall, Genesis 9:3 confirms that the plants and the animals have been given as food: “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” However, we have also been tasked to be fruitful as well. If we want to see the trees in the field continuously rejoicing in the Lord, then when we fell a tree to make books, firewood etc. we should make sure that another tree or more trees are planted in its place. The party in the sea will cease if we only pour acidic contents into the ocean destroying living things in the sea. We might not enjoy the party in the heavens if our attitudes cause a depletion of the ozone layer putting humans, animals, the environment and marine lives at risk.

God will judge all our actions (Romans 2:6) and we don’t want to be in His bad books because of our attitudes. 

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalms 96:13)

The heavens declare His glory

My Junior High School days were quite memorable. One of the organizations I joined was the Wildlife club. I remember I took part in quiz competitions about animals and wildlife conservation. The experience with the Wildlife club made me appreciate nature and the works of God. Getting to know that the diversity in the Wild came about as a result of an orchestrated effort of the Creator to create a beautiful world gave me reasons to be a keeper of God’s creation. However, I also grew up among people who had no regard for nature. In fact, indiscriminate felling of trees, pervasive hunting for wild animals and encroachment lead to the destruction of many natural habitats. Until we realize the need to be custodians of nature, we will continue to demonstrate hostile attitudes that could possibly trigger the destruction of the plants and animals.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalms 19:1)

How is God’s glory demonstrated through nature? Does God really care for plants and animals? Do we have any responsibility over nature? Must we care for nature? These and many other questions will be discussed in this month’s blogs. If nothing fascinates you about nature, just look through your window, look at the sky. Can you see the sun, or the moon or the stars? Can you see the clouds? Are they not fascinating? The Psalmist (Psalm 19:1-5) saw the awesome work of God and proclaimed that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.” 
The different seasons, morning, afternoon and evening are all revealed by the skies. When we see dark clouds gather we know that it will be raining soon. 

God’s magnificent glory is revealed in the works of His hands. As stewards of God’s creation, we should be considerate to preserve everything that has been made. Air pollution, bush fires etc. can distort the beauty of the heavens and put both humans and animals at risk. Harmful gases that are released into the atmosphere not only disturb the beauty of nature, but have given rise to respiratory infections that have taken lives. You don’t have to be in government to do your part in safeguarding nature. Little attitudinal changes will help prevent disasters. We have been given a beautiful world, and videos and images from space have given a glimpse of the splendor and the perfection of God’s glory revealed in nature. Let’s be conscious of our actions so that by the time we leave the world, others will still have the opportunity to behold the wondrous works of God. 

Christlikeness: Preparing for eternal life

I was a member of my Sunday School choir and one of our favorite songs we mostly ministered was titled “After death”. I doubt if we really understood the song or if as kids we loved the song because of the tempo of the music. Anyway, below are the lyrics of “After death”.
“After the death, we shall be transported by the Lord, through the skies into heaven
Oh holiday
Holidays (response)
Eternal
Eternally (response)
And we will be singing, Merry making everyday on the street of gold
Oh holiday
Eternally

I can confirm that this song was ministered on different platforms and during Sunday school musicals. Everyone loved “After death” but I guess none of us really appreciated the details of the song. The knowledge that the death of the believer is the beginning of an eternal abode in glory should motivate us to daily live to reflect Christ. I am aware that some people believe that a loving God will not prepare a place of torment for the people He has created. This illusion has made many people live careless lives. In their minds, all is over after death. Some even believe that they will return to the earth as different creatures depending on how they lived.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.(1 John 5:11)

However, those of us who believe in Christ have this testimony, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Heaven is real and so is Hell. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, know that you are expected to live in preparation for an eternal holiday. There will be singing and merry making everyday forevermore. We will walk on the street of gold everyday forevermore. We will be worshipping God everyday forevermore. Preparing for this eternal holiday begins now. Do not wait to be ready when you are old. Ecclesiastes 12:1 reminds us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth before the days of evil come.

People with an eternity mindset live their lives to please the Lord. They do not conform to the standards of the world; the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. They look heavenward and live each day as the day of the Lord’s coming. They love unconditionally and they understand the times and the season. They daily search the scriptures to know the mind of God. They also share God’s love with others.

Christlikeness: We are citizens of heaven

Citizens of a particular nation are distinguished by either their lifestyle, language, culture, food or by all of the above-mentioned. I might have lived in different countries but I can only claim citizenship in the one that I originally lived in or the one that has given me citizenship. In some countries citizenship is by birth but in other countries, being born there doesn’t guarantee a citizenship right. When we come to Christ, we don’t cease to be citizens of our individual countries but we gain a much higher citizenship. This citizenship is not associated with any earthly country but to a divine country. As members of a divine country, our way of life reflects where we come from and where we will ultimately spend eternity.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
(Philippians 3:20)

Paul told the Philippian church that, “but our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body
(Philippians 3:20‭-‬21). There are two systems governing the world. The system of God which is light and the system of the devil which is darkness. As believers, we are members of God’s government and that should reflect in our way of life on earth. In this system of light, we are in a “passing through” stage as we eagerly await the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will ultimately transform our earthly bodies to be like His glorious body.

Having the knowledge that we are eternal citizens of heaven affects everything we do on earth. We demonstrate the attitude of questioning everything we do to know if it pleases the Lord. We subconsciously live our lives obeying the laws of our earthly home but focused on obeying our Lord in the long run. Citizens of heaven are not lawless citizens on earth. In fact Paul reminds us to obey people in authority and even pray for them. If the laws of your earthly country do not reflect the laws of heaven, the best way to get heaven on earth will be to pray “let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Remember, we can only reflect our eternal citizenship if we learn to know the laws that govern the kingdom of heaven.

As a child, one popular Sunday school song kept me on my toes…
“Read your Bible
Pray everyday if you want to grow”

Growing in the kingdom of heaven demands a concentrated effort and this includes a personal relationship with the Lord and a planned effort to know Him more. Know that citizens of heaven strive each day to be like Christ.