Jewel # 86 (May 30, 2011)

                   

"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 Always-Hungry Grasshopper

"The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt . . . and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees."  (Exodus 10:14-15)

People who live where there are  grasshoppers know about these insects.  Even if you can't see then, you know they are there by the noise they make.  Actually, the noise is not made with their mouths but by rubbing their wings with their hind legs.

A grasshopper is a most unusual creature.  Its head has two long antennae extending forward and curving upward.  Its head, shoulders and other body parts are protected with tough armour.  It has wings that fold smoothly along its back and extend past its large hind legs. 

Locusts are similar to grasshoppers, but that name usually refers to those species that migrate in great swarms and are very destructive to crops, as told in Bible accounts such as the opening verse.  But grasshoppers of the Western world can also be very destructive, as farmers in Canada and the United States will tell you.

In late summer, a female digs a hole in the ground with her ovipositor and fills the hole with foam.  Then she lays as many as 120 eggs in the hole and covers the opening with soil.  The eggs hatch the following spring, and the newborn grasshoppers look like the adults except that they have no wings.  They immediately begin feeding on tender vegetation and grow so rapidly that they soon shed their armour skins.  This is called molting.  They molt five or six times before they reach full size.  Their wings grow to full size during the last molt.

A grasshopper has six legs.  The hinged back legs have strong thigh muscles that power its long leaps.  It can leap about twenty times as far as the length of its own body.  These powerful legs also push it off to fly.

The Creator has not only provided them with the ability to leap or fly away from enemies (ever try to catch one?), but he has also given them excellent camouflage among the green and brown vegetation they eat.

Perhaps grasshoppers are given to us as a solemn lesson, speaking of those who are destructive, creating nothing good in themselves and trying to spoil the truth of God's goodness.  There are many people who fit this description today, and the Bible warns us about them: "There are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers . . . teaching things which they ought not" (Titus 1:10-11).

How can we keep from being deceived?  Those who do not know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will most easily fall into the snares of such deceivers.  But if you have put your trust in Him, a good answer is also provided: "[Build] up yourselves on your most holy faith . . . keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 20-21).

Love 

Grandpa

Jewel # 85 (May 14, 2011)

  

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts,

in that day  when I make up "My Jewels."

(Malachi 4:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Saved Through Queen Mary

I first met Alice in 1986 when I visited a nursing home where she was a resident.  Without even greeting me, she immediately said, "I was saved through Queen Mary."  I thought to myself, How did she know that I was a Christian?  It turned out she did not know, but, rather, she just delighted to tell everyone that she was saved through Queen Mary.  I heard her greet many others in the same way that she had greeted me.  Here is her story:

It had happened 47 years earlier, and Alice was then a young woman 32 years old.  She stood outside the gate of Buckingham Palace.  She could see the splendors of the royal residence and wished that she could go in.  The famous guards of Buckingham were like statues; they stood silently with their eyes looking straight ahead.  Alice knew that they were forbidden to speak, but she tried to start up a conversation with one of the guards anyway.  Somehow she got him to say something.  But very quickly a messenger was sent, and Alice was summoned before the Queen.

You can imagine her fears as she was brought into the presence of Her Majesty, knowing she had been the cause of the guard breaking the rule.  However, her mind and her conscience were soon set at rest as she was warmly welcomed and made to feel at home.  Queen Mary spoke to her of the joy of salvation and of the hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever felt like Alice, that you were outside looking in?  The Queen saw on the face of Alice that she so much wanted to come inside, but Alice could not go into the palace unless she was brought in by the guard.  God would like to invite you into His palace, but you cannot go into His palace unless you go with Jesus, God's Son.  Jesus Said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6).

If you were brought into God's heavenly palace and you were about to stand before the Majesty of the holy God, would you be like Alice and have fears about the wrong things that you have done?  God has a message of peace for you.  "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

The guard who escorted her out of the palace told Alice that the queen had often brought in others to give them the same message of salvation and hope.  She said that it was her job.  If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you have the same job as Queen Mary and the same job as Alice - to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ, your Saviour.  We are told in in Psalm 107:2, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so."

Have you accepted God's offer of salvation and peace 

through His Son Jesus?  If so, have you told anyone about Him today?

Love,

Grandpa    

Jewel # 84 (April 29, 2011)

"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 Lovely Pintails

"These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their food 

in due season.  That Thou givest them they gather."

(Psalm 104:27-28)

In the large family of ducks, pintails have a prominent place, noted for their speed and handsome appearance.  The females (hens) are rather noisy with their loud quacking, but the males (drakes) use double-toned whistles that are much more melodious.

Drakes' heads are usually reddish brown, with solid-white feathers covering their underparts and reaching partway up their necks.  Holding those pretty heads gracefully, they look like statues on the water.  The hens, like their mates, have slender necks but dull-coloured feathers.  The tail feathers of both extend to sharp points, accounting for their "Pintail" name.  This is particularly noticeable when flying.

Their melodious whistling is on of the first signs of spring when they are preparing to migrate to spots along the border of Canada and the United States and on into the Yukon and Alaska.  In the fall they reverse the flights, traveling far and wide.  Some from Canada fly to England, some from Alaska to far-off Hawaii, and others show up in India, Russia, Africa and Europe, while a large number make shorter flights to California, Louisiana, Mexico and South America.

In the fall months, pintails are among the first to leave the north, and the following spring they are the first to fly  back.  On these travels, great flocks nest in prairie country in Canada near the U.S. border, north and west of North Dakota, where there is an ample supply of wheat and other grains left on the ground after harvesting.  Some also make California their choice, enjoying the barley and rice grown there.  Hunting clubs, government groups and others are working together, planting separate fields of grain in places easy for the birds to reach, thus providing them with their own private farms in order to spare farmers' crops.

Pintails, along with numerous other ducks feeding in marshy areas, all mix happily together, their many calls blending in a tremendous chatter.  As evening comes, pintails, teals, mallards and other ducks all rise from the ponds or fields in large flocks to find roosting places for the night.

With so many millions of birds in the world, do you think the Creator, the Lord God, can tell them apart?  And does He really know about each one?  Yes, He certainly does, just as the opening Bible verse tells us.  Another verse states it this way: "I know all the fowls [birds] of the mountains" (Psalm 50:11).

He also has His eye upon you and wants you to follow His guidance every moment of your life.  The Bible says, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).  This is the only true and happy way of life.

Love

Grandpa     

Jewel # 83 (April 12, 2011)

"But 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 Barbary Ape

"The eyes of all wait upon Thee. . . .  Thou openest Thine hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing."  (Psalm 145:15-16)

Its fun to watch monkeys in the zoo, especially when they do tricks their trainers have taught them.  Even King Solomon found them interesting and brought some to Jerusalem, probably as part of his zoo.

There are many species of monkeys and apes in God's creation, and He has supplied everything they need.  Since they do look a little like humans, some people think that humans and monkeys are related, but the Bible assures us this is not so.  There are many differences, both in body structure and intelligence.  Apes and monkeys are part of the animal creation.  Man was formed separately and is distinct and superior to all other created things.   The Bible says, "God created man in His [God's] own image" (Genesis 1:27). 

The Barbary ape is actually a monkey rather than an ape.  It is a native of Africa but is also a famous resident of the Rock of Gibraltar where it was found when the British came there in 1704.  These apes live in large colonies of several dozen, with a powerful male as their leader.  He is responsible for the behaviour of those in his colony, although the young ones being full of play and mischief are given lots of freedom.  Babies are lovingly nursed by their mothers and cling to their mothers' fur for the first few weeks of life.  They eventually grow to be about three feet tall.  They have excellent memories and are always curious about anything new or strange.

Like most monkeys, the Barbary ape is a great climber and very acrobatic even though it has no tail.  Most of its time is spent searching for food, which includes fruit, leaves, roots, seeds, locusts and lizards.  Its sense of smell is poor, but its sight and hearing are excellent.

Barbary apes live where there are many dangerous scorpions that have deadly, poisonous stingers in their tales.  But this ape has no fear of them.  When a scorpion is spotted the ape quickly pounces on it in just the right way.  Then the tail with its poisonous stingers is twisted off, and the ape has a scorpion dinner.  How long do you think it took these apes to learn this trick?  Actually, they did not need to learn it, because God gave them that ability when He created them.

We are impressed with God's watchful care over these interesting apes.  But the psalmist was thinking of something even more impressive when He exclaimed, "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17).  Have you thought of God's loving care in providing a Saviour for you?  He invites you to come to Him through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that you might have your sins forgiven and have everlasting life. 

Love

Grandpa  

Jewel # 82 (March 31, 2011)

"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 Proud Lyrebird

"Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off."  (Psalm 138:6)

The musical instrument called the lyre has two curved arms reaching up from the base and a series of string stretched between them.  When explorers in Australia first caught sight of a pheasant-sized bird with feathers spread out U-shaped just like a lyre, they promptly named it the lyrebird.

Actually, only the male bird has the beautiful feathers, and he displays them in winter and spring.  He moves around in the forest busily scratching for worms and snails.  He is not much of a flier, but he can run fast.  When he runs, he holds his long tail straight out behind him so the brush will not damage it.

The lyrebird is a great imitator, not only of other birds, but it will quickly imitate the bark of a dog, the noise of a gasoline engine, the meow of a cat or most any other sound.  It is more talented than a parrot in this way. 

During winter, the lyrebird looks for a mate. He loudly sings some of the tunes he has copied from other birds.  Finding a clear spot in the forest, he scratches up a mound of dirt and climbs up to display his sixteen beautiful tail feathers.  He raises them in a lyre-like shape, waving and bending them forward over his head.  They look like a delicate beautiful fan.

He does a lively dance on the mound that may last an hour or more.  If a female lyrebird does not show up, he moves on to another mound already prepared some distance away, and he repeats the whole act.  This may go on for several days, until finally a female appears.  He helps her build an oval-domed nest in the fork of a tree or in the undergrowth where she lays just one egg.  Then he deserts her while she hatches out the lone chick and goes back to his mound to look for another female.  This continues well into spring. 

The male lyrebird is really a proud creature, isn't he?  The way he deserts his companions spoils our admiration of him.  His actions remind us of Satan and even of some persons who make themselves attractive on the outside but are not attractive on the inside.  But God is never deceived.  The Bible tells us that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  How solemn to realize that the Lord "searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts" (1 Chronicles 28:9).  We cannot hide from God; He knows all about us every moment of our lives.

How good it is to confess that we need him to guide and direct our lives and to know "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).  

Have you done this?

Love 

Grandpa

Jewel # 81 (March 18, 2011)

    

"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,

Man's Friend - the Horse

Isn't it amazing that some large animals like horses, which can weigh 2000 pounds or more, can be taught to obey a boy or girl weighing less that 100 pounds?  God arranged this in creation and declared in Genesis 1:26 that men should dominate all living creatures.

Centuries ago men discovered that a horse's mouth could be used to control it.  Between its front and back teeth is an open space.  A metal bar, called a bit, is placed there and a bridle is attached to it.  This is then used to direct the horse wherever the rider wants it to go.

King David in the Bible  wrote about horses: "Be ye not as the horse . . . whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle" (Psalm 32:9).  This advice warns us not to resist God or He may have to turn us in the right direction by some stronger action.

A horse keeps its "baby teeth" until it is five years old, and then new, strong teeth replace them.  But over the years these wear down, so an experienced horseman can tell a horse's age by counting its teeth and looking at their condition.

Have you noticed that a horse's eyes are situated more on each side of its head than in front like yours?  The Creator gave it this extra safety precaution so it can see to each side.  They have larger eyes than any other land animal.

A horse's entire body helps it to receive sounds.  Besides its ears, its hooves sense sound and pass it on through its bones and nerves.  A horse has sharp hearing and can move its ears to catch sounds from almost any direction.  Its ears are also a clue to its disposition.  Straight forward - it is interested and usually friendly.  Laid back - look out!  It may be angry or annoyed.

God gave the legs and feet of a horse a special design.  As a horse runs, its foot hits the ground with a powerful force.  An elastic ligament above the hoof stretches out so the full force of the animal's great weight does not hurt the lower part of the leg.  This feature prevents the leg bones from breaking and becoming useless and allows it to gallop and jump without harm.  Yet a horse can sleep standing upright.  Its legs are provided with "lock-joints" which remain firm and straight even though the horse is sound asleep.

These wonderful animals did not develop their unusual abilities by themselves.  Everything about them shows the wisdom of the Creator when He placed them among earth's animals.

The psalmist said, "Some trust in chariots, and some trust in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7), and "Blessed is the man that [trusts] in Him" (Psalm 34:8).  

Are you trusting in earthly things or are you trusting in God?

Love, 

Grandpa

Jewel # 80 (March 2, 2011)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Lost Money

A few summers ago we spent a weekend at a cottage on a lake with all our children and grandchildren.  They all had a happy time jumping off a large inflatable dock into fifteen feet of water.

William, one of the dads, had stuffed a carefully folded fifty dollar bill into his bathing suit pocket.  In the fun of pushing and shoving each other off the dock the pocket with the money in it became torn.  At the end of the afternoon, William noticed that the money was missing from his torn pocket.

William called his two boys aside and told them about the lost money.  They decided to pray about it, with faith believing what God has promised in Luke 11:9-10, "ASK, and it shall be give you: SEEK, and ye shall find; KNOCK, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asks, RECEIVES; and he that seeks finds and to him that knocks it shall be OPENED." 

After they finished praying about the matter, William swam out to the floating dock and dove into the clear water.  When he came back up to the surface, he had the lost money in his hand.

After returning to the shore, he said to his sons, "Let's kneel down and thank the Lord for helping us find the money."

For the whole family - children, parents and grandparents - that answered prayer was a wonderful lesson on the readiness of the Lord Jesus to answer quickly when we need help right now.  If you were to ask any of the children who were there that day, "Does God answer prayer?" they would probably answer,  "Yes He does, and sometimes very fast!"  

Love 

Grandpa