The raw power of nature

We all get occasions in our lives when we see something that makes us stop and stand in awe.  It may be a glorious sunset, or a waterfall or a flock of starlings making patterns in the sky.  Some have travelled north into Scandinavia to see the northern lights of gone to Canada to stand at the edge of the Niagara Falls. We can describe such experiences as breathtaking, but often such sights simply are inexpressible.

One of these that I experienced was just over twenty years ago when my wife and I were working together at Murree Christian School in Pakistan.  We were house parents to nineteen children, all of whom were aged six to nine years of age. School life followed a fairly regular routine, but, occasionally we would take them out for a special treat. On this occasion it was nearing the end of the school year so we went from Jhika Gali, where the school was sited, to Murree for an “evening out”.  

International Dark Skies Reserve

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

‘Did you hear about the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales becoming the 5^thInternational Dark Skies Reserve? The organisation that has designated the Beacons in this way is the International Dark-Sky Association, which claims to be the only organization fighting ‘to preserve the night’ as they put it. The four other Dark Sky reserves they have previously selected are in Exmoor in England, Mont-Mégantic in Canada, NamibRand Nature Reserve in Africa, and Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand. 

 

The Park has been designated at the ‘Silver Tier’ level meaning that while the skies above the park do have some light pollution, but they are still remarkably dark, making it an excellent place to see the Milky Way and other night-sky objects. Specially adapted street lights in the Park ensure that light is not directed upwards into the sky. 

 

In the 500 or so sq. miles of the National park, sheep outnumber people by 30 to 1, but the National Park authority want more people to visit, especially staying overnight and enjoying the night sky. Visit their breconbeacons.org website to enjoy an amazing new video of a time-lapsed night sky, showing the stars in an apparent circular orbit. As a youngster, I often walked around in and cycled through the Brecon Beacons, but I didn’t appreciate the dark nights then!

Safety First

Some while ago, flights in and out of Europe and elsewhere were greatly disrupted because vast clouds of ash were thrown into the sky by the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland. The various bodies that control air travel decided that it would have been too dangerous for aircraft to fly through this ash since there was the possibility that the aircraft engines may have been damaged and even ceased working, as well as the fact that the pilots could not see. There were some who criticised the decision to stop all flights on the basis that the scientific evidence was flimsy. Others considered the problem from an economic perspective and since the loss of revenue was not sustainable, they said that flights should recommence. However, the overriding consideration had to be that of safety, and this gave bias to every decision - it must be safety first.

When pondering things eternal, this also must be the overriding consideration. Every person is in danger of perishing for eternity under the righteous judgment of a Holy God, Whose character demands that He must and will punish sin. It is because of our own personal sin that we are separated from God, "your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" Isaiah 59.2. This is why we need to be rescued, made safe or, in the word used in the Bible, "saved".

To be saved is not an option; it is a command, "we must be saved" Acts 4.12. The glory of the gospel message is that we can be saved, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" 1 Timothy 1.15; "the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" Luke 19.10; "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" John 3.17. The gift of God’s only begotten Son displayed God’s love for lost and fallen humanity, and He devised the means of salvation that allows Him to forgive our sins and save us on a basis that does not compromise His holy character. That meant that His sinless and holy Son had to bare the judgment due to sinners when He hung crucified on Calvary’s cross. It is for this reason that He is called "Saviour" - because He saves, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" Luke 2.11.

Perhaps some think that they can obtain salvation by their own merit, acts of kindness, philanthropy, religious observances and many other man-made schemes and devices. Let the word of God speak, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2.8,9.

The question that needs to be addressed is, "Have I put safety first?" In other words, "Am I saved?" It will be sad in the extreme if some eruption of earthly emotion, religious fervour or whatever casts such a cloud across your mind that you can neither see nor think straight. How sad to have to cry for all eternity, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" Jeremiah 8.20. God calls you to, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" Isaiah 45.22. Preachers instruct you to, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" Acts 16.30,31.

Used by kind permission of Assembly Testimony

For more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Power - The big debate

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Power. We all use it in the form of electricity, gas, petrol, diesel and without these sources of power our lives could not go on. 

As the years have gone by mankind has devised more and more ways of finding power. It was in the last century that science developed nuclear power. Whether we are  talking about nuclear fission or nuclear fusion the numbers are immense and the energy released when matter is converted into pure energy is enormous. 

In 1945 the first of two atomic bombs was dropped on Japan. It was only then that the general public saw the incredible effect of nuclear fission. It was calculated that the blasts that levelled Hiroshima and Nagasaki each had an energy release equivalent to 10 million tons of TNT.