Credit Where Due Please

We're all pretty much sticklers for giving credit where due, to ourselves and (hopefully) to others as well. Look closely here and you'll see I've got my name on these items I've made (labels can be fun). Bits of conversation, poems, even a few obscure lines, have got to be quoted, with author's name given a proper mention. Movies have long credit rolls for all the creative work; we know artists by their particular style. We don't somehow believe that a Ford evolved into a Ferrari all by itself. There were people involved, hard at work, using their creative gifts. And, they want credit.


Yet, wonder on wonder, we can look out of our own complicated eyeballs, and presume to think that they, as well as the rest of our very complex created world, evolved by random mutations and "natural selection." I was, to give credit, reading this morning from a little daily devotional put out by the Institute for Creation Research.

If an automobile presupposes an automaker, and a clock implies a clockmaker, surely the infinitely more intricate and complex eyes and ears of living creatures require an eye-maker and an ear-maker! "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them" (Proverbs 20:12).

The most basic of all scientific laws--the law of cause and effect (no effect greater than its cause)--becomes utmost nonsense if the cosmos is the product of chaos and the universe evolved by chance. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).

Every creature, from the single-celled amoebae to the amazing human body, bears the impress of intricate planning and construction. The notion that such complex structures could evolve by random mutations and natural selection is simply a measure of the audacity of human rebellion and the absurdity of humanistic reasoning. Such things never happen in the real world, and there is no real scientific evidence whatever for "vertical" evolution from one kind to a higher kind. The only genuine evidence for evolution is the fact that the leaders of intellectualism believe it, and the only reason they believe it is their frantic desire to escape God.

In fact, there is much better scientific rationale, from the very same evidence, for belief in a Creator God. If you are interested, there is another good site for information and further research here.

Faith of a Child

What jumped out at me this morning in 2 Kings 7 was the heavy consequence of one man's doubt. We weren't there, of course, to hear the vocal nuances, to see the body language and know the heart attitude, all of which probably indicated his contempt along with the doubt he expressed for the Word of God, spoken by the prophet Elisha - before a number of people. And, there should not have been any doubt, but rather rejoicing. Elisha was a recognized Man of God and prophet, respected by the king and people. His message began:

"Hear the Word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:"

The officer of the king died for his doubt. This got me to thinking of all the various accounts in Scripture where a Word from the Lord is given, questions are asked, doubt is expressed, or faith and belief - and then the various consequences. We know that God is fair and just, that he doesn't show favoritism. What we don't always know in these Bible stories are the heart motives, the inflections of the voices and body language , and who is there at the scene to observe and perhaps be stumbled by the doubt and or contempt for God's Word which is being expressed. There are many college professors and teachers today who are putting themselves in a very dangerous position.

We need more of the unquestioning faith of a child when confronted with Scripture and less of the "inquiring minds" of so-called science, logic and human reason. Faith is the shield that we have to hold up against doubt. Though, I deeply appreciate the work being done by Answers in Genesis and others to show that there are scientists who are not afraid to take a stand with their work and to reveal the misuse of evidence and prevalence of false assumptions in much of what passes for science now, and to bolster our faith with their research.

I love what the angel had to say when faced with the doubt of Zechariah:

"I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God..."

How awesome is that?

Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

After the last rant, this post's going to be very short. It struck me once again just how crammed with wisdom God's Word is. I am truly awed by it. Care for animals, building codes, planting instructions and on and on. God is so good! He gave us an owner's manual for our life on earth.

He also gave us five senses, and knew how they would limit our understanding in the seeming randomness, the magnitude and complexity of our natural world. And so he gave us a light on that as well - His Scriptures open up the other side of the picture - the supernatural hand of God behind, around and in the scenes from the beginning to the end. Perhaps the Genesis account of His creation of our cosmos in six days was the greatest of his miracles, but it was only the beginning. And, just wait - the events of Revelation are still to come! If you have trouble with Genesis, do you believe he can and will create a "new heavens and a new earth"? Revelation 21:1 Beyond your wildest dreams? A loose paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 2:9.