⁶ But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?  ⁷ You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor ⁸ and put everything under their feet.”  In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them.  Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.   ⁹ But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:6 – 9)

Unfortunately, many people around the world who appreciate the beauty of creation don’t see the Creator.  Hebrews 2:9 includes 5 powerful words: “But we do see Jesus”.  The story of the Creator humbling Himself to save his creation is good news.  Because of this act of sacrifice, we can find our identity in Christ.

Today, be acutely aware of the wonder of God’s creation all around you.  Take some time to smell the proverbial roses.

Please prayerfully reflect on the Bible passages above.

Something to think about:

When do you see Jesus most powerfully through creation?

³ When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  ⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.  ⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: ⁷ all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, ⁸ the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:3 – 8)

Today we turn our attention to the Discipline of Creation, which involves an attitude of enjoying God’s creation. As we continue to consider our theme, Our Identity, the Discipline of Creation can serve a vital role.  A careful consideration of God’s creation helps us to consider who we are through a humbling lens.  In Psalm 8, David sets an important example for us.  Verse 3 starts with “When I consider”, and then proceeds to talk about elements of God’s creation.  Unfortunately for most of us, the phrase “when I consider” is seldom followed by elements of God’s creation, and so we miss out on a great way to learn about God and ourselves.

Please prayerfully reflect on the Bible passage above.

Something to think about:

How does spending time considering God’s creation help you understand your significance and frailties?

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  ² Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  ³ They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  ⁴ 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. (Psalm 19:1-4)

The answers you sent on Libby’s behalf yesterday were certainly comprehensive and helpful. We have some people who have clearly thought long and hard about Stewardship. Thanks for sharing!

Today we address the Discipline of experiencing God through His creation. This is one of the least common Disciplines in the literature on Spiritual Disciplines, and this lack of familiarity may be a cause for questions. Vincent certainly has some questions for Libby and I hope you will have the time to help him out.

As a reminder, you will play the part of Libby and share your thoughts on the challenges people are facing. Libby is not expected to be an expert.  Rather, Libby simply shares from personal and practical experiences.   So, please feel free to chime in even if you have questions yourself.  Also, even if you don’t have the time to share, think about how you have addressed the challenge in your life or how you would address it in the life of a loved one.

Please review the Bible passage above and Vincent’s challenge below.

Dear Libby,

I have always admired people who seem to be able to find the time to “smell the roses” and see God’s powerful hand in various aspects of creation.  I barely find the time to smell my coffee.  If I am honest, when I first heard about this Discipline of Creation, I shied away from it because it had a “new age” feel to it and I was afraid of being more caught up with the created than the Creator.  As I understood more and got over that hurdle though, I encountered another problem, priority.  This Discipline just does not feature in my day.  How do you make experiencing God through His creation come alive in your life?  What are some of the practical things you do on a day to day basis?

Ready for more,

Vincent

Today’s Question:

What thoughts would you like to share with Vincent?

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. (Matthew 14:13)

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. (Mark 6:45-46)

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. (Luke 4:42)

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (Luke 6:12)

Our Feature Friday Discipline is the Discipline of the Sabbath, which does not show up in many of the books on Spiritual Disciplines.  This is understandable because the topic of a specified day for the Sabbath is hotly debated in Christendom.  We will not enter into the debate.  Instead, as we have done with the other Disciplines we want to examine this Discipline through the lens of love.

We need to challenge ourselves to consider the habits of resting, refueling and reflecting.   To discuss the Discipline of the Sabbath, we will consider a few passages (captured above) from the life of Jesus, our perfect example.  Please prayerfully read the passages and answer today’s questions.

Today’s Questions for comments:

• What major point do you take away from Jesus’ example in the passages above?
• How do you practice this Discipline without becoming legalistic?

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. (Psalms 19:1-2)

Thank you for reviewing the Discipline of Bible Study over the last 4 days.  As a quick reminder, during our 40 Days of Discipline journey we will reserve Fridays to focus on a selected Discipline for just one day.  Today we focus on Creation.  If you need to refresh your memory on what this Discipline is about remember that you can go to the Disciplines tab at www.40daysofdiscipline.com.

There are so many beautiful passages of scripture that speak about God’s creation.  The passage of scripture from Psalm 19:1-2 (captured above) is a great example.  Often though, we don’t take the time to see God in creation in the way that David did.

In the same way that we examined the Discipline of Bible Study through the lens of love, let’s examine the Discipline of Creation through the lens of love by examining Luke 12:25-30:

²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.

Please prayerfully consider this passage and respond to today’s questions.

Today’s Questions for comments:

• In what ways does the passage establish a link between creation and God’s love for us?
• What aspects of creation speaks most powerfully to you about God?

Tomorrow (Saturday) will be dedicated to reviewing what we have learned this week.

We have been able to see God through a different aspect of his creation every day this week. It is clear that we can see him in many ways if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Romans 1:20 tells us that “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”.

As we close our focus on Creation, I hope that you are even more committed to making this Discipline a regular part of your daily life. I’ll close with some of the words of a popular worship song by Christ Tomlin

Lord of all creation
Of water, earth, and sky
The heavens are Your tabernacle
Glory to the Lord on High

God of wonders, beyond out galaxy
You are holy, holy
The universe declares Your majesty
You are holy, holy

If you would like you can play the youtube video of this song.

We have been seeing God through many of his direct creations. Today we will do something slightly different.

Today, our passage of scripture is Exodus 31:1-5:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

We can also see God through the skills and abilities he has bestowed on his creation. Today, pay attention to the special things that humans have designed and built. This could be anything from architecture to paintings to jewelry…you get the idea. It is wonderful when we can see beauty in things built by others or ourselves and know who to give the ultimate glory.

Please use the comments option to share your thoughts on this aspect of creation.

Did you make a note of the lessons you learned about the creator from observing animals? One reflection I had was that God in his wisdom choose to include beauty and frailty in his living creations. Creation reflects splendor and dependency.  I am reminded that I am made in His image but I am nothing without Him.

Today, our passage of scripture is Luke 12:27:

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

Today is the day to “smell the roses” – our focus will be on plants. Take the time to see the beauty around you in plants created by God. If you get a chance consider the intricate details. You may want to use senses other than sight. How about smelling and touching. What do the plants teach us about our God’s attention to details?

Please use the comments option to share your thoughts on creation.

What was it like focusing on the skies yesterday? Every time I take the time to deeply examine the skies I am left with a sense of awe.  It is amazing that God cares about us as much as he does when we could be considered to be so infinitesimally small in the universe.

We are going to continue to use scripture passages as a basis for meditating on God’s creation. Today our passage of scripture is Job 12:7-10:

“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

Our focus will be on animals. During the day consider the animals around you.  Even fish in an aquarium or birds outside your window will do. I wish we all had time to visit a zoo, but that’s asking too much. If you are in an urban setting with no animals around use your imagination. What do these animals teach us about their creator?
Please use the comments option to share your thoughts on creation.