Creation Praises God

Greetings!  This week my family and I are actually on vacation here in Lake Tahoe.  After a long drive up yesterday (Saturday), we watched the service today and then went for a drive around part of the lake.  Along the way, we stopped and went on a short but strenuous 2 mile hike to Cascade Falls on the southwest side of Lake Tahoe.  It was amazing!  We even got the kids to disconnect and enjoy the outdoors.  Woohoo!  Hiking among the trees and rocks, overlooking the lakes and mountains, feeling the breeze, and being in a place generally unspoiled by man, one really gets a sense of the majesty and grandeur of God's creation.  I think it can be easy to miss this when you live in a place like Southern California but the beauty of nature truly testifies to how awesome and praiseworthy God is!

All of this reminds me of an exchange Jesus had with the Pharisees.  In Luke 19:37-39, it says that when Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives, the crowd of disciples joyfully began praising God saying "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"  Annoyed by their praises, some of the Pharisees told Jesus to tell His disciples to be quiet.  Jesus responded by saying in Luke 19:40, "I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  Beloved, we and all of God's creation have been made to praise God and bring Him glory.  The trees, the rocks, the lakes, the mountains, do their part testifying to how great God is.  As the only things that have been "created in His image" (Genesis 1:26-27), we should do the same. 

That's the simple thought I wanted to share with you today.  I know it's not our normal devotional.  If you would, consider this more of a postcard to you, our family and friends, from beautiful Lake Tahoe.  Here are several pictures from today.  Take care and God bless.

Pastor Darren