Daily Devotional – December 21

Microbiology

Stanley Miller’s famous experiment in 1953 attempted to show that life began when lightning passed through a particular atmosphere and made chemicals called amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are required by all living cells. Miller did show that some amino acids could be made in this way, but it’s quite another thing to get them to build a living cell! Just as a few concrete blocks in a parking lot will never turn themselves into a complex building, the existence of a few amino acids can never explain the origin of a living cell.

These amino acids supposedly linked together to form proteins (like beads on a necklace). These proteins then somehow would have to form the first DNA that went on to form the first living cell. Generations of schoolchildren have been taught this fairytale as if it were a fact of history. Now even many atheists are bailing out and admitting life could not have possibly formed in this way. Why?

1. Amino acids in water do not concentrate themselves; they disperse.
2. Amino acids need to be in the pure form in order to make proteins. Contaminants in ocean water would have stopped protein formation.
3. Under natural conditions, pure amino acids will not form proteins.
4. Living things use only left-handed amino acids, yet Miller-type experiments always result in a useless 50:50 mixture of right and left-hand amino acids.

What Miller’s experiment actually showed was that life could not possibly have formed in this way. The complex organization of life requires an intelligent Creator! It is by observing creation that God makes His awesome power and creativity apparent to everyone.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

~ Romans 1:19

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

Daily Devotional – December 20

Biology

Today, anthropologists like to classify people into different groups (races) based on their skin color and hair: Caucasoid (Europeans), Mongoloid (Chinese), Negroid, Australoid and Malayan. Yet, skin color is based simply on how much melanin is produced in each skin cell. If a person has a lot of melanin, he will be dark-skinned. If the person does not have much melanin, he will be light-skinned. When a person with lots of melanin (dark-skinned) lives in a northern country that receives little sunshine, he will not be able to absorb much vitamin D and may develop rickets. If a person with little melanin, lightskinned, lives near the equator with lots of sunshine, he may develop skin cancer. As a result, there would be natural thinning of the genetic pool in response to the environment.

During the Ice Age, people groups left the tower of Babel and spread out. People of higher latitudes began to ‘acquire’ light skin while those near the equator ‘acquired’ dark skin. But what about the Eskimo (Inuit) people living in the far north and the people of Central and South America? Why do they have middle-brown skin? Shouldn’t the Eskimos be light-skinned and the South Americans living on the equator be dark-skinned? These people groups moved out from the Tower of Babel and simply lacked the gene for lots of melanin (dark skin) that resulted in these American people groups having middlebrown skinned people. The gene pool is more important than the environment; new information cannot be added.

Adam, from whom we are all descended, had the best possible gene pool. Noah and his family were probably middle brown, possessing genes for both dark and light skin. Today, most people are middle brown. In fact, we are all one big extended family!

And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth .…

~ Acts 17:26

Daily Devotional – December 19

Geology

Where did the Great Salt Lake get its salt? Why is it not a fresh water lake? The Dead Sea, Aral Sea, and Caspian Sea are also dried up ocean water lakes. Evolutionists believe that the waters are from oceans that were trapped; creationists agree. Salty waters were caught in basins as the Genesis floodwaters rushed off the land.

After Noah’s Flood, the Ice Age began. About a thousand years later, the Ice Age ended bringing on dramatic, worldwide climate change. Lakes dried leaving dry basins. Lake Bonneville (Utah) has ancient shorelines that can be seen 1,000 feet above the basin in the surrounding mountains. Salt lakes, dry lake basins, and elevated shorelines testify to one worldcovering flood, the Flood of Noah’s day.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

~ James 3:11

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

Daily Devotional – December 18

History

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama! A century ago, the world marveled at the engineering of the Panama Canal, but it would not have been built if not for a devout Christian military doctor named William Gorgas. The French had started to build the 50-mile-long Panama Canal through the ridges and mountains that separated the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, but many of the workers died of yellow fever, and the French abandoned the project. The leading scientists of the day believed the disease was spread by air from surrounding marshes and filthy slums. The reality was much different; yellow fever came from the bite of a mosquito Aedes aegypti - the same mosquito that now carries the Zika virus.

Against the conventional scientific wisdom of their day, William Gorgas and Walter Reed did careful experimentation to find the mode of disease transmission. They even had volunteers sleep in the noxious excretions of yellow fever victims for a week; no one died. Then they studied the habits of the mosquito A. aegypti. It never traveled more than 200 yards from its birth place AND laid eggs only in fresh water. Armed with this knowledge, Gorgas was assigned to the Panama Canal project. He immediately ran into roadblocks as the majority of doctors refused to believe or accept his conclusions. It took President Roosevelt’s private doctor encouraging the President to enforce Gorgas’ methods. So began the largest public health project in the history of the world up to that time. A massive effort was begun to kill the mosquitoes by fumigating houses and putting screens on windows, lids on cisterns, and even floating oil on standing water. The war succeeded! Once the mosquito that carried yellow fever was killed off, the focus shifted to engineering the Panama Canal.

Gorgas was a Christian who understood that the truth is often opposed. Gorgas knew he was fighting “settled science.” Today, we have greatly benefited from Gorgas’ determination to do true science, but we are still fighting a battle for truth as only evolutionary thought is allowed throughout our public school systems. We, too, need to fight “settled science” and keep the truth in front of people.

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

~ Proverbs 16:9

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

Daily Devotional – December 17

History

It seems very counterintuitive that if I throw a stick it would return to me, but that is exactly what a boomerang does. When the English arrived in Australia, they noticed that the Aborigines had several types of throwing sticks - some of which returned while others did not. It was not until 1822 that this fascinating device was described and given an English name: the boomerang.

How does a boomerang return to its thrower? The boomerang’s arms are curved on the top and flat on the bottom - creating an airfoil. As the boomerang moves through the air, its wings create lift, just like an airplane. As it spins, the edge of the forward spinning wing creates more lift than the opposite arm. This causes the boomerang to tip, resulting in a principle known as gyroscopic precession. This uneven lift causes a constant turning pressure that then causes the boomerang to return to its thrower.

The boomerang is not some primitive object made by some primitive man, but it was made by an intelligent person capable of using sophisticated aerodynamic principles. Boomerangs are a testimony of mankind’s brilliance from the moment of creation.

For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

~ Job 8:8-10

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

Daily Devotional – December 16

Cosmology

For decades, planetary scientists have claimed that the Earth’s ocean water came from comets colliding with the early Earth. But once they measured the composition of the water on comets, scientists found it did not match the characteristics of ocean water. Thus, this explanation fell upon hard times. What’s an evolutionary cosmologist to do?

The latest attempt to rescue the idea that the Earth made itself violates all rules of logic and science. It is now being proposed that water clung to dust particles as they coalesced to form the Earth approximately 5 billion years ago. Here’s the elephant-in-the-living-room problem with this idea:

• These dust particles circling the Sun would have been heated to between 150 and 1080 degrees Celsius – way above the boiling point of water for millions of years while the planet was coalescing. The water would simply have boiled away!
• It is repeatedly assumed that dust circling the Sun clumped into planetesimals (giving something we don’t understand a long name apparently makes it more believable), and then the planetesimals accreted into planets. Yet, it has never been satisfactorily explained how this process could happen because realistic modeling scenarios indicate the particles are driven apart far faster than they “accrete.”
• One of the researchers stated, “The new results will force scientists to re-evaluate the process of Earth’s formation. Perhaps the team’s absorption model is correct, or perhaps water came to Earth aboard a kind of asteroid that hasn’t yet been found, or no longer exists...”

Notice the faith of these scientists. Their beliefs are not based on testable, reproducible observations of science but in “perhaps stories” and things that “haven’t been found or no longer exist.” For Christians, our faith is in what God has told us, “He created the heavens and the earth.”

And my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

~ Isaiah 48:13

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

Daily Devotional – December 15

History

We often think that man was primitive in the past. But, then, how do you explain some of the technology of the past? For example, the ancient Egyptians had a blue-colored pigment that was both beautiful and intense, not even fading with severe sunlight exposure. This paint colorant was used by the ancient Egyptians and then passed onto the Greeks and Romans. Yet, during the “dark ages,” Europeans lost the knowledge of how to manufacture this paint (about 1100 years ago). It was not until the 19th century, when Pompeii was uncovered, that a small pot of this pigment was found and analyzed, allowing us to regain this knowledge. Egyptian Blue is calcium copper tetrasilicate. The paint samples contained silica, calcium oxide, and copper oxide. These compounds were mixed together in precise proportions and heated to 1650 degrees Fahrenheit (900 degrees Celsius) for many hours to produce the brilliant, durable, blue pigment.

The ancient Egyptians used chemistry to create an intense, non-fading, blue colorant. Primitive? Hardly! God created Adam genetically perfect and with the maximum human intellect. In Genesis 4:20-22, mankind is described as having knowledge of livestock, metalworking, and music. After the Flood, the tower of Babel was built, and man was dispersed. Some of Noah’s descendants moved to Egypt and brought with them the knowledge and technology of the pre-Flood world. This explains why ancient civilizations seemed to spring up overnight, like in ancient Egypt. This Egyptian blue is a testimony that man was highly skilled right from the beginning - giving proof that the Genesis account is true.

He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron…

~ Genesis 4:20-22

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

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – December 14

Geology

Have you noticed that many mountain ranges lie next to deep valleys?

• The Himalaya Mountains lie next to the Ganges Plain. The Ganges Plain is a deep valley filled in with sedimentary rocks.
• The Teton Range of mountains is adjacent to Jackson Hole (which lies in a valley) where there appears to be only 6,000 feet of vertical change from the valley to the top of the mountains. Jackson Hole is built on the top of many layers of sedimentary rock. If we go all the way to the bottom of this sediment, all the way to the basement granite rock layers, we find this sedimentary rock has dropped down 20,000 feet below sea level. Now add the Teton Mountains (13,000 feet above sea level) to the 20,000 feet of sedimentary rock at the base of that mountain, and it represents a sediment thickness of 33,000 feet!

As the waters rushed off the rising mountains at the end of the Flood, sediments were carried with it. This filled the basins we see near the mountains. The mountains did rise up, and the valleys did sink just as it says in Psalm 104:8. The earth’s landscapes bear witness to an absolutely devastating Genesis Flood.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

~ Psalm 104:8

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

Daily Devotional – December 13

Design

Scientists have been studying the shark’s skin. When viewed under an electron microscope, the shark’s skin has tiny scales called denticles. The size and position of denticles allow water to flow by quickly, enabling the shark to swim fast. Scientists replicated these denticles on swimsuits. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, athletes that wore Speedo’s Fastskin (shark suit) swimsuits were able to swim faster, breaking 13 of the 15 world records. Continued research created the LZR Racer (which was named the 2008 “best invention” by TIME Magazine). Michael Phelps wore this suit at the Beijing Olympics - winning eight record-breaking gold medals. Copying the design of shark’s skin for swimsuits at swim meets gives users such an advantage that these types of sharkskin swimsuits are now banned in competition!

Naval designers have also applied this sharkskin design to the bottoms of boats. They are finding that cargo ships use less fuel when they add these denticles to the hulls. Also, scientists noticed that on a shark’s skin, there is not much parasitic growth. Now researchers are testing the concept of applying this design to hospital surfaces in order to resist bacterial growth. All this technology is from studying the Great Designer’s design and copying it!

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

~ Psalm 104:24

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

Daily Devotional – December 12

Geology

Imagine walking through an underground city carved out of salt. Imagine this underground city with chapels, bedrooms, dining rooms with chandeliers and sculptures of biblical scenes, saints, and famous historical figures – all carved from salt. Since the 13th century, over 700 years ago, the Wielickzka salt mine near Krakow, Poland, has been mined, and an underground city has been carved out in the process. This salt mine is over 1,000 feet deep and 180 miles long. But how did all this salt get there?

Seawater contains salt. When seawater evaporates, it leaves behind salt and other minerals. Evolutionists believe that these thick, extensive salt deposits came about from the evaporation of seawater over great ages. These underground salt deposits, however, are ultra-pure sodium chloride, free of contaminants and ready for use on roads and for consumption. Where are all the sand and sea creatures trapped in this evaporating seawater over millions of years?

A better explanation is that during the Flood of Noah’s day, “all the fountains of the great deep (were) broken up” (Genesis 7:11), spewing out hot liquids into the cooler, deep oceans. Once cooled, these superheated, super-saturated waters lost the ability to hold their load of dissolved minerals, resulting in great layers of precipitated salts. Salt deposits are better explained as precipitates, not evaporites. So if you ever spend the night in a “salt bedroom,” or just add salt to your popcorn, think biblically about where that salt originated; salt is a result of Noah’s Flood--and then tell others from where it came.

As Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth….”

~ Matthew 5:13

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