April Showers
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
April Showers Bring May Flowers (Boy, I am looking forward to Spring!)
What a glorious time is Spring! Flowers are blooming. Temperatures rising. Gardens will be planted, and these beautiful mountains turn green. Won’t that be a blessed time!
My wife reminds me regularly to remember to look at God’s creation here in Western North Carolina. I hate to admit that I get so focused on the tasks at hand that the beauty around me gets lost in the details. She will direct my attention to a rock formation, a babbling stream cascading over rocks or to a few deer grazing in a pasture. There is so much aesthetic value in beholding what God has created instead of focusing on the creations of my own mind!
Take time to witness the unfolding of the amazing creativity of our Lord as Spring comes. Remember there is a God behind all of that who could have created a black and white world only. Revelation 4:11 states, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.” He created all of this for His pleasure, but we get to take joy in it also.
And, take heart in the fact that the God who does all of these things can easily help us in our time of need. There are several reasons this is true. First, He is not limited in His understanding. He has all the knowledge. Isaiah writes of the Lord in Chapter 28 saying, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” He knows how to help us in our time of need! Second, He is not limited in His power. In that same chapter, Isaiah says, “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him:” He is our defender, our mighty warrior, our God, and our King. He has never lost a battle and never came close. He will win every battle for us! Lastly, He is for us! He loves us! Going back in the 28th Chapter of Isaiah, he writes, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” When we need Him to do so, He will carry us in His arm as He would a lamb. He will carry us in His bosom—safe from all harm and danger.
The next time you are driving around these mountains pause to reflect the love and greatness of the God we serve. After all, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” (Psalm 24:1) And, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1)
Enjoy Spring. Remember there is a loving God who created it all and whose heart is for us. Remember also the depths of His love for us. That He would give His only begotten Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sins AND that the tomb is empty.
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Reverend Bruce Cannon currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville. Formerly he served as Director of Missions for the Bladen Baptist Association and he has served on the General Board of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
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