When I was a kid, I used to help my Aunt Louise make cakes from scratch. She did most of the work, of course, but I assisted. Together we collaborated on these baking projects, creating many a tasty dessert.
It's pretty cool that we can create. Indeed, human beings are extremely gifted, being able to invent all kinds of gadgets and gizmos and countless useful (and useless) creations. We have this capacity, of course, because we are made in the image of the master Creator. He creates, and so we, like him, are able to make things.
But here's the crazy thing: When we create, we make use of materials that already exist. God, on the other hand, doesn't need to use a thing. My Aunt was good, but I'm pretty sure she would have had trouble making a cake without flour, butter, sugar, and various other ingredients.
There's an old Latin phrase, ex nihilo, which means "out of nothing." In the beginning God created out of nothing. Let this filter through your mind for a little while. God stood at the edge of nothingness and created everything. With no raw material with which to work, the Maker began to make the cosmos. With no spare parts to utilize, God spoke the universe into existence.
Like I've said, we have the capacity to create some pretty amazing stuff. But we cannot make bikes, cars, buildings, sports stadiums, works of art, etc. out of nothing. Much less do we possess the ability to create atoms, quarks, strong and weak nuclear forces, light, galaxies, planets, or anything else you can think of . . . out of nothing!
So, what's the point? I guess, it's just that this God people talk about (or curse), this Being to whom we owe our very existence, far exceeds our ability to (completely) grasp. Consider this the next time you gather your tools and your parts to create . . . whatever it is you make. God created out of nothing. Ex nihilo--the very thought is captivating.
It's pretty cool that we can create. Indeed, human beings are extremely gifted, being able to invent all kinds of gadgets and gizmos and countless useful (and useless) creations. We have this capacity, of course, because we are made in the image of the master Creator. He creates, and so we, like him, are able to make things.
But here's the crazy thing: When we create, we make use of materials that already exist. God, on the other hand, doesn't need to use a thing. My Aunt was good, but I'm pretty sure she would have had trouble making a cake without flour, butter, sugar, and various other ingredients.
There's an old Latin phrase, ex nihilo, which means "out of nothing." In the beginning God created out of nothing. Let this filter through your mind for a little while. God stood at the edge of nothingness and created everything. With no raw material with which to work, the Maker began to make the cosmos. With no spare parts to utilize, God spoke the universe into existence.
Like I've said, we have the capacity to create some pretty amazing stuff. But we cannot make bikes, cars, buildings, sports stadiums, works of art, etc. out of nothing. Much less do we possess the ability to create atoms, quarks, strong and weak nuclear forces, light, galaxies, planets, or anything else you can think of . . . out of nothing!
So, what's the point? I guess, it's just that this God people talk about (or curse), this Being to whom we owe our very existence, far exceeds our ability to (completely) grasp. Consider this the next time you gather your tools and your parts to create . . . whatever it is you make. God created out of nothing. Ex nihilo--the very thought is captivating.
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