Most Important Thing

That's a great first step!   

The Bible says God's creation clearly reveals His amazing power and divine nature (Romans 1:19-21).   

And what a creation! The most basic building block of your body -- the cell -- is actual a complex assortment of microscopic machines made out of molecules, which perform an amazing variety of different tasks. Our planet sustains life because it is the perfect combination of mass and distance from the sun to hold an atmosphere -- which itself is the perfect balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide and ozone.   

And the beauties of the natural world are a perfect counterpart to the list of scientific complexities: the grandeur of Mt. Everest or the Grand Canyon, the intriguing beauty of the Northern Lights, the brilliant blue of Peru's morpho butterfly, the evening sun's peaceful descent below an indigo horizon.   

Only the most callous and cynical soul denies the sense of wonder that overwhelms us as we gaze into a night sky teeming with stars.   

That Bible passage says awareness of God's creation is the universal path to understanding His power and glory. But that same passage also talks about honoring him as God and giving him thanks.   

That's where we hit the snag.   

You see, people are incurably devoted to themselves. Honoring God would require living lives of humility and servanthood, but what we want is glory and honor and power. Giving Him thanks would require admitting we couldn't even draw a breath if it wasn't for Him, but we prefer the illusion that we are the masters of our own destinies.   

Romans 3:11-12 says: "There is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one."   

Only the most naïve and self-deluded soul believes people are naturally good enough to please God and deserve eternal life. Our history is a story of greed, lust and murder. If we got what we deserved from God, it wouldn't be eternal life!   

The good news is that God is willing to not give us what we deserve -- and give us what we don't deserve. When we should have to pay the price for our selfishness, Jesus paid the price instead. Instead of drawing the paycheck of sin and death, God gives us the free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).   

And what do we have to do? The Bible doesn't suggest admiring God's creation. The Bible says: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."     

Being aware of God's creation is important, but it won't get you to heaven. What will get you eternal life is recognizing that Jesus was God's own Son, that His death on the cross paid the price of your sin, and that God's raising Him from the dead proved once and for all that He is the one who can open the door of eternal life for you.   

Yes, it requires humbling yourself before God, and that goes against the grain. But isn't it heaven a fair trade for your pride?