In the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, the author is given a number of visions. Chapter Four has a vision of heaven revealing the heavenly creatures who are praising and worshipping God and I particularly like verse 11 from the Common English Version where it describes the twenty-four elders crying out... Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things.  It is by your will that they existed and were created.” Isn’t it fitting that the Bible begins with God creating the world and everything in it and then concludes with a praise of God for his creative nature.  I love watching the sun rise and sun set and have been blessed to witness them in many different places around the world.  Each one reminds me of God’s creative power and daily renewal.  God did not just create and quit, God continues to create, and we should praise God for it.  I celebrate God’s creative nature today, May 13th, every year as I remember the birth of our first child, a son.  For a number of reasons, we were so thankful and grateful for this gift, and it is right that we praise and honor God. But have you ever thought about why God created our son, why he created you?  The verse gives us the answer when it says it was by God’s will.  In several other Bible translations, it says that it pleased God or was by God’s pleasure to create.  How awesome to realize that God was pleased when creating you.  Should we not remember this on a daily basis and thank God for not just creating and loving us, but for the creation of those around us. Will you join me in this prayer: Lord God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power.  Thank you for creating us and loving us and teaching us to love all your creations both people and the world.  Amen. My name is Owen Ragland, if these words today caused you to celebrate the creation of someone special in your life, please consider reaching out to them and letting them know you thank God for creating them. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

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