For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
– 1 Timothy 4:4

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Every one of us has our preferences and aesthetics toward every creature of God. Some people like dogs, some like cats; some people like this for its nice looking, some dislike that for its ugly appearance, etc. In short, we always have our own opinions and approaches toward all things of God’s creation. However, no matter what our former attitude toward every creature of God is, presently it is important to know God’s will in creating all things. After we understand God’s plan in His creation, we can treat all things made by God correctly. God says, “As the miraculous deeds of God manifested themselves, this world swelled, piece by piece, with all of the things created by God, and it changed from chaos and darkness into clarity and brightness, from deathly stillness to liveliness and limitless vitality. Among all things of creation, from the great to the small, from the small to the microscopic, there was none which was not created by the authority and power of the Creator, and there was a unique and inherent necessity and value to the existence of each creature. Regardless of the differences in their shape and structure, they had but to be made by the Creator to exist under the authority of the Creator. Sometimes people will see an insect, one which is very ugly, and they will say, ‘That insect is so horrible, there’s no way such an ugly thing could have been made by God—there’s no way He would create something so ugly.’ What a foolish view! What they should say is, ‘Though this insect is so ugly, it was made by God, and so it must have its own unique purpose.’ In the thoughts of God, He intended to give each and every appearance, and all sorts of functions and uses, to the various living things He created, and so none of the things God made were cut from the same mold. From their exterior to their internal composition, from their living habits to the location that they occupy—each is different. Cows have the appearance of cows, donkeys have the appearance of donkeys, deer have the appearance of deer, and elephants have the appearance of elephants. … In short, when it comes to all things, man should defer to the authority of the Creator, which is to say, defer to the order appointed by the Creator to all things; this is the wisest attitude. Only an attitude of searching for, and obedience to, the original intentions of the Creator is the true acceptance and certainty of the authority of the Creator. It is good with God, so what reason does man have to find fault?” From God’s words, we feel that all things created by God are utterly perfect. Every animal has value and significance in God’s creation of it. Man is a creature of God, so what reason do we have to choose which creature of God is good or bad? We shouldn’t measure or judge the creation of the Creator by our imaginations and notions. Instead, we should seek to know the Creator’s authority in all things, and so have true obedience to His authority. Only this is the most correct attitude toward every creature of God.