Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, March 15, 2017

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“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15).

“Look and live!” That was the message God gave His people who thought murmuring against God and complaining about His provisions was a good idea.

After God had shown miraculous victory and protection to His people, they continued to prove they did not trust Him. So, God taught them a lesson. He caused poisonous snakes to overcome them. Many got bitten and died because of their disobedience. The others were bitten and paralysed with fear, crying out, confessing their sins, and begging God for mercy. God heard their prayer. He gave them mercy. He implemented a plan, that if executed by faith, they would be miraculously healed from the snake’s venom and live. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8).

Do you realize that the entire human race is in the same predicament today? We murmur and complain against God. We disrespect God’s provisions and turn our backs on His laws. Consequently, the devil, that old serpent bites us and eternal death will be the result if God does not have mercy and perform a miracle of grace. Jesus reminded the people of His day about that miracle. He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15).

Are you willing to look to Jesus and live today? Are you willing to exchange your human devices, plans, complaints, and murmurings for eternal life? Our God is abundant in mercy and power. He has made Himself available to help you overcome sin if you are willing to do your part. In the power God supplies, please look and live. Eternity with God awaits.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, March 14, 2017

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“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11).

He’s alive! He’s alive! Who? Jesus is alive, but is He living in you?

The greatest story ever told is that of the plan of salvation. Humanity decided that, although we were created perfectly with all the power we needed to accomplish God’s will, we would choose the path of unrighteousness. God, forecasting the fact, made provision before the world began, for our foreparents to be insulated from the eternal death penalty. Though the wages of sin are death, justice and mercy came together in the person and work of Jesus Christ, to give us the opportunity to escape the penalty we are due, by faith.

None of this means that God takes sin lightly. None of this means that God has changed His mind about the egregious nature of sin. Interestingly, the fact that Jesus died on the cross in our place magnifies God’s stance on sin. Jesus became our Substitute when condemnation for sin needed to be meted out. Here’s what the Bible says: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Our heavenly Father did not spare His own perfect Son when He became sin for us; therefore, He will spare no one who takes His mercy for granted. The divine law is not to be trifled with. The soul that sins must die unless that soul accepts Jesus’ sacrifice and turns away from his/her sins.

Here’s the cool part: our theme text points out we can have Christlike minds. The Holy Spirit can regenerate our minds to where we can follow His example of humility because He is exalted above all. He demonstrated victory over hell, death, and the grave by coming back from the dead, as the prophecies foretold. And by this power, He is able to fashion our lives after His similitude. We can be victorious over any besetting sin if we submit to His care. If the Father would not withhold His dear Son, His mysterious equal from us, there is no way in the world He would withhold any other thing needful to prosper us according to His plan for our lives.
Take courage because He is alive. Really take courage if you accept the blessing of His gift of salvation and He’s living in you!—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, March 13, 2017

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“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:7–12).

There’s a war going on and time is running out! On whose side will you be when all is said and done?

Every day we awake, the battle for our minds and lives is raging. Just as the devil staged a coup d'état in heaven with the foolish intend of dethroning his Creator, though he was predictably and woefully unsuccessful, he has brought his rebellion to earth. He was summarily expelled from the heavenly courts once he made his final decision to resist the entreaties of God to repent. He lost the war there, but there were casualties. In the same chapter as our theme passage, the Bible says he drew one-third of the angels into rebellion, and by extension, out of eternal life. They followed their new leader on the downward path to destruction.

The decision we must make today is if we will be casualties of war. We know the devil is a loser; however, he makes a mess of the battlefield, taking as many with him to certain death as possible. Misery loves company. Calling those who side with the devil, “casualties of war” seems so impersonal and afar off. Here’s brass tacks for those willing to listen: Our God loves us so much that He gave His unique Son, so whoever wishes to live forever can do so. The caveat is simple—surrender your sinful indulgences, tendencies, and practices to God in exchange for His righteousness and power to overcome sin. What we love naturally (i.e. extravagance, lust, intemperance, pride, self-centeredness, unrepentance, etc.) leads the unwary to eternal death. This is why the Holy Spirit continues to impress our minds with good conscience. When we are travelling on the wrong path, the Spirit nudges us and tells us the right way to go. If we are particularly stubborn and self-willed, He is more aggressive in His approach, to the end that we will repent.

The war that’s going on is for our minds, lives, and allegiance. We must choose, every moment of every day whether we will trust Jesus, the Captain of the heavenly hosts or the devil whose only purpose is to destroy us. There is no reason to choose the latter unless you love death. If you love life, ask God to show you the way to eternal life. Perhaps you could begin your quest by prayerfully reading the book of John. Ask God to reveal to your conscience whatever you need to do to get on the right path. Surrender in this way, and you will be well on your way to eternal life with Him and all the saints who will have made the same decision as you.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, March 11, 2017

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“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35).

Did you know you can be “like” Jesus? I know there’s a hymn that says so. Church people sometimes mindlessly say so until you press them to show that they really believe it, in all situations. There are Bible texts that say so, but few take this reality to heart. You can be “like” Jesus. Now, let’s talk about it.

Our theme text underscores the fact that Jesus honored humanity when He took on human form to save us from our sins. If we could ever hope to be saved, the One who gave Himself as our Substitute had to be 100% divine and 100% human, simultaneously. I realize the math doesn’t pan out, but that’s part of the reason salvation is a miracle. Stay with me here. You were born of a woman by natural means. Your father and mother got together, his sperm fertilized her egg, and you were conceived. That, too, was a miracle. The problem, however, is that your two parents, whether you know both of them or not, donated a package of genetic problems called a predisposition to sin. Thus, it is natural for you to sin.

The miracle of Christ’s birth is that the Holy Spirit miraculously implanted Jesus into the womb of Mary without the aid of a man. The Highest overshadowed her, and because of this blessing, Jesus became the Son of the living God. He was holy in His humanity by virtue of the Holy Spirit’s power and who His Father was. Pay attention here. Thus, Jesus could have chosen to sin because His mama was Mary, but He chose not to because He allowed His Father, God, to control His life.

The Bible says that which is born of the flesh “is” flesh (that’s you). That which is born of Spirit “is” Spirit (that was Jesus). Continuing the thought of John 3, the Bible says we “must” be born again. Why? So we can be born of the Spirit. This is getting good!

OK, so in the same way Jesus was called “that holy thing” in our theme text, and was called the “Son of God,” if we are reborn in the Spirit with the power of the Highest overshadowing our lives, we become the children of God. We move from mere human parentage, with all its inadequacies to being re-born of the Spirit. When you get a chance, please read Romans 6 and 8 with a fresh set of eyes. John said it this way, “...as many as received him [Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons [or children] of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13). Thus it is that you can be “like” Jesus. You can be born of the Holy Spirit and be called a child of the Heavenly King.

How does it feel knowing you are just moments away from becoming royalty? If you accept the blessing of the Spirit and give your life to Christ, you become His royal heir (Galatians 3:27-29). Ask God to solidify your decision to follow Him every day until Jesus returns to take His heirs to heaven for a 1,000 year vacation, until we inherit the new earth. You can be “like” Jesus beginning now!—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, March 10, 2017

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“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:25–27).

When you are in distress, to whom do you turn? When you are confused, dejected, and dismayed, how do you find relief? Let me tell you how the prophet Daniel found strength through his struggle. I promise, you will never forget the story once you see it from this perspective.

When you have an opportunity, read Daniel 9 and Jeremiah 25 in their entirety. Get the scene. God’s faithful servant is studying the scrolls of Scripture concerning the prophecies of Jeremiah. He is in distress because God’s people have been in Babylonian captivity for scores of years due to their habitual rejection of God’s counsel. He knows God promised that He would judge Babylon for their overreaching, rough treatment of His wayward people (go figure), but the fulfillment seemed to be afar off. In distress Daniel poured out his heart in prayer and supplication. What do you do when you are distressed? We don’t know how long Daniel labored in the Spirit with God over the plight of his brethren, but we can reasonably time His one prayer quoted in Scripture at right around four minutes. He appealed to the good name and character of God. He poured out his heart in confession for himself and for the people. He was despondent, yet had hope in the One to whom he prayed.

Amazingly, the Bible says that at the close of his prayers and appeals for mercy, the angel, Gabriel appeared to dear brother Daniel. He appeared to give Daniel insight into what he desired and much more. What a blessing! There’s more! Gabriel said he was dispatched by YHWH at the beginning of Daniel’s prayer. How long did I say the prayer took? It was right around four minutes. Let’s say for the sake of argument that he prayed for four hours or even four days (he didn’t). Gabriel said, “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” (Daniel 9:23). What?! YHWH sent Gabriel to tell Daniel he was greatly beloved! What a blessing from God. Do you realize you, too, are greatly beloved by God?

Here’s the kicker: Gabriel left the heavenly courts, which are easily beyond Orion. Space.com/3380-constellations.html reports that Orion’s stars range from 243 to more than 1,300 light years from earth. Stay with me here. Just one light year in distance is 5.85 trillion miles. Now multiply that by more than 1,300. The distance is truly astronomical (pun very much intended). If heaven is beyond Orion, Gabriel traveled more than 7,605 trillion miles in just minutes to answer a poor prophet’s prayer and principally tell him three things. Wouldn’t you like to know what he said, having come all that way at impossible speeds?

First, he told him he was dearly beloved. Wow! Then, he took his time and gave him a perfect prophecy lesson. Then (I hope you’re ready for this), he showed him a crystal clear portrait of Messiah at His best. Gabriel travelled more than...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, March 9, 2017

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“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8).

Have you ever wondered if you really knew what love was? Has your life been so full of dysfunctional relationships that love seems like a fairy tale? It occurs to me that the devil’s plan is to distort our familial relationships as a first assault on our relationship with God, our Father. If your father (or mother, as the case may be) was not a great example of love, odds are that your perspective on love is skewed. Gangs are bursting at the seams with members due to skewed perspectives on love. Strip clubs are ram packed with performers and patrons due to skewed perspectives on love. Mental health facilities, suicide watch wards, terrible marriages, and dysfunctional church congregations are all full of broken people who suffer from love deficits.

God is love. It’s a simple enough sentence but has eternal implications. It would have been simple for an all-powerful Creator to rip up the prototype called earth, with all of its inhabitants when we all went astray. However, the One who is the manifestation of perfect love could not do that. He created us to live in eternal bliss with Him. He created us to enjoy all the beauty He continually creates and know no limits to blessing. The ultimate enemy of love, Satan threw shade on God’s ideal but our Father would not lay down and accept it. The Bible says,
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9). While we were at our worst and the devil continued his underhanded plot to separate us from our God and sanity, the One who is love personified gave us His Son so we could live. Jesus died the death we deserved so we could live forever. When justice demanded payment for lawlessness, Jesus volunteered to show our Father’s love by giving Himself up as the universe’s greatest sacrifice ever.

I will not multiply words because none suffice to communicate God’s great love. If you do not understand love or want to become more loving, ask your heavenly Father to reveal the plan of salvation to you. Begin with Isaiah 53 and Ezekiel 16. Prayerfully read them daily until your heart melts with gratitude and reflect the love God has for you. One day soon you will experience Him in His fullness. Until then, keep seeking His face and reflecting His love to others.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, March 8, 2017

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“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5).

This is one of the sweetest passages in Scripture, in my view. I love how God gets our attention to usher us into a new dimension of relationship.

First, God wants all of His people to listen up. Pay attention! Then, He identifies Himself in a special way to make His next point. He could have simply said, “It’s God speaking.” However, He used that special name, “YHWH/Jehovah” as referenced in the following passage. The Bible says, “Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” (Exodus 6:1–6).

Notice that God gave a special revelation and reintroduction of Himself to Moses that not even the patriarchs received. He manifested an unusually powerful and intimate aspect of His character through His name. He demonstrated that the One who keeps covenant with those who serve Him is also personally aware of our greatest trials, feelings, and thoughts. He is not only aware but personally, takes action. He will take us by the hand and deliver us from every burden, bondage, and trial if we trust Him. The revelation of YHWH is that though He is almighty, He is also intimately involved in the lives of humanity. He has covenanted to be with us, not stand off and watch us from afar.

It is this YHWH, our God who invites us to love Him with all of our thoughts, energy, and the very essence of our existence. This is special because He loved us first! We are only capable of loving Him because He loved us first! Therefore, it is our distinct honor to return the love He has inspired, entrusted to us, and loves to experience in return.

But what about this idea of YHWH our God being “One”? Here’s the kicker: add to all I have said, that the Holy Principle of eternal, loving YHWH is inclusive of three distinct and divine persons. God the Father loves us so much that He gave us His Son so we could have eternal life through faith in Him. God the Son (A.K.A. Jesus/Yeshua) loves us so much that He volunteered to become our substitute when punishment for sin would be executed. He conquered the penalty we deserved for our sins, death, and fear for us. Through Jesus, we are accepted by God. God the Holy Spirit loves us so much that He teaches us, all of us, everything Jesus taught. He makes it possible for Jesus to be present in the lives of everyone who loves Him, simultaneously. Since we have no idea what to pray for, He translates our prayers into heavenly language based upon the thoughts of God the Father. It’s great!

I will just stop there. It is our privilege to love YHWH with all we have and all we are, which happens to be the first and great commandment. When we do so, it is because He is keeping His promise to write the commandments in our minds. Do you see why this passage is so special to me? YHWH our God is doing tremendous work to manifest...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, March 7, 2017

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“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3).

Faith is the conduit through which the power of God flows from His eternal stores to our lives. Through faith we accept the promises of God as though He has already delivered them, and we live as having received the blessings. God has promised to take His people to the kingdom of glory wherein dwelleth righteousness. If we have faith in His promise, we accept it and begin living like glorious kingdom dwellers. We assume the attitude of those who live in a kingdom where sin does not exist. This does not make us delusional anymore than top sprinters envision reaching the finish line before their opponents as a way to exclude the possibility of defeat from their thought process. They expect to win; therefore, they behave like winners. One obvious caveat, however—winning the promise of eternal life with God is 100% guaranteed if we remain faithful.

Likewise, faith conducts the power of God to us so we can recognize Him as Creator of the universe. Despite the errors in the thinking of some scientists regarding matter, its origins, and longevity, our God created the universe from matter He created. That is to say, God did not find some eternal matter floating in space and then create the universe. No. Everything God used in relation to creating the heavens and the earth, came from Him. It gets even better. Much of what God creates, He does so by commanding it to be so. When He says, “Let there be light,” light must appear, because the Creator said it. The Creator’s words are the power! This is partially the reason saying our brilliant friends are “creative” could be considered a misnomer (don’t be too technical in criticism of my point here). What makes God stand out as Creator is His power to bring something from nothing. Therefore, when we write a piece of music, paint a portrait, cook a meal, craft poetry, or present a new sculpture, we are using abilities, thoughts, and supplies that were already created by God. All of these preexisted the fruit of our “creativity.” This is why creatures who have offspring are considered to have “procreated.” The offspring are products of their progenitors. They were not created in a vacuum, from nothing.

I said all of this to say, God has given us the ability, through faith, to connect with all He reveals of Himself and accept today even realities we are naturally unable to sense or experience at the moment. And if we continue to have faith in Him, it will bear fruit. By faith we can accept that God has created all we see and cannot see out of only that which He has created, and we will soon transcend this present world if we remain faithful to Him. Through faith we can be certain that the same God that created the universe from nothing can recreate our lives, which sin has reduced to rubbish. He recreates us into His spiritual image if we remain faithful. He will miraculously call us out from the obscurity of our human condition into the marvelous light of effulgent relationship with Him.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, March 6, 2017

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“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands...” (Acts 17:24).

Will the true and living God please stand up?

Often people get a misconception about “God” when He is reduced to whatever we feel He should be. For instance, I was having a conversation with a new friend whose regular practice is to “meditate.” Great start, right? I asked him to describe this due to the context of our conversation. He and his training mates enter their designated space and quiet their minds, empty their minds, and focus on their breathing. My new friend has recently chosen to join the Christian faith. I told him we meditate differently. Biblical meditation has a higher focus. He interrupted and said, “God, right?” I said, “Well, yes, but it’s more detailed than that.” To simply say you are meditating upon God is so general and leaves us open to too many wild, spiritual problems. To make a long story short, I told Him that we direct our focus upon the Word of God like David described here: “Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2). Our focus in meditation is God, to be sure, but His Word clarifies our focus. Instead of emptying our minds, which leaves the mind open to deception, Christians, fill our minds with the holy Word as the God of creation draws our attention in to communion with Him. Upon His Word do we meditate.

Did you notice what happened here? I identified the one whom King David referenced, which is the same God of our theme text—the One who made the world and all that is therein. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He is the One who cannot be contained by a temple. He is the One who loves us and gave us life through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is the only true and living God.

So many times we worship gods of our own devising. Some worship the god of pride. Some worship the god of self-pleasing. Some worship the gods of fighting arts. Some worship the gods of lust, overwork, and intemperance. But when the true and living God comes into our lives, if we submit to Him, we become His dwelling place and we focus our lives and thoughts upon Him. The Bible says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20). I am so glad God gives us the privilege to speak to Him in prayer and hear from Him in His Word. Let the true and living God stand up in your life, and you will not regret it.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sunday, March 5, 2017

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“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6).

I know it is hard to believe that God is as powerful as He is, but the evidence is clear. There is no way this fair earth could be so beautiful and orderly, with all of its creatures, except a loving, powerful God set it so.

Not to long ago, we discussed the power of our words, but said little regarding God’s words. When you get a chance, read the first several chapters of the book of Genesis. There you will find a miraculous battery of events that all culminated in the satisfaction and rest of a loving God who created a world full of beauty and beings who were in His image. In six literal days, God created a mature world with all its supporting ecosystems and creatures to enjoy it. In His crowning act, He created and adult male and female who represented a composite picture of His character in our earthly sphere who would become fruitful and procreate to replicate this blessing throughout the earth in their offspring. On the seventh day, God rested in commemoration of His completed work, and as an example we should follow. The time was holy for holy interaction with a Holy God, with no encumbrances of mundane thought or activities.

While it is true, that something went wrong, in that Adam and Eve turned their backs on God through disobedience, something went right in God’s merciful act of recreating all who would choose submission to His will. The beauty of God’s miraculous creation has been blighted, but because of His great love toward us, He works fastidiously to recreate His image in us so we can spend eternity with Him. The same God who created the earth in perfection has enacted a plan to perfect all who abandon the sinful paradigm and embrace the blessing of right relationship with God.

Do you want to enjoy the beauty of re-creation? Do you want to be in the fulness of God’s image? Do you want to be forever insulated against sin and degradation? Read John 1, Romans 5-6, and John 3:16-17, and give your life to Him today. Join the re-creation miracle while there is still time!—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)