I have just returned from a cruise on which a lecture was given - the  guy was good but there was so much theory delivered as fact that it has prompted me to re-post an earlier blog:-

Do I believe in evolution?

Well yes, of course I do.

But wait a minute - just what do I mean by that?  I was a Design Engineer, designing items of machinery for heavy engineering applications and over the years all of my designs evolved.

But there are two things to bear in mind 1) A design for a piece of machinery for steelmaking never evolved into an ocean going liner and 2) none of my evolved designs reverted to an earlier, inferior design.

Now what has this got to do with Evolution as opposed to God's Creation?

I agree with Darwin's original theory of evolution but not many people teach that part of it.  When he visited those now famous islands he noted differences between the finches on different islands and the differences were specifically related to the habitat of their particular island and as the islands were thought to be too far apart for the birds to mix he assumed that the birds had evolved to suit their available types of food - a longer thinner beak for reaching deeply held seeds, a blunter stronger beak to break harder shells etc but ....

THEY WERE ALL STILL FINCHES. 

A finch never became an eagle!

Now all this was fine until people started playing "What if?" and the trouble with playing What if? is that we soon end up in never never land.

Another fact that is not broadcast by the enemies of God is that before he died Darwin spent large amounts of money trying to prevent The Origin of the Species from being published but he had sold his rights and the publishers knew they had a moneyspinner.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Evolutionists have trouble believing that but they are quite happy to believe:  In the beginning there was nothing.  Then one day something caused by nobody happened to the nothing and it became something.

Then: God created man in His own image.  Problems again yet seemingly no problem with Here is a bottle of water with all sorts of miniscule microbes in it and if I hold it here for a million years or so it will become a man!  Aw now come on chaps.

Right. Let's get back to my designs. 

1) A steelworks machine design never became an ocean liner - I believe it could be possible in certain circumstances for a wolf to evolve into a dog but it stretches the imagination to believe it could ever become an elephant!

2) My designs never reverted to earlier, inferior versions.

So if man evolved from monkeys why are monkeys still being born right this minute?

Ah! the evolutionist cries What about the DNA?

Oh you mean the one about there being a lot of DNA in gorillas that is identical with that found in humans.  No Problem.  Sixty per cent of the DNA found in a banana is identical to that found in humans....

And if you believe that a man ever evolved from a banana then, I'm sorry, but you're a bit more than sixty per cent bananas!

(John Newton)

'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love the Lord or no?
Am I His--or am I not?

If I love--why am I thus?
Why this dull and lifeless frame?
Hardly, sure, can they be worse,
Who have never heard His name!

Could my heart so hard remain,
Prayer a task and burden prove,
Every trifle give me pain,
If I knew a Savior's love?

When I turn my eyes within,
All is dark, and vain, and wild;
Filled with unbelief and sin,
Can I deem myself a child?

If I pray, or hear, or read,
Sin is mixed with all I do!
You who love the Lord indeed,
Tell me--Is it thus with you?

Yet I mourn my stubborn will,
Find my sin a grief and thrall;
Should I grieve for what I feel,
If I did not love at all?

Could I joy His saints to meet,
Choose the ways I once abhorred,
Find, at times, the promise sweet,
If I did not love the Lord?

Lord, decide the doubtful case!
You who are Your people's sun,
Shine upon Your work of grace,
If it is indeed begun.

Let me love You more and more,
If I love at all, I pray;
If I have not loved before,
Help me to begin today!

Courtesy of Grace Gems

In Romans 8 we have seen that if we are in Christ Jesus there is

No Condemnation - No Comparison - No Mistakes

Now we look at verse 33 "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies"

This doesn't mean that nobody will ever blame us for anything, ridicule our faith etc but whatever they say carries no weight with God.  It is only to God that we must answer any charge brought against us but, as we have seen from verse 1 "There is No Condemnation" because we are in Christ Jesus.  We are "Justified by faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ. and it matters not what anyone thinks about us as long as we can answer to God regarding our attitude towards Him.

This doesn't mean we can do as we want with disregard for God's law for we must be careful not to bring His Name into disrepute.   What it DOES mean is that we must not let what people say stop us from serving God in whatever way He is leading us.

During a witness in a local shopping precinct a police officer tried to prevent the Gospel being preached so the believers went with the officer to the local Police Station and demanded to see the senior officer who agreed that there was no law (at present) to prevent public preaching and they were free to continue.  A few months later the same thing occurred so, this time, the complaint was made official with written evidence of the Freedom of Speech law as it related to public speaking.  Now, all officers walking the area have been given instructions in print, not to interfere with open air preaching.    -  It's God that justifies but that won't stop people trying.