Nature!
I love to spend time in nature. It seems like there is an endless amount of lessons that can be seen through the observation of nature. What is my favorite part of nature? It is hard for me to choose just one thing.
One thing that I have been thinking about lately is the colors in nature. What would it have been like if God would have made the colors different than they are right now? For example, what if the sky was red, the grass and trees were blue, and the branches and tree trunks were green. Now, you may be thinking that’s crazy. But the reality is that if God would have created it that way we would not have known any better.
I can’t imagine the sky red. Just to think about it makes me feel totally on fire. I mean red is not a relaxing color by any means and it just makes me feel anxious. It seems that God has made the colors to reflect what He is and how He wants us to be.
Colors
Blue is a representation of the law of God. And I love that our sky is blue because it makes me feel God’s protection. We often think of the law as something bad. I have to do this or that or I can’t do this or that. But how do you want to be treated in life? Do you want to have others steal from you or kill you? To me, the law is a law of protection. God loves us so much He wants to protect us from all the bad and evil.
I am grateful for God’s law of love. He wants to have fellowship with us. And not only does He want to have fellowship with us He also wants us to have fellowship with each other.
The law of God is all about love, love to Him, and love for those around us. So when I look at the blue sky, it reminds me of love and God’s protective power. And then there is the beautiful red that streaks the sky at sunset or sunrise. It reminds me of the blood that Jesus shed, which brings me back to the love that, leads to wanting to obey His law.
Green is another lovely color that God has given us. And as many know green is one of the most relaxing colors. A lot of us know what it is like to go out in nature and sit amongst the green trees on the green grass. The feeling I get when I do this is so relaxing. The cares of the world seem to melt away.
Green
I think of green as a very significant color that God has given all around us. He has made it one of the most prevalent colors around us, at least most of us. I don’t think it is just because it is a relaxing color, although it plays a crucial role. I think it is because green represents faith. He is reminding us all around to have faith in Him.
What is the most relaxing thing that you can think of in this world today? Well, for me, I think it is faith. And without faith, it is impossible to please God (See Hebrews 11:6). If we have total faith in God and His plan for our lives we can be the most relaxed people in this world, no matter what chaos is happening. It sends chills up and down my spine when I think about it. But I struggle to have this kind of faith. Yet, God has given us so much to remind us what He wants for our lives, a life of rest and peace.
What is faith?
If without faith it is impossible to please God then we better know all about it right? “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1. Here is how the Revised Standard Version states this verse, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
I looked up some things on faith and what it means and here is a summary of what I found. Faith is an assurance or belief in something, and also a conviction of whatever truth we believe in. I can have faith that when I sit down in a chair it is going to hold me up. Most of us never even think about it or fear before we sit down, we just sit down. Because our belief is so strong in the creator of that chair, the fact is, we don’t even think about it. And believe it or not, we don’t even know the creator of that chair.
What makes us believe a chair is going to hold us up? Maybe we trust the place we bought it from, the reputation a company has, other people reviews of the product, etc. I don’t even know if I have given it much thought of why I have faith in a chair to hold me up. And there are many more things we have faith in every day, our cars, that our house will stay standing, or the building we work at has been built to continuing standing, that most people are competent drivers so that we don’t shake in our boots every time we go out on the road, how about an airplane, etc. I could go on and on.
So how does this play into our faith in God? It is kind of silly when you think about it. Why would we trust a chair, car, or airplane manufacturer that we don’t know or even investigated but we won’t trust a God who loves us? He has given all this green around us to say, “Trust Me! Have faith in the plan that I have for your life, even though you don’t understand or know why just trust me.” “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding” Proverbs 3:5.
It is so…
Why is it so hard to have faith in a God who loves us with an everlasting love and yet we have faith in a chair, car, airplane, etc? I think that this is a question that we need to chew on. I know I do! Believe me, as I write these things I am talking to myself. When we go to buy a chair or even food for that matter, do we question whether it is safe? Do we investigate the company to see if we can have faith that what I am buying is safe? I can say for the most part I don’t.
How many of you order online? When I order online I will often look at reviews. But even those are not always helpful. As a matter of fact, reviews can be downright discouraging. And why is that? Because you get these people that say how wonderful the product is and then there can be a small percentage that just is downright cruel about the product. We have all see them.
The same can be true with Christians. If we were to look at people’s reviews on Christianity we would get the same thing. Some have had a great experience and some have not. So how do we know? When it comes to buying something the best way to know is to experience it yourself. Even with reviews, you need to read between the lines. Why don’t they like it? Is it because it is not what they were expecting or wanted or was it because something was wrong with it? Some would say that if the majority thinks it is good then it probably is safe to buy it.
Majority
When it comes to our choices with God should we seek the majority reviews about God? Is there safety in the opinions of the majority? Or is it safe to make our decisions based on what we see in other “Christian’s ” lives? I would say not. Just because a person claims to be Christian does not mean that they are truly like Christ. True love gives everyone the freedom to choose whether they want God in their lives or not and whether they want to obey His laws.
Even though nature is marred by sin, it obeys God’s laws. We are marred with sin as well but we can choose to obey God’s laws. We can choose to have faith in His Word and the promises that He has given us. He has given us so much evidence that He loves us. Why is it so hard for us? I can speak for myself, I am so much happier in my life when I have faith to lay my life in His hands. Trying to do everything on our own is such a miserable life, why do we choose it?
Look to Jesus
Why shouldn’t we look to people for our guide? We are all sinners and make mistakes in our judgment, so there is no safety there. The example that God gave us in Jesus Christ is the only perfect example for us to follow. So the safest place for us to keep our eyes is on Jesus. Read about His life, study His life, and then allow Him to emulate His life in you.
Every day as you see the green of the grass and trees bring to mind the faith that you can have in the One that is the most trustworthy. God has put so much green around us to help us remember. But often we pass by it all and don’t even see what He has to offer us. God has put nature around us to remind us of Him and His power to save us to the uttermost if we come unto Him by Jesus, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for us (See Hebrews 7:25).
What is our part? Our part is to choose Him. When we are studying His Word and we learn His ways we choose His ways but He does the work to change our lives. Nature obeys God but it is God’s power that makes nature grow, makes the rain to fall, or the sun to rise, etc. (See Ps. 147:8, 16-19, Matt. 5:45). And as we choose Him and His ways God will make the seed of truth to grow in our hearts and He will make us more like Him. He will change our hearts.
Dear Father,
Thank You for giving us the beautiful things of nature to remind us of Your power and love for us. Help us to see that full faith in You and the plans You have for our lives is the safest and happiest place that we can be. You are the One that can help us choose You and make us like You. Help us in the choosing process today.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Have faith and trust in God today! You won’t regret it!
Have you had faith in God through a tough situation and God came through for you amazingly? I would love to hear your story. Share below in the comments.