Jewel # 150 (Oct 18, 2013)

           

  

To my dear grandchildren, 

The Hardy Musk-Ox

"I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power."

(Jeremiah 27:5)

The 4- to 5-foot high, 900-pound musk-ox is not really an ox.  It looks more like a water buffalo or a big ram.  The Eskimos have their own name for it "oomingmak," which means "the bearded one."

Not many creatures could survive in the musk-oxen's harsh North American Arctic homeland, but when it pleased the Creator to place them there He gave them special features to survive.  One feature is their long, shaggy dark-brown coat that covers their entire bodies, right down to their  hooves.  During winter months an additional covering of soft, downy wool grows under the heavy outer coat, but when warmer weather returns, this drops off, leaving just the coarse outer covering to keep them comfortable.

An important feature to protect them from wolves and polar bears is a pair of massive horns that curve down the side of their heads and then turn upward with sharp points.  As they follow their God-given instinct to stay together in herds of a dozen or more, they can make a united resistance when attacked.  They do this by forming a circle, faces turned outward and horns lowered in warning.  It would be a foolish enemy that would tackle such a determined group.

The Creator also gave them sharp, curved hooves with soft pads for traveling across the tundra and over rocky mountain slopes.  With these hooves and the help of their strong horns, they dig in the tundra for hidden plants and in winter paw and toss the snow away to expose this food.  Musk-oxen swallow their food without chewing.

Many of the herds prefer to spend the winter among the high peaks of the cold Arctic area (where temperatures often reach more than 50 degrees below zero), because the strong winds of the mountains expose the lichens and moss they eat.  In warmer weather they return to lower areas where grass, willows, flowers and water are again plentiful.

Incidentally, calves stand on their feet immediately after birth and can keep up with the herd just a few hours later.  They grow quickly and reach full size in five or six years.

As we notice the special features the musk-ox has been given, we remember the Bible verse that says, "God that made the world and all things therein . . . giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:24-25).  May each of us respond to the care and love our Creator shows us in even greater measure than He does to animals and trust in Him as the prophet Isaiah did when he wrote, "O Lord, Thou art  my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things" (Isaiah 25:1)  The Lord God loves to hear the praise and thanks of those who trust Him.  Do you thank Him daily?  

Love you all, 

Grandpa  

Jewel # 149 (Oct 10, 2013)

     

To my dear grandchildren,

The Swift Cheetah

"Every beast of the forest is Mine . . . and 

the wild beasts of the field are Mine."

(Psalm 50:10-11)

The cheetah, a member of the cat family, lives on the plains of Africa and Asia and is the fastest animal known for running short distances.  When hunting, it takes advantage of all available cover and crawls on the ground to get as close as possible to its prey.  Then, with tail twitching, it suddenly springs up and runs with lighting speed, 70 to 75 miles per hour (112 to 120 km/h, scarcely touching the ground between its 10-foot leaps.  It can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in three seconds, enabling it to catch its prey almost immediately.

The Creator has provided the cheetah with large nostrils and lungs to draw in great quantities of air while running so fast.  However, it cannot run at top speed for very long, and if it fails to capture its prey promptly, it must give up and rest.  Even if it succeeds, it needs to rest for a while, breathing deeply before eating.

This beautiful animal has a small head with large, yellow-green eyes and dark tear markings running from the inner corners of its eyes.  Its fur is yellowish with black spots over all its body except the throat.  Its long, lean body measures about 3 feet high at the shoulders and about 5 feet long.  Its long, striped tail adds another 2 1/2 feet.  Did you know that cheetah's use their tails to steer while running

The cheetah's natural home is in open grasslands.  Given excellent eyesight, it spots antelopes, elands and other animals from a tree branch, bare hilltops or even a termite mound.  Another special, God-given feature enables the cheetah to go several days without water.

Female cheetahs may have three or more cubs a year.  The little ones are playful, stalking and pawing each other.  In the hot sun they huddle close to their mother for protection from the heat and for safety from enemies.  They are nursed for several months and then trained to hunt.   Cubs leave their mother when they are between 13 and 20 months old.  A cheetah's life span is up to 12 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.

Again we are reminded, as in our opening Bible verse, that the One who can rightfully claim every beast of the forest and field as His does not neglect these creatures.  Through their whole lifetime they are under His watchful care, and He can see them just as He can see each of us even on the darkest night.

Sin that came into the world is responsible for animals such as the cheetah killing others.  But the time is coming when there will be peace again among all the beasts.  At that time those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ now as their Saviour will be with Him in heaven, looking down on that peaceful scene.  Will you be there?

Love you all,

Grandpa

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