NOT A CHANCE!
Psalm 148:7-8
"Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word…"
Is there any such thing as chance or luck? Does anything ever happen randomly? Many people don't realize that the Bible speaks to these questions.
In late August 1992, a tornado swept through a small Wisconsin town and caused a great deal of destruction. That made it newsworthy enough. However, the destruction it wrought on one church in town received special notice on some national newscasts. Pictures showed the church in ruins. But the altar still stood, barely visible in the rubble. Most astonishing was the fact that the Bible still stood on its stand in its customary place on the altar. The undamaged Bible was open to where Psalm 77 reads,
"The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook."
Does that sound like chance?
In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that God is so involved in His creation that not one of the billions of sparrows in the world falls to the ground without His knowledge. Psalm 148 tells us that the entire creation praises God in everything that happens. God is so personally involved in the creation that He even instructs each wind about the speed and direction to take.
Was it simply luck that the altar was spared and the Bible was open to Psalm 77? God is involved in every detail of the creation. Let's praise God that there is no such thing as luck!
Dear Father, I thank You that there is no such thing as luck because You are so intimately involved in the creation. Help me to cleanse my mind and speech of the pagan ideas of chance and luck. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Psalm 148:7-8
"Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word…"
Is there any such thing as chance or luck? Does anything ever happen randomly? Many people don't realize that the Bible speaks to these questions.
In late August 1992, a tornado swept through a small Wisconsin town and caused a great deal of destruction. That made it newsworthy enough. However, the destruction it wrought on one church in town received special notice on some national newscasts. Pictures showed the church in ruins. But the altar still stood, barely visible in the rubble. Most astonishing was the fact that the Bible still stood on its stand in its customary place on the altar. The undamaged Bible was open to where Psalm 77 reads,
"The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook."
Does that sound like chance?
In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that God is so involved in His creation that not one of the billions of sparrows in the world falls to the ground without His knowledge. Psalm 148 tells us that the entire creation praises God in everything that happens. God is so personally involved in the creation that He even instructs each wind about the speed and direction to take.
Was it simply luck that the altar was spared and the Bible was open to Psalm 77? God is involved in every detail of the creation. Let's praise God that there is no such thing as luck!
Dear Father, I thank You that there is no such thing as luck because You are so intimately involved in the creation. Help me to cleanse my mind and speech of the pagan ideas of chance and luck. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
JUST MORE STORIES
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
Parables are a good way to teach. Jesus often used parables to teach a lesson. Parables can even be a good way to teach science. However, parables cannot be used to establish scientific fact.
Unfortunately, Charles Darwin frequently used parables as part of his scientific method. Many modern evolutionists continue that tradition. Let's look at an example. Those who believe in evolution have tried to find an explanation for why some birds have luxurious, bright plumage. Does the peacock really need those brilliant tail feathers? Well, say evolutionists, females prefer the males with the most beautiful plumage. So the brightest males had more babies. Evolutionists call this sexual selection.
However, what does the story prove? It doesn't prove anything in the scientific sense. It doesn't explain where the colors came from in the first place. It doesn't explain why females prefer showy males. Nor does it explain where peacocks originally came from. And it doesn't explain why some birds have very drab colors. However, the biggest problem with this explanation is that it begs the question. You see, many evolutionists admit that they have no good explanation for how sexual reproduction evolved in the first place.
So the evolutionists' story for how the peacock came to have such bright feathers is just a story – not scientific proof. And when it comes to stories, we prefer the stories reported in the Bible because thy have our Creator's own personal guarantee of truth.
I pray, dear Father, that You would give me a clear-thinking critical mind informed by Your Word. Help me use these abilities to clearly see the errors of the world's thinking and better appreciate Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
Parables are a good way to teach. Jesus often used parables to teach a lesson. Parables can even be a good way to teach science. However, parables cannot be used to establish scientific fact.
Unfortunately, Charles Darwin frequently used parables as part of his scientific method. Many modern evolutionists continue that tradition. Let's look at an example. Those who believe in evolution have tried to find an explanation for why some birds have luxurious, bright plumage. Does the peacock really need those brilliant tail feathers? Well, say evolutionists, females prefer the males with the most beautiful plumage. So the brightest males had more babies. Evolutionists call this sexual selection.
However, what does the story prove? It doesn't prove anything in the scientific sense. It doesn't explain where the colors came from in the first place. It doesn't explain why females prefer showy males. Nor does it explain where peacocks originally came from. And it doesn't explain why some birds have very drab colors. However, the biggest problem with this explanation is that it begs the question. You see, many evolutionists admit that they have no good explanation for how sexual reproduction evolved in the first place.
So the evolutionists' story for how the peacock came to have such bright feathers is just a story – not scientific proof. And when it comes to stories, we prefer the stories reported in the Bible because thy have our Creator's own personal guarantee of truth.
I pray, dear Father, that You would give me a clear-thinking critical mind informed by Your Word. Help me use these abilities to clearly see the errors of the world's thinking and better appreciate Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE
Daniel 4:37
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase."
That infant in the manger is God's voice to mankind. And despite appearances, He is the King of the universe.
The world waited 4,000 years to see the fulfillment of God's promise to restore humanity to Himself. That promise was first given to our first parents, Adam and Eve, when their sin separated them and the creation from God. Through the next 4,000 years, the faithful never grew weary of their belief that God would keep His Word. Hundreds of times over those 4,000 years God repeated His promise of a Savior.
John's Gospel tells us that the same Word that became flesh for our salvation was the Word through Whom all things were created. This Word was the instrument Who created the incredible variety of living things that we see on Earth. He created the human brain and the petal of a rose. In but a day, before going on to greater things, He created the countless billions of stars and energized them with enough power to shine for thousands of years. And who are we, for we cannot even measure the energy those stars put out in only one second of their history!
Yet now we see Him, an infant clothed in our form. Here lies the King of the universe unable even to ask for nourishment. Why? The answer is no mystery. He was the Instrument who made us. We are eternally lost without help. So He would be the Instrument of our salvation – at any cost! We can only stand in deep reverence at such love that would come among us to rescue us from our own sin.
I thank You, dear Lord Jesus Christ, that You spared nothing, not even the loss of heaven and giving up Your life so that You could rescue me. Help me to have a heart and mind like Yours so that more might know of the forgiveness of sins You have won for us. Amen.
Daniel 4:37
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase."
That infant in the manger is God's voice to mankind. And despite appearances, He is the King of the universe.
The world waited 4,000 years to see the fulfillment of God's promise to restore humanity to Himself. That promise was first given to our first parents, Adam and Eve, when their sin separated them and the creation from God. Through the next 4,000 years, the faithful never grew weary of their belief that God would keep His Word. Hundreds of times over those 4,000 years God repeated His promise of a Savior.
John's Gospel tells us that the same Word that became flesh for our salvation was the Word through Whom all things were created. This Word was the instrument Who created the incredible variety of living things that we see on Earth. He created the human brain and the petal of a rose. In but a day, before going on to greater things, He created the countless billions of stars and energized them with enough power to shine for thousands of years. And who are we, for we cannot even measure the energy those stars put out in only one second of their history!
Yet now we see Him, an infant clothed in our form. Here lies the King of the universe unable even to ask for nourishment. Why? The answer is no mystery. He was the Instrument who made us. We are eternally lost without help. So He would be the Instrument of our salvation – at any cost! We can only stand in deep reverence at such love that would come among us to rescue us from our own sin.
I thank You, dear Lord Jesus Christ, that You spared nothing, not even the loss of heaven and giving up Your life so that You could rescue me. Help me to have a heart and mind like Yours so that more might know of the forgiveness of sins You have won for us. Amen.
WHAT CAN A PLANT SEE?
Psalm 148:7a,9
"Praise the LORD from the earth…mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars…"
If a plant could see, what would it look at? Amazed scientists have learned that plants can indeed see and react to their environments just as do animals!
Plants need light for photosynthesis. They grow toward the light. However, this isn't what scientists are referring to when they talk about plant sight. They have discovered that plants have an additional system that allows them to react to their surroundings. Plants have pores, called stomata. Stomata allow carbon dioxide into the plant and oxygen out as photosynthesis takes place. They remain closed when there is little light or when water must be conserved. The more the stomata open, the faster photosynthesis takes place and the faster the plants grow. The plant also loses water faster when the stomata are open wide.
While both blue and red light are used for photosynthesis, scientists have found that the cells that open and close the stomata respond only to blue light. The amount of blue light present turns on a pump in the cells that causes them to swell, and the stomata opens. This amazing process involves pumping protons to create electricity. In one experiment, scientists more than doubled the growth rate of orchids by providing extra blue light to open the stomata.
In the plants' ability to sense and react to their environment, we see another way that plants give glory to their Creator and show that they are not simple living things that just happened to develop.
I thank You, Lord, that everywhere we look in the creation we see Your glory. Help me put words to this witness so that those who don't yet know the forgiveness of sins that's available through You may hear Your Word and believe. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Plant 'sight' from pores and pumps." Science News, Nov. 30. p. 341.
Psalm 148:7a,9
"Praise the LORD from the earth…mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars…"
If a plant could see, what would it look at? Amazed scientists have learned that plants can indeed see and react to their environments just as do animals!
Plants need light for photosynthesis. They grow toward the light. However, this isn't what scientists are referring to when they talk about plant sight. They have discovered that plants have an additional system that allows them to react to their surroundings. Plants have pores, called stomata. Stomata allow carbon dioxide into the plant and oxygen out as photosynthesis takes place. They remain closed when there is little light or when water must be conserved. The more the stomata open, the faster photosynthesis takes place and the faster the plants grow. The plant also loses water faster when the stomata are open wide.
While both blue and red light are used for photosynthesis, scientists have found that the cells that open and close the stomata respond only to blue light. The amount of blue light present turns on a pump in the cells that causes them to swell, and the stomata opens. This amazing process involves pumping protons to create electricity. In one experiment, scientists more than doubled the growth rate of orchids by providing extra blue light to open the stomata.
In the plants' ability to sense and react to their environment, we see another way that plants give glory to their Creator and show that they are not simple living things that just happened to develop.
I thank You, Lord, that everywhere we look in the creation we see Your glory. Help me put words to this witness so that those who don't yet know the forgiveness of sins that's available through You may hear Your Word and believe. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Plant 'sight' from pores and pumps." Science News, Nov. 30. p. 341.
THE SINGING LAKE
Psalm 66:4
"All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name."
It's a quiet, cool, overcast morning at the lake. There's a hint of fog in the air and a fine, lightly falling drizzle. Then you notice the sound. It's almost a musical note, and it's coming from the lake. It's almost as if the lake were singing.
Many people report hearing a lake "sing" when there is a fine drizzle falling. Those who have never heard it are skeptical. However, now science has confirmed that lakes do indeed "sing" in a fine drizzle. Scientists even know what causes it. And in this case, the scientific explanation doesn't decrease our wonder and awe at this amazing phenomenon.
Canadian scientists placed an underwater microphone at a depth of about 100 feet in a Vancouver Island lake. They placed the microphone almost 1,000 feet from shore so they would be certain not to pick up any sounds from the shore. Then they waited for the weather to change. The scientists eventually recorded the sounds of rain, hail, drizzle and even snow hitting the surface of the lake. Yes, even snow makes a sound when it strikes the water! Their findings show that the fine drops of water in drizzle strike the surface of the lake almost as if they were tiny explosive charges. When they burst on the water, they give off a "ping." While you'd never hear a few of these droplets "ping," countless billions of them add their sound together to make the lake literally sing.
Scripture is correct in a literal sense when it tells us that everything in the creation sings praises to its Creator.
Lord, I join the rest of creation in praising You for Your wonderful work. I praise You most of all for taking my sin upon Yourself and carrying it on the cross, into death, so that just as You rose from the dead, I might live, too. Amen.
Peterson, Ivars. "The underwater sound of rain." Science News, v. 129. p. 4.
Psalm 66:4
"All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name."
It's a quiet, cool, overcast morning at the lake. There's a hint of fog in the air and a fine, lightly falling drizzle. Then you notice the sound. It's almost a musical note, and it's coming from the lake. It's almost as if the lake were singing.
Many people report hearing a lake "sing" when there is a fine drizzle falling. Those who have never heard it are skeptical. However, now science has confirmed that lakes do indeed "sing" in a fine drizzle. Scientists even know what causes it. And in this case, the scientific explanation doesn't decrease our wonder and awe at this amazing phenomenon.
Canadian scientists placed an underwater microphone at a depth of about 100 feet in a Vancouver Island lake. They placed the microphone almost 1,000 feet from shore so they would be certain not to pick up any sounds from the shore. Then they waited for the weather to change. The scientists eventually recorded the sounds of rain, hail, drizzle and even snow hitting the surface of the lake. Yes, even snow makes a sound when it strikes the water! Their findings show that the fine drops of water in drizzle strike the surface of the lake almost as if they were tiny explosive charges. When they burst on the water, they give off a "ping." While you'd never hear a few of these droplets "ping," countless billions of them add their sound together to make the lake literally sing.
Scripture is correct in a literal sense when it tells us that everything in the creation sings praises to its Creator.
Lord, I join the rest of creation in praising You for Your wonderful work. I praise You most of all for taking my sin upon Yourself and carrying it on the cross, into death, so that just as You rose from the dead, I might live, too. Amen.
Peterson, Ivars. "The underwater sound of rain." Science News, v. 129. p. 4.
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