Monday, August 27, 2007
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I hate it when a five-year-old makes me feel dumb; especially when it's my grandson. I mean, he doesn't mean to make me feel dumb. He doesn't know he's making me feel dumb. But he is really smart, and he knows a lot about a lot! Like the solar system, for example. He's got the planets down cold along with all kinds of facts about the universe. Things I either have forgotten or maybe never knew. Another thing our grandson is really mastering is numbers. Man, can he count! He's working on thousands, millions, billions, and his favorite quantity, a google! When it comes to our universe, he's never going to be able to count that high!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Stars You Can't Count and Things You Can't Fix."
With the discoveries of new high-tech explorers like the Hubbell Telescope, we are learning some absolutely staggering new things about the universe we live in. My good friend, Don Landis, has studied this a lot and he laid out for me recently some mind-blowing information. There are at least 100 billion galaxies we know about so far. When we look up in the sky at night, it's estimated that we can see maybe 3,000 stars. But it's estimated that the average number of stars in a single galaxy is 200 billion stars! Let's see: 200 billion stars times 100 billion galaxies ... that's it - mental meltdown.
If you think the vastness of the universe is amazing, fasten your seatbelt for something much more amazing. It's in Psalm 147:4, our word for today from the Word of God. It says of God, "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." I can't even remember the names of all the people I've met! But God calls each of the 200 billion stars in 100 billion galaxies by name! Isaiah 40:26 adds this: "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Not only does He number all the stars and name all the stars, but He knows when any star goes out!
In the verse just before the one that says God numbers and names the stars, the Bible shows something else amazing about Him: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Wow! This God who gives personal attention to countless billions of stars cares about your broken heart! He stands ready to heal what's broken in your life with the power that rules this mighty universe.
You may have felt very unnoticed and very insignificant in your life, but not to the most powerful Person in the universe. He knows you, He cares about your wounds, He deeply, deeply loves you. For this awesome God left the throne room of heaven to come here to this little dirtball called earth on a rescue mission for you, to actually die on a cross for the sin you've done against Him, the sin that has cut you off from Him all these years. The sin no religion can remove. The Bible says of Him, He is "the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" ( Galatians 2:20).
And this very day, this awesome God may be knocking on the door of your heart, offering to come into your life with His infinite love, His infinite power - the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Why would you wait one more day to open up your heart to a Savior like this? Tell Him, "Jesus, it makes no sense for me to try to run my life any longer. I'm sorry for running a life you were supposed to run. I believe my only hope is your death for my sin on the cross. I turn from my sin today. I am yours, Lord Jesus!" If you're ready to belong to the awesome God who made you and Who paid for you with His life, then I would love to send you my booklet about beginning a relationship with Him. It's called Yours For Life. Just let me know you want it by calling us toll free at 877-741-1200. Or maybe better yet, go to our website and you'll be able to find that same information there. It's yoursforlife.net.
He's who you were made by. He's who you were made for, and you can belong to Him beginning this very day!