About Todd D. Nystrom

Christ's Servant, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, USAF Veteran, MSU Alumni, Hiker, Backpacker, Explorer & Aspiring Photographer of God's Amazing Creation Psalm19:1 | Romans 1:19-20 | Mark 6:31-32

The Sky Above Proclaims His Handiwork

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 19:1-6 – The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. ⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. ⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The setting sun over the shores of Lake Erie proclaims God’s handiwork. Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Psalm 19 is one of those great passages of the Bible that stirs me deeply every time I read it. From the smallest grain of sand on a beach to the most distant star in the heavens God created it all. Through the beauty and power of his amazing creation he makes himself known throughout the earth. The magnificence of his world should leave no doubt in our minds that there is something greater than us, someone greater than us, our God and our Creator.

I weep for those who do not understand the glory of God, for those who actually believe this is all just random chance acting over time. If this is true, if we all are here just because of some great cosmic roll of the dice, then there is no real purpose or greater meaning to life than the here and now. If this is true, then how we live our lives makes no difference at all. If this is true, then there is no reason for us to value the lives of those around us, or really to care at all. After all, it is just survival of the fittest, right?

The Bible presents us with a much different view of human life, Genesis 1:27 tells us that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are all image bearers of God, and because of this every human life is of value. Psalm 139:13 reads, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew us before we were born; in fact he created us, and because of this every human life is of value, yes, even those not yet born.

Not only does God’s creation proclaim his glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We too, in our deepest being, know him and proclaim his glory, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). And yet, we live in a fallen world, a world that rejects God and the truth of his word written in the Bible. In order to find our way back to him, in order to know his glory, we have but one path, and that is Christ, our Lord, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

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Come, Follow Me

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Mark 10:17-27 – And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ²³ And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Trail junction near the Bear Lake trailhead. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

“Money is the root of all evil.” Have you ever heard someone say this? Many Bible verses are misused or misinterpreted. And, while I have no real data to support this, I suspect that the first sentence of 1 Timothy 6:10, which actually reads, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils,” is one of the most frequently misquoted verses. The oft intended message of those misquoting this verse is that money and the rich are inherently bad.

Today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel is another that is taken out of context and used to condemn the wealthy. When Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” the inclination for many is to again conclude that money and the rich are inherently bad.

I think the key to understanding what Jesus says here is to look closely at the man’s question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The emphasis of the man’s question is on what he, himself, must do. So, Jesus tells him that he must perfectly obey the commandments, sell everything he owns, give it to the poor, and follow him. After all, God does demand perfection. The difficulty for the rich man entering heaven, though, lies not in his money or possessions, but rather in the fact that he trusts his own abilities and wealth to accomplish something that only Christ can do.

It is certainly fair that we as Christians should challenge each other to be accountable for where we invest our time, talent, and treasures, because being a follower of Christ does demand a change in the way we live our lives. But we really need to ask ourselves, what path to salvation are we following? Do we trust in ourselves, our own abilities, and our possessions? Or, do we trust in the infinite and eternal God of the universe? Do we trust in the God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)? Because, you see, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

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Rivers of Living Water

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

John 7:37-42 – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ⁴⁰ When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

The waters of Reynolds Creek cascade over the rocks just above Deadwood Falls. Glacier National Park, Montana.

I think there are times that we, as Christians in the present day, imagine how wonderful it would have been to walk and talk with Jesus during his life here on earth. We think to ourselves, if only we could have seen him perform just one of his miracles, how much easier it would be for us to believe. Not that knowing Christ in the flesh would have been a bad thing, in fact I am sure it had to be an incredible experience. However, as believers today we have some very significant advantages, or should I say blessings.

First of all we have the full story laid out in front of us in Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between. As today’s passage indicates some who encountered Jesus realized he was special, that he was quite possibly “the Prophet,” or “the Christ,” foretold by the prophets of old. Still, others questioned it because they assumed he came from Galilee, while Scriptures said he was to be a descendant of David from the town of Bethlehem. Many, I am sure witnessed his miracles, but there were also many who did not. None of them, though, had the written word of the Gospels to tell them the full narrative of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. They could not just pull a Bible off their bookshelf and compare the prophecies of the Old Testament to the detailed accounts in the four Gospels like we can. What a blessing!

Another advantage we have is the interpretive comments we often find in the Gospels. When Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,’” I suspect this would have been a difficult saying for many in his day to understand. For us though, John immediately tells us, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” For us there is no guesswork. What a blessing!

Last but not least, we have the advantage of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. For those in Jesus day, “as yet the Spirit had not been given.” But for the believer today, as we read in Ephesians 1:13-14, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Those who believed in Jesus day could look forward to receiving the Holy Spirit. For believers today, we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” from the start. What a Blessing!

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Before the Mountains Were Brought Forth

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 90:1-4 – Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. ² Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. ³ You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” ⁴ For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

The mountains rise above Dream Lake on the trail to Emerald Lake. Bear Lake Corridor, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Hiking in the Rocky Mountains is awe inspiring! For me it is difficult to understand how anyone can gaze upon such a magnificent place and still doubt the existence of God, our Creator, the one who was there “before the mountains were brought forth,” the one who “formed the earth and the world,” the one who is our God “from everlasting to everlasting.”

This is exactly what Paul is telling us in Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

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