For in him all things were created
Colossians 1:16 - His creation is reason for us to honor and worship Him
Denali looms in the distance, while the foliage puts on a show before being covered soon with a blanket of snow. Photo © 2024, Steven Sande
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:16 NIV
There’s nothing better than a spectacular day in God’s creation to make a person appreciate His handiwork. Today Barb and I spent time in Denali National Park and Preserve, located in the heart of Alaska. This 6 million acre wildlife sanctuary is named after the 20,310 foot tall mountain that dominates the landscape from many points in the park, and is home to many creatures great and small that are hardy enough to survive the severe winters here. It is also incredibly beautiful.
I’ve heard comments to the effect of “you should only praise the Creator, not the creation” when someone expresses awe at the beauty and complexity of this universe. But I’m not sure that one can truly honor God without a sincere appreciation of what He created.
David Guzik on Enduring Word wrote this commentary on today’s verse:
There is no doubt that Jesus is the author of all creation. He Himself is not a created being. When we behold the wonder and the glory of the world Jesus created, we worship and honor Him all the more.
i. Comets have vapor trails up to 10,000 miles long. If you could capture all that vapor, and put it in a bottle, the amount of vapor actually present in the bottle would take up less than 1 cubic inch of space.
ii. Saturn’s rings are 500,000 miles in circumference, but only about a foot thick.
iii. If the sun were the size of a beachball and put on top of the Empire State Building, the nearest group of stars would be as far away as Australia is to the Empire State Building.
iv. The earth travels around the sun about eight times the speed of a bullet fired from a gun.
v. There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth.
vi. A single human chromosome contains twenty billion bits of information. How much information is that? If written in ordinary books, in ordinary language, it would take about four thousand volumes.
vii. According to Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, all things were created has the idea of “stand created” or “remain created.” Robertson adds: “The permanence of the universe rests, then, on Christ far more than on gravity. It is a Christ-centric universe.”
The second line in Guzik’s commentary has exactly the meaning I was groping for, so I’ll repeat it here in italics: “When we behold the wonder and the glory of the world Jesus created, we worship and honor Him all the more.”
Late summer frost on a leaf. Photo © 2024, Steven Sande
This place that we were blessed to visit today demonstrates His infinite wisdom and His perfect design. From the majesty of the rugged mountains He created, to the intricacy of frost patterns on leaves; from the interrelationships between predator and prey to the merciful design of the wood frog that freezes solid each winter, yet thaws to live again in spring, His creation is reason for us to honor and worship Him.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, help us to recognize Your hand in every aspect of our lives. May we see Your glory in the world around us and acknowledge Your sovereignty over all creation. Guide us to live in a way that honors You, knowing that we are part of Your divine plan. Strengthen our faith and remind us daily that we are created for Your purpose. Let our lives reflect Your love and grace, and may we always seek to fulfill the purpose You have set before us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.