creature comforts

Sunday, March 10, 2013 (8:09 a.m.)

Island Princess

351.6 nautical miles from Oranjestad, Aruba

Caribbean Sea

Holy Father,

Thank You. Thank You for the creature comforts You provide us. I confess to You, I am awed by the opportunities I am experiencing. Food. Fun. Friends. Loved Ones. Comforts. Thank You Father.

Thank You that I get to be somewhere in the middle of the ocean and You are right here with us. Thank You that I have Your Word to turn to. Thank You for reminding me that it is YOU who created all this beauty. Sunrises. Sunsets. Stars. Clouds. Color. Amazing, astounding beauty. Thank You.

So, I originally thought my focus here was going to be about all that is going on around me. Thank You for pulling me back to You, the Creator. The One who created it all to begin with. Without Your original plan we would be having none of this. Again, thank You!

Agog! Right here. Right now. Agog with You. Our Creator! Two verses especially have me nodding in agreement. Father thank You. Thank You that You not only created all this beauty, You planned ahead knowing our propensity would be to worship the things You created instead of You.

Romans 1:25 says, “Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn't obey the [Creator] blessed God who made these things.”

That's our tendency. We see things. Want them. Aquire them. And ultimately worship them, instead of You. We look to ourselves. We work hard at being self-sufficient. Thank You for the much needed reminders that our greatest need is to “'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God'” (Mark 12:29). Oh, amen!

And now, back to Deuteronomy 32:6. The words in the concordance are, “Is He not your Father, your Creator”. The Life Recovery Bible says the words of Moses' song this way, “Is this the way you treat Jehovah? O foolish people, Is not God your Father? Has He not created you? Has He not established you and made you strong?”

Oh, how we need to be reminded! The commentary at the bottom of the page tells us, “An important part of spiritual growth is learning to worship God. An important part of worship is praise. In these verses (3-4) Moses takes the time to praise God for who He is – great, glorious, strong, perfect, just and fair, faithful, holy. We also need to take the time to rejoice in who God is and to praise Him for His greatness. He is the Rock, our foundation for a stable life. His work in our life is perfect. We need to recognize God's ability to help and then allow Him to do His mighty work on our behalf.”

Yes Father. Creator. Maker of heaven and earth. THANK YOU! Thank You for the opportunity to explore the beauty of Your creation. ALL of this is only because of You. I am grateful. I appreciate Your kindness. Your generosity. And I worship and adore YOU, the Creator. NOT all that You created. Help me remember and reflect that this day.

Let me be a beacon of Your love. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(555 words ~ 9:21 a.m.)