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Monday, August 1
What is august to you? August...not the month but the word. Do you know what it means?
According to the dictionaries, it means inspiring reverence or admiration, of supreme dignity or grandeur, majestic, venerable, eminent, worthy of respect because of age and dignity, high position, having exalted birth, character, state, or authority.
Sounds pretty descriptive of God, wouldn’t you say?
God exhibited all these august attributes when He spoke creation into being. Each seed of God’s Word stood positioned at conception’s gate, primed and eager for the Starter’s pistol to sound its commencement, and when God spoke His Word of power, He released the seeds of life and reaped the harvest of creation.
Scripture says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth.” (Ps. 33:6 Amp)
All matter came alive at the sound of God’s voice. Within that matter is His voice imprint, His Word, still to this day, resonating in the entire universe, within every molecule, every atom, and every cell of every created thing – plants, animals, planets, sun, moon, stars, mankind, everything.
God’s Word never dies. How do I know? Because the Bible says so. Peter said, “The word of God which lives and abides forever…the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:23b, 25 Received Greek Text) Would that just be His written Word or would that include His spoken Word?
David said in Psalm 33:9, “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.” (NIV) Meaning it remained, endured, continued.
And the writer of Hebrews tells us, “The word of God is living, and powerfully working.” (Heb. 4:12a RGT) The Greek word for “powerfully working” used here is energes, which means active, operative, effectual, at work, or powerful. The living, breathing Word of God is active and operative, giving “life and breath and all things to all.” (Acts 17:25 RGT)
Not ordinary words, God’s words are unseen, living entities, actually working energy and living matter of the eternal kind. A part of Himself.
And that part of Himself He graciously shares with those who love Him. Just as God’s Word gave life to the universe, His Word gives life to body, soul, and spirit because Jesus is “the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1b NLT) Jesus said, “The words which I speak to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63b RGT) If we have invited Jesus to rule our hearts, we have that living Word within us.
But if creation is so inspiring and God is so august, so worthy of respect, reverence, and admiration, then why do some not recognize God’s majestic handiwork in creation and accept Him as Creator?
The Word says, “They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Rom. 1:19-20 NLT)
However, do we who know God appreciate His majesty and grandeur?
Step out into your backyard, or go to the outstretched ocean, or a gorgeous garden, or a flourishing forest, or the majestic mountains, whichever may be your favorite scene of nature, and just look around you. What greets you?
*Does the morning dew comfort you with the thought of drinking in God’s mercies or of His showering you with blessings?
*Does the mist of the ocean kiss your face with soothing relief, offering you God’s vast supply of living water to restore your tired body?
*Does the garden’s produce reward you with gratitude for the harvest of nourishment or fill your senses with its floral bouquet?
*Does the lush green of the forest refresh your soul as the trees unfurl emblazoned boughs as a canopy of shade and as a pavilion for the feathered set to convene their songfest?
*Does the purple mountain’s majesty fill you with awe for inspiration, stimulate your creativity, enliven your dreams?
All these are the entities of God’s voice imprint, surrounding you... pulsating in every living thing.
How can our hearts not feel gratitude to the One Who made this magnificent world and surrounds us every day with His august presence? Who pours out new mercies every morning? Whose Spirit is generously shared with all who love Him? Should we not bow in awe and pour out worship, thanksgiving, and unrestrained praise?
David said to the Lord, “All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” (Ps. 145:10-13 NKJV)
Now, what is august to you?
~~This is part of...
*August blog chain at Christianwriters.com. Check out all the other great entries in the right sidebar.
*On, In, and Around Mondays
*Playdates at the Wellspring/Laura Boggess
*Soli deo gloria at Finding Heaven Today
Creation surely does testify of God!
I love your phrase "God's voice imprint." Perfectly said. I'll be saying that all day as I water my plants, feed my dog, slip on my sunglasses. Thanks, Lynn.
Lynn, I nominated you for a blog award because you always inspire me! You can ck it out here: http://mynuggetsoftruth.blogspot.com/2011/08/butterfly-award.html
You are a blessing!
Erin
Beautiful! I'm so glad you focused on the majestic attributes of God, along with evidence of this in nature. I thought about both of these topics, but tomorrow I am going to take a crazy tangent ... :)
Shanda, isn't God's handiwork magnificent? Thanks for stopping by! Bless you!
Carol, it is truly amazing when we get that phrase "God's voice imprint" into our heads and heart. It has changed a lot for me. Thanks so much for commenting. Bless you!
Aw, Erin! Thank you so much! Bless you!
Thanks so much, Tracy! I couldn't go anywhere else with august! I'll be watching for yours. Sounds intriguing! Blessings to you!
Loved your post- yes His August is jaw-dropping magnificent in all it's details and with all this creative majesty He still gently extends us favor.
What a beautiful word-journey, leaving me panting after Him. I've never pondered the word "august" before, and really appreciate this study. So lovely.
Every morning, as I am outside reading my Bible, I am in awe of how the sun always rises, the birds always fly, the flowers stretch their petals...I am in awe and give thanks.
God's beauty is everywhere, all around from sky to earth, to the hugs and smiles from friends. He is there in it all. I love the idea of God being august. Great post, as always, Lynn.
all I can say is big Wow, that's awesome Lynn! I believe He made a beautiful creation for us to enjoy and your words speak eloquently to that. Thank you!
Hey, Terrie! Yes, so true! In all of His majesty, God still reaches out to us. Thanks so much for commenting. I appreciate it. Bless you!
Laura, thank you so much for your kind words. You've blessed me! Blessings to you!
That's always so wonderful, isn't it, Jen? Being outside with one's Bible. Just being outside communing with the Lord is so awesome! Well, except in this heat! LOL Thanks so much for stopping by! Bless you!
Thanks so much, Ceci! Always makes me happy to see you! Bless you!
Wow! Thanks so much, Chris! I'm humbled. Bless you for visiting!
Beautiful, reflective post Lynn! How magnificent is Our God - There is none like Him!
What great descriptive phrases and words you used in this marvelous devotional!
August is the majestic and incomprehensible beauty of the Creator. As the heavenly beings circle the Throne - each facet of His Glory is beheld in a different light. Too wonderful to grasp by the mere mortal's mind.
Indeed - who could honestly say "there is no God"? Only a fool...
Hey Lynn, yeah I did some of that the other day hiking up in the Headlands of Marin just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The hills are giant and looked like they were formed by his hands. A hawk flew past me about 10feet out and three feet of the ground. I was on one of the high hills and the ocean glistened off in the distance. Saw some brown pelicans it was amazing. How can you look at those photos of the stars and say they just happened. If you get a chance head over to Nasa.gov and look up Hubble telescope photos. It's amazing no matter how far out they probe God's glory is continually revealed. It never ends.
Thank you so much, Deborah! I always love your comments. Bless you!
Wow! Bigguy, that sounds so awesome! What a wonderful sight that must have been! I had several of Hubble's photos and couldn't decide what to use. They are all so wonderful. I love looking at them. Thank you so much for taking time to read and comment on my post. I appreciate the visit! Bless you!
And the month of August is the perfect time to do just that.
Fondly,
Glenda
So beautiful, Lynn! The majesty of God is everywhere surrounding us in every detail of creation. We just need eyes to see it -- God in the small, in the details, the extraordinary in the ordinary, the Holy in the human, the immensity of God, deep and rich and august and overwhelming. Blessings to you, beautiful writer!
I have always been in awe of His creation too and was even more in awe after watching a dvd on the subject. I tell everyone about it. It is so wonderful! It's called How Great is Our God by Louie Giglio. If you haven't seen it, please go get it and watch. You might want a tissue with you too:)
I was going to say, "It's my BIRTHDAY month." But your post put everything back into the proper perspective! God is in everything. My littlest used to ask, "Who made. . ." -and I would answer, "Man made. . . but God showed him how to make it." If you wind everything up, like how you take an end to yarn and trace it back to its beginning, the beginning is always God! Perfect post Lynn for a special month!
Amen, Glenda! Thank you so much for stopping by. I deeply appreciate it. Blessings to you!
Hey, Maryleigh! Happy early birthday! Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you're doing well in your new surroundings. Blessings to you!
Amen, Cindee! We just need eyes to see Him! Thank you for always leaving me such generous feedback. Bless you!
Kristin! I've seen Louie before but never the one you mentioned. I looked it all up today and watched several. Oh, my! What awesome videos! Thank you so much for telling me about that one! Bless you!
Thanks for making me this of August in a different manner.
Thanks so much, Rebecca. So glad you liked it! I so appreciate your visit. Bless you!
Excellent post, Lynn. Nature continually fills me with awe and gratitude for God and all He's done in, for and through us. :)
Great post. As your post mentions, gardens can be amazing things...for either food or for looks. And many gardens start out as nothing more than seeds...yet those seeds can produce a huge variety of plants.
I so agree, Traci! Nature is so magnificent. Such a beautiful palette! Thanks so much for stopping by. Bless you!
Amen, Mike! God's design is so awesome! I so appreciate your visit. Bless you!
Sorry I’m so late getting around to these comments this month, Lynn.
What’s “august” to me? Well, this post, for one thing. You, like, waxed all poetic ‘n’ stuff. You got me thinking more deeply on several subjects, which is always a good thing. I’d like to point out one line that really hit me in a good place:
Each seed of God’s Word stood positioned at conception’s gate, primed and eager for the Starter’s pistol to sound its commencement, and when God spoke His Word of power, He released the seeds of life and reaped the harvest of creation.
I think that might be the finest line I’ve ever read from you. Beautifully stated, that.
I also love the image of creation representing a continuing “echo” of God’s initial words that spoke it into existence, like a tuner’s fork still ringing after all these ages of time—and even that one’s a fitting image, I think. We use such devices to calibrate instruments to the proper tone, so they’ll sound the way they were created to sound. Creation may have lost its pitch, but even through the dissonance of sin God’s perfect resonance sounds through . . . inviting us to tune our hearts to His timbre.
Thanks for the inspiration, Lynn. This was a joy to read.
Wow! Thank you s-o-o-o-o much, Scott, for such a wonderful comment. I'm humbled and honored. Late or not, I deeply appreciate your kind words. Blessings to you!