IS MARRIAGE JUST A PIECE OF PAPER?
Matthew 19:4-5
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?"
With the creation of Adam and Eve, God also created the marriage relationship and blessed it. God knows how we are made. He knows how we work. And He had all that in mind when He designed the marriage relationship. For this reason, one would expect that trying to fashion a family by simply living together would result in less happiness than when properly married.
Numerous studies have shown the results of couples living together without the benefit of marriage. One 1992 study, conducted by a group based at Rutgers University, showed that even cohabitors who eventually got married had a 46 percent greater chance of divorce than those who had begun in a proper marriage relationship. A more recent study by a Bowling Green University researcher measured and compared the depression scores between married couples and cohabitors. Married people had an average depression score of 13.3, while cohabitors showed a higher depression score of 17.2.
Cohabiting is even worse for the children. Thirty six percent of the children born to cohabitors who later married will see their parents divorce. Only one third of the children born to married people will see their parents divorce. It is clear that in His love for us, God designed marriage for our happiness and blessing.
We thank You, dear Father, for the gift of marriage. Bless and strengthen marriage among us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Mona Charen, "Before you decide on moving in," Washington Times, March 26, 1999, Third Age News Service; "Marriage gets the nod for satisfaction," Brainerd Daily Dispatch (Minn.), September 6, 1998. Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Belmonte. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Matthew 19:4-5
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?"
With the creation of Adam and Eve, God also created the marriage relationship and blessed it. God knows how we are made. He knows how we work. And He had all that in mind when He designed the marriage relationship. For this reason, one would expect that trying to fashion a family by simply living together would result in less happiness than when properly married.
Numerous studies have shown the results of couples living together without the benefit of marriage. One 1992 study, conducted by a group based at Rutgers University, showed that even cohabitors who eventually got married had a 46 percent greater chance of divorce than those who had begun in a proper marriage relationship. A more recent study by a Bowling Green University researcher measured and compared the depression scores between married couples and cohabitors. Married people had an average depression score of 13.3, while cohabitors showed a higher depression score of 17.2.
Cohabiting is even worse for the children. Thirty six percent of the children born to cohabitors who later married will see their parents divorce. Only one third of the children born to married people will see their parents divorce. It is clear that in His love for us, God designed marriage for our happiness and blessing.
We thank You, dear Father, for the gift of marriage. Bless and strengthen marriage among us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Mona Charen, "Before you decide on moving in," Washington Times, March 26, 1999, Third Age News Service; "Marriage gets the nod for satisfaction," Brainerd Daily Dispatch (Minn.), September 6, 1998. Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Belmonte. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
SIN STINKS!
Genesis 1:31
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day..."
New findings about how the human nose works may help explain why a world that was perfect when it was made has come to have so many stinky things in it. Humans and mammals hold the record among all creatures with about 1,000 genes for odor receptors. But with only 1,000 different kinds of odor receptors, how is it we can smell over 10,000 different kinds of scents?
For example, nonanoic acid uses the same receptors as nonanol, plus two others. Nonanol literally produces the smell of a rose. Yet those same receptors, plus the extra two that nonanoic acid activate, will produce a cheesy odor. Even more amazing is the discovery that virtually identical molecules can produce very different scents. Octanol produces a rosy, orangey scent, while octanoic acid produces a rancid, sweaty odor. Yet the two molecules are identical except for an extra side chain of atoms.
This may go a long way in explaining how a perfect creation of vegetarian creatures came to have rotten smells and to be meat eaters. A minor modification of a "good" scent can turn it into a "bad" scent. This seems to be confirmed by the discovery that the same receptors that allow mice to smell grain and seeds allow rats to smell meat. The decay man's sin brought to the creation didn't mean that God had to make new things. "Good" molecules simply decayed into a slightly different form with "bad" effects. We thank God we have a Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, Who will deliver us from the decay that is in the world!
Father in heaven, we thank You that in Jesus Christ You have delivered us from the decay in the world which is a result of our own sin. Amen.
John Travis, "Making Sense of Scents," Science News, v. 155, April 10, 1999, p. 236. Illustration: Human olfactory system. Courtesy of Chabacano. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
Genesis 1:31
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day..."
New findings about how the human nose works may help explain why a world that was perfect when it was made has come to have so many stinky things in it. Humans and mammals hold the record among all creatures with about 1,000 genes for odor receptors. But with only 1,000 different kinds of odor receptors, how is it we can smell over 10,000 different kinds of scents?
For example, nonanoic acid uses the same receptors as nonanol, plus two others. Nonanol literally produces the smell of a rose. Yet those same receptors, plus the extra two that nonanoic acid activate, will produce a cheesy odor. Even more amazing is the discovery that virtually identical molecules can produce very different scents. Octanol produces a rosy, orangey scent, while octanoic acid produces a rancid, sweaty odor. Yet the two molecules are identical except for an extra side chain of atoms.
This may go a long way in explaining how a perfect creation of vegetarian creatures came to have rotten smells and to be meat eaters. A minor modification of a "good" scent can turn it into a "bad" scent. This seems to be confirmed by the discovery that the same receptors that allow mice to smell grain and seeds allow rats to smell meat. The decay man's sin brought to the creation didn't mean that God had to make new things. "Good" molecules simply decayed into a slightly different form with "bad" effects. We thank God we have a Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, Who will deliver us from the decay that is in the world!
Father in heaven, we thank You that in Jesus Christ You have delivered us from the decay in the world which is a result of our own sin. Amen.
John Travis, "Making Sense of Scents," Science News, v. 155, April 10, 1999, p. 236. Illustration: Human olfactory system. Courtesy of Chabacano. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
HAS A SOLAR SYSTEM LIKE OURS BEEN DISCOVERED?
Psalm 8:3-4b
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
We have all heard reports of astronomers claiming that they have discovered a planet orbiting some nearby star. Each announcement results in speculation about whether there is intelligent life on the newly discovered planet. Lost is the fact that some planets are larger than Jupiter and made of gas. Scientists discover these planets by studying hundreds of telescopic pictures of a suspect star to see if there may be a tiny wobble in its position. A single-motion wobble is explained by the existence of one orbiting planet, meaning that this solar system does not have multiple planets like ours does.
That situation changed with an announcement in April 1999. Two teams of researchers announced that they had discovered three planets orbiting nearby star Upsilon Andromedae. However, this solar system is not like ours either. The inner planet is so close to the star that it is hotter than Mercury - no life there. The second planet's orbit takes it close to the star, then swings wide away from it. Such an orbit would provide temperature conditions far too erratic for life like that on Earth. The third planet is too far from Upsilon Andromedae and, thus, too cold to provide a home for life like ours.
Our solar system is not a result of chance but has been uniquely designed for life by a loving Creator. Not only is Earth's distance from the sun just right for life, but its orbit provides the even, moderate conditions that life requires.
Thank You, dear Father in heaven, for preparing a creation for us in which every detail supports us and glorifies You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
R. Cowen, "Astronomers Find Planetary System," Science News, v. 155, April 17, 1999. p. 244. Image: Artist's rendition of Upsilon Andromedae A with two of its four planets. Courtesy of Drtony999. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Psalm 8:3-4b
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
We have all heard reports of astronomers claiming that they have discovered a planet orbiting some nearby star. Each announcement results in speculation about whether there is intelligent life on the newly discovered planet. Lost is the fact that some planets are larger than Jupiter and made of gas. Scientists discover these planets by studying hundreds of telescopic pictures of a suspect star to see if there may be a tiny wobble in its position. A single-motion wobble is explained by the existence of one orbiting planet, meaning that this solar system does not have multiple planets like ours does.
That situation changed with an announcement in April 1999. Two teams of researchers announced that they had discovered three planets orbiting nearby star Upsilon Andromedae. However, this solar system is not like ours either. The inner planet is so close to the star that it is hotter than Mercury - no life there. The second planet's orbit takes it close to the star, then swings wide away from it. Such an orbit would provide temperature conditions far too erratic for life like that on Earth. The third planet is too far from Upsilon Andromedae and, thus, too cold to provide a home for life like ours.
Our solar system is not a result of chance but has been uniquely designed for life by a loving Creator. Not only is Earth's distance from the sun just right for life, but its orbit provides the even, moderate conditions that life requires.
Thank You, dear Father in heaven, for preparing a creation for us in which every detail supports us and glorifies You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
R. Cowen, "Astronomers Find Planetary System," Science News, v. 155, April 17, 1999. p. 244. Image: Artist's rendition of Upsilon Andromedae A with two of its four planets. Courtesy of Drtony999. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
SCIENCE IS CATCHING UP WITH GENESIS
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Climate researchers are developing more complex computer models in an effort to discover the effects of climate changes. One unexpected conclusion is that greenhouse warming of the Earth may not be happening; even if it is, it may not be a bad thing. Researchers have also had to admit that the natural climate changes of the Earth are much wider than originally thought.
In one computer model, researchers assumed that carbon dioxide would increase in the atmosphere by 1 percent a year. In another, they assumed 0.5 percent increase, and in yet another model they assumed no increase. The study yielded mixed results. Central and western Europe would see no abnormal change in river runoff. River runoff would increase in northern Europe, but decrease in southern Europe.
Their model also showed that wheat crops would increase in several European countries, with no abnormal changes in other countries. In fact, researchers found that an increase in carbon dioxide would cause a 9 to 39 percent increase in wheat crops throughout Europe.
Science is discovering that what God promised Noah after the Flood is true: "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night shall not cease."
We thank You, Lord, that You have given us a beautiful and durable Earth to support our needs. Make us good stewards of it, rejoicing without fear of the future. Amen.
C. Wu, "Fickle climate thwarts future forecasts," Science News, v. 155, February 27, 1999, p. 133. Photo: Runoff flowing into a stormwater drain.
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Climate researchers are developing more complex computer models in an effort to discover the effects of climate changes. One unexpected conclusion is that greenhouse warming of the Earth may not be happening; even if it is, it may not be a bad thing. Researchers have also had to admit that the natural climate changes of the Earth are much wider than originally thought.
In one computer model, researchers assumed that carbon dioxide would increase in the atmosphere by 1 percent a year. In another, they assumed 0.5 percent increase, and in yet another model they assumed no increase. The study yielded mixed results. Central and western Europe would see no abnormal change in river runoff. River runoff would increase in northern Europe, but decrease in southern Europe.
Their model also showed that wheat crops would increase in several European countries, with no abnormal changes in other countries. In fact, researchers found that an increase in carbon dioxide would cause a 9 to 39 percent increase in wheat crops throughout Europe.
Science is discovering that what God promised Noah after the Flood is true: "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night shall not cease."
We thank You, Lord, that You have given us a beautiful and durable Earth to support our needs. Make us good stewards of it, rejoicing without fear of the future. Amen.
C. Wu, "Fickle climate thwarts future forecasts," Science News, v. 155, February 27, 1999, p. 133. Photo: Runoff flowing into a stormwater drain.
THE FLOWER THAT FAVORS BUMBLEBEES
Matthew 6:28-29
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
The tropical looking flower Virginia Meadow Beauty offers some rare tricks for those who would pollinate it. A honeybee can poke around the flower all day and never get any pollen from the gaudy pink flowers. In fact, researchers report that honeybees don't seem to know what to do with the flowers. Rather, the Virginia Meadow Beauty is pollinated by bumblebees, not honeybees.
The pollen of a newly opened pink flower is good only for that day. But the flowers stay open for several days. It signals the bumblebees that the pollen in old flowers are not good by changing colors. Yet, the spent flowers are serving one more purpose. Researchers report that large displays, even if mostly spent flowers, attract more bumblebees than small displays of all fresh flowers.
How is it that the bumblebee can get the pollen and the honeybees can't? They just buzz. And when a bumblebee buzzes, the flower ejects its pollen at 30 times the force of gravity - a force greater than any astronaut must endure! It's not that the bumblebee gets the pollen because it is larger than a honeybee; no, even bumblebees no larger than the honeybee's head can get the pollen. It's the frequency of buzzing. The Lord has abundantly provided for the Meadow Beauty. And He has provided for your forgiveness and salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
I thank You, Lord, that You so generously provide for all Your creatures. Increase my faith that You will also provide me with all I need, beginning with salvation. Amen.
J. Travis, "Color code tells bumblebees where to buzz," Science News, v. 155, April 3, 1999. p. 215. Photo: Rhexia virginica, a Virginia meadow beauty.
Matthew 6:28-29
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
The tropical looking flower Virginia Meadow Beauty offers some rare tricks for those who would pollinate it. A honeybee can poke around the flower all day and never get any pollen from the gaudy pink flowers. In fact, researchers report that honeybees don't seem to know what to do with the flowers. Rather, the Virginia Meadow Beauty is pollinated by bumblebees, not honeybees.
The pollen of a newly opened pink flower is good only for that day. But the flowers stay open for several days. It signals the bumblebees that the pollen in old flowers are not good by changing colors. Yet, the spent flowers are serving one more purpose. Researchers report that large displays, even if mostly spent flowers, attract more bumblebees than small displays of all fresh flowers.
How is it that the bumblebee can get the pollen and the honeybees can't? They just buzz. And when a bumblebee buzzes, the flower ejects its pollen at 30 times the force of gravity - a force greater than any astronaut must endure! It's not that the bumblebee gets the pollen because it is larger than a honeybee; no, even bumblebees no larger than the honeybee's head can get the pollen. It's the frequency of buzzing. The Lord has abundantly provided for the Meadow Beauty. And He has provided for your forgiveness and salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
I thank You, Lord, that You so generously provide for all Your creatures. Increase my faith that You will also provide me with all I need, beginning with salvation. Amen.
J. Travis, "Color code tells bumblebees where to buzz," Science News, v. 155, April 3, 1999. p. 215. Photo: Rhexia virginica, a Virginia meadow beauty.
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