What Love

Here's a question: Have you ever heard of Orange Hawkweed? How about Meadowsweet? Daisy Fleabane? Probably not. Neither had I until today, when I did some research.

This past weekend, I ventured to northern New Hampshire and took a walk along a moderately quiet dirt road in the country. All along the road were bushes and vines, flowers and trees. I picked some of the flowers to admire them... And wow, were they gorgeous. Each flower was delicate and fragile, yet so intricately designed and amazing. The Hawkweed popped out of the grass with its vibrant orange coloring, while the Meadowsweet graced the bushes with its tiny white petals and ready-to-open buds. The spiky Daisy Fleabane added a different style to the terrain.

Each of these flowers put me in absolute awe of God's creation. Yes, I've walked by plenty of flowers in my lifetime. And yes, occasionally I have stopped to admire them or pluck them for a vase. But studying these flowers made me wonder... How many parts of my Father's creation have I merely passed by? How many of the gifts He made for me have I failed to thank Him for, or even acknowledge?

It is so incredible to think about the fact that He made each part of nature--every gust of wind, every blade of grass, every flower petal--for me. For you. If you or I had been the only human created, He still would have made the masterpiece we call Earth. And what love is that!

To Say or To Do?

Have you ever thought of doing the Word? You know, instead of saying it. There is, in fact, a difference.

I was reading the other day in the book Growing Slowly Wise by David Roper. He quoted a passage from an incredible man, James. In his book, James writes that we are to "not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive [ourselves]. Do what it says" (James 1:22). THroughout this first chapter, James informs Christians that we are to take note of the Scriptures and live by them (James 1:22-25).

"James is concerned here," Roper writes, "with our tendency to approach the Bible as an object of intellectual curiosity--to study it assiduously, to talk about it incessantly, but to do nothing with the data we collect....We believe the Word, but we do not think in terms of repentance, faith, and obedience." Yet as we allow ourselves to view the Word in this way, we gradually but surely become numb to its teachings. God seems more distant.

We can say the Gospel and the story of King David and the incredible flood. We can say that the Ten Commandments are crucial parts of life and that faith like a mustard seed is precious. But what do we do? When God provides examples of the consequences that follow lying, do we heed them? When He tells us to be still and listen, do we shut the door and await His voice?

It is so important for us to take His Word seriously and abide by it. To see it as a living Book, one that we can--and should--learn from. Think about it. Consider actually doing the Word. You won't regret obeying God's commands!