NIV Once-A-Day Bible Worship and Praise DevotionalSample

FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP “It was very good.” That phrase seems an apt description when we look up at the night sky and see the stars God hung there and knows by name. We easily see excellence in a sunset so brilliantly hued that it takes our breath away, or in a pine tree stretching heavenward, its feathery branches moving with the breeze. But what about when we look in the mirror, or when we look across the breakfast table at family members? The descriptor of “very good” applies to people as well as to nature. Of course, we go astray, wandering from his loving care into sin and its consequences. But in our essence — ​and in the character of every human no matter how far fallen — ​is excellence from God’s hand, excellence that reflects God’s image. Part of what inspires that wonder is God’s creative abilities. Who else could have made the magnificent human body? Who but God could have invented the method whereby infants are conceived, grow and make their dramatic entry into the world? Who but God could have fashioned a solar system in which each part functions in precise relationship to the others? Ask God to give you a new perspective on his creation, then thank him for his awesome works. Lord, I stand in awe of you . . .