K-LOVE Features February 2016
Problems With Evolution
The theory of Evolution has lots of problems. First: there’s no “new creation” taking place at this time. None! If the Earth evolved, why did it stop? Second: matter is constantly changing, but the trend is always downward – toward deterioration – not upward. Third: lower life forms have, in certain instances, more complex cell formations than higher life forms. For example: frog cells are more complex than human cells. Hmm? And lastly, there’s no fossil evidence indicating that species evolved, and there are NO species that arise gradually. They each appear “all at once – fully formed.” Each in-between stage would have left fossils. And most people are unaware that Darwin’s strongest opponents were NOT Christians, but fossil experts. The Bible says, “…God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV)
Something From Nothing
If you can believe, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” you should have no problem believing the rest of the Bible. But, the opposite is also true! You’d think any objective person would realize it’s impossible to get “something” out of “nothing.” And saying it took billions and billions of years doesn’t make getting “something” out of “nothing” more feasible. Professor Richard Goldschmidt, a geneticist at the University of California at Berkeley, once wrote, “To suppose that…a random event could reconstruct even a single complex organ like a liver or kidney is about as reasonable as to suppose that an improved watch can be designed by throwing an old one against the wall.” The most un-scientific thought ever conceived by man is that: “something came from nothing.” We came from God, and to God we shall return.
God Is Hovering Over Your Life
Have you ever wondered why God made darkness before light? What’s the principle? God wants us to choose Him. We can choose light or darkness. Without a choice there’s no true love. God wants a Bride who desires Him. It’s not a shotgun wedding! Darkness will always be an option while we’re on this Earth. Though I hate darkness, especially in me, it’s darkness that gives me a greater appreciation for light. Seeing selfishness makes me love selflessness even more. The Bible says, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the darkness.” Doesn’t that remind you of your life before you received Jesus? When I was suicidal – God was hovering over my life. When I was an atheist – God was hovering over my life. Whatever darkness you are facing right now, remember, God is hovering over your life!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
No leader had a greater impact in my youth than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No words are sufficient to express the courage and wisdom I saw in him. He led the civil rights movement for 13 years. And during that time, more progress was made for African-Americans to achieve racial equality than in the previous 350 years. Somehow, the pure abandon of his life cut through both the national dysfunction and my own personal confusion. A flawed man, like each of us, and nearly every Bible hero, Dr. King remains the champion of abandon and conviction. He wrote, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” He prayed, “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
Drugs
Is there biblical validation for using drugs? Genesis 1:12 says, “God created all seed-bearing plants, and trees…and God saw that it was good.” Some have used this verse to justify the use of marijuana. But, not every plant is good for every purpose – hemlock is natural, but it’s a poison and will kill you. Try smoking poison ivy! Whatever God creates as good, will always have a counterfeit. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27, ESV) Everything God created for good has a phony substitute: false peace, false truth, even false comfort. Our ability to determine the truth from the lies will not just affect our life on Earth, but eternity. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7, NIV) Sow wisely!
God and Resting
“God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from His work of creation.” (Genesis 2:3) Everything God does is holy, even rest. Resting is a holy act! Rest is NOT being entertained, spacing out, or just having fun. Rest is focused peace! Rest is not renting 3 DVD’s and vegging out! It’s not being lazy! It’s consciously trusting God with our lives! Rest is bowing to God, not the pressures of life, or the “God of performance!” It takes faith to rest in God! We are born “hardwired for rest!” The world is “hardwired for stress! We cannot be conformed to the image and likeness of God and not live at rest. God is not just a “God of Rest!” He’s a “God at REST!” Jesus, give us the rest in You we so desperately need!
Naked
Ever heard this statement? Since Adam and Eve were naked, obviously there’s nothing wrong with nakedness. In Genesis 2:25, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame. Shame has been defined as a negative emotion that combines feelings of dishonor, unworthiness, and embarrassment. Adam and Eve’s nakedness was far more than nudity. They were totally open and exposed before God and one another. Before the fall, they were naked, but didn’t see it as sinful. They were exposed, but not exploited! They were naked, but not immoral! They were unclothed, but not unprotected! They were undressed, but not uncovered! They were bare, but didn’t use one another! If you want to get back to the Garden! Live an honest, open and transparent life in the presence of God!
God Determines What Is Light
Do you want to know the most important thing God determines? God determines reality, what is real and what is not, what will last and what fades away, the eternal verses the temporary, right from wrong, truth verses lies. It’s all in His court. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, the God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts…” It is God who determines what is light and what is darkness, not man. God determines what your gender is, what marriage is, what truth is, what reality is. Not man! Not counterfeit light! The world is loaded with counterfeit light…counterfeit truth… even counterfeit peace. Have you identified the counterfeit truth in your life? It’s vital that you do! For only then can you find the eternal truth that will set you free.
Evil
The Devils attacks are always aimed at trying to get us to doubt the goodness of God and the badness of sin! Satan’s main lie is: “Sin’s not that bad and God’s not that good.” Before Adam and Eve sinned, all they had ever known was good. In a few moments, all that would change. Before that time, no human being had ever known “evil.” They had been “spoiled with good!” Evil would shatter all that! How many of us have found that knowing “evil” has been a real bonus to our lives? “Most of the time I feel if I found out one additional piece of information about evil, I would go crazy!” My evil cup is full up! I have seen and experienced way too much evil. “God, deliver us from evil, and fill us with Your goodness!”
Favoritism
Perhaps the most destructive attitude devastating family relationships is favoritism: valuing one child above another. It started in the first family, with Adam and Eve. Their firstborn son Cain’s name meant, “Here he is!” while his brother Abel’s name meant “Unsatisfactory!” One was elevated with, “Here he is!” and the other was deflated, “Here comes unsatisfactory!” How sad! It’s no wonder that Cain was ill prepared for Abel’s offering to God being accepted, while his own was rejected. He’d been fed the lie, “I’m more special than my brother Abel!” and therefore was unable to accept God esteeming Abel’s offering as better. Favoritism led to jealousy and even murder. Down through the ages, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all had favorites. To see the destructive results, just look at the Middle East. Have no favorites! Love and value your children equally, and your family will be blessed.
Open Minded
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m open minded!” When Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened in Genesis 3:7, the Bible says, “…they suddenly felt shame, unworthy and embarrassment.” Satan opened their eyes all right! But, there’s nothing more dangerous than a partial truth. Because a complete lie is rarely an effective temptation. At times when our “eyes are opened” we see less-not more. I did drugs – my eyes were opened. I saw less, not more. I had sex outside of marriage – I saw less, not more. I disobeyed my conscience… I saw less, not more. Disobedience always brings shame! So many people are living under a cloud of shame. All that happens is we feel naked…exposed…vulnerable… dishonored…unworthy and …embarrassed!
Cosmic Coincidences?
What takes more faith, believing something came from nothing, or believing that there is an intelligent design in the Universe? Think about this: imagine the size of a full moon in the sky. For every patch of sky the size of the moon, if you look deep into space, there are a million galaxies; and each one of those galaxies contains 200 billion stars, the size of our sun. There are actually as many stars in the Universe as there are grains of sand found on all the beaches in the world. WOW! So did all of that just happen? Is it a cosmic coincidence? Did it evolve from nothing? The Bible says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31, ESV) The most un-scientific thought ever conceived by man is that “something came from nothing.”