13 November 2015 - not preoccupied

For they search busily among his works,
but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.

Isn't this us? Doesn't our preoccupation with created things actually take our minds off God rather than serving to remind us of him? Created things ought to be able to help us to "discern the artisan" and to quickly find creation's LORD. They are meant to "declare the glory of God" and to proclaim his handiwork. We have glimpses of this. There are times when beauty overwhelms us and we can't help but be in awe at the God who made it. There are times when the sheer vastness and scale of the created world call the power of the God who made them.

Even though God's hand is always there for us to notice we ignore it more often than not. If we see his presence in all things he becomes a thread which ties our moments together and gives meaning to our days. 

So let's not be this guy:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world (cf. Rom. 1:19-20)

Or this guy:

“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Let's not become so distracted that we miss what God is doing. Let us not make idols out of the very things which should call us to remember him. To the degree that they distract us from our correct orientation toward God they become dangerous. Without him as a point of reference the good things he gives us can become sinful when sought for their own sakes. But they are dangerous precisely because they are so good. It is precisely the God we perceive in them that makes us desire them. So instead of worshiping the things themselves let us turn our hearts toward God. Let us join with all created things and sing his praise.

Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.

If we do this we are not distracted by creation. We don't miss Jesus coming. When it comes time to make a choice between him and the world we are able to choose wisely.

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.

Life is good. It proclaims God's glory. But we proclaim God's glory even more when we lay down our lives in love. Creation ought to impel us toward God not weight us down toward earth. Creation itself speaks to us and tells us of something greater than itself, worthy of our pursuit. Creation tells us not to lose our lives for its sake because it cannot do justice to a sacrifice like that. A life spent in that way is just one more dissipation in a world of entropy, winding down toward an eventual end. Creation hints of the only one who deserves the sacrifice of our entire lives. It is whispering now. Let us listen.