God

Science is not God

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I was reading a prayer that Martin Luther King Jr. prayed. That man could pray. In his prayer, he prayed:

We are mindful, O God, that man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of things and humanity is not God. Bound by our chains we know we need a Savior. We thank thee, oh God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature but we live above nature.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the myriad things that trouble me is the idea that science is above God. If given a choice between trust in science or trust in God, I think most people in Europe and America would choose science. Not Martin Luther King Jr., though, because science is the study of nature, but man is above nature for he has a spiritual nature.

I closely follow science on my other blog, National Tech Front, and only theoretical scientists speak in absolutes (those are the Sheldon’s of the world). The scientists that work in the applied sciences nearly always couch their comments in “should,” “perhaps,” “maybe,” and “expected.” They understand that humanity knows almost nothing about God’s Creation. 

One Example

A quick example of the instability of science can be found in the study of DNA. Nearly all scientists have (had) reached the point where DNA was old science, that was until 3D VR of DNA (“Step inside your DNA”). Oops,  genes are also turned on and off by physical interaction between specific parts of DNA. Well, that wasn’t expected!

However, the message of God’s desire and intent to reconcile humanity back to Himself is consistent, clear, coherent, and cohesive from Genesis all the way through the Book of Revelation, spanning thousands of years. So, who should we place our faith in? Should it be science with its instability or “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:4 NIV)

“I think we often don’t trust God because we measure Him with the yardstick of man.” – G.W. Moore 

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Who Am I?

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a sign with a question mark on it

Who am I, that the lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?
– Casting Crowns

There are approximately 7.8 billion people on Earth, and the average human head (an average scalp measures approximately 120 square inches, or 770 cm²) has about 100,000 hair follicles (Gray 2003). – Quora This means that at any one moment there are 780 trillion hairs that God is keeping track of (Matthew 10:30). 

If God cares enough to sacrifice His Son to offer you salvation and if God cares enough to impart to every believer the Holy Spirit of God (John 14:15-17) and if God cares enough to keep track of the number of hairs on your head, then be encouraged. hen be encouraged for God knows who you are.

I hope this song by Casting Crowns blesses you today.

Photo credit: Leo Reynolds on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA

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The Ear

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an ear with posts and pins

We read in Proverbs 8:29, “when he (the LORD) assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,” 

A Boundry

I spent many years managing technical people, and an essential part of my job was hiring the right people. Many of my job candidates came through employment agencies. Both the agent and I worked together to make sure the agent understood the skills that I needed, and I appreciated the difficulty they faced in finding that person.

Down through the years, I worked with many highly professional agents. But occasionally, I’d get a clunker. Usually, the first indication was when the agent would “drop by” without an appointment, or they would invite me to lunch and “happen” to have a candidate with them.

Hiring is the single most important decision a manager makes. Therefore, it’s critical to follow a formal process so that every candidate receives the same opportunity to win the job. I dropped agents from my roster that regularly violated the boundary between employer and employment agent.

God’s Boundry

God, too, has a boundary when it comes to getting God’s ear. We see this in (John 9:31): We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 

You may not be able to get a Hollywood star on the phone or get the governor of your state to reply to your text, but you can have the ear of the God of all Creation if you do His will, and that begins by receiving salvation through His Son, Jesus!

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The God That Has Included You

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I remember many years ago when I was freelancing, I was called into an old factory that manufactured steel components used in buildings. They had a machine that punched holes in the steel used to make girders, which wasn’t working correctly.

The company had a PDP-8 computer that controlled the punch press. They called me in to fix the machine. I dove right in to the computer to figure out what it was doing and how it worked; nobody knew. I was down in a concrete pit with a roll of steel moving past me, and every few seconds, the entire foundation thumped when the machine punched the holes. At one point, I stood up and looked around. 

Today That Factory is Gone

The entire factory was covered in steel dust, which covered hardworking men standing at WWII-era lathes, grinders, and such. It was then that I thought: “Everything I see will be gone soon.” They had one computer, and it made no sense to any of the employees. But someday that factory would be all computers. These workers were so focused on their daily jobs that they couldn’t see the big picture.

Today that factory is gone, and if you go into any steel fabrication factory, you will see designers using AutoCad®, fabricators running multi-axis CNC machines, and computers everywhere. These companies are leading in the adoption of robotics. What’s my point? You are a Quantum computer in the middle of an old factory.

You are Essential to God’s Plan

As you’re reading this devotional, take a moment to look up and look around. If you are a child of God, then you are essential to God’s plan. God is so big. God is so powerful. And God is active in all that He’s Created. 

Take courage, receive His strength, receive His love, for what you see with your eyes will all pass away. And God has included you in His kingdom and His work. As you read the following passage of Scripture, marvel at the God that has included you.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. – 1 Chronicles 29:11

Photo: Public Domain

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Separation

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U-Haul truck

This devotional is quite different from what I usually write. However, I felt that someone needed to read this. Warning: I am not a certified counselor. The following are things that I’ve learned through my many, many moves.

God moves people. Let’s say it’s you. Whether it’s across the city, across the country, or to a different country, often the “left-behinds” feel betrayed or abandoned. After all, you chose your desires over theirs. They have no choice but to deal with separation. It’s different for you because, well, you’re leaving. During our travels, my wife and I left all four parents, numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends, and two of our (grown) kids. However, we were almost always the ones leaving. 

Some Powerful Emotions May Arise

Some powerful emotions usually arise from a pending separation, and those feelings may differ from the emotions the “left-behinds” feel after you’ve moved. The stages of emotions closely track the seven stages of grief. The “left-behinds” start with denial; they often skip the “pain and guilt,” but they barrel right into anger and bargaining. I once was bargained out of a move, and that did not turn out well. 

After anger, some “left-behinds” feel depression, especially a close friend or parent. Sadly, some loved ones get stuck on either anger or depression. They never make the upward turn, reimagining their life with you not in it on a daily basis. While some “left-behinds” do reach acceptance, it may take years.

Talk Face-to-Face

The best way to communicate a pending separation is, if possible, through a one-on-one conversation. Let’s face it; when you tell your best friend in the world that you’re going to leave, they won’t take it gracefully. 

In all the pains of life, there is a human need to speak, to get out all of the words boiling inside, and to find some hope to grab hold of. My wife and I have told many people to, “Just puke out your feelings, and we’ll clean the mess up later.” Let the “left-behinds” speak. Don’t interject, don’t quiet their feelings (as long as they haven’t gone postal); just let them grieve.

Kids Need Extra Care

Often, if you’re talking to a child, the hurting child thinks they can’t say what they are feeling for fear of hurting you. Talk with them if you have permission from the child’s parent(s). Help them not to shut down. They need to express their feelings, and you need to be prepared to hear them.

If you or loved ones are facing separation, then be bold. Pray for God’s wisdom and then broach the subject; sooner is better than later, provided it’s a done deal. God is in the business of healing. He can use you to bring healing to a hurting heart.

God’s Wisdom

Proverbs 12:18 (ESV), “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.“

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Carrying Kids

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Air Force officer with wife and kids

I was reading Isaiah 60, which is about the restoration of Israel. This chapter paints Israel as a beautiful woman. We don’t discover the subject of this prophecy until verse 14, where we find “the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” But here is what captured my imagination as I was reading this chapter; verse 4:

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.

I have a bunch of kids. They are now all grown, but countless times my wife and I carried a child of ours on our hips. When I read, “and your daughters shall be carried on the hip” my heart leaped within me.

God’s Word is so real, so expressive of the human condition. And God continually calls out to humanity for restoration through Jesus. If God gets down to details as small as carrying kids on our hips, He truly understands us and loves us.

Photo: Air Force Reserve Command

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Jesus Cares About Our Faith

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man praying

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was reminded, again, of the importance Jesus placed on faith. Our personal salvation begins with the grace given to us through the faith given to us (Romans 12:3). And without faith, it is impossible to please God. Through faith, we gain access to God (Hebrews 11:6).

“When faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live.” – A.C. Dixon

Jesus Cares About Our Faith

Through faith our prayers do the impossible because God comes into the need through faith (Mark 6:5), and nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). To understand just how much importance Jesus places on faith, He said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)” Only God can move mountains, but the prayer of faith moves God (Matthew 21:21). This doesn’t mean faith changes God’s will, but it does mean that faith gives us the ear of God (Matthew 7:7).

So important is faith that Jesus said to Peter, “but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail…(Luke 22:32) At a time that would test the Apostle Peter perhaps more than any other time, the concern of Jesus for Peter was that Peter’s “faith may not fail.” It was Peter’s faith that needed guarding.

When Jesus spoke of His return to Earth after His ascension, Christ’s first concern was, “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8)”

Through faith the Spirit of Truth leads us into the unknown. We enter in the name of the Man we’ve not seen, for Him who’s greatness is unsearchable, to do a work that is not ours, by abilities we don’t possess, so that our heavenly Father may glorify Christ Jesus, His One and Only Son. That is the purpose of our faith in God.

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Dad's Fish

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a picture of a salt water fish

Growth seems to be a natural progression of all God creates. Whether we look at kittens, calves, kids, or children, they all start small, but with the right care, feeding, and environment, they grow to become healthy and fulfill God’s purpose for them. 

Growth is a Lesson That God Teaches

All of God’s creation testifies of His existence, and growth is a lesson that teaches us about God’s intended process and purpose for His children. I am reminded of a problem my dad had when I was a teenager.

We lived on a small farm that had either a tiny lake or a huge pond that was stocked with fish. About two years after we moved there, the fish I caught looked like aliens from outer space. Every fish had a full-size head, but its body was small and underdeveloped. The fish seemed very strange.

Dad contacted our county’s Conservation agent. We learned that the fish were starving for oxygen and nutrients. Fertilizers were running off of our fields and into our lake, messing up the lake’s whole ecosystem.

Baby Christians

As Christians, we can experience a similar problem. When we are first saved, we’re babies who require extra attention and feeding. We also need exercise to grow up strong and healthy. If we lack any of those three, then we will not grow up as God intended. Instead, we will be stunted, just as my dad’s fish were.

We can read an account of this in 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (ESV), I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

When we meet a new convert to Jesus, let’s do as Paul did, making sure God’s new baby receives careful instruction, gentle guidance, opportunities to find and use their gifting and stretch experiences, so they live by faith. By doing so, our new addition to God’s kingdom will be less likely to be like my dad’s fish but, instead, will be a mighty tool in God’s hand.

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This is the way you should go

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A picture of Earth from space

As we draw closer to a new year, I hope each of us will find a time when we can be alone with the one true God. Through Jesus, our Lord and Savior, let us draw near to God and worship Him, praise Him, and, through the Holy Spirit, listen to Him. 

Has the World Lost Its Mind?

We live in a time of significant changes and great challenges. Powerful countries are redrawing their borders, engulfing other sovereign states as they reposition themselves to carry out their agendas.

America is fractured; even many family members hate each other because of their political views. The UK wrestles with Brexit, its most divisive issue in decades. Countries in Central and South America struggle economically and politically. Europe, too, struggles with many of their EU countries experiencing minimal economic growth and social issues that expose old wounds and old hatred (i.e., anti-Semitism). India, Asia, and many countries in Africa are experiencing political strife and regional violence.

Peace and Good News

Nevertheless, through Jesus, we always find peace and good news. And we should remember that, in His own time, God moves rapidly. We see this in Isaiah 48:3 (ESV), “The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass…“

As the prophet Isaiah spoke God’s Word, let us ask God to say this to us, also: Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21 NLT)

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God is Spirit

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people with their hands raised

Isaiah 46:9-10
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

From Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, regarding Isaiah 46:10: Declaring the end from the beginning – Foretelling accurately the course of future events. This is an argument to which God often appeals in proof that he is the only true God (see Isaiah 41:22-23; Isaiah 43:12; Isaiah 44:26).

We read in 1 Corinthians 4:20 (ESV): For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. And John 4:24 states, God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Since the kingdom of God consists of power and God is Spirit, our prayers are not limited to circumstances, time, authorities, or even the laws of physics. For we pray to God, and He is greater than everything. I pray that our understanding of God will become greater and that we will see God is greater than our understanding.

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