Daily Devotional – April 10

Design

How many ways are there to fasten shoes? Old – fashioned shoes often had buttons; tennis shoes frequently use laces. Other shoes even use elastic or zippers. Some shoes, like children’s shoes and women’s sandals, often use Velcrotm. Where did mankind get the idea of creating Velcro?

One day in 1941, after going for a walk in the woods, Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral noticed cockleburs stuck to both his pants and his dog. Instead of just cleaning them off, he decided to figure out what gave them their incredible sticking nature. He discovered they were designed with thousands of ingenious, flexible, barbed “fingers”, which allowed them to easily attach for a free ride on the fabric of clothing and hairs of an animal. So after eight years of research, Velcrotm, with its “hook and loop,” was invented. de Mestral used two strips of fabric, one with thousands of tiny hooks and another with thousands of tiny loops; de Mestral coined the term Velcro from the combination of the words “velvet” and “crochet.” The inventor observed the design that God had built into the cockleburs and came up with one of the most versatile and useful attachment systems ever developed! He was not the original designer; he just copied what THE Designer had already made!

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

~ Romans 11:33a

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 9

Microbiology

Do you realize that the evolutionary view of molecules-to-man can have a detrimental effect on scientific advancements? The latest example was the belief in “junk DNA.” For over twenty years, it was widely accepted that less than 2% of the coded information on the human DNA molecule was used to produce proteins (little molecular machines within the cell).1 Thus 98% of the human DNA sequence was assumed to be useless, leftover junk from our evolutionary past. This was accepted evolutionary dogma for many years, so scientists had no incentive to look for a purpose for this supposed “junk coding.” Thus, evolutionary preconceptions slowed scientific advancement in this area of genetics for decades.

Dr. Francis Collins (head of the Human Genome Project) stated in his book, The Language of God, that roughly 45% of the human genome is made of repetitive flotsam and jetsam and that this junk provides “compelling” evidence for the evolutionary origin of humanity. Yet, we can now conclusively show that essentially all the DNA’s coded sequence (including repetitive sections) serves multiple purposes and functions.

God doesn’t make junk, not even junk DNA!

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

~ Isaiah 29:16

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 8

Biology

Have you heard of the coywolf? Genetically it is ¼ wolf, 1/10 dog and the rest coyote. The coywolf is a hybrid twice the size of a coyote, able to hunt in both the woods (traditionally the place for olves) and on the prairies (traditionally the place for coyotes). With the help of the dog genetics, it is able to hunt in urban areas by eating rodents and pets or scavenging. If you spot one in suburbia, you will even notice that it may look both ways before crossing the street!

How did the coywolf come about? When the wolves of southern Canada experienced environmental problems of deforestation and drastic hunting, they began to interbreed with both coyotes and large breeds of domesticated dogs. The coywolf is not the result of evolution but the in-built diversity of genetic code that God has placed within the dog kind. It has also been  demonstrated that wolves, coyotes, and domestic dogs are the same kind since they can successfully interbreed.

And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.

~ Psalm 59:14-15

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 7

Design

Have you considered that the Sun provides the right amount of brightness on earth, and even on a cloudy day, there is still enough light? Why? Earth’s atmosphere makes this happen. When the Sun’s rays hit our atmosphere, they bounce off the air molecules, causing the light to scatter in all directions and lighting the sky. If we did not have our atmosphere, our sky would be pitch black - like the Moon’s. When the astronauts were on the Moon during the daylight, the sky was all black except when they looked right at the Sun. God has provided the right type of atmosphere so that when the Sun’s rays hit it, it provides the perfect amount of brightness…and a beautiful blue color.

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:

~ Ecclesiastes 11:7

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 6

Biology

Have you heard of a cave weta? This New Zealand insect lives in mountain top caves that can experience -10 oF during the winter. This insect actually freezes solid for three months - showing no brain activity or respiration. Then in the spring, it thaws out and proceeds with life as normal – doing whatever big bugs enjoy doing in the spring. They can go through six such freeze-thaw cycles in their lifetime, often living up to six years.

When humans freeze, crystals form in our blood, bursting our cells and causing our death. Wetas, however, have high levels of glucose, a sugar which keeps these crystals from forming. Evolutionists assume this all happened by accident and chance. What would have happened to the first weta that had not yet evolved a high enough sugar level in its blood? We’d have a dead weta! Evolutionary advancement would have ended, along with the first wetas! God had to design the cave weta to survive freezing from the beginning. Creation is shouting God’s glory!

O Lord my God, thou art very great;….

~ Psalm 104:1

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 5

Biology

Have you considered that birds like gannets and blue-footed boobies dive into the water at high speeds and do not break their necks! How do birds survive a dive like that? These birds come equipped with their own built-in “air bags”!

Gannets and blue-footed boobies like to go fishing. They flock together high in the sky, usually hovering over schools of herring, menhaden, or other fish. Then one of the gannets will single out a certain fish, tuck his wings close to his side and dive from heights of 100 feet. The gannet will slam into the water headfirst at 60 mph like a missile. What keeps his neck from breaking upon impact? Beneath the skin near the neck are air sacs that the bird fills by taking a gulp of air just before impact. This provides cushioning for the bird, just like the airbags in a car. Do we say that airbags started appearing in cars by chance? When we see an airbag, we know there must be an airbag designer. And who is the airbag designer in these birds? God our Creator. He designed the first airbags for the safety of birds like gannets.

For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?...

~ Psalm 89:6

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 4

Biology

Termites are famous for eating wood, especially in houses. Yet, termites cannot digest wood. It is the microbes in the gut of the termite that break down the wood that allows it to be digested. The termites cannot exist without the gut microbes, and the gut microbes cannot exist without the termites; both need each other in order to survive.

Science calls this symbiosis or mutualism. Some scientists say this relationship evolved by accident and chance. Why would termites begin to eat wood if they could not digest it? Why would gut  microbes make their home in termite guts if they were not getting the food they needed? Both termites and gut microbes had to be together from the beginning, mutually depending on each other. Who would have thought that termites and their gut microbes give glory to God!

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

~ Psalm 104:33

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 3

Geology

Rock layers (strata) show much more evidence for rapid formation than evidence for formation over eons of time. Here are some evidences for rapid formation of rock strata:

• Polystrate fossils, like fossilized tree trunks running through multiple rock layers (supposedly millions of years old) had to have formed rapidly. If it did not happen quickly the trunks would have rotted away as they waited for the next layer to be laid down.
• Ripple marks and footprints in rocks are delicate surface features preserved on underlying rock units. If there were millions of years between layers, these delicate features should be gone. Think of an animal footprint in mud being undisturbed for years - even that is impossible.
• Lack of soil layers in rock strata.
• Lack of erosion features in rock layers. If there were millions of years between the layers, there should be gullies and other erosion features everywhere we look.

The rock layers (strata) that we see today were laid down during the year-long Flood of Noah’s time. The rock layers testify that God’s word is true about the world-wide Flood.

And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.…And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.…And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month….

~ Genesis 7:12, 24; 8:5

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 2

Biology

Have you ever tried to hold onto a slimy, slippery fish? It is very difficult. Now imagine birds that primarily eat fish, such as penguins or loons, trying to hold onto a fish! These birds are designed with unique backward pointing spines on their tongue and the roof of their mouth. These spines hold onto the slippery fish, and as the fish wiggles, the spines force the fish further down the throat. The spines act like a conveyor belt, moving the fish into the bird’s throat and down to the stomach.

As the loon hunts for fish, it swims along with its eyes just below the surface. Upon spotting a  school of fish, it dives and chases the fish. Loons can dive as deep as 200 feet and hold their breath for as long as 10 minutes! When the loon gets close to the fish, it thrusts its head forward and grabs the fish. The loon has no problem holding onto the fish and swallowing it because of the backward pointing projections in its mouth. Interestingly, the fish can only be swallowed head first because the fish’s scales only allow them to slide forward in that direction. When we see special designs, like spines on a bird’s tongue and the roof of its mouth, we know there must be a Designer! God thought of all the details, even holding onto a slimy fish.

I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

~ Psalm 77: 12

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 1

Christian Truth

Imagine a student coming into his teacher’s office and declaring that he did not believe that oxygen existed. Before the teacher could even respond, the student bursts forth with a long series of justifications for his conclusion starting with the fact that “no-one had ever seen an oxygen molecule” and the question, “where would this molecule come from?”

A good teacher would not get defensive and go into an insulting tirade against such a student. The teacher would be confident in the truth and would lead the deceived student to the truth with patience and logic.

In the same way, evolutionists are like the student, insisting that everything can be explained without the existence of God. God has repeatedly stated that it is the evidence from creation that testifies to His existence (Roman 1:18-31). The very fact that rational thoughts are possible proves the existence of a Creator. Our minds have been purposefully created. We are not random arrangements of chemicals. Otherwise, our thoughts are just chemicals and electricity zipping around our brain randomly. If I were to have you think of a pink elephant and then cut your skull open, would I find a pink elephant there? No, a pink elephant is a thought while your brain is a physical structure. You are body and soul. Where did this soul come from? God. There is a God who reveals Himself through what He has made. To those who have been taken captive by the philosophy of this world, we need to be patient and explain the truth.

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the heart?

~ Job 38:36

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.