Thought for September 18, 2023

• 1793: Washington lays the cornerstone for the Capitol--we have a better cornerstone. See my comments below.
• 1809: Royal Opera House in London opens
•  1947: Central Intelligence Agency officially comes into existence--Truman established in June
• Born: Samuel Johnson, Greta Garbo, James Gandolfini, Lance Armstrong, Ronaldo
• Died: Domitian, Dag Hammarskjold, Jimi Hendrix, Ken Norton [his son played for me at the 49ers], Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Thought: Coming from Salzburg Austria. Very interesting city and not just because of The Sound of Music. There is a solid rock cliff overlooking the town with a fortress on top. The cliff was made when they took the rock to build the city. Makes me think about building on the rock, but also building with the rock. For us we build on the Rock and the Rock is building us into His temple. Just a thought.

Reading in Hebrews 11 this morning. And as I look around the scenery in Salzburg, I think about Hebrews 11:3. By faith I understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things visible. What a way to start the day, affirming that God is the great Creator.

• The worlds were prepared by the word of God. God spoke and it was good. Genesis 1:1 is true--God created the heavens and the earth. And look around at the world He spoke into existence. He created:
• A world of order and not chaos. He placed the planets in particular orbits and placed each star in space. He set the revolution of the earth at exactly the right speed. He tilted the earth at exactly the right angle. He created the seasons. He created the animals and fishes and the special order for them to reproduce. The birds know when to fly north and south. The whales make their circuits. The animals migrate at the right times. The microscope, telescope and all the other devices confirm the order with which God created.
• A world of beauty. The heavens declare the glory of God; creation sings His song. The snow capped mountains and the vast deserts all reflect His beauty and majesty. Forests rise with uplifted branches reaching toward the sky in His praise. 
• A world that has growth and reproduction. The world is not static--it is moving. The word tells us that from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. The world is moving toward His coming. 
• Me and you. We are His workmanship created in Christ for good works. We are His clay and He is the potter. Our existence comes from Him and our future depends on Him. 
• The world was made from nothing visible. Ex Nihilo--from nothing God created everything. Frederick Hart sculpted Ex Nihilo for the space over the main doors of the western facade of the National Cathedral. I am amazed that God spoke nothingness into worlds. Then I think for a moment--that is what God does in our lives--He creates something from our nothingness--gives value to our clay. The other thing I think about is what that other reality must be like--for God created from that which was not visible to us--as I mature in Christ I begin to understand that what I hear and see is not reality--reality exists in the spirit. 
• I understand this by faith not by reason, not by intellect, not by study--I understand this by faith in what God has said. He tells us about creation and recreation--I cannot see it or comprehend it--but I understand it by faith.

What a way to start the day--by faith I understand. 

Blessings

Larry