Appreciating God

Bunbury

Sun am

14/08/2011

“Appreciating God”

Intro: *** One night some months back now I was standing outside the church building waiting to go home after doing some work. It was a warm night, a gentle breeze was blowing & in the quiet I could hear a multitude of birds chirping as they were settling down at dusk for the evening. The entire colony of birds was sending out a melody as they settled into the treetop lodgings for the night. As I was listening to all this & enjoying the entire scene I began to thank God for the simple experience ..... not what you’d call majestic but a simple experience of God’s creation speaking about the wonder of The Creator who has limitless imagination & creative power. I found myself doing what we need to remember to do on a regular basis – Appreciating God!

God designed creation to do just what it did to me that night – inspire / awe / stir us.

God designed creation in such a way as to point to the greater wonder of an all wise creator.

Here’s the thought this morning – How often do you take time to appreciate God?

We get so used to the idea that I have to read my Bible, pray, witness, pay my tithes & come to church – all of which are true & necessary.

But like Jesus said of Mary …… how often do we choose that good part & spend time simply appreciating God?

That night wasn’t by any means an earth shaking event but it certainly was an occasion where I found myself giving thanks & praise to God for His goodness.

We need to remember that primary reason for our creation is that we might enjoy God & give Him the praise He is worthy of.

T/m I want to speak about ‘Appreciating God’.

Text: Psalms 19:1 (NKJV) 1The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

# 1. When creation just can’t shut up!

A. Think about this – creation itself declares the glory of God!

a. And the truth is that creation just can’t keep quite – even if it wants to.

*** I remember when we were in Victoria falls in 2008 – it was an incredible experience! When we arrived at the grand old colonial built Victoria Falls hotel we could hear a thundering roar. It didn’t take long for us to work out that what we were hearing were the thunder of the falls themselves. As we looked out over the gorge that the Zambezi River flowed into we could see a cloud that hung permanently over the falls area displaying brilliant rainbows.

What was happening right b/4 our eyes was exactly what the Bible says will happen on an ongoing basis. Creation itself was declaring the wonder of the God of creation. It was one of those sights that you couldn’t help being impressed w/!

i. Creation was doing it’s job here & advertising the God who created it.

*** On a routine flight from Los Vegas to Phoenix early one morning just as the sun was rising we approached the Grand Canyon. Our pilot only had to deviate slightly so that we could see the entire Canyon from the air. We flew the entire length of the canyon & drank in the splendour of the sun rising filling the gorge w/ a multitude of shades that couldn’t have been made more brilliant if you’d tried to paint them.

*** On another occasion we were just outside Gaborone, Botswana staying at a game park over night. Our friends had taken us there as a kind of treat & an occasion not to forget our time in Botswana b/4 we left. It was mid afternoon when the animals began wandering into the dam which was right next to our chalet. I was really dazzled by a full grown Rhinoceros & her calf that came trotting down to the dam not more than about 10-15 metres from where I was standing. As we watched the variety of animals that were roaming freely in the game park I couldn’t help thinking what an incredible God our God is!

*** On yet another occasion I was standing on the shore of the island just outside Nuku’alofa, Tonga. The ocean was like a sheet of glass. The ocean itself was filled w/ brilliantly coloured sea life. As the sun set over the ocean it created a magnificent backdrop of colour that filled the evening sky. W/ the coconut trees in the foreground & boats anchored in the harbour it was a natural postcard. I couldn’t stop taking photos that early evening b/c I was struck by the majesty of the God who put this whole scene together that I was now soaking up.