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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Tossed By the Wind

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

James 1:2-8 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Sunset over the wind tossed waters of Stonelick Lake on a blustery late December evening. Stonelick State Park, Pleasant Plain, Ohio.

I have mentioned in the past that I enjoy photographing sunrises and sunsets, though, on this particular evening’s trip to Stonelick State Park the ground was very muddy due to recent heavy rains, the spectacularly colored sky never quite materialized, and the wind was so blustery that the reflections off the lake, I desire, were just not there. Despite things not turning out as I wanted, it was still a good opportunity to get out, do some photography with a friend, and learn a little about capturing a decent shot in less than ideal conditions.

In today’s passage James begins by telling us we should take joy when we encounter trials and have our faith tested. This, he says, produces steadfastness, which, when allowed to take full effect, makes us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Much as the process of forging steel shapes and perfects the metal into a finished product, so too do the difficulties we face in life and in our walk with Christ help to shape and perfect us into the person God wants us to be.

Often times we gain far more wisdom from our failures than from our successes, and by asking God for wisdom we need to realize that his method for teaching us may not be as straightforward as just picking up our Bibles, opening to some particular page and finding the answer we seek. I am by no means proposing that we set our Bibles aside, however God does frequently teach us through life’s experiences, as James is suggesting here. If our faith is based on pure academic knowledge I would offer that it is incomplete.

James tells us to “ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” This does not mean we should expect God to answer all our prayers with the specific outcome we desire, but rather, that we need to hold firm in our faith especially when things do not turn out as planned. We need to understand that the problems and struggles we face serve God’s purpose, and that they will likely give us exactly the wisdom we asked him for, in the first place.

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A Crooked and Twisted Generation

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Philippians 2:12-16 – ¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

The twisted roots of a sycamore tree along the bank of Caesar Creek. Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve, Oregonia, Ohio.

In today’s passage Paul is writing to encourage the church in Philippi, who it seems were living “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” Every generation since the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) has lived with its share of problems and corruption, and we certainly have no shortage of either in our times.

Paul’s advice is just as relevant to today’s generation of Christians as it was to the Philippian church nearly two thousand years ago. First, we are told to “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is certainly not a call to works righteousness, because we are quickly reminded that “it is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Even though our salvation is through faith in Christ alone, by God’s grace, this passage does remind us that our faith is active, not passive. We cannot just sit on the sidelines.

We are also told to “do all things without grumbling or disputing” so that we “may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish.” If we can do these things that Paul instructs, and hold “fast to the word of life,” that is cling to the promise of the gospel of Christ, then we will “shine as lights in the world,” “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” And, as Jesus, himself tells us in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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How Beautiful Are the Feet

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Romans 10:13-18 – For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Taking a break and enjoying the view after the long hike up to Iceberg Lake. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Though the nature of my blog tends to focus on how God reveals himself to us through his creation, we also need to be reminded that we are called to a mission of evangelism. As Jesus command his disciples in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,” so too are we called to proclaim the gospel to the world.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the good news, the gospel, that Christians have been blessed to know and believe. It is also a message that needs to be shared in order for it to be effective. Today’s passage reminds us that the only way others will hear of Christ, believe in him, and actually be able to call on his name and be saved, is if there are “preachers” who are sent.

When Paul writes about “those who preach the good news” I doubt that he is only referring to the ordained ministers who get up in front of a congregation every Sunday to preach a sermon. I am certain that Christ’s imperative in Mark 16:15 to, “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel,” was not just a one-time command that applied only to the disciples.

As Christians we are all sent to proclaim, to preach, the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Our mission field could be as close as the house next door or as far away as “the ends of the world.” The next person to “call on the name of the Lord” could be a co-worker in the cubicle across the hall or an orphan in some distant land. But, whatever your calling may be, make sure that yours are some of those beautiful feet.

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