God's Hidden Code of Life

[i]

Ecclesiastes 11:5 

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁵ Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

 

We know that when a human fetus forms, it starts out as one cell. This cell divides into two identical cells. In turn each of these cells divide into identical cells. As this division occurs over and over again, eventually the cells differentiate and form the various parts of our bodies. Some of the cells become the hard bones that give us structure and make our blood. Some form our organs that make us viable and human.

We know that the key to this variation in cell structure is a giant molecule that is in the very nucleus of every cell. This DNA molecule is identical in every cell. It is composed of only four building blocks, called nucleotides. There are over three billion nucleotides in each DNA molecule.

Humans have performed enough experiments to know the position of a set of nucleotides in the DNA molecule determines the entire structure of the human. It tells each cell what its function is. Cellular division continues throughout the life of the person. Built into this division is an instruction that determines when a cell dies.

What is amazing is how the cell interprets the appropriate tiny substring of the DNA to determine which one of the seemingly infinite possible forms it must assume. This results in a recognizably different human being from all others. But they are all equally human beings.

When the cell loses the instruction that determines when it dies, it then goes on living and dividing, forming too many of the same cell. We call this aberration cancer, and it normally kills the person who gets it. So death, cell death, is essential for human life. How thankful we can be that God intended us for life, not death.

Thank You, Lord, for letting us begin to understand the building code You have used to make us. We see in this structure the extreme complexity yet basic simplicity of Your creation.

 

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[i] https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/genetic/human-genome-write-project/

What Angers Christ

[i]

Mark 10:14 Good News Translation

¹⁴ When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

 

Jesus is seldom described as becoming angry. When He saw someone preventing seekers from seeing Him, as in this instance, His divine nature flashed forth through His human nature, and in pure love He stopped the preventing party.

On two other occasions, temple officials were desecrating the temple by profiting from peoples’ desire to worship the Lord as had been prescribed since the time of Moses. When Jesus walked in, He understood clearly that they diverted worshippers’ devotion to God by their cheating. These worshipers were no longer seen as seeking a spiritual blessing but were reduced to secular mercantile considerations. Not only were they robbed of their hard-earned possessions, they were also robbed of a love experience with the Almighty. Their much-anticipated joy was displaced by disgust and resentment.

Again, the divine nature of God in Christ flashed forth with irresistible force. The perpetrators fled in terror for their very lives. They felt a tiny hint of the forth coming judgement when they will no longer be able to flee.

In the first mentioned occasion, the disciples were trying to protect the Savior’s serious business of establishing the Kingdom of God from childish interruptions. In the second mentioned occasions, the clergy was attempting to maintain the sacred purity of temple sacrifices and thus prevent divine retribution as happened when someone brought an unacceptable offering—like Cain had (1 John 3:12), or like Nadab and Abihu who offered unholy fire in their censers (Leviticus 10:1). One is also led to think of Uzzah, who was struck dead when he tried to stabilize the Ark of the Covenant, that appeared about to fall (2 Samuel 6:6,7).

In our Liturgical Service at the La Sierra Church, we have been promoting the biblical principle of the equality of all people in the sight of God. In particular this refers to racial equality and gender equality. We have been discouraged at how slowly this principle of equality is accepted by our own generation. In a recent service where I was liturgist, the liturgy included the following song:

The cantor and people sing “Welcome Our Sister-Brother Creator[ii]” (to the tune of Hymn 44, “Morning Has Broken”)

 

Come, let us join our Sister Creator,
Birthing a new world more than we know.
With Her revealing all of our fullness
We create healing where’er we go.

 

Come, let us join or Brother Creator,
Bringing forth freedom for every race.
All of earth’s colors dancing together,
Celebrate beauty in every face.

 

Welcome our Sister-Brother Creator,
Into our spirits’ life-giving wombs.
Glad expectation grows from our labor
For new creation’s glorious blooms.

 

As I sang and listened to these words, my thoughts were deflected from the love and grace of Christ and his eternal sacrifice for my soul to the unfortunate conflict within the church over the ordination of women. Are we not as guilty as the priests who promoted the sanctity of offerings in Christ’s day or as Uzzah when he went to stabilize the Ark of God?

Lord, give us wisdom to know how to promote what is good without distracting ourselves from You.

 

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[i] https://zimfieldguide.com/matabeleland-south/cyrene-mission A mural from the Chapel at Cyrene Mission in Zimbabwe

[ii] Words by Jann Aldredge-Clanton (2009)

Crooked and Perverted Generation

[i]

Philippians 2:14-16

Christian Standard Bible

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling and arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, ¹⁶ by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.

 

Over the last few months, we have endured politicians who blatantly, boldly, unblushingly, and unabashedly lied to us about almost everything. This is in a country that has become great by valuing honesty and concern for all its citizens.

After listening to a president, who lost the latest election by some seven million votes, maintain in almost every communication to the nation that his presidency was stolen from him, I despaired. Two days earlier, I had read his twitter calling for a massive protest in Washington when the legislature of the country would confirm the report of the Electoral College on their count of the country’s votes. I groaned when I read it. But I little realized how violent this attempted coup would become in an attempt to destroy Congress.

On January 6, Sylvia and I drove 4 hours to visit some of her cousins. We all wore masks and refrained from the usual familial embraces and attempted to maintain social distance—just in case you wish to grumble and argue that we were foolishly exposing ourselves to Covid-19. On the way there, Sylvia read to me some inspiring accounts of the way God is taking a hand in the task of giving every person on earth a copy of the scriptures in her own heart language. Coming home that night, we also drove four hours, this time in the dark, so she couldn’t read to me. I tuned in to the local news station. We listened absolutely stunned by the mayhem these domestic terrorists—who branded themselves as protestors—were wreaking on the Capitol. They were also intent on reaching Vice-President, Mike Pence, and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, whom they wished to kill. The President was hidden away in the White House watching the destruction on TV. As president, he was head of the executive branch of the government, and it is his duty to step in and stop the violence. Instead, he did nothing. Nothing!

Indeed, you and I live in a “crooked and perverted generation.” May we live in such a manner that we “shine like stars in the world.” How will the world view our shining like stars? As Christ told it, “If they persecute Me, they will persecute you, too.”[ii]

Take heart, however! Christ encouraged us when he prophesied: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”[iii] How was it in the days of Noah? “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”[iv]  Sounds close to what we see and hear today.

Lord, we take heart, even as we see corruption and violence flourish, knowing that You are coming again!

  

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[i] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-was-a-violent-mob-able-to-breach-the-u-s-capitol-activists-see-double-standard-in-police-response

[ii] John 15:20 (KJV)

[iii] Matthew 24:37 (KJV)

[iv] Genesis 6:5 (KJV)

 

Pioneer African Educator

 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

¹¹ It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end of time.

C. Fred Clarke, my father, worked as a missionary educator in Africa for 42 years, starting in 1936. He loved Africa. He worked in South Africa for the first 18 of those years. He picked up enough Afrikaans so that he could communicate in it. This helped endear him to the people there. His sons were born in Africa. In 1974 he buried his first wife in Zimbabwe, just six weeks before they were to retire to the U.S.

He had pretty much a type A personality. Working in Africa north of the Limpopo helped him rein in his impatience. Africa is not to be pushed or hurried, ever. When people come to you about a problem, they normally will not broach the subject until they have enquired about your health and fortunes as well as that of your family and apprised you of their health and fortunes. This could take a half day to explore to the fullest. Only then will they bring up the topic of their mission.

Dad’s years in South Africa were used in developing a strong science program at Helderberg College. Under his leadership scores of his students were prepared to step into the rigorous medical program at the University of Cape Town and from thence branch out all over the southern sub-continent of Africa as doctors and hospital administrators. The rest of his years in Africa were spent founding Solusi University in Zimbabwe and carving a new school, Rusangu High School, out of virgin bush in Zambia. Rusangu has since continued to evolve into Rusangu University. Solusi has become a premier University while Helderberg has languished somewhat due to indifferent leadership. But it, too, has the potential to redeem itself and become a university in its own right. Dad firmly believed in the soon return of Christ, but his planning was long range—for eternity.

After my mother died and was buried at Solusi, Dad returned to America. He sought out an old college classmate and proposed to her: “Would you be willing to go to Africa with me for two years?” She accepted and became his worthy companion for another 28 years.

The picture shows C. Fred and his second wife Helen in their retirement.

May my endeavors and plans also be guided by eternity, O Lord, the initiator and inhabitant of eternity.

 

 

 

 

A Time to Comfort

[1]

Ecclesiastes 3:1

New International Version

 ¹ There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 

Tippy was a loving black Labrador retriever. Like many in her breed, she was extremely intelligent. She had lived with us for a number of years and was an integral part of our family.

We lived on Main Street, and I used to worry that our pets might get run over by all of the heavy traffic. One Sunday Tippy got out of the house and dashed away. I hurried downstairs and called for her, not knowing where she had gone.

I walked out to the front of the house and called again. Then my heart about stopped. I saw her on the other side of the street running to meet me. The street was empty, but just as she started across the street, a lone car came whipping down the street at about twice the speed limit. The driver didn’t try to brake or show any sign that she was watching the road.

She struck Tippy and threw her twenty feet or more. Tippy got up and limped over to me. She lay her head down on my foot as I tried to comfort her. Within a minute blood came out of her mouth, and she quit breathing.

I stood there stunned with unrestrained grief and remorse that I had called her when I did. Tears welled up inside of me, and some flowed down my face. Everything about me was blurred.

The woman who had been speeding stopped and came over to me. I recognized her as the wife of the conference treasurer. She didn’t recognize me, nor did she try to. She admitted to being distracted as she was driving and not watching the road. She asked about the dog, and I told her that she had died.

“You know,” she continued, “this is a good illustration of how tenuous life is…”

Heartlessly, she launched into a sermon about death and being ready to meet our creator and judge. She warmed quickly to her subject, lecturing me on the coming judgment. 

I stood there numb. Tippy’s head still rested on my shoe where she had died, loyal and obedient to the last. Blood had soaked through my shoe and onto my foot and pants. And this heartless Christian fanatic went on and on about my soul. I resented her callousness and her lack of human sympathy. Anger welled up within me that anyone could be this unfeeling.

Finally, I said something about having to take care of the dog and turned my back on her. She walked back to her undamaged car, still lecturing away. Little did she know that if I had not already had a personal encounter with my loving Lord and Savior, I would then and there have sworn never to have anything to do with Christianity. Any religion that could leave someone so unfeeling, unsympathetic, and unkind would not be for me.

Lord, help me to be sensitive to the fact that there is a time and a season to say things and a time to refrain from doing so!

 

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[1] https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-drags-dead-dog-through-8147076

Love Thy Neighbor

 [1]

1 John 4:21

Common English Bible

²¹ This commandment we have from him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.

 

Sylvia and I were studying with Sara in Somerset West who had expressed an interest in studying the Bible. She sat in an easy chair in the corner of her living room. Nestled on her right arm sat the chubbiest little black Wheaton Terrier I’ve ever seen. Every so often she would reach into a box of chocolates with her left hand and pop one into Wheaty’s mouth. He would lick her fingers and then chew contemplatively on the chocolate.

Sara had been telling us about a lady, Melody, from down the street whom she couldn’t stand. She mentioned several minor things that bugged her: her lawn was neatly manicured, not just mowed like Sara’s. She had a big golden lab that she would walk on leash every morning. Sometimes the lab would leave a pile on Sara’s lawn. Melody would reach into her fanny pack and take out a plastic bag. Then she would lean over and primly pick up the pile, tie the bag in a knot, and walk on. In Somerset West nobody ever picked up after their pet.

Once in a while Sara would be out in her yard with Wheaty when Melody came by. When Wheaty saw the lab, he would dash, barking wildly, and nip at the lab’s heels. Usually the south-easter was blowing relentlessly. Petite Melody would struggle with all her might to drag the lab away while also fighting vainly to keep her skirt modestly covering her legs. Sara would laugh at the struggle and just let Wheaty do his worst. Served her right!

When Wheaty finally returned triumphantly after chasing “the enemy” away, Melody would call back cheerfully: “Good morning! Have a beautiful day! Don’t you just love this south-easter—the old Cape Doctor?”

Bright and early on Christmas morning, Melody had rung Sara’s doorbell. When Sara had opened the door, Melody stood there in a bright summer smock. She had reached out with a winning “Happy Christmas!” and handed Sara a festively decorated platter of neatly braided and decorated koeksisters. Then she had skipped joyfully down her sidewalk toward home.

“I just can’t stand her cheerfulness. I never have anything ready to give her!” she grouched. Sara looked at me: “I know the Bible says to love your neighbor.” Then she paused for effect before adding with venom: “Just because I have to love her doesn’t mean I have to like her!”

How do you respond to an outburst like that?

Lord, help me to love those I really can’t stand—like You love me.

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[1] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/may/26/happy-ever-after-25-ways-to-live-well-into-old-age#img-7