Category: creation

  • Reflections

    Created in the image of God

    rainbow

    This weekend, we tried a new walking spot. We headed to the Cheam Wetlands Park, due east of Chilliwack and north of Bridal Veil Falls. We had the grandkids and only a short window of time, so it was a quick exploration to see if we would return and check it out more thoroughly at another time.

    There is a shallow lake and plenty of little streams. A boardwalk connects two small islands. Over 150 species of birds have been spotted there, although we saw only some waterfowl.

    It was a pretty little spot, and we will go again another day.

    We were pleasantly surprised to see a rainbow clearly reflected in one of the channels. I couldn’t help but video it. Check it out here:

    It’s almost impossible to tell the sky side from the water side. It’s a delightful reflection.

    You and I are created in the image of God.

    So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 ESV

    He knew from before time began which of us would be even further refined into the image of Christ.

    For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 ESV

    Oftentimes, when I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t see a lot of Jesus reflected back. Sometimes, there might be some of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) reflected. I can be as rebellious and self-centered as the most vile of sinners.

    I remember Paul’s words and relate too well.

    For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:15-20 ESV

    It can be very discouraging.

    Then, I remember else that Paul wrote,

    And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 ESV

    I’m not where I want to be yet. Still, in small ways, I’m more Christ-like than I was before. He loves me. He sealed me, The Spirit indwells me. I have the Word to guide me.

    I might not be the perfect reflection yet, but I can hold fast to the truth that He isn’t finished with me yet.

    Hold on my dear friends. He isn’t finished with us yet. One day we will be all He created us to be.

    Kevin

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  • A Mist- Our lives pass quickly

    Mist on Eagle Mountain, Abbotsford BC

    One of the fantastic things about living in the Fraser  Valley, so close to the coast, is the mist. Mists come and go, never the same from moment to moment or day to day.

    They can conceal part of the landscape, only to open up or move on, leaving it again. Late Saturday morning, I snapped today’s image with my phone.

    A layer of foggy mist covers most of the hill. The cell phone tower reminds me of a castle turret atop an island floating in the clouds, with nearby treetops appearing like more little islands.

    A few moments later, it was all concealed from my view. Several minutes passed, and the entirety of the hill was visible again. It was as if the clouds were causing the scenery to play peek-a-boo with us.

    Our lives have a lot in common with the mist. Our life may seem long in comparison to the entirety of time. It’s just a little blip on the radar. Our sixty, seventy, eighty, or more years color and shape things briefly, and then we’re gone, and things change.

    It is by relatively few for a short season if we are remembered at all when we’re gone. People go to great lengths to ensure their legacies, endowing schools and libraries, buying stadiums, and more. Sooner or later, someone replaces them, and even that legacy disappears into the mist of time.

    Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Psalm 144:4 ESV

    For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Job 8:9 ESV

    For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 1 Chronicles 29:15 ESV

    I’m not writing to depress you about the shortness of life. Instead, I want to remind you what a precious gift each and every moment is. Life, like a mist passes quickly

    Every breath we take is a gift from God. For believers, it is an opportunity to magnify the Lord and prepare for the blissful eternity of glory. For non-believers, this life is the closest they will ever come to paradise. Unless they turn to Christ before their passing, their eternity will make the worst days of their lives seem wonderful.

    Cherish each moment. It truly is a gift for the believer. Even our hard times strengthen and shape us to be more like Jesus. A faith that has not been tested is only a wish.

    I don’t know the specifics of what your day will bring. You might be on the mountaintop of joy and wonder, deep in the valley of pain and the shadow of death, or most likely somewhere in between.

    If you know Jesus, rejoice because He will use your circumstances for good. If you don’t yet know Him, take the time today to surrender and be reconciled to God.

    Whatever the day brings, know that God loves you and desires you to spend forever in Paradise with Him.

    Kevin

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