The Pleasures Afforded to Sinful Men...

Sunsets blow my mind!

They’re one of the most beautiful aspects of God’s creation and for some reason I can never get enough. When the sky changes colors and the sun begins to drop below the horizon, I’m captivated. It’s hard to explain in words and even the pictures I take don’t capture the moment like I wish they could. But it’s peaceful and everyone seems to know it. Next time your at the beach look around and watch people stop what they’re doing and stare at the heavens until that last speck of light fades away.

Every one of us whether we like to admit it or not is captivated by certain things in creation. Maybe it’s when you’re out on the ocean or when you’re lying on the beach. It could be camping in the wilderness or white water rafting down a violent river. It could be snow capped mountains or the fresh water streams they create. It’s bizarre in a sense but nature just has this way of making us stop and appreciate.

Psalm 19:1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

What if I told you that God was drawing you into a relationship with His son Jesus Christ through the world He created? Seriously! We’ve all felt it but it’s so hard to explain. That breathtaking, stop what you’re doing, how is this even possible, this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen feeling. And for a split second in time you know this is no accident, you know there is someone greater who created everything you see around you. Guess what? You were created with that feeling. It’s called Natural revelation and it describes what God has revealed concerning Himself in nature. The bible talks about it in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Romans 1:19-20

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

But most of us ignore it and assume since science can give us a vague understanding of how things work we can move on with our lives. So we push that feeling of awe to the back of our minds and we consume ourselves with our daily lives, and that’s just the way Satan wants it. Never pushing for truth, never accepting the constant call of God on our lives, why? Because it’s difficult to understand how a God who created everything we see around us could actually have a personal daily relationship with every one of us. But He can and He is actively speaking to you through creation, through friends, through family, through preachers, through coworkers, and the list goes on and on. God is placing people in your life to draw you closer to Him.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Don’t let the world we live in pull you down and suck you dry. Know that God desires a personal loving relationship with you if you’ll simply give your life to Him. I know it’s hard to grasp, but that’s where faith comes in. With the sin of Adam and Eve the world around us changed and life became difficult. It’s often hard to see God through the constant cloud of chaos around you, but He’s there and He always has been. He died on a cross 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty for your sins and mine so we could spend eternity with Him. One day this fallen world will be a thing of the past and there’ll be a new Heaven and a new earth. One without sin, without hardship, without tears and with more natural majestic wonders then you could ever fathom. The next time you see a sunset, take a moment to thank God for the awe inspiring natural beauty of this world, and dream of a new heaven and a new earth that will repeatedly take your breath away.

Augustine who was the bishop of northern Africa in the 5th century said something that makes me smile every time I hear it. There's so much truth behind it and to think he said it over 1500 years ago in a time very different from the world we live in. As he sat and watched a sunset just like I have so many times he said “If these are the pleasures afforded to sinful men, what does God have in store for those whose hearts are His?” 1 Corinthians 2:9 ...“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”