Jewel # 433 (Jan. 25, 2021)

 

"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 Lion—King of Beasts (Part 1)

"A lioness . . . brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey.” Ezekiel 19:2-3 

Lions are the most famous members of the cat family.  They are among the fiercest of animals and live in Africa, southern Asia and India.  Six to twenty will live together in a group called a pride.

When hidden in tall grass or rocks, they are hard to spot.  Hunters have sometimes almost walked into such a group before seeing them.  Like a house cat snoozing much of the day, they spend 20 hours a day sleeping or resting.  Perhaps this helps them to live for 18-20 years.  Do you think God cares about them?  Yes, He cares for all of His creation.  The opening Bible verse shows that He has made even lions to care for their young. 

A lioness, temporarily leaving the pride, gives birth to two, three or four cubs about every other year.  The cubs weigh around three pounds at birth and are blind and helpless, and the lioness nurses and trains them for about three months before retuning to the pride.  Then she and other mothers take turns babysitting for each other.  If the cubs do not do as the lioness wants, they often get picked up by the loose skin at the back of their necks.

At two months they accompany their mother to a “kill” for their first meal of meat.  Soon she teaches them to stalk and capture their own prey.  Female cubs stay with the pride, but male cubs are chased from the territory by their fathers when they are between two and three years old.  These young males wander and hunt together until they are fully grown.  Then they challenge males in other prides and may take over the prides. 

A full-grown male, weighing 500 pounds, may stand four feet high and measure eight to ten feet from nose to the end of his tail.  He is a handsome animal, dressed in yellow-gold with a shaggy mane and penetrating eyes.  The female is smaller and has no mane.  Strong creatures, they can carry animals in their mouths weighing as much as twice their own weight.

The big male is famous for his frightening roar which terrifies nearby animals so that they jump up and run.  But the lion often soon catches them and can disable or kill some prey with one swipe of a paw.

How we need God’s warning to us:  “Be sober, be vigilant;  because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). A place of safety from our enemy Satan is most important.  God offers you that place of safety:  “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge”  (Proverbs 14:26)  (to be continued)               

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 432 (Jan. 15, 2021)

    

“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

Well-Named Hornbills

The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.  Psalm 145:9

Hornbills are among the largest birds in the world.  Some are about four feet long.  Their main food is fruit but lizards, mice and small birds are also in their diet.

A most amazing variety, the Malabar pied hornbill, lives in the jungles of Ceylon.  About the size of a turkey, it has a huge curved beak in white, orange and black colours, almost as long as its main body.  On top of this beak is a high black and orange cap, which looks like  something that was glued on.  The rest of its body is coal black, except for white patches under its big tail and chalk-white throat.  It nests in fruit trees, where it finds plenty to eat.

Far away in China and Thailand is another species, the rufous-necked.  Its huge beak is black on the top and yellow underneath, contrasting with the bright scarlet colouring of its whole body, except for coal-black wings and back and long white tail feathers.

Another one, called the Oriental, nests in natural holes in the trunk of big trees.  It also has a huge beak (but without the cap) which, when open,  looks much like two yellow bananas side by side.  Its wings are a combination of speckled black and white, and most other body features are a soft white.

The female of the Oriental has an unusual way of raising her young ones.  When ready to lay two or three eggs, she she first lines her nest with fresh grass and leaves.  Then she squeezes through the narrow opening and closes all but a top slit with gooey material applied by her beak locking herself inside!

When incubating her eggs, her male faithfully brings food to her, inserting it through the open slit in the entrance.  After the eggs hatch, she opens the hole, leaving the babies inside, but from the outside she again closes it, leaving a slit at the top as before.  She and her mate then feed through that slit until they are big enough to be released and take care of themselves.

There are others, such as the black-feathered ground horn bill of Africa with an unusual beak (horn) surrounded by huge pouches of deep red bare flesh.  But these few provide typical samples of this unusual part of God’s creation.

The Lord is indeed good to all His creation, as mentioned in the opening Bible verse.  Two other verses in the same chapter say, “All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and and Thy saints shall bless Thee.  The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. . . in truth” (Psalm 145:10,18).

Are you one of the happy people who know Him as your Saviour?  Do you call on Him in prayer daily?

Love you all - Grandpa  

Jewel # 431 (Jan. 8, 2021)

                

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

Likeable Phalangers

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.”  Ecclesiastes 12:1

Phalangers, or cuscus, are animals about as big as a house cat.  They live in trees in the forests of Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea.  They are active at night and rest in the daytime out of sight, often stretching out along the branch of a tree.  Their tails are like an extra hand to them, 

curling tightly around branches or helping them as they travel swiftly through the trees.

There are several species of them, ranging in size from as small as a mouse to as large as a cat.  Most of them have soft, thick fur in pretty colours.  Their strong tails are wooly, except for the tips, which are covered with coarse scales.  Their claws are ideal for climbing.  Most of them eat insects, small birds and tiny animals, 

but others are more interested in vegetable dinners.

Females have up to six tiny babies—hairless and helpless at birth.  After being carried and fed for a few months in their mother’s pouch, the babies become covered with fur and are then able to come out and learn how to care for themselves.

One species is named the spotted cuscus.  It is considered by many to be the prettiest of all.  Its  greyish white fur has odd-shaped  patches of red.  In addition to strong claws, its hind feet have fleshy pads which give it a firm hold on smooth branches.  Like the others, it is a night hunter.  

Its food includes small animals and birds, 

as well as quantities of leaves.

The great flying phalanger has a blackish-brown silky coat on its back and and is white underneath.  It is about 20 inches long, plus a tail of the same length.  

Like the flying squirrels, the Creator has provided it with a special loose skin that stretches out between its front and hind legs as it glides through the air, 

jumping from one tree to another.  It also uses its tail as a rudder.

Smallest of all is the pigmy flyer, only five inches long, including its tail.  The newborn babies, carried in the mother’s pouch, are not much larger than a big ant.

Many others species, all of which are examples of the wonders of God’s creation in which He took much pleasure.  In a coming time, 

those who know Hm as their Saviour will give Him their praises in the beauties of heaven.  

Up there we may learn much more about the wonders of His creation.

  

Will you be there?

Love you all - Grandpa