God's Unlimited Generosity
Psalm 35:18
"I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."
There is nothing our Creator God does that is not intended to bring us closer to Him. Why? Because His purpose in making humans was to make someone to love. We exist because He wanted to love us and be loved by us.
There is nothing visible or invisible that is not meant to be of service to us. Consider the invisible angels who protect us. They rejoice when even one person turns to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Consider the heavens above our heads. There, God placed billions of stars – some much larger than our sun. There are giant pinwheel galaxies with millions of huge stars.
Countless billions of stars churn out more energy every second than we can ever hope to measure. What a lavish and beautiful timepiece to tell us when it is time to plant and time to harvest! God has given us more than the necessities of life. He has also hidden medicines within the bark of trees and the sweet-scented flower. He has filled that creation with splendor and beauty.
However, I cannot neglect to mention His greatest and most generous gift. When we sought our will instead of His, we withdrew our love from Him. His response was to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer our punishment for sin on the cross. And He rose from the dead on the third day so that we could have new life with our Creator again. Oh, that our thanksgiving to God could be as unlimited as His generosity!
Prayer: How can I offer You, dear God, a gift that is suitable to show my thanksgiving to You for Your generosity to me? Even my life is a pittance compared to Your gifts. Yet, that is all You ask. Fill me with joy in giving You my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Psalm 35:18
"I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."
There is nothing our Creator God does that is not intended to bring us closer to Him. Why? Because His purpose in making humans was to make someone to love. We exist because He wanted to love us and be loved by us.
There is nothing visible or invisible that is not meant to be of service to us. Consider the invisible angels who protect us. They rejoice when even one person turns to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Consider the heavens above our heads. There, God placed billions of stars – some much larger than our sun. There are giant pinwheel galaxies with millions of huge stars.
Countless billions of stars churn out more energy every second than we can ever hope to measure. What a lavish and beautiful timepiece to tell us when it is time to plant and time to harvest! God has given us more than the necessities of life. He has also hidden medicines within the bark of trees and the sweet-scented flower. He has filled that creation with splendor and beauty.
However, I cannot neglect to mention His greatest and most generous gift. When we sought our will instead of His, we withdrew our love from Him. His response was to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer our punishment for sin on the cross. And He rose from the dead on the third day so that we could have new life with our Creator again. Oh, that our thanksgiving to God could be as unlimited as His generosity!
Prayer: How can I offer You, dear God, a gift that is suitable to show my thanksgiving to You for Your generosity to me? Even my life is a pittance compared to Your gifts. Yet, that is all You ask. Fill me with joy in giving You my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
THE SOUNDS SMELLS RIGHT
Psalm 4:1b
“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
Insects offer some novel designs. For example, they can have ears on their stomachs, wings or legs. Now, scientists at the University of Zurich in Switzerland have discovered an even more novel arrangement in the fruit fly.
Scientists have been aware for many years that fruit flies can respond to sound. Sound plays an important part in their mating rituals. However, scientists were unsure just how the fruit fly’s hearing worked. They also knew that their antennae, known singularly as arista, had something to do with the way the fruit fly can hear sound. Because an arista is so small, only 300 microns long, scientists have until recently lacked the ability to take the fine measurements necessary to find out what is really going on. Now, all that has been overcome, and we learn that the base of the arista, which also senses smells, actually turns each arista toward the incoming sound. In short, the fruit fly actually rotates its nose so that it can hear better. Researchers have since found a similar arrangement in related flies. They suspect that such an arrangement will be found in several related species.
As amazing as this arrangement is, God’s greatest wisdom is seen in His plan of salvation. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He has gained the victory over sin, death and Satan for mankind.
I praise You, heavenly Father, as I see Your wisdom all around me, especially in Your plan of salvation for me. Amen.
Science News, 6/23/01, p. 391, S. Milius, “Fruit Flies Hear by Spinning Their Noses.” Photo: Male fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Courtesy of André Karwath. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
Psalm 4:1b
“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
Insects offer some novel designs. For example, they can have ears on their stomachs, wings or legs. Now, scientists at the University of Zurich in Switzerland have discovered an even more novel arrangement in the fruit fly.
Scientists have been aware for many years that fruit flies can respond to sound. Sound plays an important part in their mating rituals. However, scientists were unsure just how the fruit fly’s hearing worked. They also knew that their antennae, known singularly as arista, had something to do with the way the fruit fly can hear sound. Because an arista is so small, only 300 microns long, scientists have until recently lacked the ability to take the fine measurements necessary to find out what is really going on. Now, all that has been overcome, and we learn that the base of the arista, which also senses smells, actually turns each arista toward the incoming sound. In short, the fruit fly actually rotates its nose so that it can hear better. Researchers have since found a similar arrangement in related flies. They suspect that such an arrangement will be found in several related species.
As amazing as this arrangement is, God’s greatest wisdom is seen in His plan of salvation. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He has gained the victory over sin, death and Satan for mankind.
I praise You, heavenly Father, as I see Your wisdom all around me, especially in Your plan of salvation for me. Amen.
Science News, 6/23/01, p. 391, S. Milius, “Fruit Flies Hear by Spinning Their Noses.” Photo: Male fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Courtesy of André Karwath. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
TRUE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS
Jeremiah 32:22
“And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey....”
While many people recognize the virtues of feeding their infants human breast milk, science is still learning its amazing secrets. Although cow’s milk contains many substances found in human milk, it does not contain certain very specific substances necessary to protect the infant.
Human milk not only helps protect the infant’s digestive system by discouraging bad bacteria, it also introduces and encourages good bacteria. In fact, some of the good bacteria that protect the infant are found in no other place on Earth. Oligosaccharides in milk kill bad bacteria in a way in which the bad bacteria can never develop immunity. Lactoferrin in human milk can suppress inflammation. It also boosts the immune system and kills viruses, bad bacteria and fungi. Not only does the mother’s milk pass mom’s immunities on to the infant, the milk’s oligosaccharides give infants immunity to germs the mother has never even encountered. The protein alphalactalbumin in an acid environment such as the digestive tract can even reduce warts and kill cancer cells. So far, alphalactalbumin has been shown to effectively kill forty different kinds of cancer cells. Use of this protein in preliminary clinical trials to treat bladder cancer has been promising.
While God has given us so many good things, we are still only discovering them. But the greatest of His gifts is salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, thank You for all Your good gifts, especially the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. Amen.
Science News, 12/9/06, pp. 376-378, Julie J. Rehmeyer, “Milk Therapy.” Photo: Molecular structure of alphalactalbumin. Courtesy of Emw. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
A MOST AMAZING ESCAPE ARTIST
Job 38:41
“Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.”
A parasitic worm that matures on land but must breed under the water has some remarkable abilities to make this difficult trick possible.
The worm grows to maturity on dry land but must return to a body of water to find a mate and breed. It grows inside insects like crickets. The insects it infests are typically not aquatic, making this problem number one. When breeding time comes, the worm causes the insect to move in such an uncontrolled manner that it eventually ends up in the water. Once in the water, it takes the worm about 10 minutes to escape from the insect. However, an insect struggling on the surface of the water is very attractive to a hungry fish. This is problem number two. But if the worm can’t wriggle free of the insect before it is eaten, the worm has more abilities to put into play. The worm inside an eaten insect continues to wriggle until it finally escapes through the fish’s mouth or gills. Scientists studying the worm reported observing six escapes each from frogs and perch and more than 20 escapes from trout.
God has marvelously provided for this little worm. But then, this is easy for Him, considering He has provided us with escape from sin, death and Satan through the innocent death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Thank You for providing for all Your creatures, Father, and especially for providing me salvation in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Science News, 4/22/06, p. 252, “Worm Can Crawl Out of Predator.” Photo: Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms because they often tie themselves in knots. Courtesy of Bildspende von D. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Jeremiah 32:22
“And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey....”
While many people recognize the virtues of feeding their infants human breast milk, science is still learning its amazing secrets. Although cow’s milk contains many substances found in human milk, it does not contain certain very specific substances necessary to protect the infant.
Human milk not only helps protect the infant’s digestive system by discouraging bad bacteria, it also introduces and encourages good bacteria. In fact, some of the good bacteria that protect the infant are found in no other place on Earth. Oligosaccharides in milk kill bad bacteria in a way in which the bad bacteria can never develop immunity. Lactoferrin in human milk can suppress inflammation. It also boosts the immune system and kills viruses, bad bacteria and fungi. Not only does the mother’s milk pass mom’s immunities on to the infant, the milk’s oligosaccharides give infants immunity to germs the mother has never even encountered. The protein alphalactalbumin in an acid environment such as the digestive tract can even reduce warts and kill cancer cells. So far, alphalactalbumin has been shown to effectively kill forty different kinds of cancer cells. Use of this protein in preliminary clinical trials to treat bladder cancer has been promising.
While God has given us so many good things, we are still only discovering them. But the greatest of His gifts is salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, thank You for all Your good gifts, especially the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. Amen.
Science News, 12/9/06, pp. 376-378, Julie J. Rehmeyer, “Milk Therapy.” Photo: Molecular structure of alphalactalbumin. Courtesy of Emw. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
A MOST AMAZING ESCAPE ARTIST
Job 38:41
“Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.”
A parasitic worm that matures on land but must breed under the water has some remarkable abilities to make this difficult trick possible.
The worm grows to maturity on dry land but must return to a body of water to find a mate and breed. It grows inside insects like crickets. The insects it infests are typically not aquatic, making this problem number one. When breeding time comes, the worm causes the insect to move in such an uncontrolled manner that it eventually ends up in the water. Once in the water, it takes the worm about 10 minutes to escape from the insect. However, an insect struggling on the surface of the water is very attractive to a hungry fish. This is problem number two. But if the worm can’t wriggle free of the insect before it is eaten, the worm has more abilities to put into play. The worm inside an eaten insect continues to wriggle until it finally escapes through the fish’s mouth or gills. Scientists studying the worm reported observing six escapes each from frogs and perch and more than 20 escapes from trout.
God has marvelously provided for this little worm. But then, this is easy for Him, considering He has provided us with escape from sin, death and Satan through the innocent death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Thank You for providing for all Your creatures, Father, and especially for providing me salvation in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Science News, 4/22/06, p. 252, “Worm Can Crawl Out of Predator.” Photo: Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms because they often tie themselves in knots. Courtesy of Bildspende von D. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
SINGING MICE?
Psalm 40:3
“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Birds do it. Whales do it. Now, it appears that male mice do it. They all sing!
Scientists have long known that mice produce ultrasound. Their pitch is about two octaves above what we can hear. For example, when mouse pups lose track of mom, they begin to cry so that mom can find them. Researchers carried out investigations to see whether there is any structure to the sounds that adult mice make. They did this by recording the vocalizations of 45 male mice. Then they slowed down the recordings to study them. The researchers found distinct syllables at about ten syllables per second. In addition, their “voices” also rise and fall in pitch at varying rates. The researchers then found that certain syllables were repeated, creating phrasing sequences that sound very much like music. The researchers compare the mouse vocalizations to the songs sung by whales and birds. While other scientists recognize that the mouse sounds are not random, they question whether they should be called “song”.
We know that music is a gift from God. It appears that God has been generous with His gift of music and just possibly has even extended this to the animal kingdom. However, only we humans have the privilege of praising Him with words and music for His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
I praise You, Father, for the gift and beauty of music and for sharing it with so much of Your creation. Amen.
Science News, 11/5/05, p. 293, B. Harder “Beyond Falsetto.” Photo: One day old mouse pups.
Psalm 40:3
“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Birds do it. Whales do it. Now, it appears that male mice do it. They all sing!
Scientists have long known that mice produce ultrasound. Their pitch is about two octaves above what we can hear. For example, when mouse pups lose track of mom, they begin to cry so that mom can find them. Researchers carried out investigations to see whether there is any structure to the sounds that adult mice make. They did this by recording the vocalizations of 45 male mice. Then they slowed down the recordings to study them. The researchers found distinct syllables at about ten syllables per second. In addition, their “voices” also rise and fall in pitch at varying rates. The researchers then found that certain syllables were repeated, creating phrasing sequences that sound very much like music. The researchers compare the mouse vocalizations to the songs sung by whales and birds. While other scientists recognize that the mouse sounds are not random, they question whether they should be called “song”.
We know that music is a gift from God. It appears that God has been generous with His gift of music and just possibly has even extended this to the animal kingdom. However, only we humans have the privilege of praising Him with words and music for His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
I praise You, Father, for the gift and beauty of music and for sharing it with so much of Your creation. Amen.
Science News, 11/5/05, p. 293, B. Harder “Beyond Falsetto.” Photo: One day old mouse pups.
THE LAZARUS RAT
1 Corinthians 8:2
“And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”
According to evolutionists, the early family of mammals called Diatomyidae has been extinct for eleven million years. Of course, as creationists, we do not accept this dating. This Diatomyidae family included rat-like creatures with long skulls, a furry tail and rounded ears.
Then, in 1996, a wildlife-survey team bought some strange looking animals in a meat market in Laos. This led to the discovery of living Laotian rock rats. These animals were placed into a family that includes porcupines and guinea pigs. Others argued that it belonged to a new family. The debate sparked a more detailed look at its DNA and bone structure by researchers in five countries. The results ruled out any possibility that the rats were related to guinea pigs. But the rock rat’s characteristic long skull, furred tail and round ears seemed to settle the matter. The Diatomyidae are not extinct, and the Laotian rock rat is indeed a member of this family. This discovery of thought-to-be extinct families happens frequently enough that such families are called Lazarus taxon or, more popularly, “living fossils.”
So, when evolutionists proclaim that this or that creature or family has been extinct for millions of years, it takes only one living specimen to disprove it. Furthermore, many creatures do not appear in the recent fossil record, and this puts the entire interpretation into question.
Lord, I yield all my wisdom to Your greater wisdom and ask for Your Holy Spirit to grant me heavenly wisdom. Amen.
Science News, 4/28/07, p. 260, S. Milius, “Living Fossil.” Photo: Guinea pigs. The Laotian rock rat is considered to be in the same family. Courtesy of Mike Russell. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
1 Corinthians 8:2
“And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”
According to evolutionists, the early family of mammals called Diatomyidae has been extinct for eleven million years. Of course, as creationists, we do not accept this dating. This Diatomyidae family included rat-like creatures with long skulls, a furry tail and rounded ears.
Then, in 1996, a wildlife-survey team bought some strange looking animals in a meat market in Laos. This led to the discovery of living Laotian rock rats. These animals were placed into a family that includes porcupines and guinea pigs. Others argued that it belonged to a new family. The debate sparked a more detailed look at its DNA and bone structure by researchers in five countries. The results ruled out any possibility that the rats were related to guinea pigs. But the rock rat’s characteristic long skull, furred tail and round ears seemed to settle the matter. The Diatomyidae are not extinct, and the Laotian rock rat is indeed a member of this family. This discovery of thought-to-be extinct families happens frequently enough that such families are called Lazarus taxon or, more popularly, “living fossils.”
So, when evolutionists proclaim that this or that creature or family has been extinct for millions of years, it takes only one living specimen to disprove it. Furthermore, many creatures do not appear in the recent fossil record, and this puts the entire interpretation into question.
Lord, I yield all my wisdom to Your greater wisdom and ask for Your Holy Spirit to grant me heavenly wisdom. Amen.
Science News, 4/28/07, p. 260, S. Milius, “Living Fossil.” Photo: Guinea pigs. The Laotian rock rat is considered to be in the same family. Courtesy of Mike Russell. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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