Dear Friend,
Although the winter hung on for a while, Northeast Ohio is finally in full summer bloom and the sunsets are spectacular, confirming for us the psalmist’s words, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
The long July days and star-filled nights here in this part of the country provide a vivid reminder of God’s radiance in creation. Psalm 19 continues, “Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
The psalmist explains that creation testifies to God’s glory. As the sun rises and sets and the stars fill the night sky, God reveals Himself. God has not left Himself without a witness. On this basis, we are held accountable.
But general revelation is insufficient for salvation. In the written Word, we meet the living Word as the Spirit of God convicts us of our sin and convinces us of our need of a Savior. God’s Spirit uses God’s Word to introduce us to God’s Son so that we might become God’s children (which is why we teach directly from Scripture at Truth For Life). When this happens, it changes how we view all of life—not least of all, our appreciation for the beauty and splendor of God’s world—so that we can declare with the psalmist, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).
The hymn writer George Wade Robinson captures this idea in the second verse of “Loved with Everlasting Love”:
“Heaven above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flow’rs with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.”
Thank you for your faithful partnership with Truth For Life. Enjoy the beauty and colors of summer.
With my love in the Lord Jesus,
