Jewel # 148 (Sept 25, 2013)

          

To my dear grandchildren.,

The Mischievous Frigate Bird

"Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty;

just and true are Thy ways."

(Revelation 15:3)

The frigate bird is a relative of the pelican and has body about 40 inches long.  It has amazing flying skills that few birds can match - eating, drinking and even sleeping while airborne.  It can fly 1000 miles without stopping and has no problem flying as high as 4000 feet.  The Creator has provided the ability for such flights by giving it extremely lightweight bones, an amazing seven-to eight-foot wingspread and a strong, forked tail to act as a rudder and brake.

Because of its mischievous habits, the frigate bird is also called man-of-war.  Sharing islands with great colonies of other birds, it will steal their food whenever there is opportunity.  If a frigate sees a booby flying with a fish in its beak, it will chase the booby, sometimes even grabbing its tail and shaking it until it drops the fish, which the frigate then claims for itself.  Sometimes one will land on a pelican's head and eat fish right out of its pouch!

This behaviour seems unnecessary, because a frigate is quite capable of catching its own food.  Spotting a fish while flying over water, it dives straight down as though headed for a crash landing.  Just before hitting the water, its tail and wings fan out to break its speed, and it snatches up the fish without getting more than its long bill wet.  Frigate birds can't swim, even though their food comes from the ocean.

Frigates nest in tropical seaside areas, including southern California, Mexico, the Gulf states and tropical islands. 

The female is a brown colour, but the male has a jet-black body and bluish-green head.  Young birds have white heads.  In nesting season, the male grows a bright scarlet  pouch under his bill, which he can blow up like a balloon nearly as large as himself.  He does this to attract a mate while standing on his perch, throwing his head back and forth with loud whoops.  Eventually a female responds to this attraction.

A rough nest is constructed in low trees or on the ground on remote islands.  Once the male picks a spot for their nest, the female takes over building it with sticks that he brings to her.  Soon they settle down to raise just one chick, which has their careful attention for about a year.

These interesting birds remind us of the great variety to be found in God's creation, and aren't varieties fascinating?  We wouldn't want every bird, every animal, or even every human to look alike.  And so it is with each of us.  Our ways of life are different from each other, but the important similarity should be to let the Lord Jesus rule our lives.  A Bible verse instructs, "Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.  Remember His marvelous works that He hath done" (1 Chronicles 16:11-12).  

Is the Lord Jesus your guide through life?

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 147 (Sept 17, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Pack Rat

"Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all

things therein . . . and Thou preservest them."

(Nehemiah 9:6)

Pack rats are not like their cousins, the filthy, mean city rats.  Pack rats are curious and have cleaner habits.  They do not live in sewers and garbage dumps but live mostly in the mountains or on the deserts of western North America and Central America.  Though they look much like the the ordinary city rat, there are differences other than their habits - their fur is softer and they have hairy tails.  They are sometimes called "wood rats" or "trade rats."

They have earned the name "pack rat" because of their habit of picking up and hiding or carrying home bright or shiny objects that are small.  As a result, their nests become full of unusual things - pieces of glass, aluminum foil, bottle caps, shotgun shells, nails or even brightly coloured stones.  Getting into everything from attics to car engines, they steal their treasures, damaging electrical wiring and other things so that they become a nuisance.  Sometimes they will drop or leave behind something they are carrying in favour of something more attractive.  While prowling in a house, they have been known to chew a bright buckle off a shoe or a shiny pin from a dress, taking them and leaving something else behind.  This is how the name "trade rat" was earned.

Pack rats build strong nests with two or three rooms in a deserted barn or cabin or in trees where they raise one or two litters a season.  These nests are added to each year and may become five or six feet wide and just as high.  If available, cactus prickers are woven into these nests as a defense against coyotes, foxes, dogs and other enemies.  Additional safety is insured by building underground tunnels between rocks or tree roots for quick escapes if threatened while they are out and about. 

Perhaps some of our readers are a little like the pack rat, always trying something new in exchange for something they have become tired of.  The Lord invites us just to rest in Him and not to keep searching for satisfaction and happiness in the attractive things of this world.  In the Book of Job, chapter 28, we are reminded about that searching: "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" (vs. 12).  "The exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold"  (vs. 17).  "God understands the way thereof, and He knows the place thereof" (vs. 23).  "And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (vs. 28).  How wise it is to follow His way and to "be content with such things as ye have" (Hebrews 13:5). 

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 146 (Sept 10, 2013)

         

To my dear grandchildren    

The Long-Nosed Narwhal

"The Lord is a great God. . . . The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker."

(Psalm 95:3-6)

Only a few hundred Inuit people live in the snow-and ice-covered regions of Greenland.  They patiently wait through the cold winter for the return of the short June-through-August summer when they can fish and hunt again.  They catch many fish, seals and an occasional polar bear, but what they really look forward to each summer is the return of the gray and white narwhals.

Narwhals can weigh up to 4000 pounds and may measure 18 feet long, not including their tusks.  Some live for 50 years.  They are hunted, not only for their delicious vitamin-rich meat, but for the valuable oil in their bodies.  Of greatest value are the long, ivory tusks of the males.  These may measure 8 feet long and are spiraled all the way to the pointed tips.

A tusk is really the narwhal's only tooth.  It can weigh as much as 20 pounds and can be sold for a high price.  If it is in good condition, such a prize will sell for $1000 or more.  This means a great deal to the Inuit people, who, except for the fish they sell and a few furs, have little opportunity to earn money.

In the short summer there is a very rapid growth of aquatic life in the salt water on which many kinds of fish thrive.  In ways that only He could devise, the Lord God, the Creator, lets the narwhals know when this will take place.  They gather in pods of 10 to 100 at the edges of ice-bound bays and fjords, waiting for the ice to break up so they can get to this food.  At such times, the Inuit people make the most of their harpoon hunting skills in thrilling, dangerous hunts for the narwhals.

Like porpoises, narwhals are peaceful, lively and playful and are not know to harm anything with their pointed tusks.  However, they are also wary and swift and easily escape when alarmed.  As a result, absolute silence is needed when hunting them in kayaks - no outboard motors are allowed and no talking above a whisper.  But even so, most narwhals escape being caught by the hunters.

Did you know?  The noise a narwhal makes can make humans go deaf.

If these Inuit people read the Bible, they will find in its very first chapter that fish and narwhals are all part of God's creation.  If they read further, they will find that people are more important to Him than anything else.  In the New Testament they will come to this wonderful verse.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). 

We hope that many of the Inuits have accepted this loving invitation.  What about you?

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 145 (Aug 29, 2013)

     

To my dear grandchildren,

The Capybara

"All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that was made."

(John 1:3)

You may never have heard of the capybara since it lives in Central and South America, east of the Andes Mountains.  It is the largest rodent in the world and looks like a small pig or an overgrown guinea pig.  It may weigh 75 to 150 pounds.  Its thick body is covered in dark, coarse hair, and its hind legs are longer than its front legs.  Webbed toes help make it an excellent swimmer.  It is a sociable animal, usually living in a group of twenty or more on the shore of a river, swamp or lake, adjoining a grassy plain.  Its happiest occupation seems to be standing up to its stomach in muddy swamp water, busily eating the plants growing there.

It does not have many enemies, but if a capybara is in danger, its best means of escape is to plunge into the nearest water, leaving only its eyes, ears and nostrils exposed until the enemy goes away.  However, it is not so easy for them to get away from an angry farmer when they raid a melon patch or field of corn.  Perhaps it was first discovered that capybaras are good for food when one was shot and taken home.

A female raises four or five two-pound babies each year.  They are born with a fairly good coat of hair and immediately are able to open their eyes.  Their front teeth begin growing at birth and never stop.  If it were not for constantly biting and chewing plants and other foods, this could become a real problem, but the Creator has arranged that their eating habits and growth of teeth are in balance.

Strangely, young capybaras have no interest in venturing into water until the parents coax them in.  Then, like some children who are slow to take their parents' advice, they find that it s very pleasant.  From then on they spend more of their waking hours in water than out of it.

Having discovered how tasty the meat of the capybara is, many South American ranchers now raise them in fenced areas.  Possibly this animal once scarcely known even in its homeland, may become a well-known food supply even in faraway places.

These unusual animals have followed their pattern of life ever since the day they were created and God declared, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind" (Genesis 1:24).  It is good to remember that the Bible, God's Word, is always true, and and God's way is always perfect.  Believing in the Bible's account of creation is the truth and the only safe ground on which to stand.

"Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.  

Remember His marvelous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth."

(1 Chronicles 16:11-12) 

Love you all,

Grandpa

Gospel Jewels April 2009 to March 2011

Previous Gospel Jewels (#31 April 2009 to #80 March 2011)
are available at http://www.blogigo.com/jewels

Jewel # 144 (July 31, 2013)

         

"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 Mockingbird

Have you ever heard a mockingbird sing?  This bird got its name because of its ability to "mock" or imitate the sounds of other birds it hears.  The mockingbird often changes from one song to another as it imitates different birds.  One was reported to have imitated as many as 32 different songs in ten minutes!  It seems there is almost no limit to the number of songs a mockingbird can imitate.  Many are able to learn at least 180 songs in a few months - some learn many more.  There are "mockers" who have been heard singing for an hour without repeating songs.  God has given His creatures amazing abilities!

The meaning of the word imitate is to copy something or someone.  Sometimes we are able to learn kind and helpful things by copying the good examples of others - imitating what they do.  But sadly, sometimes we copy things that aren't good.  The mockingbird is so good at copying sounds that it can imitate the not-so-pleasant sounds of scolding squirrels, croaking frogs, insects and even screeching, rusty gates.  And like the mockingbird, sometimes we copy things that are unpleasant.  Have you ever done something mean or hurtful because you saw somebody else doing it?  Maybe you have said a naughty word after you heard one of your friends say the word.  Those are not good things to copy.

It is always right to imitate good manners that we hear and see others using.  How pleasant it is to hear "please" and "thank you" being used and to see those who show care and kindness to their own family members, as well as to others.

If you love the Lord Jesus and have accepted Him as your very own Saviour, who do you imitate?  And do you try to be a good example for other boys and girls who might imitate you?  The Lord Jesus is the perfect example to copy - He never sinned, never spoke a wrong or unkind word and never fought back.  God's Word tells us how we can be good examples even when we are young:  "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). 

The Lord Jesus gives us examples to copy in other Christians.  We are to follow those who are living a life pleasing to Him in all ways.  The Apostle Paul wrote, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).  But the very best example to imitate is the Lord Jesus Himself.  "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us" (Ephesians 5:1-2).    

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 143 (July 18, 2013)

          

"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 Scarce Snow Leopard

"Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou has made . . .

the earth, and all things that are therein."

(Nehemiah 9:6)

The snow leopard is a member of the leopard family and is one of the world's most beautiful animals.  When fully grown, this animal will be 30 inches tall at shoulder height and 6 to 6 1/2 and feet long, including its two-foot-long tail.  Its weight will be from 100 to 150 pounds.  

Since it often lives two miles or more high on the cold mountain ranges of central Asia, the Creator has given it a coat much heavier than that of the leopards of warmer climates.  Snow leopards' tails are furry, long and flexible.  This helps them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain where they live.

Its white fur is overlaid with pale gray and leopard like brown spots over most of its body, but the fur remains plain white on the chin, chest and  belly.  Each of its yellow eyes is circled with a ribbon of dark brown fur.  With its small ears and a face like that of a house cat, it is a very beautiful creature.  Just like when your pet cat is calm and relaxed, the snow leopard's sharp claws are not visible, but when its paw reaches out to strike, the claws become fierce weapons, ready for action.  

Snow leopards cannot roar, but they can make hisses, chuffing, mews, growls, and wailing sounds.

Since the snow leopard blends in so well with its surroundings, mountain climbers might pass near one sitting on its haunches and quietly watching them, and be entirely unaware of its presence.  This leopard's food is made up of antelope, deer, mountain goats, smaller animals, pheasants and other birds.  When these are not available, the snow leopard may raid a farmyard for sheep and calves, but it has never been known to attack people.

A mother trains her kittens to catch prey by lying on the ground and gently switching her tail from side to side.  The kittens try to pounce on it, but just as they pounce she gives it a quick flick and they are left empty-handed.  Eventually their reflexes become sharper, and they are able to use this needed skill when hunting for food. 

These lovely animals instinctively hide among the rocks and snow where the colouring of their fur conceals them so well.  But they are not hidden from their Creator; He is well aware of them at all times, as the Bible verse tells us: "He looks to the end of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven" (Job 28:24).  In other parts of the Bible, we also read that He is the provider and protector of all His creatures.

Perhaps you are familiar with another verse that tells us, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).  What do His eyes see in you?   

Love you all,

Grandpa