22 Feb, 2008

yourspace.God

Can you picture what the astronauts see when they look at earth? What do you think God's view is like? What's yours?

Outer space is really out there....

Image of the Week: Perth, Australia

...and through photos, we can experience what the astronauts see.

The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth.

Beginning with the Mercury missions in the early 1960s, astronauts have taken photographs of the Earth. Our database tracks the locations, supporting data, and digital images for these photographs. We process images coming down from the International Space Station on a daily basis and add them to the 755,288 views of the Earth already made accessible on our website. These images include 311,685 from the International Space Station.

Go to see for yourself at http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/

photo and text courtesy http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/> 02/15/2008

Psalm 19:1-4

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

19:1 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, (ESV)

What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about God's creation and how we should view it?

In this psalm, David is meditating on God's power and our limitations. God's ultimate power is displayed all around us through His incredible handiwork! God's creation is all about His Space, not my space!

When you look at the heavens (sun, moon, stars), you are seeing dramatic proof of God's existence, His power, His love, and His care for you and me. Anyone who says that the universe just happened by chance has their head in outer space. God's "gihugic" creation and His attention to design and detail just scream out the truth of a Creator Who is personally involved in our lives.

The astronauts who travel in outer space get to see another perspective of God's creation when they look back at planet Earth. What a view!

God wants us to have this Heavenly perspective - that as we abide in Christ, we will take on His view of life if we take a look at His creation and worship Him. His power and care are undeniable.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Talk to God right now about His power and care in your life. Confess the times that you take His creation for granted. Praise Him for His amazing display of His creative power and personal care in your life. Thank Him that His creation reveals the Truth about Him to you and the world.
  • Try to take a walk every day when you talk to Jesus about your walk with Him. Take a couple of minutes to look at God's creation and then listen to His Spirit at work in you.
  • In your journal, write a daily example of how you are amazed by God's creative power.
  • Let any media coverage about outer space remind you to enjoy God's creation and perspective.

How can we connect the truth of today's story, God's story scripture and our story to others who need to know Jesus?

  • Remember, that even though the psalmist is telling us that part of God's Story is being told to the world through His creation, we still need to do our part. God's creative handiwork communicates His existence and power, but His story of salvation through Jesus Christ is found in the Bible. Jesus has told His followers to tell God's Story to "the ends of the earth".
  • So....pray, show others Christ's love, and listen to their stories. Look for those moments when you can talk about God's creation with others. Look for those moments when you can share your story of how Jesus gave you a personal relationship with the Creator.
  • Go online to the NASA web site with a friend who needs Jesus and look at the photos taken by astronauts from outer space. (There's only more than 755,000 pictures!) Ask your friend questions about what they believe about the origin of the universe? Do they believe in God's involvement in our lives? Why or why not? Be ready to share your perspective based on today's scripture.
Permanent Link
comments

Ornament
God's Story is brought to you by Youth for Christ. YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been with YFC for over 30 years and has served as Campus Life Staff, in leadership for DCLA, and as an author and speaker. Byron is available for speaking at youth or adult events and conferences. For booking, write to byron@3Story.org.

Byron and his wife Linda live in Minnesota and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, a grandaughter, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.