Taken from Our Daily Bread by Michael Dixon
The Power of God’s Word
On Christmas Eve 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank
Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders—became the first humans to enter lunar
orbit. As they circled the moon ten times, they shared images of the moon and
the Earth. During a live broadcast, they took turns reading from Genesis 1. At
the fortieth anniversary celebration, Borman said, “We were told that on
Christmas Eve we would have the largest audience that had ever listened to a
human voice. And the only instructions that we got from NASA was to do
something appropriate.” The Bible verses spoken by the Apollo 8 astronauts
still plant seeds of truth into the listening hearts of people who hear the
historical recording.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, “Give ear and
come to me; listen, that you may live” (Isaiah 55:3). Revealing His free offer
of salvation, He invites us to turn from our sin and receive His mercy and
forgiveness (vv. 6–7). He declares the divine authority of His thoughts and His
actions, which are too vast for us to truly understand (vv. 8–9). Still, God
gives us opportunity to share His life-transforming words of Scripture, which
point to Jesus, and affirm that He is responsible for the spiritual growth of His
people (vv. 10–13).
The Holy Spirit helps us share the gospel as the
Father fulfills all His promises according to His perfect plan and pace.