This weekend, thousands of people from all over the West, converged on Ashton and the entire Yellowstone area for Labor Day weekend. Today, the Ambulances of Fremont County were busy taking to the emergency room in Rexburg, careless ATV and motorcycle riders who sacrificed life and limb to the god of recreation. There is nothing wrong with recreation in itself. I did a little dove hunting this evening with a deacon in our church. We came up empty handed but enjoyed our time together. The temptation, though, is to love what is seen (sun, moon, all of creation) above what is not seen (God).
The saddest people I have ever met are men that have made outdoor recreation their life. They love the outdoors; hunting, fishing and outdoor sports, and in them find their satisfaction in life. As these men get older, these things are slowly taken away from them: their eyes become dim, their frame becomes weak and fragile, their ears no longer hear the rustling of the wind in the trees. One by one, their loves are taken away from them; never to be theirs again. Despair and great sorrow engulf the lives of those that love nature as an end.
Deuteronomy 4:19 "And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
The love of nature above God will end in despair, while the proper love of God above all other things, will lead to enjoying nature for what it is: a revelation of His eternal power and divine nature.
For only a brief moment, I stand on this hillside amazed at the beautiful sight before me, but I will stand in amazement of God’s amazing beauty and glory forever.
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