Creation AND Restoration provide Inspiration

Noticed recently that a beautiful garden/bridge was the "big draw" to an "arsty" town - & that the garden & a scenic riverbed (God's artwork) were the two places people tended to be the most impressed with & to linger the longest.

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden;
Genesis 2:10a

- and that much, if not all, the manmade artwork in the town was inspired by The Creator's earliest Works. Everything that was handmade was made w/ some combination (manipulation) of "stuff" that had already been made at the beginning of time (fibers, metals, sand, dyes, etc.) - & fashioned into some representation of something God created in the beginning (nature!).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-3

Wondered - What it was that set apart the really impressive hand made works of art in this town & made them so "valuable" (expensive!).

Concluded - it must be either, or some combination of, the extraordinary amount of time &/or money sacrificed in their creation, the materials they contained, the purpose for which they were created, &/or their exquisite beauty.

Pondered - Genesis 1:26 in church yesterday:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, ...

Tried to comprehend how passionate God was to redeem & restore only that which was made in His image (most valuable to Him?!) after sin corrupted creation's perfection. So much so, that He fashioned part of Himself, to some degree, into our image!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
John 1:14a

Was amazed(!) that He set Himself (Jesus!) apart to become the perfect sacrifice that was now required:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29

Understood that now,

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Realized that requires sacrifice too...but nonetheless,


...I was inspired!

...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I Corinthians 10:31b

Note: Scriptures from NIV via http://www.biblegateway.com/