Jesus and Nature

           

     I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

 

     And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

 Luke 21:29 

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     He had special reasons for choosing these natural sanctuaries in which to give instruction to the people. The landscape lay before him, rich in scenes and objects familiar alike to the lofty and the humble. From these He drew illustrations that simplified his teachings, and impressed them firmly upon the minds of his hearers. The birds caroling in the leafy branches, the glowing flowers of the valley, the spotless lily resting on the bosom of the lake, the lofty trees, the fruitful lands, the waving grain, the barren soil, the tree that bore no fruit, the mighty hills, the bubbling brooks, the setting sun that tinted and gilded the heavens, all served as means of instruction, or as emblems by which he taught the beauties of divine truth. He connected the visible works of the Creator with the words of life which he spoke, and thus led the mind from the contemplation of Nature unto Nature's God.

 

The Father in heaven has a voice and a person which Christ expressed. Those who have a true knowledge of God will not become so infatuated with the laws of matter and the operations of nature as to overlook or to refuse to acknowledge the continual working of God in nature. Deity is the author of nature. The natural world has in itself no inherent power but that which God supplies. How strange, then; that so many make a deity of nature! God furnishes the matter and the properties with which to carry out his plans. Nature is but his agency. 

 

G.C.D.B. 

March 6, 1899  

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     Christ came to teach men of God, and he made manifest the fact that everything in nature teaches of spiritual and eternal things. To the eye that is not dimmed, the ear that is not closed, the heart that is not gross through selfishness, prejudice, and pride, the glories of nature unveil the things of the Father. "For the invisible things of him from the beginning of the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead." To illustrate heavenly truth, Jesus employed the things of nature, and imparted to man divine enlightenment. He harmonized science and the word of God, leading the mind from nature to nature's God, and blending the spiritual with the natural. So wide was his view of truth, so extended his teachings, that every phase of nature was employed by the great Teacher in illustrating truth. The scenes upon which the eye daily rests are all connected with some spiritual truth, so that nature is clothed with the parables of the Master. Through familiar objects he attracted the minds of his hearers to his subject, and impressed  upon them solemn, eternal truth.

   

    ST October 24,1892

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   Look upon the glorious things of God in nature, and let your heart go out in gratitude to the Giver. There is in nature's book profitable study for the mind. Be not thankless and reckless. Open the eyes of your understanding; see the beautiful harmony in the laws of God in nature, and be awed, and reverence your Creator, the supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. See him, by the eye of faith, bending over you in love, saying with compassion, "My son, my daughter, give me thy heart." Make the surrender to Jesus, and then with grateful hearts you can say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Your faith in Jesus will give strength to every purpose, consistency to the character. All your happiness, peace, joy, and success in this life are dependent upon genuine, trusting faith in God. This faith will prompt true obedience to the commandments of God. Your knowledge and faith in God is the strongest restraint from every evil practice, and the motive to all good. Believe in Jesus as one who pardons your sins, one who wants you to be happy in the mansions he has gone to prepare for you. He wants you to live in his presence; to have eternal life and a crown of glory.

 

YI   January 5,1887