Jewel # 36 (July 22, 2009)

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up MY JEWELS."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

"Come to ME (Jesus) and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Jewels:

1. What are they?
2. Where are they found?
3. Why are they valuable?

Often jewels are similar in appearance to common rocks.  Dirty, valueless pieces of coal, can become priceless diamonds.  Diamond means "unconquerable."  It consists of one single element, Carbon (Graphite used in a pencil is carbon).  Diamonds are generally found deep underground.  They have endured tremendous pressure.  The heat and pressure has produced hardness and is regarded as the hardest rock known.  Some diamonds are used for drills to penetrate rock.  One of the most common uses is in the production of jewelry.

The Lord God said ". . . in that day when I make up MY JEWELS . . . I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son . . ."  Who is He referring to as His jewels?  His children!  Those who have taken the offer of Jesus to wash away their sins.

We are all sinners but out of "common rocks" God can make a jewel.  He looks on your heart.  He wants you for His jewel.  You may feel that no one is going to make you listen to Him and that you are "unconquerable."  Let Him make you His jewel.

Like a diamond hidden deep in the earth, you too may be far from God.  You may have suffered a lot of "heat" and "pressure" from your buddies.  In God's eyes you are very precious.  He went to a great cost to find you by giving His only Son, Jesus Christ so that you might be washed clean and become like a jewel . . . sparkling, enduring, valuable and wanted.

Jewel # 35 (July 13, 2009)

"And They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up MY JEWELS."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

In this pleasure-loving age the so-called "Show Business" never seems to lack the "talent" necessary to provide hair-raising performances with which to thrill or amuse the crowds.  it was reported, that, while lying in his hospital bed, where he had spent four years recovering from a car accident, a twenty-nine year old Montreal man came up with the idea of becoming the most incredible stunt man the world has ever known.

He was to be called "The Human Fly," and attempted three spectacular feats in 1976 - 77.  First, the Bonneville sky walk in which he was strapped to the body of a Lear Jet standing upright fifteen feet from the front of the fuselage.  The major event was, however, an attempt to make a one-minute jump across the English Channel strapped to the outside of a custom designed missile.  Later he planned to use a similar missile to jump Mount Everest.  A jump off the CN tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure, into a twenty-foot pool of water was also planned.

Such a daredevil program might have passed unnoticed had it not reminded us that nearly ninety years ago another then famous performer known as the "Human Fly" astounded the world by climbing the walls of some of the tallest buildings in Canada and the United States.  It was announced that the same  Human Fly would climb up the face of one of the large department store buildings in Los Angeles.  Long before the planned event began the area was packed with thousands of spectators to watch this incredible stunt.

Slowly and confidently he began the upward climb, now grasping a window sill, then a jutting brick, then up on to a ledge, always overcoming insurmountable difficulties, till at last he reached the top.  Here he reached right and left above his head for something solid to hold him for the rest of the way.  Then looking up he seemed to spot what appeared to be a piece of weather worn brick or cement sticking out from the otherwise smooth wall.  Risking all in one last upward thrust he grasped the bulge in the wall.  It was a fatal leap!  There was nothing solid there to hold on to.  Before the horrified crowds he fell to the street to his death.

When his broken body was gathered up, his clenched hand was found to be holding a spider's web.  What he thought was firm and dependable proved to be as nothing.  It is true that only a few today imagine, much less attempt, such ridiculous stunts.  Yet how many millions there are trying to reach heaven by their own efforts.  Are you one of them?  Oh, be warned, it is to attempt the impossible.  The Lord Jesus Himself has said:

"I am the way. . . no man comes to the Father but by Me."
(John 14:6)

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised (Jesus) from the dead, you shall be saved."
(Romans 10:9)

"Except you repent you shall all likewise perish."
(Luke 13:3)