Today’s scripture: Psalm 139:13-16 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tommy Chittenden):
DNA. Isn’t it simply amazing? Here’s what I’ve recently learned that’s worth sharing as I continue to marvel at this amazing, intricate system created by God that we call the human body.
DNA is the blueprint of biological life. Its discovery has not only revolutionized science and medicine but it has affected all walks of life; whether they are social, legal, criminal or even inheritance related. DNA’s discovery has even influenced a nation’s security concerns, as scientists have gone all the way to developing biological weapons.
The simplest answer for “Why Is DNA Important?” is that DNA is the prerequisite for life’s inception. It dictates life in two ways. Firstly, it transfers hereditary information from generation to generation. Secondly, it controls the production of proteins. DNA even determines the structure of the cell, meaning it dictates the kind of cell it will be — nerve or eye or blood or bone or…
Genealogy, the study of ancestry, depends on the study of DNA. With the help of verbal and written history, and cues from DNA testing, one can trace his ancestors and learn about his family tree. It is so, because of the fact that DNA duplicates itself at cell division (in embryo) and passes on all of its properties to its daughter cells, and the genetic information gets passed from generation to generation. In this transfer, Y-chromosomes do not change that much with the passage of time, hence it helps in assessing the true father and grandfather and even the whole family tree. This resolves not only social matters but legal and inheritance matters as well. Genealogy is also useful in determining the biological mother and other relatives. It can even tell if two siblings truly share the same parents. Study of DNA in genealogy has also shown its importance in detecting the hereditary diseases and in working out their cure.
Normally, Be Still and Know isn’t given to biology lessons and I’m certainly not the one to go much deeper than what you’ve just read, but I was reading a book by Joel Osteen entitled Become A Better You when I discovered the following:
You have the DNA of Almighty God. You come from a long line of champions.
Consider this: Your Heavenly Father spoke the galaxies into existence.Think about some of your natural ancestors:
- Moses parted the Red Sea. There’s great faith in your bloodline.
- David, a shepherd boy, defeated Goliath with only a few pebbles he picked up from a brook. That is courage in your bloodline.
- Samson toppled a building. There is supernatural strength in your bloodline.
- Daniel spent an entire night in a lion’s den and wasn’t harmed. Divine protection flows through your bloodline.
- Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem when all the odds were against him. Determination and persistence pulsate through your bloodline.
- Queen Esther put her life on the line to save God’s people. Sacrifice and heroism are in your bloodline.
Do you understand? You come from a bloodline of champions.
I’m pretty sure none of our schoolteachers ever taught us these things! But is it not true? You and I are part of this genealogy too. Think about that the next time you might be given to “thinking small” and “limited thinking” or “telling one more story where you are the victim.”
Thought for the day: Created in heaven, born on earth, all of us are images of the Most High God! Now — let us go live like we believe that!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.