Jewel # 418 (Sept. 19, 2020)

 

"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 Miracle of the Honeybee

“Eat thou honey, because it is good; and sweet to thy taste: so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul.”  Proverbs 24:13-14 

The honeybee is much too interesting to describe in one article.  Today we will look at the specially-designed body structure.

Bees have six legs, and each pair has a special purpose.  The front pair is specially adapted to clean off the insect’s antennae or wipe pollen off its face, mouth and large eyes.  The hinged middle pair is used to pack pollen into the collecting baskets on the hind legs.  In addition to carrying these baskets, the hind pair works with the middle pair to tamp the pollen into pellets, which are used in the hive.  Each leg also has sharp tips for walking over rough surfaces, and cushions between the tips give a grip on smooth surfaces.

Two flexible antennae on the front of the bee are covered with thousands of tiny plates.  These give the bee sensitivity to touch and also a keen sense of smell.  Then there are the two specially designed wings that enable the bee to carry heavy loads of nectar and pollen for long distances.  When flying, the the front and back wings attach to each other by hooks, which then make one large, strong pair of wings.  However, to enter small flowers or the hive cells, these wings separate, fold down and overlap.  Incidentally, a bee flies with its wings moving in a figure eight pattern, which allows it to move up or down, backward or forward, or hover like a hummingbird.

A bee has five eyes—three small ones in a triangle on top of its head, and a large compound eye on each side of the head.  The compound eyes, with many smaller plates called facets, somehow pick up the sun’s rays and act as a compass wherever the bee may be at any time.

The bee has a wonderful ”chemical factory” inside.  This changes the nectar it gathers into honey.  The same organs produce beeswax too.

No other insect has a tongue designed like a bee’s that penetrates into deep pockets of flowers.  The body shape and structure are also designed to carry pollen from one plant to another.  The bee is God’s chief pollinator of flowers.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”  How happy life would be if we all used pleasant words with as much energy as bees use in gathering their honey.  But it is only by knowing the Lord Jesus as our Saviour that we have a new nature, which delights in pleasant words and helpful works.  Proverbs 22:17-18 tells us, “Apply thine heart unto My knowledge.  For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.”                  

Love you all-Grandpa

Jewel # 417 (Sept. 10, 2020)

 

Sea Anemone                                                                               Clown Fish                                                                       Damselfish

“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

Pretty But Deadly!

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  (Ephesians 6:11)

The sea anemone, Living on the bottom of the ocean in certain places, is not a plant but an unusual sea animal.  It can move slowly, but it usually anchors itself to a rock and stays there.  Its “flowers,” though pretty, are equipped with tiny poisonous threads that wrap around the unfortunate fish that swims too close.  These poisonous threads paralyze the fish, and then the tentacles slowly drag the fish into the anemone’s hidden mouth, which means the end of the fish. 

But there are a few fish that are not bothered by the anemone and can swim around its tentacles without fear.  These fish eat the pieces of fish that fall out of to the anemone’s mouth, as well as catching other little fish that come close to the anemone before it can catch them.

One of the fish immune to the poison of the anemone is the little clown fish, a very pretty, brightly-coloured fish decorated with a few wide, white stripes.  When not eating, it often snuggles down for a rest on the colourful tentacles of the sea anemone, which don’t affect it.

Another fish that is immune to the sea anemone’s poison is the damselfish, which is a favourite food of some larger fish.  When pursued the damselfish will dash into the “petals” of the anemone.  It has been know to even dive through the anemone’s mouth into its stomach without any harm and soon finds its way back out.  No one can explain how it can do this without being killed, but it is an amazing example of the Creator’s ways with what He has created.  The Bible says of the Creator, “All things are possible unto Thee” (Mark 14:36).    

One more sea creature that has no fear of the sea anemone is the anemone shrimp.  It lives right inside the anemone’s many tentacles.  Sooner or later a large fish, spotting it there, will stop and open its mouth wide, wisely staying out of reach of the anemone’s tentacles.  The shrimp quickly swims out and picks parasites off the fish’s teeth that it can’t get rid of by itself.  When that job is finished, the fish swims away and the shrimp returns to its strange home.

Sea anemones, although very beautiful, cause the death of many fish.  It reminds us of Satan, our enemy, who puts attractive temptations in the pathway of everyone, young and old.  At times he makes himself look like “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), to trick us into taking the deadly bait he holds out.

If the Lord Jesus is our Saviour, He is our strong protector and will keep us in in His ways.  He tells us to put on "the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11), so that we can stand strong against Satan’s tricks.     

Love you all - Grandpa     

Jewel # 416 (Sept. 7, 2020)

 

"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

A Living Bomb

“God made . . . everything that creeps upon the earth after his kind.”  Genesis 1:25

A strange beetle called the bombardier beetle baffles scientists.  It bombs its enemies with a bad-smelling, boiling-hot fluid that it shoots out by an explosion inside its body.  Scientists know what chemicals make up this fluid, but they cannot figure out how the beetle controls its exploding. 

The bombardier has two chambers inside its body where the chemicals it manufactures are stored.  It also has another part where it mixes them.  Before mixing, it adds a third chemical called an ”inhibitor.”  This mixes with the first two chemicals to keep them from exploding.  These mixed chemicals are stored in its body until needed.

As long as the inhibitor is present, the “bomb” cannot go off.  But this little insect, in one of the many wonders of God’s creation, can “explode" this bomb whenever it wants.  The beetle makes sure it is in front of its enemy.  Then it forces the chemical mixture into a final chamber where a liquid from another part of its body is present.  This liquid overcomes, or inactivates, the inhibitor, causing the whole mixture to explode with a definite “bang”.  It is discharged through a special nozzle in this chamber with considerable force.  It either kills its enemy or chases it away.  It is so well equipped with ammunition that it can explode this mixture 10 to 20 times before running out.  Then, within a day, its tanks refill.

How did this beetle get its storage tanks?   When did it learn about making the chemicals and how to mix them without blowing up itself?  Who taught it how to make the explosion at the right time?  Could we believe the theory of some who claim that these things just happened?  Or could we believe that the beetle added one part at a time over millions of years?  No.  Such teaching is not only unreasonable, but it is also contrary to God’s Word, the Bible.  It can easily be seen that any bombardier beetle that did not have all its functions working together correctly would destroy itself before it could make necessary changes.

The Lord God, the divine Creator, designed the bombardier beetle and made it complete with its amazing features when He first placed it on the earth.  Scripture tells us, “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He” (Psalm 135:6).  All His wonderful works show the pleasure He had in creating them.  The many varieties also show us His unlimited power and wisdom.

But we should pay attention to another Bible verse that says, “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding” (Psalm 119:73).  When the Lord God made mankind, He had a special purpose in mind.  It is His delight to give understanding to every person concerning His love.  God gives everlasting life to all who love His Son and trust in Him as the Saviour of sinners.

Love you all - Grandpa