The Wonder of a Snowflake

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity, so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."
Henry David Thoreau





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Star of Bethlehem

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes it's circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the wise simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous." Ps. 19:1-9

I came across this very cool website of a man who believes he has figured out the mystery of the star of Bethlehem. He is a Christian scientist of astronomy. He has some excellent insight into the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. What is really cool is that he is using science to prove it. This is exactly what we have been discussing. Using the laws of our scientific God to point people towards Him and His son Jesus. Glorifying God with science! I love it. Click on the links below and with a humble heart prepare to be amazed at the wisdom of God.

http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

http://www.thestarofbethlehemmovie.com/index.php

Shepherds, Intellectuals and the Humble of Heart

So I was thinking over my last two blogs on knowledge and wisdom. Being that it is the Christmas season I began to think about the birth of Jesus. If you read the different accounts in the gospels it it interesting to read about the different people that saw baby Jesus. It was those who were humble of heart that gained wisdom and understanding.

Who were the ones to get the first announcement? The lowly, humble shepherds. (Luke 2:8-20)These were not educated people of high social standing. They were usually the younger boys and slaves. So right from the get go God is revealing Himself to both Jew and gentile. Their humble standing granted them wisdom. The shepherds not only saw the heavens open; they saw God and worshipped the baby Jesus.

When Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple to be dedicated in is not the priest who recognises the Lord. (Luke 2:21-24) It is a man named Simeon who is moved by the Spirit to go to the temple at that exact time. When he got there his knowledge and humble heart rewarded him with wisdom. He took Jesus in his arms and proclaimed "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:30-32. Because Simeon used his knowledge with a humble heart he saw God in the baby Jesus.

Also at the temple that day was a woman named Anna. (Luke 2:36-38) As a woman she would have not been allowed into the inter court to worship. But she was dedicated to the Lord and "worshipped day and night". Again due to her humble heart and fear of the Lord she saw God in the baby Jesus that day.

So far we really have no one of particular consequence that saw the bay Jesus. Really just some young, lowly shepherds and old man named Simeon and an old lady named Anna. Where were all the priests, kings and intellectuals?

The wise men or "magi" have been called all of the above. The Greek word also means magician or astrologer. For the sake of this blog I say they were most defiantly wise and they were men of ancient science. The wise men were the wealthy, intellectual elite of ancient times. These men were well versed in the prophecies of the old testament Numbers 24:17 and Micah 5:2. They were also educated in how to read the stars in the sky. With this knowledge they set out to meet this new "king of the Jews". Remember that knowledge is just information. It is with what attitude (humble or proud) that you use to facilitate that knowledge that makes all the difference. The fact that these men were willing to travel some distance to pay respect to this newborn King already speaks of their humility.

When the wise men get to Jerusalem they are met with prideful opposition. Matthew 2:3 says that King Herod and all of Jerusalem were alarmed at the mention of this newborn King. They were NOT facilitating their knowledge with humility. Pride had instead caused fear. Herod calls the chief priests and teachers of the law to give clue as to where this baby was. But even with the knowledge of the prophesies they were blinded by pride. Herod summons the wise men in secret to gain information. (Matthew 2:7-8) This "secret" meeting being a physical manifestation of the spirit of deception over Herod. He is asking about the star that they have seen. Herod could not see the star. His pride had blinded him.

I think the star has both physical and spiritual implications. Herod and the people of Jerusalem could see it because they didn't know the heavens. They didn't know what to look for. Spiritually they could see it because of their fear and pride. The wise men leave towards Bethlehem with the star ahead of them. They knew the heavens and their hearts were humble.

God honors this humility of the wise men. Just like the shepherds, Simeon and Anna the wise men saw God in the baby Jesus. They offer gifts and bow to worship the Lord. After they leave God speaks to them concerning Herod. (Matthew 2:12) The wise men have been granted the wisdom to discern between good and evil because of their humility. They do not travel back to Jerusalem and King Herod. They go back home.

So here we have the revelation of the birth of God's Son Jesus. It was not prideful pomp and circumstance. It was not a gathering of intellectuals and kings. God gave revelation of wisdom to those with a humble heart. Wisdom to those that yielded their heart to the Spirit of God and worshipped Him. Those who were proud did not see Jesus. They were blinded by fear and deception. It is humility that will make one wise beyond their companions. God will reveal Himself and give understanding to both poor and rich, male and female, uneducated and intellectual, Jew and Gentile. But first you must have the humility of the shepherds, the righteousness of Simeon, the servant heart of Anna, and the discerning wisdom if the Magi. Only then will you have understanding of the fullness of God, the grace of His Spirit, and the redemptive power of His son Jesus.

Knowledge is Not Wisdom {Part Two}

Click here to read Part One.

What is pride? Pride is a misconception of your self identity. Pride can go to two extremes. Arrogant pride is thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to think. Pity pride is thinking more lowly of yourself than you ought to think. Both draw the same attention of the attention seeker. Both are equally damaging pride. So how should we think of ourselves?

Romans 12:3
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

James 4:7
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Ephesians 5:8-11a
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness..."

So humility and fear of the Lord is really just submitting yourself to God the Creator. It is not grovelling and saying "I'm not worthy." or "I'm just a screw up, no one can help poor me." That is pity pride. But it is also not thinking that you know better than God. That sounds like this..."Well this is 2009, God just seems a little outdated." or "God just doesn't understand my situation." or "God is for weaklings that can't think for themselves." That is arrogant pride and it is wrong. God created you, he loves you and wants the best for you. He created your mind and intellect as a blessing for you and for Him. Root your identity in Christ. Do not be any more or less.

Now if we follow our diagram above falsehood and lies is what follows a prideful heart. The devil as the patron non-saint of pride thought that he could be better than God. He did not want to honor his Creator. Adam and Eve did the same thing. They thought they could gain more "wisdom" from the created being of Satan instead of the Creator God.

Romans 1:25
"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator."

What is the first thing that happens to Adam and Eve after ingesting this knowledge of the devil? Their eyes were opened to the falsehood and lies of the devil. They noticed their nakedness and were ashamed. See who the devil used both prides here. He enticed them with arrogant pride {you will be like God} and then after sinning are stricken with pity pride {ashamed of how God created them.} All to the devil's selfish delight. The devil never has and never will do anything beneficial for you. It will always be a lie that leads you away from God and who He created you to be.

Now fortunately for Adam and Eve they were in active relationship with God. So they were able to repent and God put His covering back over them. But if people do not repent with a broken and contrite heart the devils lies lead to deception and confusion. This is the all encompassing death of the spirit that the devil feeds off of. People loose their sense of identity. They are often shallow, angry, wounded people. On the other hand they can led somewhat productive lives. The spiritual is dead, but the physical has learned how to cope.

This is the way the devil has worked mass deception. There are millions of people that believe certain falsehoods as truth simply because of how many people believe them. They think that there is truth in numbers. How ridiculous is that? Remember your mom saying "would you jump off a cliff just because your friends did?" Same idea. The world thinks that just because so many people believe in a certain lie than that must mean it is true. Wrong!

Once again this is deception of the devil rooted in pride. These people think that there is no God, or if there is a God he is no good. People that worship knowledge over God or trust their own moral compass are arrogantly proud. They become their own god. This is what we call humanism. Pity pride leads to oppressive religion, self-hatred, self -destruction and altogether lost people. These people think that if their is a God He must not care about them.

Evolution is an interesting falsehood in the way that it works both prides. Evolution arrogantly assumes that we were not created by God (little lower than the angels mind you) and that we are no more than intelligent evolved apes. Now I would say that thinking I came from apes is thinking more lowly of myself than I ought to think. Wouldn't you? But this is the belief of millions of people just because "intelligent" people say so. But what of all the evidence they have found? Well it is my understanding that evidence for evolution has changed several times over the years. You need just as much faith to believe evolution as you do to believe in God! However the bible has never changed or been updated. God has never changed. Why? Because Truth is the same yesterday, today and forever. Look all information and knowledge that does not point to God and His truth and principles is falsehood. These "intelligent" people have used their minds and the knowledge they have gathered with a prideful heart. At the same time these "intelligent" people have given God a big middle finger. This path will always led to deep deception; meaning they can no longer see the truth.

Jude 10
"Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them."

Romans 1:28
2"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."

James 3:13-16
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, un-spiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

Are you starting to see the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Now let me clear about one thing. Just because someone does not have a relationship with God, doesn't mean that they are incapable of truth and wisdom. There are many who don't have a personal relationship with God but still honor Him. There have been many great minds throughout history that have discovered great things and at the same time have had no relationship with God. Some have even been strictly opposed to God. But God is truth and God is gracious. Therefore God will always honor truth and goodness even if it comes from someone against Him.

Science is something that should never be deemed un-spiritual. God is a God of science. He is the one that made it all in the first place. That is why we find so much order in the universe. So science should continue to advance. New discoveries can change people's lives. But they should also be things that point to the Creator not away from Him. Think of the even greater things science could discover if scientists submitted their cause to glorify God! But when truth is not backed with a relationship with God it leaves the door open for the devil. He is a master at manipulating the truth of God for his own purpose. Leading people away from God instead of to God.

So knowledge is not the problem. It is what we do with that knowledge in respect to God that makes all the difference. We can not turn knowledge into God. Worship God above all else and He will give you wisdom and understanding. We must also realize that we are never going to have all the answers. Many scientists hold tho the law of "naturalism". Naturalism being the system of thought holding that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws. Therefore it excludes exsistance of the supernatural. People...the supernatural is NEVER going to be explained by natural laws. That is why it is called the SUPERnatural. It is above and beyond the natural. So how can finite answers explain an infinite God? They can't. But God can give us understanding beyond the finite through His Spirit. That is why the Spirit is super-natural. He is not of this world.

Colossians 2:2-4
"...they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments."

So how do we make sure we are not led astray be the schemes of the devil? Live in the truth and principles of God. Read His word. Meditate and pray. Learn of the character of God and who He is. Put off the spirit of death and deception and live in God's fullness and life. This is a daily decision for some. You have to yield to the Spirit for this to happen. This is where all logic goes out the window and you step out in faith. Out of the natural and into the super-natural. I can tell you this...it is so worth it.

Romans 8:5-8
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."

1John 4:4-6
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood."

Seems too simple right. Seems unintelligent doesn't it? While we are on the subject...why do the people who follow God seem so simple? Some would even say stupid. Compare the desert dwelling Israelites to the advanced culture of the Egyptians. Compare the hidden"cult" of the early church to the powerful Roman Empire or Greek philosophers of the day. Even today, modern intellectual thinkers seem to be aghast at the ignorance of Christianity. So what gives?

Two things. After man sinned God saw the strategy of the enemy to use knowledge as a pitfall. So God made sure to keep His righteous people focused on Him instead of intellectual advancement. Really all of the "advanced" cultures of ancient times are a testament as to how knowledge is not the best foundation. Most all of those empires cease to exist today. So a simple identity in Christ seasoned with knowledge and wisdom has lasted though the ages and has never faded. It wasn't that God's people lacked the knowledge, they just focused on greater things of the Spirit. Remember it was Noah who built a gigantic ark that stayed a float for a year. It was Solomon who built the temple with the finest materials to exact specifications. Not to mention modern scientists such as Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler, Robert Boyle and George Washington Carver...to name a few.

Second, as we have seen intellectual minds tend to be exclusionary. Where as simplicity is open to all. Think of the birth of the early church. This new "religion" had to be understood by all types of people groups and languages. It had to accessible to the uneducated slave and poor as well as educated Romans and Greek philosophers. Messages had to be concise and easy to understand...there were no bibles yet. They had no official meeting places. They had to give quick sermons before they were caught and put in jail. The simplicity was necessary so that all people would have a chance to accept Christ. That is the beauty of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can accept the Spirit and have the same fullness of wisdom in Christ. Paul preached this to the Greek philosophers themselves on Mars Hill. Many of them put their intellect to a humble level and accepted Jesus. {Acts 17:16-34}

Perfect example that the message of Christ can be understood by a child or the highly intellectual mind. But first their must be a change of heart. Humility before the Creator by the created. Then all the riches of God's wisdom and understanding will give you life in His Spirit. So seek God's wisdom. Don't settle for shallow knowledge and deception. God wants you to use your brain but use it to His glory.

Click here from some cool scientific consistencies found in the bible.

Knowledge Is Not Wisdom {Part One}

I love history! I love to find out how different cultures existed in ancient times. I enjoy reading about past great leaders and how they changed the world. I love biology. I think it is so cool to see how living things work. I have always had a love of human anatomy with all the intricacies and inter workings of the body. I love poetry. I love literature and ancient texts. I think they are a window to that particular time in history. Oh and art...I really love art and photography. Really you could say that I love knowledge! I am an information junkie. The more the merrier. To some that that would sound so un-spiritual even carnal. But the thought that God did not want His created to have knowledge is misguided. He is the one that created our brains with the capacities for such things. We did not gain these things from the devil and his tree of knowledge.

There is no good knowledge that we gained from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The only knowledge that we gained was the knowledge that the devil existed. The tree was simply a publicity stunt of the devil to peddle his falsehoods. The devil made it sound as though we would gain some hidden mystery of the universe or wisdom greater than God. All we gained was lies, disappointment, destruction and death.

How did we ever get the idea that an omniscient God created us in his image but lacking in knowledge. That doesn't make much sense does it. Moreover why would God give dominion over the entire earth to a total idiot? Simple answer. He didn't. He created our intellect. He created it so that we would use it. We were not created as a little pet for the Almighty. We are not suppose to be mice running around a little maze trying to figure out if the red button means food or electrocution. All while God is sitting in heaven having a good belly laugh because we can't figure out it is the green button not the red. God created us with an intricate, intellectual brain capable of making decisions, learning new things and problem solving. He made us in the image of His mind so that we could have a personal relationship with a omniscient God. So that we would live in the fullness of His wisdom and have understanding.

Before we go further I want to give four definitions so we will all be on the same page.

KNOWLEDGE---awareness or information from study or experience.

WISDOM---ability to make sound judgements; insight; extensive or accumulated body of knowledge.

UNDERSTANDING---comprehension, reconciliation of differences; compassionate.

CONFUSION---unable to think with clarity or understanding; disorder, bewilderment, embarrassed.

So let's start at the top. God created us with a wealth of knowledge. He did this in part so that we might take dominion of the earth that He also created. Now right off the bat I think that it is safe to assume that God the Creator knows best about His creation...man and all that is in it. Let's not forget the celestial either. God created all the angels and where they reside. Angels includes the devil and all his helpers. More on that in a bit.

In Genesis chapter 2 it tells of Adam naming all the animals and birds that God had created. It tells of Adam tending and working the garden. So here is Adam already on his path to being a zoologist, botanist, ecologist and environmentalist. When God created Eve he told them to be fruitful and multiply. Sex Education 101. Adam and Eve didn't learn about sex from the devil. God gave this command before the eating of the fruit. How would man have known how to multiply if God hadn't told them so? I believe they engaged in sex long before the fall. Why wouldn't have they?

I have heard people say that Adam and Eve didn't get a fair shake because they never had a childhood. That they didn't get to "experience" things. First of all they got to "experience" the actual presence and fullness of the Creator God and all His wisdom. Second it would not be wise for God to give dominion of the earth to a child. Which further makes the point that we were not created with lack of knowledge. Third there is NOTHING that you can experience outside the fullness of God that is truly fulfilling. The notion that you can is a lie from the devil. A lie that has ruined countless lives or has plunged people into deep deception. Moving on...

After Eve is created Adam says "this is bone of my bone; flesh of my flesh..." Gen. 2:23. Sounds like Adam has some understanding of the body and how it works doesn't it? They had an understanding of relationship with God and each other. They had an understanding of physical beauty all around them. They ate and tasted good food, they smelled sweet fragrances. They saw colors and patterns. They could feel textures of plants and animals. They could hear and distinguish voices and sounds. This was all done with comprehension and understanding; not with instinct like the animals.

So here we have Adam and Eve prior to the fall. For all intents and purposes they had the makings of zoologists, ornithologists, botanists, ecologists, environmentalists, biologists, horticulturalists, and sociologists. They must have had tools for working the garden. They must have had some place to sleep and keep dry. It was your quintessential educational, vegetarian, nudist colony. It was a perfect, intimate and full of life. They had a God given understanding of themselves, creation and how to be good stewards of both. True Bliss. Really we don't know how long this lasted before the devil showed up; the bible doesn't say. Ah yes! We forgot about the devil and how he ruins everything.

The devil and his incurable pride was jealous of man. So he set a trap in the garden to snatch Adam and Eve from their intimacy with God and each other. (More on this here.) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was simply a publicity stunt of the devil to show that he existed. Moreover that he knew better than God and that God was hiding knowledge from them. The father of all lies. There was no good knowledge in this tree. The only reason it was called the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" was so that there would be a comparison for understanding. Think about it. If God had just called it the "tree of the knowledge of evil" Adam and Eve would have had no clue what evil was. At this point there was no evil, destruction or death. But because God does not hide things; He named in a way that man would understand. He had to make a comparison between good and evil even though the tree was only evil.

Matthew 7:18-20 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

So there we have the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil's big, gaudy billboard announcing his "more knowledgeable" existence. A fruit of lies, deception, confusion, pride, unrighteousness, falsehood and death. But what of the other significant tree in the garden? The tree of life. It doesn't say much in Genesis about this tree. Except that after the fall God does not want Adam and Eve to eat of the tree and live forever. Meaning that if they eat of the tree of life in their sinful state that would mean eternal separation from God; just like the devil. So God had to protect the tree of life until after Jesus had paid our debt. Now the tree of life is available to all who believe.(Rev. 22:14) But what else does the bible say of this tree?

Proverbs 3:18 "She [wisdom] is a tree of life to those who embrace her;those who lay hold of her will be blessed."

Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life..."

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Proverbs 15:4 "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."

So there we have two very different trees. While in the garden God only warns not to eat of the devil's tree. But spirit of pride entered the heart of Eve and she believed the devil over God. Adam was only moments behind. They both choose the useless knowledge of the devil over the wisdom of God. Knowledge was never a problem. It was never that God didn't want us to have knowledge. But it is how that knowledge is given and in what spirit. God seeks fulfillment and understanding for us. The devil seeks destruction. We must filter knowledge through a humble God fearing heart. Not through the prideful heart which Satan gives such grand example of. Take a look at this graph. This will be our guide as we move on.

Click here for Part Two.

The Spirit of Love

It will always be impossible for our finite, universal science to prove an infinite, eternal God. Your mind must be forced beyond finite knowledge into the depths of an infinite Spirit. Science with all its order, laws and theories is a wonderful example of our intelligently created mind. But science even at its full capacity taken to the highest denominator can not prove the existence of love. The longing of all humans to love and be loved.

Sure we can see love in a beautiful sculpture. We can smell the lovely scent of a heliotrope. We can feel a lovely, exotic velvet or hear the lovely music of a symphony. We can even taste a lovely Swiss chocolate. But doesn't true love really transcend the senses? Have you ever loved someone so much that all reasonable faculty left you. Someone that you looked upon and saw the sculpture of Venus. When you were with her the sweet aroma of heliotrope wafted through the air. When you touched her skin it was as soft as the most exotic velvet. Just being in her presence brought sounds of the most beautiful symphony to life...and to touch her lips to yours was the taste of the most decadent chocolate.

Can that really all just be endorphins? Or is it beyond that? Is it beyond this world and
universe? Is true love ever really just the way someone looks or smells? Is really how their skin feels or the taste of their lips? Or is it how that person makes you feel?

When you truly love someone everything changes with that person. The way that they make you feel like a better man or a better woman. The way that you feel you could lay down your life for this person...no questions asked. Endorphins? I don't think so. Might I suggest that it is an infinite spirit trapped for a time in a finite mind and body.

The knowledge of the mind has brought great things to our world. I believe that it will continue to do so. But at the end of time our minds will be obsolete. So doesn't it make sense to practice our infinite, eternal spirit now. To prepare for what lies beyond knowledge. How great is the mind coupled with wisdom. Wisdom uses knowledge as a catalyst into the depths of the Spirit. Knowledge has a set limit, yet the Spirit is eternal. Isn't that really the essence of undying love?

"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." CS Lewis

"Faith certianly tells us what the senses do not, but not the contrary of what they see; it is above, not against them." Blaise Pascal

"...and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:19

"They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies."
William Penn