(Tim Beach - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
In Romans 12 Paul reminds his readers that worship is to be an all-encompassing approach to life, that all we do should be seen as occurring under the banner of Heaven. I suppose that gives me grounds to write the next few entries as I reflect on my travels to France over the past few days and all that God taught me and reminded me of on this trip.
At the moment you read this, I am sitting in an airplane approximately 40,000 feet above the earth. I am moving across the sky at around 400 mile per hour, and as I look around, no one is shocked. A couple in front of me is apparently moving to the U.S. together and they are, by all accounts, very affectionate. Next to me a young man, no more than 30, is nodding in and out of sleep - I watch as his head bobs forward, he awakens, straightens up, and then proceeds to fall asleep again. The flight attendants are coming by with drinks and snacks - and no one seems shocked. This could be an over-crowded cafe somewhere, but it's not - it's happening in the sky. How did we get to this place? How did we figure out a way to take a many ton vehicle off of the runway and into the atmosphere? And then how did we find a way to make it comfortable enough that people could write blog entries, nap, or watch a movie. Truly, human beings have incalculable capability.
This feat (flying) caused me to reflect on a passage from Genesis 11 when humans said, "Come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly...let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.". But the LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."
The capacity of humanity is unfathomable. We have the ability to do phenomenal good, to create structures that showcase the capacity of the human mind. And all of this from God. When we consider our gifts, talents, and abilities, we must always recall that these are not from us. Yes, we have the choice to fan our gifts into flame as Paul charged Timothy to do (2 Timothy 1:6), but all that we are, all that we offer to the world, all of it comes from God. I did not give myself the ability to read and understand and hopefully effectively communicate God's Word. My wife did not choose to be gifted at interpersonal communication. My mentor did not choose to be a gifted shepherd. All our gifts as humans come from God.
In Romans 1 we are reminded that the Creation was given in part to point us to the Creator, and we dishonor God when we praise or worship the created being. As I sit here in this plane and as you read this entry, may we all be reminded that the feats of humanity point to the Great Mind from which all things were made and through which all things are kept together (Colossians 1:16-17).
(For a short video that shows the grandness of the universe and thus, the even more sublime reality of God, watch this video below).
At the moment you read this, I am sitting in an airplane approximately 40,000 feet above the earth. I am moving across the sky at around 400 mile per hour, and as I look around, no one is shocked. A couple in front of me is apparently moving to the U.S. together and they are, by all accounts, very affectionate. Next to me a young man, no more than 30, is nodding in and out of sleep - I watch as his head bobs forward, he awakens, straightens up, and then proceeds to fall asleep again. The flight attendants are coming by with drinks and snacks - and no one seems shocked. This could be an over-crowded cafe somewhere, but it's not - it's happening in the sky. How did we get to this place? How did we figure out a way to take a many ton vehicle off of the runway and into the atmosphere? And then how did we find a way to make it comfortable enough that people could write blog entries, nap, or watch a movie. Truly, human beings have incalculable capability.
This feat (flying) caused me to reflect on a passage from Genesis 11 when humans said, "Come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly...let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.". But the LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."
The capacity of humanity is unfathomable. We have the ability to do phenomenal good, to create structures that showcase the capacity of the human mind. And all of this from God. When we consider our gifts, talents, and abilities, we must always recall that these are not from us. Yes, we have the choice to fan our gifts into flame as Paul charged Timothy to do (2 Timothy 1:6), but all that we are, all that we offer to the world, all of it comes from God. I did not give myself the ability to read and understand and hopefully effectively communicate God's Word. My wife did not choose to be gifted at interpersonal communication. My mentor did not choose to be a gifted shepherd. All our gifts as humans come from God.
In Romans 1 we are reminded that the Creation was given in part to point us to the Creator, and we dishonor God when we praise or worship the created being. As I sit here in this plane and as you read this entry, may we all be reminded that the feats of humanity point to the Great Mind from which all things were made and through which all things are kept together (Colossians 1:16-17).
(For a short video that shows the grandness of the universe and thus, the even more sublime reality of God, watch this video below).
- tC
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