by Richelle Hecker

Give God the credit He is due

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

God created color. Sometimes I forget that. I look around me at all the colors in this world, some of which leave me speechless. Rainbows, sunsets, flowers, and even vegetables wow me with their vivid tones. I observe them, enjoy their beauty, and appreciate their creation, but I don’t often consider how God had to think that all up. He could have created this whole world with a monotone palette. Instead He chose to give us a world bursting with colors, shapes, and patterns.

When I hear the word artist I tend to envision a person, but God is the greatest artist of all. Indeed, He created the artists! These vivid colors of the Paint Mines are exposed due to years of erosion. Each layer of clay is made up by different minerals giving them each a distinctive color. Indigenous tribes dug up the colorful clay to make pottery. I can imagine that their works were admirable, but it is God who made the clay and the colors, and who gave them the talent to create their pottery.

“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the people of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.”
Jeremiah 10:14-16 New International Version

This scripture reminds us of an important truth. We tend to idolize the things created by man as well as the people who created those things. We can admire the beauty surrounding us in nature and praise our God. We can also admire the work of artists who use the materials and talents that God provides them to create wonderful things. However, we are to give God the glory He is due for creating every one of these things.

Without the imagination and power of God none of these things would be possible. Praise Him!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado