How beautiful is this world? How mysterious, how huge, how small, how ever-changing, how brilliant, how engaging, how full of wonder, how unfathomable, how gorgeous is this place we live in? I don't know about you, but that question pops into my mind all the time. It's funny, but I feel lucky and privileged to live on earth sometimes. Like it could've been worse. I don't get it myself. Don't you wonder sometimes how this place came to be? Like the detailed sequence of events and what that looked like. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to witness the beginning of the existence of the earth.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty; darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." -Genesis 1:1-3
If you haven't already noticed, my absolute favorite Bible story is the story of creation. It hits home with me, I guess. I just love it! God creating this world and creating us to rule over the earth and its inhabitants. Maybe I love the story so much because I'm a biology nerd. But mostly I love the story because it speaks of my Lord who majestically made the heavens and the earth for His glory and praise. Every thing was made by God.
You know, there's this huge question that has passed down generation to generation: what's the meaning of life? I know, cheesy and overrated. But, seriously! Come on, I know you've thought about it. Why am I here? And not anywhere else in the universe? We can't just be here accidentally.
"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together." -Colossians 1:15-17
I think that answers the most famous question of all time right there. How relieving! Who knew that the answer to the meaning of life was in a ~2,000 year old book?
Anyway, why am I talking about the creation of earth and the meaning of life in a blog? It may seem super weird. Yeah, maybe it is weird, but that's okay. It's my blog, not yours. I don't know, I just like the thought of science, politics, and any other worldly things being fulfilled and answered by the Word of God. There's no separation of church and state, God and nature, Jesus and human. It all comes together for God and God alone.
There seems to be a competition going on, though. This everlasting competition full of hard-hitting rivalry that pits neighbor against neighbor: God vs. science. I've heard the question before, "Do you believe in God or science?" Well, gosh, that's a hard question. Maybe it's just me, but I've struggled with this question that pops out at me every now and again in different circumstances. My answer to this question is another question: Can't I believe in both?
Now before everyone goes crazy and kicks me out of the church or kicks me out of the research building, let me say what I mean. I don't like the thought of restricting myself in science or restricting myself in the Christian faith. I think they actually compliment each other.
People who put their trust in science alone give themselves a hard task by leaving it up to themselves to solve all the world's questions, biological and universal. How did we get here? When did we get here? Why are we here? Can we answer these questions with science? That's quite a tough task ahead, to answer those by yourselves. We as humans don't understand everything that goes on around us, even though we've inhabited this exact same place for a solid amount of time.
Believing in the Lord, our Creator, helps tremendously in this gap of the unknown. Knowing that the Lord has created all these organisms around us, but put us above them to rule them; knowing that He has given us spiritual gifts in this life; knowing that we won't ever fully comprehend why things happen, but that we can trust God; knowing that this earth will someday clear away according to His will...all of Christianity, I think, verifies science. Actually, let's switch that around. Science verifies God.
"How countless are Your works, Lord! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small...All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time. When You give it to them, they gather it; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When You send Your breath, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth." -Psalm 104:24-30
Instead of keeping science and research on one corner of the earth's boxing ring and God on the other, we should try to put them together. I'm pretty sure they won't beat each other up. Actually, I think we are the idiotic ones who are trying to tear them apart and make them rival against one another. They go together; it's a package deal. God and nature. Humans and their Savior. The earth and its Creator. The more we ignore the reality that the earth and all that is in it is reflecting and magnifying its Creator, the more confused we will become.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty; darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." -Genesis 1:1-3
If you haven't already noticed, my absolute favorite Bible story is the story of creation. It hits home with me, I guess. I just love it! God creating this world and creating us to rule over the earth and its inhabitants. Maybe I love the story so much because I'm a biology nerd. But mostly I love the story because it speaks of my Lord who majestically made the heavens and the earth for His glory and praise. Every thing was made by God.
You know, there's this huge question that has passed down generation to generation: what's the meaning of life? I know, cheesy and overrated. But, seriously! Come on, I know you've thought about it. Why am I here? And not anywhere else in the universe? We can't just be here accidentally.
"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together." -Colossians 1:15-17
I think that answers the most famous question of all time right there. How relieving! Who knew that the answer to the meaning of life was in a ~2,000 year old book?
Anyway, why am I talking about the creation of earth and the meaning of life in a blog? It may seem super weird. Yeah, maybe it is weird, but that's okay. It's my blog, not yours. I don't know, I just like the thought of science, politics, and any other worldly things being fulfilled and answered by the Word of God. There's no separation of church and state, God and nature, Jesus and human. It all comes together for God and God alone.
There seems to be a competition going on, though. This everlasting competition full of hard-hitting rivalry that pits neighbor against neighbor: God vs. science. I've heard the question before, "Do you believe in God or science?" Well, gosh, that's a hard question. Maybe it's just me, but I've struggled with this question that pops out at me every now and again in different circumstances. My answer to this question is another question: Can't I believe in both?
Now before everyone goes crazy and kicks me out of the church or kicks me out of the research building, let me say what I mean. I don't like the thought of restricting myself in science or restricting myself in the Christian faith. I think they actually compliment each other.
People who put their trust in science alone give themselves a hard task by leaving it up to themselves to solve all the world's questions, biological and universal. How did we get here? When did we get here? Why are we here? Can we answer these questions with science? That's quite a tough task ahead, to answer those by yourselves. We as humans don't understand everything that goes on around us, even though we've inhabited this exact same place for a solid amount of time.
Believing in the Lord, our Creator, helps tremendously in this gap of the unknown. Knowing that the Lord has created all these organisms around us, but put us above them to rule them; knowing that He has given us spiritual gifts in this life; knowing that we won't ever fully comprehend why things happen, but that we can trust God; knowing that this earth will someday clear away according to His will...all of Christianity, I think, verifies science. Actually, let's switch that around. Science verifies God.
"How countless are Your works, Lord! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small...All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time. When You give it to them, they gather it; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When You send Your breath, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth." -Psalm 104:24-30
Instead of keeping science and research on one corner of the earth's boxing ring and God on the other, we should try to put them together. I'm pretty sure they won't beat each other up. Actually, I think we are the idiotic ones who are trying to tear them apart and make them rival against one another. They go together; it's a package deal. God and nature. Humans and their Savior. The earth and its Creator. The more we ignore the reality that the earth and all that is in it is reflecting and magnifying its Creator, the more confused we will become.