The Right Source

A short time ago I was having difficulty with a computer program which was installed on my netbook.  I found myself checking out each of the tabs I found on the main menu of the program seeking a solution to my problem.  I even went into the help menu searching for assistance.  However, everything I tried did not address the problem.  Nothing worked.   Then, I decided I needed to go to an expert on computers, which happened to be my son.  I told him exactly what I wanted the program to do.  The expert made a few clicks on the mouse and in a matter of ten seconds or less the problem was solved.

The real difficulty was that I was trying to solve the problem by myself.  That was my first course of action.  I should have known better because I am not an expert when it comes to computers.  I should have gone to the right source immediately which would have alleviated my frustration.  This whole episode reminded me that the action I took was exactly that we so often do in life.  Instead of going to the right source immediately, we try to work things out on our own.

Living as a Christian often has its difficulties.  When difficult times come, our first action should be to go to the right source – to God, Himself.   In the Bible the psalmist found God’s help when he needed it.  He said, “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me” (Psalm 30:2).  When Daniel the prophet faced difficulty he began “praying and asking God for help.” (Daniel 6:11).  These men took the correct action.  Scripture further reminds us that God said, “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help  you”  (Isaiah 41:13).  God is always ready to help us whatever our difficulty.  When we experience setbacks in life, let’s commit ourselves to go to the right source first.  Let’s forget about trying to fix the problem ourselves.  Let’s seek God and His direction and be ready to experience the Biblical solutions He has for life’s difficult dilemmas.

Impressed by Creation

As the Fall season has rolled around, I am once again impressed again by the beauty of creation.  In the northern hemisphere, fall is known as autumn and begins with the September equinox.  This year that date was on September 22.  On that day both day and night were each about 12 hours long.  The Sun crossed the celestial equator going southward and it rose exactly due east and set exactly due west.  The change of the season is determined by shifting sunlight according to how our planet orbits the Sun ans well as the tilt of its axis.  So, why does all this take place with each season in in such a precise way?  Scripture helps us get a grasp of what has been done, what continues to be done, and what our response should be.

 

The Bible reminds us: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  God is Creator.  The Bible also says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).  God is Sustainer.  Scripture additionally tells us “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies  proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).

So what can we say?  God created the beauty we see in the natural world around us.  He also sustains it or holds it up and keeps it going by the power of His hands.  His glory is revealed by the beauty we see in creation.  We, like the heavens themselves, should declare His glory.  All of the beauty we see and enjoy during the fall season (and the other seasons of the year) are directly related to God, our Creator and Sustainer.