Thought for Today
Genesis 3:12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate."
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
John 6:64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned—
Yesterday morning, both of our children came over for coffee. Then, on our drive home from our regular Wednesday gathering of friends, our grandson called us on the phone just to chat. What a great day!
As we chatted with our son, we talked a bit about all the advancements in technology during his lifetime and during our own. When Greta and I were young, there were no smartphones on which grandchildren could text or phone their grandparents. There were no computers except for military use in ballistic calculations . . . and those computers were gigantic and made with vacuum tubes. Commercial television was in its infancy and only broadcast in black and white and only during the daytime and early evening.
Even in my youth, however, I often heard “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Many recent events in our country and in our world have brought that old adage to mind.
“Deoxyribonucleic acid (. . . DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses. DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are nucleic acids. Alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), nucleic acids are one of the four major types of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life.” (en.wikipedia.org)
Most of us ‘learned’ more about DNA and RNA during the pandemic than we ever wanted to know. Most of us are still inundated with stories about DNA today because of a recent, still unsolved kidnapping case. Many of the news stories we read or hear suggest that somehow DNA is the clue to solve all crimes and resolve all mysteries.
Despite all of our modern forensic science, despite all the DNA records, databases and samples, crimes still sometimes go unsolved. Even more often, when crimes are solved, they are solved through old-fashioned police investigations. Questions are asked, answers are checked and evaluated. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Despite all the claims that DNA “carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses,” I have yet to hear an announcement that science has isolated the DNA “polynucleotide chains” responsible for crime, violence and/or sin.
In the face of smartphones, advanced computers, DNA and all the wonders of modern science, the two “best” (?) explanations for it all are the Adamic defense "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate" and the Geraldine (Flip Wilson comedic character) defense, “The devil made me do it!” “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Adam in essence told God, “there are only 3 of us here, and I’m innocent.” Geraldine said, “It’s not my fault, I’m a victim.” Both claims and both defenses are equally common still today . . . and both are equally false still today.
All of God’s children are still faced with the same choice Joshua posed to the assembled Israelites, “24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Despite DNA, despite victimization, despite all of our modern science each child of God still has the free will to serve God or to serve all those false gods of greed, jealousy, anger and revenge. The choice is mine; the choice is yours.
Stay safe, choose wisely, trust and serve God,
Pastor Ray