Glimpses: God of Riches

"In the beginning.... GOD."

These opening words of Genesis are some of the most beautiful ones ever written. God was, and always will be. He is the Creator of all things, the Maker of everything beautiful, the Designer of the universe. 

But how many of us actually feel an adrenalin rush when we think about those descriptions?  How many hearts stir when we pick up the timeless Word of God?  

This morning, I was helping out in the two-year-olds Sunday school class at church. When the main teacher instructed the kiddos to sit down for a story, a little boy I'd been playing with stood up, and looked at me with tremor in his eyes. "Oh no!  The Bible!  I don't like the Bible!"  I tried not to laugh, as I told him the story would be fun. (I also thought it was funny that this little boy happened to be the pastor's son :))

Often, like li'l Isaiah, reading the Bible is one of the last things we feel like doing. Why?  Because we have lost the spark of glory that was once seen within it. 

Modern Americans have a very simplistic view of God. He seems to be nothing more than an outdated, possessive, demanding overlord who has too many rules, is followed by a band of hypocrites who call themselves Christians, and has theoretically spoken an ancient piece of literature into being. All I can say when I hear something like that is..... really?  Have you encountered Him?!?!

What if we truly saw our God, not for what culture has made Him out to be, but for who He truly is?

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"I am sitting on the beach this evening, watching the swells roll in toward me. Each wave builds as it approaches, ascending, taking shape, deep greens below sweeping upward into translucent aquamarine. A sculpture in motion, curling forth like shavings from a jade carving. The sheer elegance is enough to take my breath away. The wave I'm fixed upon crashes to the sand like a work of art toppling from its pedestal, but before I can feel the loss another is rushing to take its place, sweeping upward, forward, utterly mesmerizing beauty...

All things were made through him, and without him nothing has been made that has been made. What are the waves telling us about Jesus?"

-John Eldredge, Beautiful Outlaw

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Such a portrayal is anything but dry and outdated. Have you ever been in a scene like the one described above?  I'll never forget the time I flew to India for the first time, when I was 11 years old. I had spent almost the entire 13 hour flight sick to my stomach. But when the plane flew over Nepal, all of the nightmarish hours before were worth it. Suddenly, I was passing the snow-covered peaks of the tallest mountain range in the world, with a glorious roseate sunset behind them. After the sun went down, a pure white crescent came to take its place, surrounded by glittering gems of light, to dimly reveal the mountains under their soft light. 

When I think back to that precious hour I spent over the Himalayas, I can't help but wonder how someone could think God was stingy. He is a Father, who lavishes blessings abundantly on His children and His world!  Yes, there is an Enemy out to destroy. But think about it. We're the reason he has that precedent to destroy. Before humanity sinned, there was no destruction. Yet even after we ruined the perfect works of His hands, He still pours out glorious riches upon us.

Take a minute to reflect on John Eldredge's description of the waves. Think of the extravagance of design poured into each one. It would take a human artist years to even come close to make something as beautiful, and yet God's masterpiece is alive with changing motion. There are thousands around the world every second.... crashing to pieces, receding, and rising up with white ribbons of foam to take your breath away all over again.

Think of the sky, stretched out farther than eyes can even see. It has color. It's not brown, or dull. It's arrayed in spectacular shades of blue, and streaked with whisps of water and air that are, by an incredible molecular process, visible from the ground. Think of how the colors change as the sun's position changes. At the end of the day, blue is replaced by an array of color that would make a painter's mouth water.

Trees are arrayed in glorious, towering splendor all across the world. They can self-sufficiently repopulate forests, and create sustenance for their environments. The green of their leaves brings color to the surface of the planet, even from outer space. And, as if those glorious shades of green weren't enough, they change colors in the fall to create a show of nature beyond belief.

Or what about tiny little often-ignored flowers?  The extravagance poured into them, in their variety, color, scent, and shape is mind-blowing. Each one is different, yet beautiful.

"Look at the lilies of the field; they do not labor or sow, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?"

We serve a God of riches. If we only understood who Jesus was, think of how much bolder our God-prayers (not for selfish gain) would become!  Why would we have any reason to doubt that the God of glory and riches would bring His glorious presence to those who ask?  Why would we need to question whether or not He wanted to save one that is lost, when He sees them as even more valuable than the lilies of the field, into which He pours so much beauty?  Why would we think that the God who purifies the gray from a clear sky after a storm would hesitate to purify our hearts?

So often, we are afraid to approach the feet of Jesus with our specific needs. How easily we forget that we serve a God of glorious Riches!!  He is not stingy with His blessings. As Jesus Himself said, "Ask and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you."



Challenge of the week: Just look up, and rest in Him. He's waiting.


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All pictures via Pinterest