Jewel # 306 (Dec. 29, 2017)

“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

Angelfish Are Beauties

“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters,

and Thy footsteps are not known."

(Psalm 77:19)

The Creator has made homes in the seas for more varieties of fish than we can count, both small and large.  Some are very unusual looking, and many of them are beautiful creatures.

Several varieties of small, colourful fishes are named angelfish and are very pretty.  They live mainly in the warm waters along the Atlantic Coast from Florida to Brazil.  Some from the Amazon River in South America are highly prized in many North American aquariums.  There are also varieties of large angelfish that are fished commercially and sold to fish markets, since most are good to eat.

Florida's blue angelfish, for instance, is one of the outstanding beauties.  It is deep blue on its entire back, with two blue ribbons surrounding its head, separated by a dark brown ribbon.  The bottom part of its body is as an even more brilliant blue, and a blue and amber snout adds a little more to its beauty, as well as a brilliant, fan-shaped, yellow tail.  Its not difficult to see how it got its name.

One of the more striking ones is the  clown angelfish.  One variety of these has a light-pink head and shoulders, but the rest of its body, all the way to its tail, is a dark orange marked with wide bands and a central, bright-green stripe that turns deep blue towards it tail.  In addition to this, a huge fin on its back is deep blue, but a similar fin below is light orange with narrow blue stripes.  Getting a close look at one of these would convince you that with such a combination of colours, it is well named. 

Another very attractive variety is the queen angelfish.  A typical one is a soft speckled green all over, except for an outstanding yellow tail and fins.  It is also decorated with a thin but bright-red line all along its narrow top and underside.  There are about a dozen varieties in this group, most of them living off the shores of Florida, but with some venturing as far north as the New England coastline.  When fully grown, they are about two feet long and are a good catch for anyone fishing. 

The Bible tells us that on the fifth day of God’s creation He said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. . . .And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters [oceans, lakes and rivers] brought forth abundantly. . . . And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:20-21). When we see these and other wonders, how good it is to know the One who created it all and who still watches over them.  He watches over you and me.

Love you all - Grandpa    

Jewel # 305 (Dec. 14, 2017)

“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

Bluffing Its Way Through

“The Lord searches all hearts and understands all imaginations of the thoughts.”

(1 Chronicles 28:9)

We all know what it is to “pretend.”  This goes on with many wild creatures of the world every day—usually when they are frightened and want to scare away a threatening enemy. 

The hognose snake, sometimes called a puff adder, is one of these.  It may play dead when frightened, just like an opossum does.  At other times it inhales more and more air into its body until it is about twice as big around as usual.  Either of these tricks usually works and causes an enemy to give up the idea of attacking it.

The coral snake has white, yellow, black and red bands around it.  It is very poisonous, but there are other snakes that look like the coral snake that are not poisonous.  If one of these is threatened by an animal or another snake, it puts on a show and acts just like the coral snake to frighten its enemy away.

A five-inch-long caterpillar called hickory horned devil has been provided with vicious-looking but soft horns on the top of its head.  It also has bulges around its mouth that look like big sharp teeth.  When frightened, it raises the front of its body straight  up and moves its head around, as though it will either take a bite out of whatever threatens it or stab it with its fierce-looking horns. The bird or small animal that was hoping for dinner “escapes” as quickly as possible.

You may have heard of the frilled lizard of Australia and New Guinea.  It has been provided with four sturdy legs and a large fold of loose skin that normally lies flat agains its body like a collar.  But when threatened, this lizard immediately rises on its strong legs and puffs out its huge collar which makes it look more than twice its usual size.  When its mouth is wide open and a row of sharp little teeth are showing while it makes fearsome sounds, its attacker usually changes its mind and makes a quick getaway.

You may think of other interesting examples of the Creator’s provisions for defenceless animals, fish and birds.

Sadly, some people are also pretenders and claim to be wiser than God.  Some teach that there is no God or that the Bible is not true.  Others say that we will get to heaven just by being good.  Many of them teach that the world and all life were not created by God but just “happened to come about.”

Turn away from such wrong teachings and do as King David did when people told him false things.  He said, “I esteem all God’s precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128).

Love you all - Grandpa   

Jewel # 304 (Dec. 7, 2017)

“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 Lovers of the Snow

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, 

they shall be as white as snow.”   (Isaiah 1:18)

Most everyone likes the beauty of snow and the way it covers unpleasant spots.  Children like to play in it, and older ones on toboggans or skis also enjoy it.  Snow-capped hills and mountains are beautiful subjects for photographs.  Then, too, deep deposits of snow on the mountain peaks and slopes are a wonderful provision of the Creator to replenish fresh water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs during hot summer months.

Most people prefer not to stay outdoors during the snowstorms, but there are creatures for whom the Lord God has given snow a special importance.  Polar bears in their white coats are well camouflaged on snow and ice and can sneak up on unsuspecting prey without being seen.  The same is true of white foxes in the Arctic areas.

In some places where snow becomes very deep, activities go on beneath the surface of the snow that are never seen from above.  Field mice, ground squirrels, porcupines and even some birds make tunnels along the ground leading to their feeding areas.  They can do this without the threat of being caught by their enemies.  Working in groups several feet below the surface, they sometimes press down the bottom layer of snow, making a cozy place for warmth and safety.

Then there are animals and birds of various sizes for which the Creator has provided white coats in winter.  If they become aware of an enemy nearby, they lie down or curl up in the snow and are never seen.  Weasels and Arctic hares are examples of this.  Even big snowy owls have been given white feathers for winter.  The wide-winged, pure-white snowy petrel, a sea bird of Antarctica, also benefits from its colouring.

Other birds and animals are temporarily provided with special feathers or fur on their feet for winter.  These feathers or fur act as snowshoes so they can easily travel over the snow’s surface.  Fur and feathers of other creatures do not change in colour, but they are given thicker, extra-warm winter coats.  Ruffed grouse, threatened by an enemy, will plunge into a snow bank and, completely hidden, remain there until danger is past.  Other animals benefitting from snow are deer, elk and moose.  Deep, crusty snow enables them to reach higher to eat tree branches that they could not reach in summer.

In the sight of God, our sins stand out as bright as scarlet, but He invites us to become white as snow in His sight, by admitting that we are sinners and accepting the Lord Jesus as our Saviour.  When we do this, we become His children and are assured of a home in heaven.  The Bible tells us to do this now!  “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).  

Love you all - Grandpa