Saturday, June 22, 2013
It Makes You Wonder
In
one of the most ancient books known to man a man named Job struggled with the
way his life was unfolding. Often in his
monologues or philosophical discussions with friends he would turn to nature
for understanding. He concluded that God is just too big and complicated for
our small minds to understand, and that we would do well to join creation and
stand in awe and wonder of Him. At one
point he said, "But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean
will tell you their stories. Isn't it
clear that they all know and agree that GOD is sovereign, that he holds all
things in his hand." (Job 12:7-9 MSG)
An
objective and truly scientific exploration of our world will solicit wonder
from even the hardest heart. Whether
gazing at the vast ocean or the endless night sky, one can't help but admire
the Creator. The documentary "God of Wonders" directed by Jim
Tetlow
gives one example of His handiwork:
"All butterflies undergo an amazing
transformation during their life cycle. The
insect begins as an egg. Then, a crawling caterpillar. Followed by the pupa
stage. During this stage the caterpillar begins to convulse in rhythmic jerks,
breaking off its outer skin. Its legs
and outer head capsule are quickly shed, giving rise to a chrysalis. Then, within the first day, the caterpillars
organs disintegrate into a soupy liquid. Miraculously, after one to two weeks,
a complex, winged butterfly emerges.
This metamorphosis takes place in a matter of
days, not millions of years. The adult butterfly now has six segmented legs, antennae,
a specialized feeding tube, two amazing compound eyes, complex reproductive
organs, and four ornate wings. The
caterpillar had none of these features.
Clearly, the genetic instructions for all these stages were programmed
into the insect by the creator from the beginning."
The
film goes on to explore other wonders of creation such as humming birds, DNA,
and water molecules.
Man
is God's crowning creation and, as with the caterpillar, He can change your
life dramatically. You can "become
a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Most every Sunday I have the privilege of worshipping with dozens of
people whose lives have been genuinely transformed. I often marvel at the way God has transformed
the lives and families of those who have truly committed their lives to Him:
·
People
who used to be suicidal now want to live.
·
People
who used to be selfish now serve their families and communities with joy.
·
People
who used to be addicted to harmful substances and behaviors are now free.
·
People
who used to be hurting victims have become healed victors.
·
People
who were willing to die to their way of living have found new and better ways
to live.
·
People
who go through difficult situations can do so with courage and purpose, knowing
that "God is well able to keep what they have committed unto him." (2
Timothy 1:12)
Both
nature and transformed lives make me stand back in wonder at the grace and
power of a loving God.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Curing Delinquency
Years ago in
South Africa's Pilanesberg Park, thirty-nine rhinos were slaughtered. At first officials suspected poachers, but
later they determined that these rhinos were murdered by young male elephants. Here are some snippets from a CBS news story that
explained the elephant's behavior:
·
The problem goes back 20 years to South Africa's
largest conservation area, Kruger National Park. Kruger had too many elephants.
In those days there was no way to relocate these large adults. So researchers
decided to kill the adults and save the children, who were more easily
transported to other parks... The intentions may have been good but the program
created a whole generation of traumatized orphans thrown together without any
adults to teach them how to behave.
·
...like juvenile delinquents, they had grown up
without role models. "I think
everyone needs a role model, and these elephants that left the herd had no role
model and no idea of what appropriate elephant behavior was," said
Gus van Dyk, Pilanesberg Park's field ecologist.
·
Years later those lonely orphans developed into
troubled teen-agers. That's when the killings at Pilanesberg Park began. Like a
police department facing a crime wave, the rangers photographed the murder
scenes and put together rap sheets on the prime suspects, giving them each
names...
·
In 1998, the rangers at Kruger National Park
brought in some of these big elephants... The bigger, older elephants
established a new hierarchy, in part by sparring with the younger elephants to
discourage them from being sexually active. That means less testosterone, and
that's good news for the rhinos....The Pilanesberg juveniles seem to be reading
the message loud and clear. Since the big bulls arrived, not one rhino has been
killed.
(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/08/22/60II/main226894.shtml)
The lesson is clear
and it applies to humans as well: We need mentors - we need fathers. Thank you,
fathers and father figures, for being positive role models. Please do not underestimate the impact of your
faithfulness to family, moral principles and God. You are a forefather to
future generations. One day the true
impact of your life will be measured.
The most important consequence of your time on earth will, most likely,
not be intellectual or financial; it will be societal. You may not be rich or famous, but your life
has incredible potential to change future generations.
If you have been
living an honest life only to feel like little has been accomplished, take
heart in the life of Jesus Christ. He
was slaughtered by a world power that colluded with religious leaders. When he died His followers fled. Even after he came back from the dead and prepared
to ascend into heaven, His crowd of followers was much smaller than it had been
in years past. Jesus seemed to pass off the scene a loser, squashed by the
"powers that be". But today
most of the world knows who He is and billions claim to be His followers. Jesus lived what he taught and his life is
still changing our world.
What if fathers
everywhere would live and lead honestly and courageously?
What if more dads treated their family with love and respect,
demonstrating selflessness and responsibility?
What if we valued men who led? History has proven that such character
traits do not come naturally and cannot
be effectively instilled by governments, schools or even churches. It's
a dad thing. Fathers and father figures
are the cure to delinquency - our Heavenly Father designed it that way. I salute
the men who have embraced their high calling of fatherhood because they are the
cure for delinquency
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