Daily Devotional – April 30

Botany

In the jungles of Borneo, a bat looks for a daytime place to roost. He sends out his sonar throughout the crowded jungle and finds the perfect place echoing back, a pitcher plant. Amazingly, sonic reflectors grow right above the pitcher plants opening, bouncing back the bat’s own sonar. These sonic reflectors have tiny ridges, correctly spaced for just the right reflection. So the bat quickly finds a cool, parasite-free place in the hot rainforest to roost. But what benefit is there for the pitcher plant? It gets the bat’s droppings.

Bat droppings are extremely high in nitrogen, which the plant needs. As a matter of fact, dried bat guano (droppings) is collected from caves around the world for use as fertilizer. Many pitcher plants eat insects, but not this one; it dines on the nutrients in bat waste. This mutualistic, beneficial behavior is in the category of “wacky but wonderful.” Evolutionists believe that this pitcher plant (Nepenthes hemsleyana) was not good at attracting insects, so, it evolved a sonic reflector over millions of years in order to attract a different source of nitrogen (bat droppings). Does this make any sense at all? If a pitcher plant does not get enough nitrogen in the beginning, which is why it eats insects, wouldn’t it just die? How could it change its DNA to make the exact reflector it needed? How did a plant know that a bat sent out sonar? How did a plant know that bat droppings had the nitrogen it needed? This unusual partnership was set up by God; it did not happen by accident and chance.

the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. Consider the work of God…

~ Ecclesiastes 7:12b, 13

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865), 16th President of the United States

“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… seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

~ Matthew 6:28-29, 33

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 29

Geology

Water and wind gaps are common geological features found worldwide, yet their formation is a mystery to many scientists. These gaps form a shallow notch in the upper part of a mountain ridge. The notch is an erosional notch and is not caused from faulting (rock layer movements). Water gaps channels still have rivers running between the mountain peaks while wind gaps only have wind.

In central Wyoming, the Sweetwater River flows through such a granite ridge. How did the river cut this 330 feet deep channel? And what about the Arun River in the Himalayan Mountains flows through a water gap that is 4 miles deep and 13 miles wide. Why wouldn’t the water have flowed around rather than through these mountains? How does a river cut right through the top of a mountain ridge? It can’t! But if you put on your biblical glasses and view these gaps with the Genesis Flood in mind, the explanation becomes obvious. At the end of the Flood, as the continents and mountains of the world were rising up out of the water, enormous sheets of water would have been channelized, initially cutting a notch through the layers. As it continued to pour through the rising land surfaces, huge gaps were formed. Later, a river might run through the gap; scientists call that a water gap. If no river flows through but only wind, scientists call it a wind gap. We find these water and wind gaps all over the world… but of course we would. The Flood was a powerful, globe-covering event.

And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

~ Genesis 8:3

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 28

Microbiology

For centuries, barnacles--crustaceans that live inside their exoskeletons--have frustrated ship owners because they like to glue themselves to ship hulls. It is difficult to remove them because their glue is so tenacious. But how does a barnacle’s glue stick to a wet surface?

There are two steps needed for a barnacle to adhere itself to an underwater surface: first it needs to clear the water away, and then it cements itself to the surface. The barnacle larva, which is the active swimming stage of a barnacle, releases an oily droplet to clear the water from the surface to which it wants to stick itself. Then, the larva releases a phosphoprotein adhesive. In essence, a super-glue!

Scientists are studying this two-step process in hope of being able to manufacture the glue for surgical use. We make great claims on how scientifically smart we are, but we can always improve our science by having a better understanding of how God made the identical thing in nature. Who knows, the next time you have surgery, “barnacle superglue” may be used!

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped….

~ Psalm 28:7

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 27

Cosmology

Why isn’t the earth and all life on it, fried from deadly solar radiation? The earth is protected by a magnetic force field that surrounds it. Scientists are finding, however, that this protective force field is slowly wearing down (or decaying). At the current rate of decay, the magnetic force field can be no more than 20,000 years old. This means the Earth could not be older than 20,000 years.

Measuring the strength of the earth’s magnetic field began in 1845. Since that time, there have been many studies. One study showed the decay rate of 5% per century. Another study done by archeologists estimated that the earth’s magnetic field must have been 40% stronger in 1000 A.D. A more recent study from 1970 - 2000 by the International Geomagnetic Reference Field measured a loss of 1.4% in the magnetic field in just 30 years! This has far more profound implications than global climate change, yet it is largely ignored.

For the earth to be billions of years old, as evolutionists say, the earth’s magnetic field would long ago have disappeared, and we would have been bombarded by deadly solar radiation. But earth still has a force field surrounding it. When we do the math, it all points to a young earth and magnetic field. According to Scripture, the earth and the entire universe is only about 6,000 years old. Earth’s magnetic field shouts a young earth!

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters….

~ Psalm 136:5,6

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 26

Biblical Accuracy

One criterion for determining the reliability of any ancient manuscript is the time which elapsed from the original manuscript to its later copies; the more time that has passed between the original and the copy, the more chance for errors to develop.

So what have manuscript studies found when comparing ancient documents? Caesar’s War Commentaries were written about 50 B.C.; we do not have the original. The only copies date from the 9th century - a 900 year gap! Aristotle’s works have a 1450 year gap. Plato’s works have a 1,250 year gap. Tacitus’s writings have a 1,000 year gap from the original manuscript, and Virgil’s works have a 300 year gap.

Now, let’s compare these ancient manuscripts (whose authenticity is not questioned) with the New Testament. Major copies of every book in the New Testament are within 100 years of the original. What a short time span! The closer to the original, the more accurate it will be. If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would be beyond ANY REASONABLEDOUBT. The New Testament stands in a league of its own, far more trustworthy than any other ancient writing!

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:  but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

~ Isaiah 40:8

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 25

Design

It is often stated that belief in God is a “leap of faith.” Yet, the Bible, from the Old Testament (Psalm 19:1-4) to the New Testament (Romans 1:18-23), clearly states that the reality of God’s existence is absolutely apparent to everyone, everywhere -- simply by observing creation. In other words, creation could only exist if a Creator made it.

The September 2013 journal Science describes a set of perfectly formed gears at the base of a lowly 2 mm-long leafhopper nymph. This creature has the ability to jump several inches using a mighty thrust from its hind legs that propels the creature with an acceleration of nearly 400 G (fighter pilots risk blackout if accelerating much past 10 G). This feat would be equivalent to a man accelerating from 0 to 200 mph in less than a second and jumping 400 feet in a single bound!

What makes the leafhopper’s feat even more amazing is that the nerve impulses cannot travel fast enough to allow both legs to push off in a coordinated fashion – meaning that with every hop, the insect should spin out of control. So how did the Creator solve this problem? He added a set of interlocking gears to the base of the leafhopper’s legs so that they are forced to move in exact coordination.2 This design is currently being studied as a prototype for new kinds of high-speed, directional gears. The marvels of the microscopic world and the wonders of God’s creativity never cease. The belief that such a gear could “make itself” via random changes over time is equivalent to believing that a gear could be produced in a machine shop via random hammering of a piece of metal. When we see microscopic gears solving a leafhopper’s leap, we stand in awe of our Creator!

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

~ Psalm 19:1-3

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 24

Design

Have you considered that the winds have weight? Winds move the air, and air has mass. If the air had no mass, then the winds would have no force. This is just what is stated in Job 28:25, “To make the weight for the wind.”

It was once believed that air had no weight. Evangelista Torricelli designed an experiment to test this belief in 1641. He filled a 3 foot glass tube with mercury. He quickly turned it upside down and placed it in a bowl of mercury. The mercury in the tube dropped to 30 inches. Torricelli noticed that when the mercury rose in the tube, there were clear skies. The mercury level decreased as stormy weather approached. Torricelli had invented the barometer, which measured the weight of the air. God told Job of this idea, the “weight for the winds,” some 3500 years earlier. Too many people are trained to think of the Bible as unscientific. The very opposite is true. Whenever God’s Word speaks of science, it is true. In reality, we are just catching up with God.

To make the weight for the winds;

~ Job 28:25

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 23

Biology

All warm-blooded animals generate heat when running. When we run fast, we get rid of heat by sweating over our entire body. But a dog does not sweat the way humans do. Instead, a dog “pants.” Panting is a process where a dog hangs his tongue out of his open mouth and breaths over his wet tongue. This causes the wet saliva to evaporate – removing heat from the tongue in the process. This cools the tongue’s blood vessels, which carry the cooled blood throughout the body.

A dog’s primary method for regulating its body temperature is by evaporation through panting and sweat glands on its paws. This is a marvelous design. Imagine a dog sweating all over its body on a cold winter day; its coat would be covered with icicles. God had to solve many engineering problems when he created the wide variety of creatures to survive the diverse environments throughout the earth.

[The Lord] will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:….

~ Micah 4:2

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 22

Biology

It has been widely repeated, “Dogs are man’s best friend.” This has proven to be true for thousands of years as dogs have benefited mankind with hunting, herding, transportation, protection, and companionship. There are over 300 dog breeds in the world - from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. Most have been bred over the last century! Why is there so much variety within the dog kind?

Part of the key is that most dogs have 78 chromosomes – there are only 48 chromosomes in chimpanzees. Having so many more chromosomes allows dogs to produce many variations within a short amount of time. No new information has been added; existing information has just rearranged in countless ways to produce the breeds we see today. Dog variation can be compared to a kaleidoscope – each turn produces a new pattern, yet the same number of beads remains within the kaleidoscope. Evolution requires new information to be added, but that has never been observed - just variation within the dog kind. And that is exactly what God’s Word says.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, … and it was so.

~ Genesis 1:24

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 21

Geology

How long does it take to form large mineral formations? In 1903, in the town of Thermopolis, Wyoming, USA, someone drove an iron pipe into the ground, allowing the underground mineral-rich waters to escape. As the warm mineral waters flowed out the top of the pipe, the water evaporated leaving behind a mineral called travertine. The travertine rock mound is now 24 feet tall.

Why does this rock formation, called Teepee Fountain, surprise visitors? Because it did not take millions of years to form. When tourists view cave stalagmites and stalactites, tour guides tell them these rock formations took hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to form. The Teepee Fountain shows us this is not true - it just took the right chemical environment to make this monstrous mound. Rocks can form very rapidly.

Consider the following: At the beginning of the Genesis Flood, the Bible says all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, suggesting huge hot-water geysers erupting mineral-rich waters just like at Thermopolis. These mineral-rich waters would have been mixed with sand, mud, and other sediments during this violent Flood. As the sediments settled out and the waters dried up, the remaining minerals helped bind the sediments together to form the sedimentary rock layers that we see today. It does not take millions of years to form solid rock, just the right conditions.

Towards the end of the Flood ~“ The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained”

~ Genesis 8:2

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

References for this devotional.