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Category Archives: Creation

The Supremacy of Christ

The Supremacy of Christ

We’re continuing our walk through the book of Colossians. Paul is giving truth that shows the fallacy of Gnosticism. For the last couple of posts, I talked about the place of Christ in creation.

Now Paul talks about the Lord’s place as Ruler and King.

As I’ve said before, Paul is combating the heresy that places Christ at the bottom of the ladder of created angelic beings. He now gives us a picture of Christ in His rightful place.

First, we see the Lord as the Head of the church, His body on earth. The word, church, that Paul uses, means the gathering together of God’s people.

Jesus Christ is the beginning of it all. That word means the chief in order, rank, time, or place. Nothing would exist if not for Christ.

But, more than that, He is the firstborn from the dead. Not even death itself could stop the Lord from His assignment.

There were many who were raised from the dead in Scripture. But Jesus Christ is the only one who came back and stayed alive forever. All of the others, people like Lazarus, eventually had to die and go back to the grave. Not Jesus!

Paul makes the reasoning clear. This was so that in every area of existence, Christ is supreme.

The fullness of God was in Him. That’s one of the hardest things for us to grasp. The fact that Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully man at the same time.

But, because of that, He was the perfect mediator. The Lord could deal with our sin and the holiness of God at the same time. Now we have peace with God through the blood He shed on the cross. The power released in that act is totally unimaginable.

Now, because of His sacrifice, we can stand holy, righteous, and clean before the God of the universe. What an amazing gift. His love is unthinkable.

When you look at all of this as a whole, you can realize why only He is worthy of our worship. All of heaven, and earth will bow before His Lordship. The best thing we can do is to choose this response now, before we have no choice.

It takes me back to a verse in 2 Corinthians.

This is the message a dying world needs to hear. How can we keep it to ourselves? Share the Good News with everyone who will listen!

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 29, 2023 in Creation, Faith, Power of God, The Gospel

 

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Dark Matter and the Word

Dark Matter and the Word

As we go through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, the apostle is giving them a clear picture of who Jesus Christ is. He explains the glory of God, the Son, in powerful terms.

But, before I start on today’s Scripture, I have to start with an introduction. As many of you know, I don’t have a religious degree. My degree is in the field of science. That gives me a unique perspective on the Word of God.

Contrary to what they say in the world, science does not disprove the Bible. Actually, in my experience, scientific FACTS only serve to prove who God is. The FACTS of science line up with the Word.

The problem comes in with the interpretation of those facts. Atheists come to the table with the foundational assumption that there’s no God. Therefore, they have to explain how those facts could work without God.

I see those same facts, and they only serve to increase my faith in the Lord. Today’s verse is one of those places that illustrate this. So, prepare yourself for a science lesson.

There are some things about this universe that baffle atheistic scientists. One of these is the FACT that there’s not enough mass in the universe to provide the gravity which holds it together. With the matter we see, everything should fly apart.

So, physicists have come up with a theoretical particle that they call dark matter. They say that in order for the universe to be stable, this dark matter has to provide the gravity necessary to hold everything together.

What baffles them is that you can’t see these particles. You can’t test for them. You can’t find them. You just have to take it on faith that they exist.

What does Scripture say? That brings me to today’s verse from Colossians. In talking about Christ, Paul says…

According to the Word, the Creator made the universe in such a way that it needed to be held together. It is God, Himself who holds it together.

Atheistic physicists describe their belief in dark matter as an invisible “spider’s web” holding the universe together. That sounds like misplaced faith to me. In order to hold on to their belief in “no God”, they trust an invisible array of dark matter.

However, if you listen to their belief, it’s even more incredible. One article I read (written by an atheist) actually said that our universe has been “finely tuned to support life”. Of course, they believe that nature finely tuned it.

Think about it. If I say that an Indy race car was finely tuned, does that sound like random chance to you? “Finely tuned” implies that someone took a lot of time and care to make it run exactly how it should.

These physicists say that our universe has exactly the right amount of dark matter to produce life. Too much and everything would come together in a big blob. Not enough, and everything would disintegrate. It had to be perfect.

Yes, I believe our universe was finely tuned. The Good News is that I know the Tuner and Creator. When I see the choice…an invisible spider’s web vs. A loving Creator…my decision is simple. I place my faith in the God who has revealed Himself through the Bible and in Jesus Christ.

That seems the simplest choice to me. Over and over again throughout my life, it has proven to be the exact, right choice.

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 27, 2023 in Creation, Faith, Power of God, Word of God

 

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God Lives in Us

God Lives in Us

As we continue through Colossians, I just want to remind you of some things. A man named Epaphras was the founding pastor of this church. He was one of Paul’s spiritual sons.

He visited Paul with a question about the Gnostic heresy that was creeping into his church. The Gnostics taught that everything in the material world is evil. God cannot touch it, so He created a number of lower beings as mediators.

According to their cult, Jesus was at the bottom of this list. This was a blatant denial of the Lord’s deity. Because he’s dealing with this subject, Paul gives us one of the clearest pictures of Christ in this small letter.

In my last post, Paul showed us that we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ. Now he describes exactly who Christ is.

In this verse we see Christ as the Creator. Sometimes that confuses people. They trip up over the words, God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Much of the problem is that we’ve developed a religious language that’s not based on the Bible. It seems like it’s based on songs and traditions. If you listen to our language, you get the idea that there are three Gods.

The fact is that there is only one God. Another important point is that we’ve been created in the image of God. That should give us a foundation for understanding Him. Just like us, there are three parts to His being – Father, Son and Spirit.

Part of the problem is that we like formulas. Many times, I’ve heard that we must pray to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. While there’s nothing wrong with that, a lot of what we do sounds like this…

If you were meeting with a friend, would you say, “I just want to sit down with your body and talk to your mind through your ears.”

We don’t do this in the natural. We simply say, “Can I talk to you?”

Even something as simple as “Who created the world?” sometimes can be confusing.

We know that God created everything, but we argue over whether it was the Father, the Son, or the Spirit who said, “Let there be…”

This is why Paul’s description of Christ is so important. It answers the burning question. Was it Father, Son, or Spirit who created us? What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter – God created us – all the parts of His being worked together.

That’s like asking; was it my spirit, soul or body who drove my car? I DROVE MY CAR!!!

I think that we get so caught up in the parts of God’s being, that we miss the big picture. God Himself lives in us. I have access into His presence because of Christ.

I don’t believe that the Lord is as concerned over our formulas as much as our relationship with Him. We must deepen our walk with Christ, by spending quality time with His Holy Spirit.

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 24, 2023 in Creation, Power of God, Prayer in the Spirit, The Gospel

 

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Three Main Functions of the Mind (Repost)

Three Main Functions of the Mind (Repost)

Over the next couple of weeks or so I’ll be on vacation. While I’m gone I’ve felt that I should repost my Top 10 most read articles. Some of you have been following me long enough to have read them already. If so, my prayer is that they will again be a blessing to you.

I enjoy studying teachings about the subject of Creation vs. Evolution. I believe there’s a very important issue involved that no one seems to talk about.

We’ll start by looking at a passage from the book of Hebrews.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3

Actually, it all boils down to one key phrase – we understand. What does it mean to understand?

The Bible talks about three basic concepts that deal with how the mind functions.

The first is knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and it’s the easiest to acquire. We go to school or read books and get knowledge.

The next is wisdom, and that’s a little bit tougher to get. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to solve problems. The only way to get wisdom is through experience or time spent in God’s presence.

The third and most important function is understanding. Understanding involves direction. It looks for the eventual outcome of a line of thinking. It tries to put together all the facts, and asks, “Where does the path I’m on take me?” This process exercises the mind to its greatest potential. It’s hard work and sometimes brings unexpected results.

Because of this, most people will not seek understanding. Yet seeking is the only way to obtain it.  You must choose to understand.

Understanding, then, is exercising the mind to see the entire picture of life. It looks at how everything fits together. This is what our society desperately needs.

Unfortunately, most school systems teach us NOT to understand. Everything is about the present. Does it feel good right now? Instead of understanding, they seek explanations – as long as these explanations fit into their worldviews.

There’s an unfortunate outcome to this kind of living.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Psalm 32:9

Our modern society displays the truth of this verse. The less understanding you possess, the more you need to be controlled.

We frequently hear people complain, “There are so many new and complicated laws now.” What does that tell you? I believe that we’re training a generation how not to understand.

The ability to seek understanding is the basis for a clear direction in life. It’s got to be the starting point. Without direction, there’s no reason for self-control.

This is why the creation-evolution debate is so emotional. It involves issues that affect the very core of who we are and how we view our existence.

Question: How is a lack of direction displayed by our present society?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on August 6, 2021 in Creation, Spiritual Walk

 

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Dark Thinking

Dark Thinking

In my last post, I began looking at Paul’s view of society without Christ.  He also made the point that God’s character is seen through His creation.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

As a believer who loves the outdoors, this verse excites me.  To see the beauty of a mountain vista, fall colors, lake, sky, and wind.  They all combine together to give a sense of awe and wonder.  All of Creation seems to cry out that it’s the work of someone vastly more intelligent and powerful than you or I.

But that’s not how it is for everybody.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans 1:21-23

This passage reminds us that not everyone credits God for His work.  There are those who see a vastly different picture.  As I said in my last post, evolution and chance are the gods of this world.  There are many people who overlook the obvious in order to avoid giving account of themselves to God.

The fact remains that God has revealed Himself in the context of His Creation.  This is why society does not seek understanding even though it’s the most important issue of life.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Romans 1:24-25

The problem is that understanding brings with it the desire to know God.  So, in order to deflect this knowledge, man has decided to worship creation rather than the Creator.

You may think that this section of Scripture is outdated.  People don’t worship images in the shape of humans or animals anymore.  But is that really the case?

We need to see the definition of the word, worship.  It means the act or feeling of adoration or homage.  It involves the giving of deference, respect or honor to someone or something.

Just because our modern idols are not statues of silver and gold doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  In our society, we worship athletes, entertainers, educators, politicians, and chefs to name a few.  We even have a popular show called American Idol

According to the verses above, this mindset causes us to walk in foolish and empty reasoning.  We end up worshiping things that are temporary and decaying.

Without Christ, we make a very foolish exchange.  We give up the glory of a powerful and eternal God for things that will never satisfy or last forever.

The worst part is that there are many Christians who are running after these same things.  They don’t understand that true satisfaction and fulfillment can only be found in the center of God’s will for them.

Make it your goal to seek the eternal.  Spend time getting to know the God of Creation through your relationship with Christ.

Question: What is the focus of worship in your life?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 2, 2020 in Creation, Spiritual Walk, Worship

 

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Spiritual Warfare – A Strong Start

As I said in my last post, I’m beginning a series on the spiritual battle that we find ourselves in.  There are a number of things that we misunderstand about it.  Hopefully, I can help to clear up some of these issues.

To start this subject, I want to take us through the history of spiritual warfare, as recorded in Scripture.  To do that, I’m going to look at some verses that people don’t normally associate with this topic.  I just ask you to stick with me; it will become clear as we go along.

The first place I want to take you is to the throne room scene in Heaven.  In the book of Revelation, we see Christ (the Lamb) taking up a scroll that’s sealed with seven seals.  That’s found in Revelation, chapter 5.

I believe that this scroll is the title deed to planet earth.  Christ is given it as a call for Him to return as King since He paid for it with His blood on the cross.

As with any deed, it should record the major events of the property in question.  It would contain the owners, liens, and rights of way that have been enforced during its history.  The deed to earth is no exception.

That being said, in Revelation, chapter 6, we see the Lord breaking these seals and opening the scroll.  What’s recorded on it is very important to our discussion.

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.  Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”  I looked, and there before me was a white horse!  Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Revelation 6:1-2

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of conjecture about this verse.  Some say that it’s talking about Christ, the church, or the devil.  Unfortunately, if you read the description carefully, you’ll find that none of these will match perfectly.

There is one person, however, that fits all the requirements of this verse.  Look at the description.

He carries a bow.  In the ancient world, that was the “first-strike” capability of any army.  The archers could do a lot of damage before the enemy even got close.

He was also given a crown.  That’s talking about God-given authority.  Along with that, he had a destiny to conquer something.  And don’t forget that he rides a white horse – that stands for purity.

With all of these descriptions, I think that the single most important fact is that he’s the first person listed on the title deed to the earth.  As far as I can see, there’s only one person this could be.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:27-28

Here we see the start of it all.  Adam is created perfect, pure, and righteous.  He has authority to rule and is commissioned to subdue, or conquer, the entire earth.  He’s to bring everything on earth under the rulership of God, the Creator.

As the first created human, he’s also in a unique position.  Because of his authority under God, he can protect the earth from any invader.  He has been given “first-strike capability.”

In Adam, the human race was given a strong start.  Things looked very promising.  There’s no enemy that could defeat God’s anointed ruler.  At least that’s what it looked like in the beginning.

In my next post, we’ll see how that turns out.

Question: How are we like Adam, with the authority God has given us in Christ?

© 2019 Nick Zaccardi

 
 

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The Trinity – Divine Order

One of the most difficult concepts for most people to understand is the triune nature of God.  We have come up with the word, trinity to describe it.  But you have to realize that “trinity” is not in the Bible.

As we go through Paul’s explanation of the resurrection, he touches on this subject in passing.

For he “has put everything under his feet.”  Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.  When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:27-28

The first and most important thing you need to understand is that we serve one God.  Sometimes the way we use the word trinity, and the way we talk about “God in three persons”, makes it sound like we have three Gods.  That is absolutely NOT the case.

The next piece of the puzzle is the realization that this one God, throughout history, has manifested Himself in four ways.  There are times that we see God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.  Then there are those times when we refer to all of these together simply as God.

Are you confused yet?  I hope not.  But hopefully, I’ll clear some things up for you as we go along.

The Bible is clear that we were created in God’s image.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”
Genesis 1:26a

It turns out that because of this, we are also triune beings.  We each have a body, a soul, and a spirit even though we’re one person.  Unfortunately for us, these three don’t always agree with each other.

You can think about God in the same way.  Our spirit exists, functions, and interacts in the spiritual realm.  That corresponds to God, the Holy Spirit.

Our body exists, functions, and interacts in the material realm.  That part of us corresponds to God, the Son.

Our soul is the center of who we are.  It houses our personality, memories, and the seat of our decision-making ability.  That part corresponds with God, the Father.

I am one person.  But I have three parts that make me whole.  They are always working together whether I realize it or not.

In my person, my soul is the part with the highest authority right now.  Some people teach that our spirit is highest, but Scripture says otherwise (1 Corinthians 14:32).  After the resurrection, however, our spirits will be in charge (1 Corinthians 15:44).

Now that I’ve explained all of this, let’s look at the above verse from First Corinthians.

Let’s say that I want a new smartphone.  But who really wants it?  It’s the real me – the person inside my being – my soul is wanting it.

How does my soul get it?  My body goes to work and makes a salary.  The money goes into the bank account of my whole person.  My body goes to the store and buys a new smartphone.  Now, my body places the new phone under the authority of my soul.

My body carries out the will of my soul.  It’s under the authority of my soul.  But even though this is true, my body is no less “me” than my soul.

In the same way, God the Son carries out the will of God the Father.  But, that doesn’t make the Son any less God than the Father.  Father, Son, and Spirit are all God.  One God.  They work together in the same way that my body, soul, and spirit work together.

We serve a great God.  He desires to reveal Himself to His people if we would spend time getting to know Him better.

Question: How do you describe the relationship of God – Father, Son, and Spirit?

© 2019 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 16, 2019 in Creation, Power of God, Spiritual Walk

 

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Who is the Holy Spirit?

DoveHere we are 2000 years from when the Holy Spirit was given to the church. But do we fully understand who He is?

We’ve developed a religious language that’s not based on the Bible. It seems like it’s based on songs and traditions. If you listen to our language you get the idea that there are three Gods.

There is only one God. My goal is to explain some things that may sound confusing at first. But throughout this series I want us to have a clearer picture of who the Holy Spirit actually is.

The fact that we’ve been created in the image of God should give us a foundation for understanding Him. Just like us, there are three parts to His being – Father, Son and Spirit.

Part of the problem is that we like formulas. Many times I’ve heard that we must pray to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. While there’s nothing wrong with that, a lot of what we do sounds like this…

If you were meeting with a friend, would you say, “I just want to sit down with your body and talk to your mind through your ears.”

We don’t do this in the natural. We simply say, “Can I talk to you?”

Even something as simple as “Who created the world?” sometimes can be confusing.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3

We know that God created everything, but we argue over whether it was the Father or the Spirit who said, “Let there be…”

In talking about Jesus Christ, Paul said…

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Colossians 1:15-16

Was it Father, Son, or Spirit who created us? What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter – God created us – all the parts of His being worked together.

That’s like asking; was it my spirit, soul or body who drove my car? I DROVE MY CAR!!!

I think that we get so caught up in the parts of God’s being, that we miss the big picture. God Himself lives in us. I have access into His presence.

I don’t believe that the Lord is as concerned over our formulas as much as our relationship with Him. We must spend quality time getting to know the person of the Holy Spirit.

That’s what the next few posts will deal with.

Question: How would you characterize your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on November 9, 2015 in Creation, Faith, Spiritual Walk

 

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Understanding is a Scary Subject

LightningThis is my third post talking about why the evolution-creation debate is so emotional.  I have been dealing with the subject of understanding.  I believe this is at the very heart of the issue.  What is it about understanding that scares so many learned people?

The apostle Paul gives us some insight.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Romans 1:18-19

I guess the real question is, how has God made it plain?  Atheists say that they can look at creation and not even think about a God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:20

There’s that key phrase again – being understood.  This is what society fears the most.  If you apply understanding to what you see around you, it will lead you to God.  There’s no way around it, understanding will bring you face to face with God.

The Lord made it impossible to use understanding to arrive at the conclusion that we are here by the evolutionary process.  Applying understanding to the world around us will never lead to a belief in random chance.  How does that theory come about?

It starts with the foundation of atheism – I don’t want there to be a God.  Therefore, I have to come up with some other way for us to be here.  I must now find an explanation for how we could have gotten here if there were no God.  Of course, all the facts won’t fit into my theory, but at least I can explain how there can be life without God – even if it means I put my understanding on hold.

That’s why evolution will always be a theory.  It can never be proven, because there are too many things that it can’t explain when taken all together.  All it can do is provide a bit of consolation for those who don’t want to believe in God.

This is where the frightening world of understanding comes in.  Understanding will cost you something.  It brings responsibility with it.  Once I understand that there is a God that I must answer to, the rest of my life is affected by this knowledge.  That’s why the quest for understanding is one which is not undertaken by many.

It’s my prayer that you are one of the few who seek to understand the truth.

Question: How does your understanding of God affect your lifestyle?

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2012 in Creation

 

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The Three Main Functions of the Mind

DonkeyIn my last post I started talking about the subject of Creation vs. Evolution.  I believe there’s a very important issue involved that no one seems to talk about.

We started by looking at a passage from the book of Hebrews.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3

Actually, it all boils down to one key phrase – we understand.  What does it mean to understand?

The Bible talks about three basic concepts that deal with how the mind functions.

The first is knowledge.  Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and it’s the easiest to acquire.  We go to school or read books and get knowledge.

The next is wisdom, and that’s a little bit tougher to get.  Wisdom is the application of knowledge to solve problems.  The only way to get wisdom is through experience, or time spent in God’s presence.

The third and most important function is understanding.   Understanding involves direction.  It looks for the eventual outcome of a line of thinking.  It tries to put together all the facts, and asks, “Where does the path I’m on take me?”  This process exercises the mind to its greatest potential.  It’s hard work, and sometimes brings unexpected results.

Because of this, most people will not seek understanding.  Yet seeking is the only way to obtain it.  You must choose to understand.

Understanding, then, is exercising the mind to see the entire picture of life.  It looks at how everything fits together.  This is what our society desperately needs.

Unfortunately, most school systems teach us NOT to understand.  Everything is about the present.  Does it feel good right now?  Instead of understanding, they seek explanations – as long as these explanations fit into their world views.

There is an unfortunate outcome to this kind of living.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Psalm 32:9

Our modern society displays the truth of this verse.  The less understanding you possess, the more you need to be controlled.

We frequently hear people complain, “There are so many new and complicated laws now.”  What does that tell you?  I believe that we’re training a generation how not to understand.

The ability to seek understanding is the basis for a clear direction in life.  It’s got to be the starting point.  Without direction, there’s no reason for self-control.

This is why the creation-evolution debate is so emotional.  It involves issues that affect the very core of who we are and how we view our existence.

Question: Do you see a lack of direction and self-control in our society?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2012 in Creation, Faith

 

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