“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Although there are those who believe that it is possible to harmonize the theory of evolution with the Genesis account, there are severe problems in attempting to do so. One such problem, which occurs frequently, is that the order of events required by evolutionary or deep-time theories is different from that found in Genesis 1.
For instance, an example of stellar evolution would be that the Sun was formed before the Earth. The Sun is thought to be the product of repeated coagulations of material in the universe, followed by nuclear fusion, and, eventually, explosion by novae. Deep-time astrophysicists suggest that the Earth came about by gravity eventually joining lots of small particles together in a planet-sized conglomerate.
The Bible gives a different order. It states that the Earth was created on the first day of the Creation Week, along with the material of the rest of the universe and light. I refer to the material of the rest of the universe because the Earth was created formless and void. God began to give structure to this Earth on the second and third day of the Creation Week. However, He did not create the Sun, Moon and stars until the fourth day.
Strict evolutionists also correctly see this disconnect, but use it to argue that the biblical account is wrong. We trust God to have told us the truth in His word. God’s order of creation is at heart an issue of the authority of the Bible.
Thank You for Your word, Lord, that it is true from the very first verse onwards. Help us to trust Your word in everything. Amen.
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The Tsunami and the Animals
“But now ask the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee;”
Almost everyone in the world today knows of the terrible disaster that struck the coasts of South East Asia. The North American news media gave daily body counts, reported human tragedy and inflicted damage … yet, as far as is known, none mentioned the animals.
However, Asian reports from the damaged areas comment not only on the ability of trees to withstand the devastating waves but the almost total absence of animal deaths. It appears that the animals, from flamingos to elephants, took off for the hills long before the humans. The Chinese have done extensive investigations on animals and earthquake detection but are at a loss to explain it. Chinese scientists simply conclude that animals have far greater sensitivity than the best of scientific instruments.
Reuters reported from Thailand that the elephants used in the tourist business at Khao Lak began to “cry” at 9 am, about the time of the quake. Some elephants broke their hefty chains, but they all raced away toward the jungle-clad hills, taking their surprised tourists and guides with them. Some people were even picked up by the elephants using their trunks. They all came to a point on high ground where the waves stopped just short of where they stood. Three thousand, eight hundred people died in that area. God is merciful to those sensitive enough to His warnings.
We thank You, Father, for teaching us by this example of our insensitivity to Your warning signs and Your mercy to the animals. Amen.
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Another Cost of Divorce
“So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
The Bible teaches that marriage is one man and one woman, united into one flesh for life. Traditional morality has reflected this view. However, modern Western culture has viewed divorce as a freedom that should be available to everyone. The popular term “no‑fault divorce” attempts to give the impression that divorce has few consequences. Two recent studies, however, clearly show the real cost of divorce.
Researchers with the Oregon Social Learning Center studied the effects of divorce on adolescents. They examined the behavior of junior high and high school males. They found that boys from families where there had been a divorce were much more likely to experiment early with sex than boys whose parents had never divorced. Another study by a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison looked at the effects divorce has on young women. The study tracked the behavior of nearly 4,000 young women. He found that young women from divorced marriages were much more likely to have babies out of wedlock than those from families untouched by divorce. Both studies show that one cost of divorce is a casual attitude toward sex on the part of children of divorced parents.
When God gave us marriage in the Garden of Eden, He intended it to be a lifelong union. While divorce brings heartbreak to the adults involved, God also knew that children of a divorce would follow the example of their parents in taking the gift of sex too lightly.
Lord, thank You for the gift of marriage. Help me always honor it. Amen.
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How to Set a Scientist Humming
“So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.”
For over a century, textbooks have used the Galapagos Island finches as an example of evolution in action. The facts are that the differences between these finches are less than the differences in the human population – and nobody claims that we are evolving! A lesser-known example of evolution in action was recently challenged in the scientific literature concerning certain hummingbirds found on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. For a long time it was claimed that one species of hummingbird was diverging and becoming another species. However, it now turns out that the birds were nothing more than the male and the female of the same species! The male of the species has a relatively straight bill perfectly designed to allow efficient feeding of the nectar from the red and orange blooms of a flower related to the bird of paradise. The female bird, on the other hand, has a longer, sharply curved bill that is perfect for feeding on the green flowers of a different plant, also related to the bird of paradise.
Those who believe in evolution point to such differences and argue that it is the environment that has caused these differences to develop. The creationist would certainly agree but point out that those variations are strictly limited. Giving one of these variations another species name does not make it a different species and, thus, cannot be used as evidence for evolution in action. Again, to use the human example, humans come in different colors but no one now applies different names or claims that we are evolving.
Lord, help me understand how Your hand is revealed in Your creation. Amen.
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Eating Your Way to a Better Mood
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Dutch researchers have concluded that you can indeed eat your way to a better mood. It’s not how much you eat, and in some cases the secret is what you don’t eat. But if you are easily frustrated and stressed, you may be able to avoid these moods.
Dutch researchers were investigating tryptophan, which the brain uses to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improves your mood. They prepared two chocolate drinks, one that contained a milk protein rich in tryptophan and another with casein, another milk protein. Volunteers who had been pre‑evaluated for their susceptibility for stress drank one or the other of these with breakfast and again later in the morning. At mid‑day, the volunteers spent 20 minutes at a computer doing math problems as loud industrial noise blared in the background. Researchers then evaluated each subject’s mood, pulse rate, stress hormones and brain serotonin levels. None of the subjects who had the tryptophan‑rich chocolate drink showed any stress factor, no matter how prone to stress they naturally were. Other research has shown that sugar or starch‑rich foods also raise serotonin in the brain. Researchers concluded that simple diet modifications that include tryptophan prior to expected times of stress can help the average person respond to stress. They also warn that meat protein blocks the brain’s absorption of tryptophan.
While we can cast all our fears and frustrations on the Lord, it is good to know that He has provided us with a way to better cope with nagging, daily stress.
Lord, I cast all my cares on You, for You care for me. Amen.
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