AN ANCIENT SWEET SOLUTION TO A STICKY MODERN PROBLEM
Psalm 81:16
“He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
We have all heard of "superbugs" - bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria have even shut down hospital wards. Now, researchers in New Zealand and Australia may have found out how to fight superbugs. And their weapon is one that has been in medical use for over 4,000 years!
Researchers in New Zealand have examined the healing properties of over 30 different types of honey native to New Zealand. They have found that honey, made from the manuka bush has some powerful healing properties. As the honey mixes with the fluids in a wound it produces a small but continuous stream of hydrogen peroxide. Being acidic, honey creates a hostile environment for bacteria. Research is being conducted using honey to treat burns, eye infections, diabetic skin ulcers and other conditions with encouraging results. Australian researchers have found that honey will even kill 100 different strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including the flesh-eating bacteria! One New Zealand man who had developed gangrene that could not be controlled with antibiotics tried honey. The honey stopped the infection and his foot began healing. (Please note that the honey available in stores has been heated or pasteurized, removing its antibiotic properties.)
Honey is a gift of God that has many uses. That it has been used on wounds since earliest times suggests that God gave the first people knowledge of its healing powers.
Dear Father, please keep me in good spiritual and physical health. Amen.
Psalm 81:16
“He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
We have all heard of "superbugs" - bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria have even shut down hospital wards. Now, researchers in New Zealand and Australia may have found out how to fight superbugs. And their weapon is one that has been in medical use for over 4,000 years!
Researchers in New Zealand have examined the healing properties of over 30 different types of honey native to New Zealand. They have found that honey, made from the manuka bush has some powerful healing properties. As the honey mixes with the fluids in a wound it produces a small but continuous stream of hydrogen peroxide. Being acidic, honey creates a hostile environment for bacteria. Research is being conducted using honey to treat burns, eye infections, diabetic skin ulcers and other conditions with encouraging results. Australian researchers have found that honey will even kill 100 different strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including the flesh-eating bacteria! One New Zealand man who had developed gangrene that could not be controlled with antibiotics tried honey. The honey stopped the infection and his foot began healing. (Please note that the honey available in stores has been heated or pasteurized, removing its antibiotic properties.)
Honey is a gift of God that has many uses. That it has been used on wounds since earliest times suggests that God gave the first people knowledge of its healing powers.
Dear Father, please keep me in good spiritual and physical health. Amen.
CAN MAN BECOME IMMORTAL?
Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they brought death into the world. Death is an enemy, but for the believer who has eternal life, death provides a doorway out of a sinful world and into Christ's presence. Modern science has learned that our cells themselves carry the information that will result in their death one day. Add to this the wear and tear of everyday life, and accidents, and death becomes inevitable.
However, some modern scientists believe that they are within reach of doubling our lifespans. Some even think they can do away with death completely. Each time a cell divides the tips of the DNA become shorter. When the DNA chains shorten to a preprogrammed length, the cell dies instead of dividing again. Researchers have now discovered a protein that can restore those tips, theoretically preventing a timed death. Scientists have also learned how to inject new neurons into the brain to restore it to youth. They are also experimenting with methods of growing new organs for transplantation. These and other procedures, they say, could end death forever. Unfortunately, some of these advances come at the cost of the lives of aborted babies and lab-grown human embryos.
Can man reverse the death that has resulted from his own sin? Only one Man can. Jesus Christ, the man-God, gives eternal life to all who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior and makes death but a shadow for the believer.
Thank You, Lord, for giving me the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Amen.
Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they brought death into the world. Death is an enemy, but for the believer who has eternal life, death provides a doorway out of a sinful world and into Christ's presence. Modern science has learned that our cells themselves carry the information that will result in their death one day. Add to this the wear and tear of everyday life, and accidents, and death becomes inevitable.
However, some modern scientists believe that they are within reach of doubling our lifespans. Some even think they can do away with death completely. Each time a cell divides the tips of the DNA become shorter. When the DNA chains shorten to a preprogrammed length, the cell dies instead of dividing again. Researchers have now discovered a protein that can restore those tips, theoretically preventing a timed death. Scientists have also learned how to inject new neurons into the brain to restore it to youth. They are also experimenting with methods of growing new organs for transplantation. These and other procedures, they say, could end death forever. Unfortunately, some of these advances come at the cost of the lives of aborted babies and lab-grown human embryos.
Can man reverse the death that has resulted from his own sin? Only one Man can. Jesus Christ, the man-God, gives eternal life to all who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior and makes death but a shadow for the believer.
Thank You, Lord, for giving me the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Amen.
EVOLUTIONARY SCIENTISTS FIND A SURPRISE!
Matthew 24:44
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
According to the Bible's history, human beings were created perfectly by God about 6,000 years ago. We should note that this means we were not only morally perfect, but genetically perfect as well. According to evolutionists, our ancestors split off from the monkeys millions of years ago. Both viewpoints agree that each generation of human beings adds mutations to the ongoing human gene pool.
How many mutations are added by each human generation? Researchers with the University of Sussex and the University of Edinburgh looked for the answer to this question. They examined DNA from living parents and children, as well as known mutation rates for mammals. They assumed that some mutations would be fatal and thus not added to the overall gene pool. They also assumed that a very few mutations might be helpful, an assumption that has never be demonstrated to be true. They finally calculated that 100 harmful mutations are added to the human gene pool by each generation. Their published conclusion was that, considering the millions of years humans have been evolving, we should have easily accumulated enough mutations to make us extinct a long time ago!
This research is clear evidence for a recent appearance of man, and implies that the Earth was created a relatively short time ago, as portrayed by the Genesis. However, human life on Earth will end when Jesus Christ returns to collect all believers to live in a new heavens and Earth.
Lord, Your Word is true so I eagerly await Your return for me. Amen.
Matthew 24:44
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
According to the Bible's history, human beings were created perfectly by God about 6,000 years ago. We should note that this means we were not only morally perfect, but genetically perfect as well. According to evolutionists, our ancestors split off from the monkeys millions of years ago. Both viewpoints agree that each generation of human beings adds mutations to the ongoing human gene pool.
How many mutations are added by each human generation? Researchers with the University of Sussex and the University of Edinburgh looked for the answer to this question. They examined DNA from living parents and children, as well as known mutation rates for mammals. They assumed that some mutations would be fatal and thus not added to the overall gene pool. They also assumed that a very few mutations might be helpful, an assumption that has never be demonstrated to be true. They finally calculated that 100 harmful mutations are added to the human gene pool by each generation. Their published conclusion was that, considering the millions of years humans have been evolving, we should have easily accumulated enough mutations to make us extinct a long time ago!
This research is clear evidence for a recent appearance of man, and implies that the Earth was created a relatively short time ago, as portrayed by the Genesis. However, human life on Earth will end when Jesus Christ returns to collect all believers to live in a new heavens and Earth.
Lord, Your Word is true so I eagerly await Your return for me. Amen.
CROOKED CRITTERS
Colossians 2:8
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men...”
Con men develop elaborate schemes to cheat people out of their money or other possessions. Successful cons are cleverly and intelligently directed toward the con man's goal. We would not expect such intelligently directed, albeit sinful, behavior in animals, except that the Bible tells us that deceit is the way of the world since sin has entered the creation.
To their surprise, two groups of researchers have discovered a number of animals that try to con their own kind. One group of researchers spent two years standing in ponds, getting to know green frogs. They discovered that when an intruding frog enters a frog community, even the younger males attempt to intimidate him by croaking at a much lower pitch than normal. This makes even the young frog sound like the bigger members of the community, bluffing the intruder. Another team studied Afro-Asian fiddler crabs. When one of the male crabs loses its claw, it will grow back only slowly. So the crab quickly grows a fake claw until the new one grows in. The fake claw is useless for fighting, but works well in aggressive claw waving at other males. It can also be used in the claw waving that is part of the crabs' mating ritual. Females prefer the fastest waving claws, so the lighter fake claws, which wave faster, are a real advantage.
While animals cannot be charged with sin, we are responsible for our actions. We thank God that he has sent His Son to save us from the guilt of our sins.
Dear Lord, show me where I have been fooled into misbelief. Amen.
Colossians 2:8
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men...”
Con men develop elaborate schemes to cheat people out of their money or other possessions. Successful cons are cleverly and intelligently directed toward the con man's goal. We would not expect such intelligently directed, albeit sinful, behavior in animals, except that the Bible tells us that deceit is the way of the world since sin has entered the creation.
To their surprise, two groups of researchers have discovered a number of animals that try to con their own kind. One group of researchers spent two years standing in ponds, getting to know green frogs. They discovered that when an intruding frog enters a frog community, even the younger males attempt to intimidate him by croaking at a much lower pitch than normal. This makes even the young frog sound like the bigger members of the community, bluffing the intruder. Another team studied Afro-Asian fiddler crabs. When one of the male crabs loses its claw, it will grow back only slowly. So the crab quickly grows a fake claw until the new one grows in. The fake claw is useless for fighting, but works well in aggressive claw waving at other males. It can also be used in the claw waving that is part of the crabs' mating ritual. Females prefer the fastest waving claws, so the lighter fake claws, which wave faster, are a real advantage.
While animals cannot be charged with sin, we are responsible for our actions. We thank God that he has sent His Son to save us from the guilt of our sins.
Dear Lord, show me where I have been fooled into misbelief. Amen.
THE TRUTH ABOUT NEANDERTHAL DNA
Acts 17:26
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation...”
In 1997 scientists recovered mitochondrial DNA from the leg bone of a Neanderthal man. After comparing it to modern human mitochondrial DNA, they declared that Neanderthal man was not human after all. This neatly moved him back into the ape-man category, but we need to look at this claim more closely.
Neanderthal skeletons have the same number of bones as ours. It is true that their bones were thicker and stronger than ours. Their bodies were also stockier and, typically, their arms and legs were shorter in proportion to the rest of the body. However, these differences are also found in modern humans that live in cold climates, as many Neanderthals did. In a cold climate a stockier body and shorter limbs reduce body heat loss. Neanderthals that lived in warmer climates had longer arms and legs.
We know of at least 36 instances where Neanderthals buried their dead, often with flowers and other items suggesting religious ceremony. One Neanderthal grave also contained a small bone flute. No animal makes tools to use in making more complex tools, but Neanderthal did. The simple fact is that the Neanderthal DNA is at the end of the modern human range.
All human beings, including Neanderthal, were created by God. What separates us from animals is that God sent His only Son to die for us so that, believing in His salvation, we may have eternal life.
Help me, dear Lord, to love all people that You made as You do. Amen.
Acts 17:26
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation...”
In 1997 scientists recovered mitochondrial DNA from the leg bone of a Neanderthal man. After comparing it to modern human mitochondrial DNA, they declared that Neanderthal man was not human after all. This neatly moved him back into the ape-man category, but we need to look at this claim more closely.
Neanderthal skeletons have the same number of bones as ours. It is true that their bones were thicker and stronger than ours. Their bodies were also stockier and, typically, their arms and legs were shorter in proportion to the rest of the body. However, these differences are also found in modern humans that live in cold climates, as many Neanderthals did. In a cold climate a stockier body and shorter limbs reduce body heat loss. Neanderthals that lived in warmer climates had longer arms and legs.
We know of at least 36 instances where Neanderthals buried their dead, often with flowers and other items suggesting religious ceremony. One Neanderthal grave also contained a small bone flute. No animal makes tools to use in making more complex tools, but Neanderthal did. The simple fact is that the Neanderthal DNA is at the end of the modern human range.
All human beings, including Neanderthal, were created by God. What separates us from animals is that God sent His only Son to die for us so that, believing in His salvation, we may have eternal life.
Help me, dear Lord, to love all people that You made as You do. Amen.
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