____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ May 25, 2003 ____________________________________________________ Humbled by the Marvels Around Us -- and Enjoying the "Impossibles" by Tom Edwards I used to think I could do a few things pretty well -- initially, that is. Then when some time would pass, and the novelty wore off, whatever it was that I was previously impressed with, turned out to be not as great as I once thought -- whether an article I wrote, my ability to deliver a sermon (which I later heard a recording of), some music I composed on the guitar, a new recipe I threw together, or something I built, etc. I have learned that probably the very best of anything I can do is really not much more than mediocre compared to what others can do; but, still, striving to do my best is the important thing; and, therefore, I can be thankful for the improvements I have been able to see in my own life -- and have often been glad about. Several times I've had the humbling thought of imaging what the world would be like if everything man-made depended solely upon me -- even the concepts for these things. In other words, if I didn't conceive and make it, then it would never be. So it would be my responsibility to supply the world with all its technologies -- in the fields of electronics, engineering, medicine, and other sciences. That I would have to create for the world all its outstanding works of art -- whether paintings, sculptures, or drawings. That I would have to invent the instruments and compose all the fine works of music for the world. That it would be up to me to write all the great literary works that would become undying classics to fill all the libraries worldwide. That I would have to not only come up with the plans, but also develop the necessary materials for all architectural designs -- from the simplest forms to the most complex. And on and on -- with radios, TVs, washing machines, cars, jets, etc. -- with whatever is man-made. If, however, each of these man-made things were all my responsibility, based on my ingenuity, how primitive and lacking this world would actually be! It is for this reason that I'm glad I'm not the greatest person in the world. For if that be true -- and no one was greater than me (in wisdom, skill, creativity, etc.) -- then this world would be greatly lacking in so many helpful and worthwhile things. So I find great comfort in knowing that there are multitudes of people who are far superior that I might enjoy their writings, their works of art, their music, their crafts, their designs, their skills, their ideas, their technologies, etc. -- and I thank them, and God, for all the great things they have made possible for each of us! Man-made Marvels What a marvel the world is! We have so many physical blessings that should not be taken for granted. And think of it this way, too: Since all these man-made things would have been virtually impossible (and, therefore, non-existent) if I were to be their sole conceiver and maker, then it is as if I'm being allowed to live in a world in which all these "impossible things" are an everyday reality -- as well as being able to use many of these "impossible things" for myself. For example, though I could have never thought up how to build a jet, I can still step into one and be flown miles and miles away. So we are living in a world with so many things to use and enjoy that would be "impossible" to those who lived just a couple hundred years ago -- and a world that would really be "impossible" if all its ideas and inventions depended on just me. To be able to talk to someone on a phone hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles away, and for them to sound as if they are but a few feet from us. To hear the beautiful and distinct sounds of an entire orchestra that have been recorded on an LP, cassette, CD, or whatever the format. To hear and see a live picture on our TV of someone who is reporting from the other side of the world. To transmit and receive this through the airwaves. What incredible technologies these things are! But in a world that would depend on me as the sole conceiver and inventor, would even the concepts of these things have occurred to me? I can easily use this computer with its word processor and keyboard to write this article. But if doing so first required my inventing these devices, no telling what primitive writing tools I'd be using instead. In a world in which I would be responsibility for all man-made things, I might not have ever gotten around to inventing the ink pen -- or even the lead pencil. We probably often view the world, though, as "my" world -- and perhaps take it for granted. The modern conveniences that afford us with creature comforts, we might even feel are a type of extension of ourselves -- as if we are right up there with all the modern technologies of our time; that they are simply a part of who we are. But these things really aren't us. They are just things we use or know of. Jesus shows that a man's life does not consist in the material things he possesses -- regardless of how abundantly (Luke 12:15). So even if many of our modern conveniences do seem to add new dimensions to our lives, they still don't make us who we really are. For take these new dimensions away, and you are still you -- but perhaps not the "happy camper" you once were. Taking it all for granted, though, reminds me of the Corinthians' attitude toward the miraculous gifts they had. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 4:7, "...And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" It appears that some of the Corinthians were so puffed up with their miraculous gifts that they were not even recognizing the source from where these gifts had come. Rather, they acted more as if the gifts were just a natural part of themselves -- giving no credit to the Lord. I have often been impressed with what man has been able to come up with. Our world abounds with inventions that have become a part of our everyday use. But how often do we simple take these things for granted? Instead, however, we should be thankful, not only for those men who have been able to help make the world a better place, but also for God who has given such ingenuity to them. Recently, when crossing the bridge, over the Mississippi, that connects East and West Baton Rouge, an astonishing thought popped into my mind -- a mind that had been dwelling on things of God, as I was driving to a gospel meeting in Lafayette at the close of the day -- during that beautiful, relaxing time of day when the sun is softly low in the sky, and nature seems even more appealing and mellow, before turning out its light. Looking out over the river, the sky, the surroundings below, seeing God's creation, along with man's, and it all becoming even more exciting as I continued higher up the incline to the middle of the bridge, I then focused on the bridge itself and momentarily thought, "God, did you make this bridge, too?" Though made by man, and though not a bridge as renown as the Golden Gate or as long as the Sunshine Skyway, still a bridge that impressed me with the firmness and strength of its solid structure, its value as a helpful link between two bodies of land, and its design which far exceeded anything I'd be able to make on my own -- even if I had 100 years to work on it -- so another one of the "impossible" things that I was glad to enjoy the convenience of, and to drive across in that other "impossible" convenience: my car. (How would I have ever been able to think up such a thing without any pre-existing concepts from others that would go together to make a car? Without pre-existing ideas to build from, the proper tools, and the right machines, how could one even make a simple, metal, 4-drawer filing-cabinet?) I'm certainly thankful for all the good things that man has been able to make, the ability that God has given him to do such, and to be a part of this world, which not too long ago was an impossibility in the thinking of the majority. Many of our modern conveniences and technologies, however, have come about by ideas of the past, in which some old ideas have also spawned some new ones. And this accumulation of knowledge escalates increasingly as time goes on, as we can see in just the last one hundred years of civilization. More and more of what was once impossible continues to become realities that we can enjoy and be thankful for. Marvels of God's Creation While praying several days ago, and looking out my window at the woods in back, I started focusing on one tree that was pleasant and relaxing to behold. As I watched its branches swaying in the wind, it made me think of that famous poem by Joyce Kilmer, entitled, "Trees," which he had written for Mrs. Henry Mills Alden. The first verse tells us: "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree." And, after four other verses, he concludes by saying, "Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree." We think of all that man has made, and we marvel. But could you imagine a world that is filled with only man-made things? A world without ever having white clouds and blue skies; without gurgling brooks and imposing mountains; without canyons, valleys, meadows, and woods; without green grass, rolling hills, and sandy beaches; without the wide variety of colorful flowers and interesting plants; without the health-giving fruits and vegetables; without expansive oceans, sparkling seas, and the rhythmic sounds of the surf; without serene lakes and winding rivers; without the gentle, caressing breeze; without the warmth-bringing and illuminating sun; without the dreamy, night-light moon; without the gleaming stars that evoke wonder; without the refreshing rains that slake the soil's and vegetation's thirst; without the variegated wildlife, as well as the domesticated animals we have made house-pets; without the sounds of branches rustling in the wind, the birds chirping out their alto and soprano leads, crickets picking up the tempo, frogs adding their croaking bass, and all the other sounds in nature's symphony -- and on and on -- that we can enjoy and be thankful for? Of course, there would not even be an earth -- nor anything in the universe --if we were to eliminate all that God has made (Jn. 1:1-3). A great artist can well portray a bucking bronco, and a sculptor could make a three-dimensional image of such; but only God can create and infuse that creature with life that it may shake its head and neigh, arch its back and buck, and briskly gallop away with nostrils flaring, toward a glowing, pastel sunset. And life reminds us of the Lord -- whether we are looking at a horse, a tree, a flower, a human being, or any other living thing -- for He is the Maker of life. Think, too, of the purity in looking at nature. While praying and gazing at a tree, there was nothing in it that I had to avert my eyes from, nor "keep my guard up" against. Perhaps this is why nature is so pleasant to us, relieves stress, and evokes serenity. But it can also evoke excitement, enjoyment, and wonder, such as when seeing Niagara Falls, touring the Grand Canyon, or scuba diving in the Bahamas, etc. We can praise God for all of nature's display; because it, too, evokes thoughts of the Lord (Rom. 1:19,20). When the psalmist said, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes..." (Psa. 101:3), he certainly wouldn't have to worry about nature being one of those things; for after God made all that He had made, He said, "...it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). Perhaps the thoughts in this article will also help us to tear down the walls of vainglorious pride. For by haughtiness, we think we are big, that are greatness covers a vast domain, but we have really isolated ourselves in a very small enclosure called "me" -- with the walls of arrogance hemming us in. With humility, though, our lives can better reach out to others, realizing their importance; for humility is the only thing that can help us break through the impervious walls of pride. (Cf. Rom. 12:3; Phil. 2:3,4.) Even with all the great inventions of man, how many were made by just one person who never used any pre-existing concepts that had been discovered by others? If all the man-made things of the world depended solely upon any one of us, how much would be accomplished? Ideas, however, are built from other ideas (and usually of other people's). The inventor always has someone else to thank, as well as to thank God above for the abilities He has given. So let us not allow pride to blind us from these things. God's word -- and that which He has made -- can help break down arrogance. For just thinking on the Lord's greatness had caused the psalmist to realize what an inferior and lowly creature man is compared to God: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him?..." (Psalm 8:3,4). How insignificant we seem compared to the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:9). Even though man has been able to make so many marvels of his own, and those which humble us in realizing the impossibility if their existence had depended solely on any one of us, yet God's wisdom far exceeds that of man's -- so much so that perhaps we could liken it to the difference between eternity and one second, or between infinity and a grain of sand. The following I wrote about 13 years ago in an article entitled, "Somewhere Under the Rainbow": "...I just now glanced at a scenic calendar in my office that displays a picture wherein a dark blue ocean with its white bubbling foam is rushing onto a beige-tinted beach, surging around the sharp, jutting rocks on the shoreline, and hurling its foam and spray into the frisky wind. The clouds are low and widely covering the endless sky, and one elongated cloud rests serenely on the distant horizon; but even with all this hovering fluffiness, the radiant sun has still found a way to beam its numerous warm rays to the waiting world below -- and this is just the world of the physical realm, a place for the Christian to temporarily dwell before entering his eternal abode. Yet, God has filled it [earth] with so much wondrous beauty; can we even begin to imagine the grandeur of heaven and His creative-wonders there?" Conclusion Thinking about the helpful things man has made and God's wondrous creation -- if we truly take it to heart -- can instill humility in us, as well as thankfulness to be able to be a part of such a world and enjoy the good blessings therein (whether physical or spiritual). Yes, it does seem like we, as individuals, are being allowed to enjoy the "impossible" -- the so many things around us of God's and man's designs that we can be the grateful recipients of. How fortunate we are! But how much more so, if we follow the road to eternal life, where we will enjoy things that are so superior to anything we have experienced thus far, that they actually excel all of our greatest conceptions combined! That's why the Revelation letter has to speak of heaven in physical terms of gold and precious jewels that we can relate to. In actuality, however, heaven far exceeds the totality of all the most valuable things of earth -- or the most beautiful descriptions imaginable! And heaven is so awesome and marvelous that even an eternity can't diminish its greatness and appeal. Now how about that to marvel over -- and to enjoy forevermore?! ____________________________________________________ News & Notes Carla Hartwyk, a member of the church of Christ in Piscataway, New Jersey, has been diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells; and she is now waiting for the test results -- especially for the condition of the surrounding tissue. Let us pray that all will go well for her. We are thankful and glad for Terry Farmer's acknowledgement recently that he had been wrong for not attending church as he should. He had, therefore, repented, sought God's forgiveness, and also apologized to the brethren. We rejoice -- along with all the angels in heaven! Let us pray that all will go well for him in his commitment to the Lord! ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________