Jewel # 206 (Feb. 17, 2015)

“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,

The Ways of the Beaver

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things,

and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

(Revelation 4:11)

Once there were millions of beavers in streams, lakes and ponds throughout Canada and the United States, but to meet demands of fashion, trappers killed them mercilessly for their lovely fur, nearly wiping them out.  Fortunately, the fashion designers changed their designs so that beavers were spared to gradually rebuild their colonies.  Should you be visiting some of the mountain areas of the West or lakes in the North, you might get a glimpse of this fascinating creature.

Water is a prime necessity for the beaver, and God has provided it with adaptability to its wet surroundings.  A full-grown animal will be about 3 1/2 feet long, including a flat tail about five inches wide and a foot long.  This tail is most important; a beaver uses it, along with with its paws, to plaster its home and dams with mud.  Its tail is also a rudder for this excellent, web-footed swimmer and serves as a support while it stands on shore or gnaws on trees and shrubs.  When a beaver slaps that flat tail hard on the water’s surface, the sound is a warning for its companions to seek cover from an enemy coming too close for comfort.

This animal is a remarkable engineer, building watertight dams, some a half mile long, to form ponds.  It also builds a house or lodge as much as eight feet high and thirty feet in diameter.  Several beaver families may live in these lodges and have rooms for storing food for winter and other rooms for raising their young.  Here they are safe from their enemies, for their entrances and exits are all underwater, although the living quarters are always high and dry.

A beaver’s most prominent feature is its teeth, which are large, sharp and strong.  It uses them to cut down trees, which are then used in building dams, homes or for food.  Incidentally, their teeth never stop growing.  To keep them from getting hopelessly long, they must wear them down by gnawing.

The amazing skills of the beaver didn’t come about by trial and error.  God provided them with every feature and ability when He created them.

God puts a responsibility on all mankind to recognize His Son as the Creator of all things.  But more important yet, He has been made known to the world as the Saviour to those who trust in Him or as the Judge to those who refuse Him.  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).  How solemn  the warning,“Take heed . . . lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).

Love you all

Grandpa

Jewel # 205 (Feb. 13, 2015)

Alyssa petting an Iguana in Exuma - January 2015

“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,

Iguanas Love the Heat (Part 1)

“Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee. . . . Who knoweth not 

in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 

in whose hand is the life of every living thing.” 

(Job 12:7-10)

Many varieties of lizards, Iguanas, chameleons and geckos live in warm areas of the Eastern and Western hemispheres.  Lets take a look at a few closely related ones, including the iguana that makes its home where sunshine is abundant, particularly in desert areas.

While lizards are rather drab and plain looking, iguanas are often colourful.  One is the Fijian crested, a resident of the Fiji islands.  It is large, about three feet long with its tail taking up more than half of that length.  It is coloured in shades of green, usually banded with white stripes around its body and tail.  It has amber eyes and a yellow snout.  It has long, spidery “fingers” on the ends of each leg.  the two center fingers are about twice as long as the other three, but all are equipped with sharp claws to help in climbing trees where it makes its home.  Like many other iguanas, this one eats mostly leaves and flowers, but it will also eat crickets and other insects.  Iguanas use their tail as self-defence. 

Another, the desert iguana, is much smaller and is a native of the American  deserts.  It can stand hotter temperatures than most others, and partly because it is a night worker and is seldom outside during the day.  It nests under fallen branches of Joshua trees and yucca plants.  Desert country is, of course, usually barren except for the Joshua trees, yucca, cacti, sagebrush and creosote bushes.  It is from the creosote bush that this little fellow gets most of his food, by climbing into the bush to eat its flowers and foliage.  This iguana also eats insects.  The Creator has given it a digestive system that takes the moisture from this food to satisfy its thirst in a land where no water may be found.

As we see how these obscure animals are provided for, we recall how the psalmist was impressed with God’s care over all His creatures: “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest  give them their food in due season”(Psalm 104:27).“He gives to the beast his food”(Psalm 147:9).  Iguanas and lizards have no way of knowing their Creator is watching over them, but in the Bible we learn how much He loves and cares for every boy and girl and grown-up.  One verse says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights”(James 1:17).  

Have you ever thanked Him for His many gifts and especially the gift of His Son, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, to be your Saviour?

(To be continued) 

Love you all,

Grandpa  

Jewel # 204 (Feb. 6, 2015)

Alyssa petting an Iguana in Exuma - January 2015

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,

Iguanas Love the Heat (Part 1)

Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee. . . . Who knoweth not 

in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 

in whose hand is the life of every living thing.

(Job 12:7-10)

Many varieties of lizards, Iguanas, chameleons and geckos live in warm areas of the Eastern and Western hemispheres.  Lets take a look at a few closely related ones, including the iguana that makes its home where sunshine is abundant, particularly in desert areas.

While lizards are rather drab and plain looking, iguanas are often colourful.  One is the Fijian crested, a resident of the Fiji islands.  It is large, about three feet long with its tail taking up more than half of that length.  It is coloured in shades of green, usually banded with white stripes around its body and tail.  It has amber eyes and a yellow snout.  It has long, spidery "fingers" on the ends of each leg.  the two center fingers are about twice as long as the other three, but all are equipped with sharp claws to help in climbing trees where it makes its home.  Like many other iguanas, this one eats mostly leaves and flowers, but it will also eat crickets and other insects.  Iguanas use their tail as self-defence. 

Another, the desert iguana, is much smaller and is a native of the American  deserts.  It can stand hotter temperatures than most others, and partly because it is a night worker and is seldom outside during the day.  It nests under fallen branches of Joshua trees and yucca plants.  Desert country is, of course, usually barren except for the Joshua trees, yucca, cacti, sagebrush and creosote bushes.  It is from the creosote bush that this little fellow gets most of his food, by climbing into the bush to eat its flowers and foliage.  This iguana also eats insects.  The Creator has given it a digestive system that takes the moisture from this food to satisfy its thirst in a land where no water may be found.

As we see how these obscure animals are provided for, we recall how the psalmist was impressed with God's care over all His creatures:"These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest  give them their food in due season"(Psalm 104:27)."He gives to the beast his food"(Psalm 147:9). Iguanas and lizards have no way of knowing their Creator is watching over them, but in the Bible we learn how much He loves and cares for every boy and girl and grown-up.  One verse says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights"(James 1:17).  

Have you ever thanked Him for His many gifts and especially the gift of His Son, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, to be your Saviour?

(To be continued) 

Love you all,

Grandpa