Christian Living

FASCINATION WITH GOD AND ALL HE HAS MADE

by GLENN PEASE
02/16/22
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We vacationed just a few miles from all of the wonders of Disney World. For miles there were stores selling Disney products, and masses of people flocking to see the amazing things that could be seen there. We spent three amazing nights with friends visiting some of the areas of Disney that were fascinating. Because our friends were knowledgeable, we were able to do all of these things, and experience the awesomeness of it entirely free.

Why did we do it? Because, like everyone else, we love to be fascinated. Fascinasted by what God has enabled man to create, because they are created in his image with the desire to create what is fascinating. We have a hunger to be fascinated, and that is why God created so many wonders and marvels of creation that keeps the world population forever traveling to see them, as well as the wonders man has created surrounding them. It is one of the greatest pleasures of life to be fascinated. That is why we go to Branson, and Disney World, and why we watch movies, and go to musical events. It is all about being fascinated. That is why we take vacations. We need to get away from the routine of life that becomes boring, to experience what is new, interesting and often fascinating.

Another author put it like this, "Why is it that people flock to places like the Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon-Breathtaking. What motivates a scientist or an archeologist-Discovery.

When we traveled to England, I marveled at Stonehenge. The huge rocks that lay on the earth. How did they get there? No one really knows-Wonder.

How about the expanse and beauty of the universe that surrounds the earth-Amazing. Or the depth of a DNA strand, the atom, sound, light, the list can go on and on. Ever gaze at the beauty of an eagle in flight-Awesome."

One of the things we most loved about Florida was the vast variety of Palms and amazing flowers that we never see in the North. You can't help but be amazed at the way God has made so many different kinds of beauty for every location of the planet.

But then there is also the beauty and awesomeness of what God has gifted man to create, and that is what we saw at Disney World. What we often fail to see is that God is also impressed with what man has created, and He reveals that he will include the wonders of human creation in his new heaven and earth.

Let me read the last paragraph of Rev. 21 in verses 22-27. "22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."

I know that I will not see many of the wonders of this world that God has created, and that he has inspired man to create, but I need not regret my limitations because God will preserve in the eternal kingdom all that is truly beautiful and wondrous of his own creation and that of man. God does not like to waste any beauty, and so we will have the pleasure of experiencing all created beauty in heaven. We have these fascinations now, and we will have them forever.

For the Christian the greatest fascination, that should rise above all others, is the fascination with God, and His Son, the Lord Jesus. The fact is, God is fascinating to most people.Dr. Tim Clinton and Dr. Joshua Straub wrote an article on the fascination with God. This is part of what they had to say-"No matter what you hear on the news about lawsuits on prayer, court battles over the display of the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, and the separation of church and state, there's no denying the phenomenological existence of God. Consider that Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News and World Report have featured Jesus on the cover more than two dozen times in the past ten years alone. In addition, Jesus has graced the cover of Time magazine twenty-one times since World War II. Apart from the past few U.S. presidents, that's more than any person in history."

"The fascination with God is also evident in the money we spend and the books we read. Take, for instance, the bestselling book of all time: the Bible. Since the original printing press in 1455, it is estimated that nearly 6 trillion Bibles have been sold in nearly 2,000 languages."

The point is, God and His Word are still very popular in the minds of people because there is no one or nothing more fascinating than God and his revelation to man.

Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” God created us to love fascination, and so he has awaiting us in eternity more fascination and wonder that is greater that all that has ever been seen or heard in time by all people. We do not have to feel bad that we have not been able to travel the world and see all the fascinating sights, for in eternity we will have far greater sights than anything that can be seen in time.

The highest level of Christian living in time therefore, is to be growing in our fascination with God and his Word. If we lose this and find our fascination only in the things of the world, we are missing God's best. Greg Simas writes, "Whatever fascinates us gets our attention and ultimately our affection. We value what marvels us. We become what we behold. This is the key!

If our hearts are not captured by God we will turn to entertainment, recreation or even unhealthy addictions as the primary means to fulfill our need for fascination. But in the end, these never truly satisfy. We just wind up spending lots of money, resources and time for a very small return. Bad investment all the way around.

We become depleted when we choose our ministries at the expense of Gods beauty. By making the knowledge of God our lifelong occupation we cultivate our hearts to live from eternal pleasures. Once these pleasures are discovered, all else pales in comparison. The ultimate prize is that we know the living God.

Philippians 3:8 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

Greg Simas goes on, "A person who digs for gold has to dig! A scientist who wants to discover has to observe. There is no substitute. We have a God inviting us to encounter His beauty but we must understand that it will take time, energy, fasting and prayer and study to discover the vast depths of who He is.

Fascination is a result of discovery
Discovery is a result of a pursuit.
Pursuit is the result of hunger
Hunger is a result of revelation
Revelation is a result of God wanting to make Himself known to us.
It all starts in the heart of God.

It is up to us. Will we launch our hearts in an all out pursuit of the living God?"