Messages of God's Love: 1996

We decided to hatch some chicken and duck eggs since we now had an incubator. Soon we had quite a flock of ducklings, but only one little chick hatched and lived. Since the little birds had been hatched in an incubator, they didn’t have a mother to look after them. They all stayed very close together for comfort and protection. The one chick, which turned out to be a rooster, thought he was a part of the duck family.

One day when a strange dog came to visit, the ducklings all headed for the safety of the pond. The little rooster, who was in the middle of the flock, went in too. But he discovered right away that the pond was no place for him. You see, he really wasn’t a duck and it wasn’t his nature to swim, so he immediately came out of the water. He looked unhappy and tried his best to shake his feathers dry.

After that we put a board across the pond, and the rooster would pace impatiently back and forth on the board while the ducks were swimming and diving and having a good time. It was their nature to enjoy the water.

Ducks and chickens are two different kinds of birds with two different natures. And there are two different kinds of people in this world. There are people who are saved from their sins, and there are people who are lost in their sins. If the Lord Jesus has washed you clean in His precious blood, then you are saved from your sins, and God has given you a new, eternal life. But if the Lord Jesus has not washed away your sins, you are still lost in them, and you have only the sinful human nature you were born with.

The summer passed happily and the ducks and rooster acted as though they were one big family. They did everything together (except swimming!) and got along well. But when the fall rains came the rooster didn’t like that at all. While the ducks paraded through the rain drops without a care, he would run for the shelter of a nearby tree or try to hide under anything that would keep him dry.

Now if you are saved from your sins and have the new life, you will love the water of God’s Word, the Bible. Ephesians 5:25-26 tells us “Christ . . . loved the church [which is made up of those who have eternal life], and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” But if you still have only the old, sinful nature, you will not enjoy reading the Bible. It tells you that you are a sinner and need the Saviour to forgive your sins.

Winter came with its cold snow. The ducks would fluff out their feathers and settle down to sleep in the snow with their heads tucked under their wings. But the rooster couldn’t do that and hated even to get his feet in the snow. We built him a little shelter, but still it was too cold. The nature he was born with could not protect him from the cold of winter, and he finally died.

Our hearts were sad for the poor rooster, but we’d be much sadder if one of our readers did not have the new life they need to go to heaven. If you haven’t come to the Lord Jesus and confessed that you are a guilty sinner and received from Him life eternal, the very nature and life of Christ that will make you happy and ready for heaven, please do it now. God loves you, and He sent His only Son into this world to die for sinners. There on the cross Christ made Himself responsible for all the sins of anyone who will believe in Him. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We couldn’t give our rooster a duck’s nature, but the Lord Jesus can give you a life suitable for heaven. Do you have it?

ML-01/07/1996

Stolen Pear

Do you like to eat pears? I do. There is nothing nicer than a ripe, juicy pear. They taste so good.

A group of boys was walking along a road one day when they found a pear tree with fruit on it. There were seven pears on the tree, and they looked so tempting and so good that the boys stopped to look at them.

As they were standing there, the owner of the property came walking across his land, enjoying all the good things he had growing there. When he saw the boys, he stopped and talked with them. He asked them if they liked pears, and they answered that they certainly did. So he said to them, “Do you know what I’ll do, I’ll give you six of these ripe pears. There are only seven on the tree, so I’ll keep one for myself.”

Wasn’t that kind and generous of him to give away all his pears but one? You know, God has given us all things richly to enjoy, as He tells us in the Bible in 1 Timothy 6:17. And He has given us six days in the week in which we can have a good time and do our own work, but He has kept only one day for Himself - the Lord’s Day.

Well, those boys enjoyed eating the six pears that the kind man had given them. But as they went on their way, they thought about that one other pear that the man had kept for himself. They said to each other how nice it would be to have that other pear also. And so they went back and picked the last pear and divided it up.

How ungrateful they were when the man was so kind to them. But are we any better than those boys? Do we remember how much the Lord Jesus has done for us? And do we try to please Him and do His work on His day? Or do we steal that day from Him?

We should want to please Him every day of the week, of course, but especially on the Lord’s Day which He has kept for Himself.

ML-01/07/1996

No Tricks

The plastic mouse was on a fine thread. It climbed up out of a cup and ran up the salesman’s sleeve. As a young boy I watched wide-eyed. The salesman said his little trick mouse was a wonderful buy, as the crowd also watched the amazing tricks. He said it was sure to please and worth every penny.

I stepped forward, put my two dollars down and picked up the amazing mouse. In only a few minutes I realized I didn’t have the salesman’s touch! The little mouse didn’t run so smoothly now and seemed to have forgotten all its tricks. I realized I’d been tricked, or needed a lot of practice.

God highly recommends His love to us, and it’s free. No tricks here. The closer you look, the better it is. This is real love, and He proved it when He gave His only Son to die for sinners. This is what the Bible verse says. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The verse talks about three things. First, it speaks of God’s love. God recommends it. He introduces us to it and goes on to prove that it’s true and real. This isn’t love on a string doing tricks and passing off empty promises.

Second, it speaks of our sin. Amazing! God offers His love to sinners. Ever meet a sinner? He’s always the other person. But we can’t really accept His love until we bow before God and admit, “I am a sinner and need a Saviour.” All we have to do to meet a sinner is look in the mirror. God doesn’t wait until we’ve cleaned up our act. That would be never. He loves us now.

Third, it speaks of Christ’s death. Here is the perfect proof of that love. People ask, “How can the death of a man 2000 years ago affect me in 1996?” First realize this Man was no ordinary man! Jesus was the Son of God. He was more than just a carpenter, more than just a “shining example.” In laying down His sinless life, He took on Himself the curse and judgment sin brought upon mankind. In accepting Him as your Saviour, the pardon His death purchased is yours.

The verse is simple, the words plain. But the message is powerful and life changing. Jesus Christ is not a salesman offering empty promises; He is the Saviour. Have you trusted Him?

ML-01/14/1996

How Do You Say 'Zoo' in Spanish?

Do you know how to say the word “zoo” in Spanish? Tommy didn’t, but he learned the word quickly one day.

“Let’s go to the zoo this afternoon,” we said to Tommy.

“Oh boy!” he exclaimed.

Our family lived in a small town in South America for a number of years, and once in a while for a special treat we drove to the big city to take our small children to the zoo.

“Mommy, how do you say ‘zoo’ in Spanish?” Tommy asked.

“Zool-gico,” we said.

Tommy smiled and ran out the door as we got ready to go.

Just as we were ready to get into the jeep, three neighbor children, Yenny, Betania, and José, appeared. Their hair was combed. Their faces were washed. They had clean clothes on and big smiles on their faces. They looked like they were ready to go somewhere.

We hadn’t planned to invite anyone to go with us that day, but here were these three little friends all expecting to go somewhere. Suddenly we remembered that Tommy had asked us how to say the word “zoo” in Spanish! He must have run over to their house to invite them to go with us!

“Well,” we said, “would you like to go to the ‘zool-gico’ with us?”

“Sí!” they all said together.

“You had better go ask your mother if you can go,” we said.

“We already have,” they answered quickly.

So we all climbed into the jeep, and instead of taking three children that day, we took six.

Tommy had been eager to invite his friends to go with us that day, but God is even more eagerly inviting you somewhere! God is inviting you to His wonderful home in heaven. He wants you there so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world to die on the cross and pay for our sins so that we could go there. “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).

Yenny, Betania and José were just as eager to go as Tommy was to invite them. All it took was one invitation, and they got ready fast! And this was just to go to a zoo. But God has invited you many, many times to go all the way to heaven! There is a street of gold up there, and we will have a wonderful supper with harps and singing. Wouldn’t you like to go? God says to you, “Come; for all things are now ready . . . and yet there is room” (Luke 14:1722). God wants to have His house filled with boys and girls like you. Have you accepted His invitation? Are you ready to go? You can be. The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Tommy only had to learn how to say “zoo” in Spanish in order to invite his friends that day, but the Lord Jesus had to suffer and die for our sins in order to invite us to heaven. Yenny, Betania and José only had to come that day - and that’s all you have to do too. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Will you come?

ML-01/14/1996

In a Garbage Dumpster

Did you have a good night’s sleep last night? Where did you sleep? You probably have a soft, comfortable bed with plenty of blankets so you can stay warm in this cold weather. We get so used to the comforts of our homes that we can’t imagine living any other way.

Have you ever slept in a garbage dumpster? Probably not. But did you know that there are actually people who sleep in garbage dumpsters? They are sometimes called homeless, or bums, or hobos. They find an alley with a large garbage dumpster. They lift the lid and climb inside for the night, because they don’t have a home. They cover themselves up with paper or whatever else is in there so they can stay warm while they sleep.

When I was a little boy I was raised in a Christian home. I had a soft, warm bed along with other nice things. As I grew up, I heard the Bible, the Word of God, read in our home. I knew songs like “Jesus Loves Me” and learned verses like John 3:16: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

But when I grew up I strayed away from my home. I had no job and became a bum, living on the streets. One night I climbed into a dumpster and closed the double lid over my head. I wrapped myself in newspapers before going to sleep. When I woke up, the sunlight was coming in through the crack between the two lids. I was lying in the dumpster looking at the sunlight as it was shining on me. I started to think, What am I doing in a garbage dumpster? Bible verses started coming to my mind about how the Lord Jesus loved me and how His Father had sent Him to die on Calvary’s cross for my sins. Right then and there in that garbage dumpster I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. It was just that simple. I was saved because I believed that the blood of the Lord Jesus, which He shed on the cross, had washed away all of my sins.

Well, you know, God is the God of fresh beginnings. I climbed out of that garbage dumpster, got some clean clothes, took a shower and began looking for a job.

I came to one company and filled out the job application. The man looked at my application and said, “What have you been doing all your life? Where have you been? You’ve got no history of work.”

I said I was a bum and slept on the streets. Then I told him how I had gotten saved in a garbage dumpster. And do you know what the man told me? He said, “Well, brother, I’m a Christian too, and you’ve got the job.”

That’s the way the Lord Jesus is. He is the God of fresh starts. He loves us so much. You might wander away, but never forget that God wants you to come back and He’ll take you back, no matter where you are or how far you’ve gone. But the best time to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour is right now when you are young. Young or older, will you accept Him right now?

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

ML-01/21/1996

The Rattlesnake

The sun burned hot upon David and Sidney as they worked in the Texas cotton field, chopping out the weeds with their hoes. David’s brother Leslie came out to the edge of the field, and that is where he got the surprise of his life.

David and Sidney, glad to take a break from the heat, stopped work for a few minutes to talk with Leslie. As they walked to the fence where Leslie was standing, Sidney suddenly froze. He looked at Leslie and yelled, “JUMP!”

Leslie got a puzzled look on his face and didn’t do anything.

Without saying another word, Sidney pushed Leslie right off his feet so hard that he landed sitting down on the road. Suddenly, David saw it too. Leslie had been standing right on top of a coiled rattlesnake! Sidney was faster than David and took his hoe and killed the snake.

What do you think Leslie thought about that? Do you think that he asked Sidney, “Why did you push me down?” Do you suppose David was angry at Sidney for pushing his brother over? No, Leslie looked surprised at first, but after he saw the snake he thanked Sidney for knocking him off that snake! Wouldn’t you?

But have you ever considered thanking God for the warnings He has given you in the Bible? God has not given them to make you sad or uncomfortable. He has warned you about the end of a life of sin so that you may be saved from a far greater danger than a rattlesnake.

God’s Word, the Bible, tells us that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). The Bible says, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). It is a loving God who gives you these warnings so that you will receive the salvation that He offers through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31).

You will not likely ever have such a strange experience as thanking someone for pushing you off a rattlesnake, but you do need to thank the Lord Jesus for His death upon the cross of Calvary. He suffered and died so that you might be forgiven. Have you ever thanked Him?

ML-01/21/1996

Cookie, the Brave Cat

Cookie was just a little cat, but she was a mother and very proud of her kittens. Certainly she was not about to let any harm come to them.

One day a friend of ours came to visit us, and by his side was his big German shepherd dog. Immediately the dog spied the cat and took off after her.

“Wow, you’d better rescue your cat! That dog will tear it to pieces!” our friend exclaimed.

I started to run toward the cat, but there was no need. Cookie was standing still with her back arched, her hair bristling and her eyes flaming with anger. In a moment the dog was in front of her, and Cookie’s quick front claws were raking his nose and reaching for his eyes. That big dog tucked his tail between his legs and streaked across the yard yowling, and out the gate. His master couldn’t believe what he saw.

Cookie followed the big dog a little way, then turned back to her kittens. She took quite a few backward looks to make certain that dog hadn’t changed his mind about coming back. The kittens didn’t even know they were in danger, but Cookie did and she protected them.

If you’ve trusted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, then God in heaven is your Father, the One who made the heavens and the earth. He is greater and stronger than anyone or anything, and He promises never to leave or forsake any of His children. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Are you wondering how you can become one of His children and be sure He will be protecting you? It’s not difficult. Simply pray to the Lord Jesus wherever you are. Tell Him you are a sinner and want Him to forgive your sins and receive you into His family. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:1213). Then He tells us to “fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Are you one of His children and being protected by Him?

ML-01/28/1996

Right of Way

While driving a car, have you ever gone through a red light and been pulled over by the police? If so, you know how frightening it is to have the policeman talk to you. He will give you a ticket no matter what excuse you give.

However, it is possible to drive through a red light without worrying about the police. It only happens when you are in an ambulance. It happened to me once.

My friend and I had taken the private commuter bus to a shopping plaza where we planned to do some shopping. While getting on an escalator I missed the first step and fell. That caused my friend behind me to also fall, but she didn’t get hurt. I got a nasty cut on my left leg between the ankle and knee. It bled and really made a mess.

The store manager brought chairs for us to sit on. After he called for an ambulance, he wrapped towels around my leg. Our bus driver found us sitting there, and he told me, “You will have to go to the hospital to see if there might be a broken bone.” No one likes to go to a hospital, but like it or not, that is where they took me.

First the paramedics came. After putting on a temporary bandage, they slipped on a strange-looking plastic boot. Then I was put on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance.

What a loud, wailing noise the siren made. All the cars on the street quickly pulled over to the side to let us pass. We had the right-of-way and only slowed down for traffic lights - even the red ones - as we sped along.

Before long we arrived at the hospital. From the ambulance I was put in a wheelchair and then wheeled right into the emergency room.

The doctor’s words were comforting—“No bones broken, but I’ll have to put in some stitches. It won’t hurt because I’ll make it numb first.” My friend waited in another room. Our bus driver had said he would stop at the hospital a little later to pick us up. So it wasn’t long until we were back home.

The ambulance has every right to go through red lights and the driver won’t be punished. But the rest of us can’t! God has also put red lights in our lives to slow us down and to make us stop and think. He wants us to think about our sins and their punishment. You know, some people drive through red lights and don’t get stopped by the police - they “get away” with it. But we can never “get away” with our sins. Every one of them will be punished. God gives you a choice about the punishment for your sins. You can accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour by believing that He suffered the punishment for your sins on the cross, and you will go free. “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Or you can refuse His loving offer of freedom and bear the punishment for your sins in hell forever. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

The choice isn’t very hard to make, is it? Why not settle the matter right now while you’re stopped at this red light by accepting the Lord Jesus as your own Saviour and be free!

ML-01/28/1996

A Map

It was a very friendly shower. Not the umbrella kind, but a shower of gifts for the young bride. Cheryl had come halfway across the continent to marry a special young man in our city. We were all anxious to make her feel welcome. She spent about an hour opening pretty packages and exclaiming over our gifts for her new home and her new life among us.

Perhaps you envy her a little. It’s fun to be welcomed among friends and showered with so many gifts. But you need not feel left out. No matter who you are, God has a special home for you and a special shower of gifts for you along the way. God’s gifts are real and costly, and they never wear out or need repair. Interested?

The home God offers is His house in heaven. All His gifts of salvation and peace and forgiveness and joy and daily strength and care -all are waiting just for you, and they are “wrapped up” for you in His book, the Bible. Open it! Receive it! And God by the Holy Spirit will make these gifts yours for keeps!

Of course the bride had already said “yes” to her groom, or she wouldn’t have come to our city. It all began with heart-love between them. God’s gifts are offered because there is love in His heart for you. His love for you began long ago. Then He gave His only begotten Son for you. That love-gift is for anyone who will receive it. Have you said “yes” yet?

After Cheryl’s gift pile was down to zero, someone said, “Just a minute . . . there’s one more!” And you should have seen them bring it in! It was HUGE! Two men, groaning at every step, carried in an enormous box and set it down before the astonished bride. She was almost hidden behind it. Then someone offered scissors to cut the tape. She stood up and set to work to open this last gift. Instead of helping her, we all laughed as she pulled out handfuls of crushed paper. More and more paper came out until she was almost out of sight inside the box. At last . . . she pulled out the gift - a map of the city!

Is a map that important? It surely is, and we all clapped for her discovery. It shows you how to get somewhere if you have never been there before. It’s surely wiser to look at a good map than to get lost. In fact, I know that she used that map very often.

If you need a map you can probably buy one for a few dollars. And if you need a Bible you can also buy it for a few dollars, if you want one. But do you? Are you lost? Do you know the way to heaven without a Bible? Read it, because you are lost, and you will never find the way elsewhere.

Jesus Himself is the Way. I know, because the Bible tells us so. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). And not only that, but God’s Word tells us the way to live to please Him day by day. It tells us how rich we are, and how very much we are loved by Him.

Have you accepted God’s loving gift? “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

ML-02/04/1996

Favorite Cookies

There was one kind of cookie that was Wendy’s favorite. They were round chocolate cookies with white icing in the middle. Her mother did not buy them very often, and when she did Wendy was only allowed to have one each day.

One day Wendy quietly opened the drawer where the cookies were kept and quickly took the whole package out and went outside. The first cookie she ate was delicious, not quite as good as usual, but delicious just the same. The second one was very good too. She ate it more slowly. The third one wasn’t nearly so good, and she found she was too full to finish it. Sitting with the half-eaten cookie in her hand, she began to think. She realized she couldn’t undo what she had done. If she put the half-eaten cookie back, her mother would ask a lot of questions that she didn’t want to answer. And she didn’t want to keep the smeary cookie package in her hand, so she decided she had better hide it somewhere outside, far away from the house.

The farthest place she could think of was the mailbox out at the street. She stuffed the package of cookies and the half-eaten cookie in the mailbox and closed the mailbox door without anyone seeing her. She ran off to play and forgot about the cookies. Now the Bible says, “He that covereth [hides] his sins shall not prosper [do well]: but whoso confesseth [admits] and forsaketh [stops] them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

The next day Wendy was playing happily when her mother came to her with a very sad face. She had a smeary cookie package in her hand with a half-eaten cookie in it, and there were ants all over the cookies. She asked Wendy to tell her what she knew about the cookies.

Wendy told her mother the whole story because now her mother knew. Wendy did not realize it at the time, but she had hidden the cookies in the one place her mother was sure to look each day.

Of course she was found out. There were tears, and punishment, and forgiveness. It wasn’t just her mother whom Wendy had sinned against, but God as well. Stealing is a sin, and she needed to tell the Lord Jesus what she had done. Because Wendy believed that God gave His Son to die for her sins, she was forgiven and could thank Him.

This is the Bible verse Wendy’s mother taught her: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

ML-02/04/1996

Saved From a Well

Since I worked for a water well company and had had some experience with “hand dug” wells, my wife and I decided to hand-dig a well in our backyard. Knowing something about soil formations and the possibility of “finding” water at a reasonably shallow depth was part of my job, so the well was begun.

Some time after we started digging the well, our dog had six beautiful puppies. As they grew, they became very active and inquisitive, like most puppies. Though the well in the backyard had a temporary fence around it, it was mostly to keep the children away from the big hole. It was not puppy-proof, however, and one of the puppies fell into the hole after it was about 15 feet deep. Thankfully, the little fellow did not appear to be hurt, because he was sniffing around in the bottom of the hole.

Like many mothers when problems come up while their husbands are at work, the problem was my wife’s to solve. She had to think of some way to get the puppy out of the well.

Having helped with the work, she knew how to operate the hoist we used to bring up the dirt from our digging. Thankfully, though the hole was fairly deep, no water had yet been reached, so the bottom of the hole was dry. My wife decided to lower our two-year-old son into the hole and have him bring up the puppy in his arms. But since most two-year-olds have not had any experience in rescuing puppies from wells, my wife ended up with both a puppy and a boy in the hole. She was not able to make our son understand that he should hold the puppy while she hoisted them both to the surface.

Now the little boy and the puppy were both in trouble, and Mother was unable to help because our son could not understand what he was to do. Help had to come from someone else.

It is not unusual to call the fire department or some other emergency rescue workers in times of trouble like this, but this time Dad was the rescue worker who was called. A frantic call from my upset wife came to my office. We did not live very far from my work, so I was able to be home within minutes. Soon both our son and the puppy were saved out of the hole.

Moments of danger and helplessness like this remind us of the lost condition of everyone who has not yet received the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Like the puppy and our son, and like David in Psalm 40:2, each of us needs someone to bring us “out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock.” The only One who can do this for us is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the rock each one must rest on for the forgiveness of sins and to be made ready for heaven.

How thankful we were that our son and the puppy in the well had someone to call for help to bring them up. It is very possible that some of you have fathers and mothers who are praying to the Lord that you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved from your sins. But you must call on the Lord Jesus for yourself. They cannot do it for you. We read in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” This story of our son and puppy has a happy ending, and everything will turn out for your joy and peace for eternity if you will call on the Lord Jesus to save you. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Won’t you call on Him now?

ML-02/11/1996

Later

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:2

David and Michael were the first two boys to arrive at school that morning. They were anxious to play marbles, so while they waited for the bell to ring, they drew a chalk circle on the blacktop and crouched down to begin their game.

Soon the school yard began to fill with students, and the air rang with noisy shouts and laughter. The noise level rose until suddenly the bell rang and the students lined up and filed into their classrooms.

The sudden quiet made David and Michael jump up, scattering their marbles. Where had everybody gone? Quickly gathering up their marbles, they raced for the school door, but they were late. They had arrived in the school yard in plenty of time and had intended to go in when the bell rang, but they were so absorbed in their marble game that they put off going into school. Now they would get a scolding from their teacher and be marked tardy.

Are you doing just what David and Michael did? You know you are a sinner. You know the Lord Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood to save sinners. You know you need to accept Him as your Saviour, but you think, There is still time left. I don’t want to stop what I’m doing right now . . . I’ll do it later.

The Bible warns us that “they that were ready went in with Him . . . and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). Those who were left behind could never get in. The door was shut forever.

Of course, David and Michael got into school even though they were late, but if you put off accepting the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you may be shut out of heaven forever.

When the Lord Jesus comes again to call all those who belong to Him to be with Him in heaven, the door to heaven will be permanently shut. No one will be able to quietly creep in later. It will be too late forever. You will be too late forever!

Won’t you accept the Lord Jesus right now?

ML-02/11/1996

A Wild Lizard

Would you like to be friendly with a lizard? Yuck! At least that’s what many of us would say! Lizards aren’t usually considered to be beautiful or nice to pet, and most of us are happy to stay away from them. But not Joey and John. These two brothers like all of God’s creatures and have had ordinary pets like birds, fish and a rabbit, but also some unusual ones like a llama and a lizard!

Joey and John first found the lizard when they came to visit us in Texas. They carefully caught it, put it in a plastic container with holes in the top to let the air in, gave it grass and food, and named it Sam.

“Let it go,” we said. “It will just die.”

“No way!” the boys said. “We’re taking Sam home to Michigan!”

When they left for Michigan, we promptly forgot about Sam the lizard, but Joey and John didn’t. Sam was well cared for by his new friends. They gave him food and water and a nice new home -a cage with plastic sides. They didn’t always just leave Sam home alone. Once one of the boys even took the lizard to Sunday school! (Sam behaved himself and stayed right on Joey’s shoulder the whole time.)

A whole year later, Joey and John and their family came again to visit us in Texas. When they got to our house, the boys came in all smiles with news of their trip . . . and with Sam! We had been sure the lizard would die, so we could hardly believe our eyes! After all, who would take care of an ugly lizard for a whole year? Joey and John, that’s who!

The boys have learned to be kind to God’s creatures, as I hope you are. And they have also learned that God cared for us when we were “ugly” in our sins. Bad words, lies, pride and other sins made us “unlovely” in God’s eyes, but the Bible tells us that “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus shed His precious blood to clean away those ugly sins and give us eternal life, if we will come to Him, admitting we are sinners.

When Sam the lizard came back to Texas, the two brothers needed someone to look after their pet for about four days since their family was staying in a hotel while they looked for a house to rent. They guessed that lizards might not be welcome in the hotel.

Poor Sam. Suddenly he was left with us, a family who is just a bit squeamish about looking for the type of food a lizard eats -insects, worms, etc. I’m sorry to tell you that in those busy four days that we kept Sam, we completely forgot about him and never fed him once! He was, however, none the worse, and when Joey and John once again carried him home, to our relief, they didn’t even scold us for our neglect.

Sam would never be really happy though, not even with the good care the boys gave him. Sam was a wild lizard and what he enjoyed most was freedom. As much as the boys enjoyed Sam, they knew that he would really like to be free to run in the trees and in the grass and to find his own food. So after a few weeks in Texas, the boys took Sam back to the place they had first found him and opened the cage. Sam was free!

Have you ever thought about how much you like to be free? Just try telling any boy that he must stay in a certain chair and not get up, and you’ll soon see how much that boy likes to be free. But if you have never come to the Lord Jesus for salvation, then you are not truly free. You are chained with your sins and are not free to enjoy all the good things that God wants to give you. You cannot free yourself from your sins and you cannot stop sinning. The Bible says, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Come to the Lord Jesus today for salvation, and He will set you free from the chains of your sin.

Joey and John still sometimes look for Sam to see if they can get a glimpse of their old pet lizard, but they haven’t tried to catch him again. Sam is enjoying being free.

Are you?

ML-02/18/1996

A Letter

Dear Joanne,

Good morning! And how are you today? Have you had breakfast yet? And now you are ready to play and help Mommy with Joshua.

Do you like the snow? It’s fun, isn’t it? Did you go sled riding? We have nice hills here in Ohio for playing in the snow, don’t we? Isn’t God good, Joanne? The grass is asleep, the trees are resting and we only see brown instead of green, like in the summer. And our wonderful God covers everything with a clean, white blanket! Snow is the whitest thing in all the world, except our hearts - after they are washed clean in the blood of Jesus. And then they become whiter than the snow!

The next time you go sailing down the hills in the white snow, you can think about that. Are your sins washed away? Mine have been. I thank Jesus day by day that He loved me sooo much, and has made me a child of God through faith in Him.

We become, you and I, God’s “bairns.” I like to think about that too. A bairn is the name a mommy or daddy can call their child - a special name of close love - as they hold their child in their arms, rocking her in their big rocking chair and telling the little one they love her. This is our place with God too - a child of God and His love.

Bye-bye.

ML-02/18/1996

The Sinkhole Story

When I was a young man, my dad bought a small farm in Eastland County, Texas, not far from where we lived. The soil in that part of the state was very good for growing peanuts.

On this farm there was an old homesite where a hand-dug well once existed. With the passing of years and by the time Dad bought the place, the only signs left of the house that had once been there were a large pear tree and a sinkhole, a green, grassy, low spot where the well had been. Dad farmed the entire area around the old homesite except around the pear tree and the sinkhole.

The farm was small, so large equipment like the big tractors and field machinery we see in many fields today were not needed. Dad bought only a small two-row tractor for his needs.

My brother Dee and I helped on the farm when we could. One day when Dee should have been plowing in the area near the sinkhole, he came up to the house—walking! We knew at once something must be wrong. Maybe the tractor had broken down. We were right. Dee reported that he had gotten the tractor stuck in the sinkhole.

There was nothing to do but go to work to get the tractor “unstuck.” Getting the tractor out of the sinkhole proved to be a big job. After two days of digging, jacking and working timbers under the wheels, we were finally able to remove the tractor from the sinkhole.

The very fact that the sinkhole was there gives us an example of what we are taught in the Bible of the “sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1) always waiting to trap us. Every one of us is a sinner by birth, plus we have all “sinned [willingly], and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So each of us is a sinner two ways. Sin to us is very much like the sinkhole was to our farm -always a danger. Sometimes we sin when Satan tempts us, but sometimes we sin because we want to. But the Lord Jesus loved us and died on the cross to save us, so we do not have to die in our sins. We can have all our sins washed away in His precious blood. “Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

Just as the tractor could not get out of the sinkhole under its own power, we cannot get rid of our sins by our own power. The Bible says, “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). The Lord Jesus was obedient to His Father and finished the work on Calvary’s cross that was necessary for you and me to have our sins forgiven and make us ready for heaven. He said to His Father, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4), and He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). For the Lord Jesus to say “It is finished” means there is not one stroke of judgment left for Him to bear in punishment for sin. All that remains for you to do to be forgiven is to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins.

There is another important lesson we can learn from the tractor being stuck in the sinkhole. After we had worked so hard to get the tractor unstuck, Dad said to Dee, “Son, how did you get the tractor in that hole?” Dee answered, “I just drove into it to see whether or not it could pull itself out.” Sometimes we are like that. We get ourselves into real trouble by playing around with sin.

Boys and girls, let each one of us first make sure of heaven by believing on the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, and then let us be very careful what we allow in our lives. Surely we do not want to be so foolish as to willingly commit sin just to see what it is like. The Bible tells us, “Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof ” (Romans 13:14). By hiding the Word of God in our hearts and letting the Holy Spirit lead us in our daily lives, we will not only please the One who loved us and died to save us, but also the words of the Lord Jesus will be true of us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

ML-02/25/1996

Mr. Nelson's Mistake

Early one winter morning as I drove down our street, everything was covered with about six inches of new snow. It was beautiful.

I drove past Mr. Nelson’s home. He has a long driveway back to his garage. Instead of a wide cement driveway, he has two narrow cement strips, just wide enough for his car’s tires . . . if he drives straight. This snowy morning I suddenly noticed something. Oh, oh, Mr. Nelson missed his driveway strips. There were his car tracks for everyone to see, about three feet off the snow-covered cement strips.

A short time later I had an errand up the street. When I reached Mr. Nelson’s driveway, I chuckled. He had taken a shovel and filled in those telltale tracks with snow, thinking he could hide his mistake.

Now, no matter how carefully he tried to smooth over those tracks with the snow he added, he could never hide them. He only made his mistake more noticeable. The only way to erase his mistake was for the snow to melt.

Our sins are like that. We may think we have hidden them, and sometimes we can hide them from our parents and friends for a time. But there is One who knows the thoughts we have deep inside; we can’t hide one sin from God. He said, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

The Bible tells us, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Jesus has washed away all my sins. Have you let Him wash away yours?

ML-02/25/1996

Counterfeit Money

We were getting excited about our trip to Italy. There were so many things to do to get ready. One of them was to exchange some of our American money for Italian money.

The government allowed us to take only a limited amount of Italian money. The bank gave us 1600 Italian liras for each of our American dollars. Our travel agent warned us that we must go to a reliable place when we needed to exchange more money in Italy. “Go to the American Express office,” she said. “They will be sure to give you good money.”

Prices are high in Italy, and soon we needed more Italian money. We started out to look for the American Express office. What a hard time we had finding it! There were many little shops with this sign in the window:/

It was so difficult to find the American Express office that we were tempted to go to one of those little shops. They were everywhere! But we remembered the warning of our travel agent and kept asking directions and looking for the American Express office. Finally we found it and exchanged our money.

To find the true way to heaven you need to go to the right source - the Bible. Many people will tell you the wrong way, and there are many wrong ways. But the Lord Jesus instructs, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:1314). Heaven is where Jesus is, and His way is the right way.

Now that we had good Italian money we could go shopping. Each time we handed a salesperson a 50,000 lira bill, he would hold it up to the light. Then he would give us our change and the things we had bought.

One day when we were waiting at the counter to pay for our purchases, there was another American ahead of us. She handed the salesman a 50,000 lira bill. He held it up to the light and then said, “I’m sorry I cannot accept this.”

“Why not?” asked the astonished customer. “I just got it at the shop down the street.”

“I’m sorry. I cannot accept it. Give me that one,” he said, pointing to a smaller bill in the lady’s hand. She did. He held it up to the light and then, seeing that it was a good bill, accepted it and gave her the things she had purchased.

The poor lady was upset and very angry with the man who had given her the bad money. She had not gone to the American Express office to make sure she received good money.

It’s a serious thing to be deceived into accepting counterfeit money, but it’s far more serious to accept wrong information about God and the way to heaven. Deceivers are easy to find. They are everywhere. But the Lord Jesus warns, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). We must go to the right source for truth, and that source is Jesus and His Word, the Bible. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

When the storekeepers held the bills up to the light, they could see a line running all the way across the bills: a line that could not be duplicated by the counterfeiters in their bad money! And there is a line that runs right through the Bible too. It is a scarlet line that speaks of the blood of Jesus. His blood shed on Calvary’s cross is necessary to wash our sins away. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). If anyone tells you that you can do something to get into heaven besides simply trusting in the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, they are counterfeiters.

We were very thankful we’d gone to the American Express office to get good money even though it had taken us extra time and effort. And it takes time and effort to read the Word of God carefully to learn the truth that will show us the only way to heaven. But eternal life and a happy home in heaven are well worth the effort.

ML-03/03/1996

Who Protected Grandpa Walt?

Grandpa Walt had a busy day planned. He had just stepped out of the door of the bank and was walking briskly down the street to take care of some other errands, when a tall, young man suddenly fell in step beside him.

“Well, you’re lookin’ good!” the young man remarked breezily to Grandpa Walt. “Where are you goin’ ? ”

Grandpa Walt was a Christian, and he seemed to feel the Spirit of God inside of him giving a warning signal. This man was up to no good, Grandpa Walt was sure.

Turning to the stranger with a quiet smile, but with true certainty, Grandpa Walt replied happily, “I’m going to heaven! Christ died on the cross for my sins, and one of these days He’s going to take me to heaven . . . I can hardly wait!”

Like a flash, the young man began to walk faster, and was soon lost in the crowd.

God’s Word, the Bible, says, “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. . . . His truth shall be thy shield and buckler” (Psalm 91:34).

Have you learned the power of God’s Word in your life? It not only can save your soul for eternity, but it is able to protect you from harm during your lifetime. The Bible says, “Even to your old age . . . will I carry you . . . and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).

ML-03/03/1996

Duda and Elisiario

When visiting a small village in central Brazil, Fernando met a young man whose name was Elisiario. Fernando invited him to come to the gospel meeting that he was going to preach that evening in a small room. It is important to notice that “Elisiario” is not a very common name, even in Brazil.

Walking around the village, Fernando also met a young woman who had just arrived there, and her nickname was “Duda.” She came from southern Brazil with a group of students in a government aid program. Duda didn’t know anyone else in the village, but met Fernando on the village street and was also invited to come to the gospel meeting.

That evening in the small room, Fernando spoke about the love of God in giving His beloved Son to die on the cross to save sinners. And he also spoke of God’s desire to save everyone in that little room who would trust the Lord Jesus that very night. God would freely forgive their sins and save their souls for heaven.

As he finished the message, the young preacher gave a sincere invitation. And because he knew the names of only the two persons that he had met that day, who didn’t even know each other, he decided to use their names as an example of God’s desire to save. He said, “God wants to see you, Duda, and God wants to see you, Elisiario, with Him in heaven!”

That phrase was like lightning striking Duda, and soon she was crying about her sins and trusted in the Saviour Jesus. In tears she told Fernando that God was speaking to her that evening. She told him that when she was a little girl, her father had died in an accident with his truck. Her great desire was to see her father, of whom she had no remembrance. But her mother always told her, “Duda, one day you are going to meet your father in heaven.”

And do you wonder why Duda was so impressed that night? Because her father’s name was also Elisiario!

And you, don’t you want to go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus who loves you and died for you? Trust in Him now as your Saviour, and one day you will be with Him, and with all those who have already gone to be with Him, because their sins have been washed away by His precious blood. “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

ML-03/10/1996

Larry's Lesson

Riding down the freeway with Grandma, six-year-old Larry held tightly to a cold, wet can of soda pop. Larry, his grandma, mother, brother and sister had been berry picking. It had been a hot day, and because they were all tired and thirsty, they had stopped to visit Aunt Peggy on the way home. She treated them to a cold drink of soda pop, a special new kind to Larry. He liked it so much that Aunt Peggy had given him an extra can just as they were leaving. He was bouncing happy! But when his mother heard him shaking his can of pop as hard as he could, she turned to tell him more about soda pop.

“Soda pop is not to be shaken. If you do, the fizzy bubbles will keep making more and more until they are all crowding to get out all at once. If you were to open it now, POP! they would explode all over you and the inside of the car. Now you will have to wait a long while so the bubbles can calm down.”

Larry seemed to understand. He began to complain if someone bumped his arm, and he even asked Grandma to try to “drive smoother” and not to hit so many bumps since it jiggled his pop.

Minutes later everyone jumped out of the car at Grandma’s house. No one noticed that Larry had slipped behind. Suddenly a loud POP! was heard. Whirling around they all saw a foamy fountain of soda pop spraying over Larry’s head and shoulders. It was so funny to see his look of surprise and shock! They all forgot their manners as they laughed and laughed. Poor Larry wanted to cry. He had not obeyed the warning, and now he knew, too late, that what his mother had said was true.

How many children, and older people too, are disobeying the warnings from the Bible concerning hell and punishment for their sins? Jesus Himself tells us more about hell than anyone else in the Bible. Someday these people will know that they, like Larry, should have listened.

Mother tried to clean up Larry a little before they started home. “I’m so embarrassed, Mommy,” he whispered. “Please don’t tell Daddy!”

Sin is like a stain too, but it is a stain on the heart rather than the soda pop stain on Larry’s clothes. It can never be hid from God and must be punished by Him as well. But God, who knew all our sins, laid them on the Lord Jesus and punished Him so that those who believe in Him will not be punished. “Christ . . . who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:21,24). There is a heart cleansing for you that will make you so clean and pure that even God cannot find one spot. But you must tell the Lord Jesus that you need and want His cleansing. A gift is not yours until you take it. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Larry went home smelling like the vanilla in the creme soda, but God’s cleansing is perfect.

“Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

ML-03/10/1996

Rescue

Because of a bad cold, I had stayed in the house for a couple of days and was getting restless. I asked my wife, “Honey, how would you like to go for a drive?”

“That would be nice,” she answered. “Let’s pick up Aunt Helen. She’d enjoy getting out for a while too.”

The children were happy to go too, so the five of us climbed into the car, picked up Aunt Helen and headed for the mountains. Later that afternoon, as we drove up the curvy mountain road, the sky clouded over and it began to rain.

“Maybe we ought to head for home,” I said, and I began to look for a place where I could turn the car around. However, the narrow road had been blasted out of the mountain, and there were high walls of rock on both sides and almost no shoulder. We kept driving, looking for a turn-around spot.

Soon we came to the end of the pavement and the road had only a clay surface, now made very slick by the heavy rain. Finally, we slid down a hill to a wider place where we could turn around, but there was no way I could steer the car on the wet clay. In a matter of seconds we found ourselves in the ditch. I tried to drive the car out, but I only managed to make deep ruts.

My wife and I gathered some branches and whatever we could find to fill in the ruts and give the car some traction, but it was no use. We tried pushing, but that didn’t help either. All we were doing was getting muddier and wetter by the minute.

Not only was it raining steadily, but it was beginning to get dark and it was also getting cold. I felt so sick I could hardly stand up, and I began to worry what I was going to do for my family during the night if we couldn’t get out. Finally I said, “Let’s get back in the car and cry to the Lord. It’s all we can do.”

The children quieted down at once when we got back in, and we all prayed earnestly that the Lord would help us out of our distress. We’d hardly finished praying when we looked up and saw two 4-wheel-drive trucks driving toward us. Across the front of each in large letters was the word “RESCUE.” It seemed as though the Lord Jesus had just been waiting for us to turn to Him so He could send us the help we needed so badly.

God wants us to trust in the Lord Jesus first for salvation from our sins and then to depend on Him to take care of us in every circumstance of our lives. We can think of the letters of the word “RESCUE” as standing for:

Rest

Entirely on the

Saviour.

Come

Unto Him in

Every situation.

The first truck hitched a big chain on our back bumper, and the other hitched its chain onto the front to steady the car. Together they pulled us backwards up the hill. I was at the wheel in the car but I couldn’t stop it from slipping sideways into the ditch. Each time it was pulled out our car was scratched a bit more. By the time we got to the top of the hill, our car was a big mess.

But we were safe, and how we thanked God for our rescue! It made me think of the verses in Psalm 40:23, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.” We certainly praised Him that night for a very real rescue. It was a rescue none of us will ever forget, another proof that our loving God hears and answers our prayers. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

ML-03/17/1996

The Durable Coyote

“He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.” Psalm 147:9

Coyotes are often mistaken for wolves or large dogs. Although they weigh only about 30 pounds, their long, thick, yellowish fur makes them look larger. At times they are noisy, and if you hear a pack of them howling on a moonlit night, it is something you will always remember.

Coyotes live throughout Mexico, the United States and southern Canada. Some make their homes on the prairies where there is a good supply of gophers, field mice, ground squirrels, small birds and insects. But coyotes are also plentiful in most deserts, as well as seashores, forested hills and even close to cities. Besides being meat eaters, they eat berries and fruits, and they especially like dates that have dropped from date palm trees.

The Creator has made coyotes very clever. Trappers are amazed at their ability to steal bait from traps without getting caught in them. They will also quietly watch other animals or large birds hunting . . . then steal the food from them. When chasing rabbits they work cleverly in teams. One chases a rabbit until it tires, then another takes over, and sometimes a third helps out. The rabbit can outrun them, but becomes exhausted in this kind of race and is finally captured.

Unfortunately, coyotes do kill sheep and chickens and are hunted and poisoned for this reason. But it has been noted that when no coyotes are around, packrats, mice, gophers and other rodents multiply and do serious damage to crops and other property. As a result, it has been decided that coyotes do more good than harm, and they are no longer completely killed off.

A pair of coyotes is usually loyal to each other for a lifetime. Once a year they raise from five or six to as many as 15 pups. These are hidden in a den on a hillside, under a big rock, or underneath a stump. The pups are playful, but trained to obey their parents instantly. They are taught to stay close to the den under their parents’ watchful care until they are given hunting lessons when they are about two months old.

These interesting animals usually hunt at night and hide in daylight in places where they are almost impossible to find. Campers and hikers are often watched by them without being aware of it. Normally coyotes do not bother people and try to avoid them.

Many of God’s creatures live by their superior strength or swiftness, but He has enabled this animal to survive and prosper by giving it a sharp intellect and cleverness. If He cares for the coyote this much, don’t you think He cares for you even more? The Bible assures us He does: “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Also in Jeremiah 31:3 the Lord tells us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

Have you accepted the Saviour’s love and care?

MARCH 17, 1996

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”
Psalm 50:15

ML-03/17/1996

Ann's Disaster

Ann loved dogs, so she didn’t wait for even a minute to say “yes” when Lisa asked her if she would take care of Buster for the weekend. Ann knew that Buster had lots of energy and would need a walk several times a day, but she was happy to have the dog and to be a help to her friend.

Things went just fine the first day. She and Buster took some nice walks, and Ann had lots of fun playing with him. But the second day things didn’t go quite so well.

Ann and Buster started out on a walk with Buster on his leash. Suddenly, Buster became so excited that he ran in circles around and around Ann. There she stood with the dog’s leash wrapped tightly around her legs, and she couldn’t move! All of a sudden Buster tried to run straight ahead, and Ann fell over onto the ground with a thud!

Just as Ann was held tightly with Buster’s leash, a verse in Proverbs 5:22 tells us we are held tightly with a cord: “He shall be holden [held] with the cords of his sins.” If you are still held with the cords of your sins, you are headed for a disaster.

There was no one around to help poor Ann, and when she fell to the ground she broke her leg. But the good news for each sinner is that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to help you and set you free from those cords of sin that hold you so tightly. The bad news is that if you won’t accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you are headed for a much worse disaster than Ann’s. You are headed for punishment for your sins in the lake of fire, to be there forever.

There is only one way to be set free from your cords of sin: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Have you been set free?

ML-03/17/1996

A Not-so-Nice Shelter

Snowflake the cat lives in our barn. She not only has a nice, comfortable nest in the rafters, but also a warm place on my workbench by the window of the barn. On sunny days, Snowflake loves to lie there by the window where she takes catnaps in the warm sunshine.

One spring day the barn door was left open, and a number of birds flew into the barn. Snowflake woke right up at the sound of their chirping. Her eyes and ears became very alert.

The birds must have thought the barn would be a nice shelter where they could build nests for their eggs. What they didn’t realize was that their most-dreaded enemy lived in there.

This makes me think of the devil who has put a lot of nice things in front of boys and girls, and men and women too, to keep them from coming to Christ. They don’t realize that these “nice things” are called “the pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25), and end in death. “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

When those birds spotted Snowflake, they were terrified! They started to fly all over the barn, looking for a way out. Finally, all but one found the open doorway. That little bird tried to fly through the closed window right where Snowflake had been sleeping and now was watching them. When it hit the window, Snowflake reached up with her front paw, opened her claws and caught the bird.

Poor little bird. It thought it had found the way out, but it made a bad mistake and paid for it with its life. This reminds me of Proverbs 14:12 which says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

We cannot enjoy the pleasures of sin and refuse to get saved and still expect to be in heaven. No sin will ever be in heaven. “There shall in no wise enter into it [heaven] anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Just as it was impossible for the little bird to fly through a closed window, so it is impossible for us to be in heaven without coming to Christ who tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

ML-03/24/1996

Lending the Queen an Umbrella

The story is told of Queen Elizabeth who, tiring of the hustle and bustle of Buckingham Palace, asked her chauffeur one day to drive her out to the country. She would take a walk and he would come pick her up later. The Queen dressed like an ordinary person so no one would know who she was.

As she walked alone and enjoyed the peace and quietness of the countryside, the wind picked up and it started to rain. Knocking on a humble cottage door, the Queen asked if she could borrow an umbrella.

The woman who answered the door had two umbrellas, an old one and a very nice new one. She gave the stranger her old umbrella. After all, who knew if the woman would ever return it?

The next day the woman who owned the cottage was surprised to see a luxurious, elegant limousine drive up and stop outside her home. She peered out between the curtains, greatly puzzled as to why the chauffeur would be coming up the walk to her front door. But when the man handed her the old umbrella he said, “The Queen wishes me to return your umbrella.” The woman cried out in dismay, “Oh, if only I had known who she was, I would have given her my best!”

This woman had a chance to do her Queen a service, to lend her an umbrella when she needed one. But she had given the Queen her old, tattered umbrella instead of her best one! She hadn’t realized who she was! And do we do the same to our Saviour, the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we give Him only five, quick minutes of our time each day when we could make more time for Him? Or do we give Him no time at all? Do we stop to think who He is? “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Do we love possessions more than we love Him? Or how about sports? These modern-day idols can get a hold on us, and we let them take His place in our lives.

Psalm 69:20 tells us about the Lord Jesus in His time of greatest trial: “I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” Also Psalm 102:7 says, “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.” The Lord took Peter, James and John with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane, but they fell asleep while He was agonizing in prayer over what He was about to go through for them and for us - bearing the punishment for our sins.

Let’s make Him happy by giving Him our best. He deserves our love and devotion, our time and energy. After all, every good thing that we have comes from Him. “The gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). “God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Have you given Him your best today?

ML-03/24/1996

Just a Little Cut

The noise of screeching tires made me quickly turn around, just as the car hit the motorcycle. The cyclist was thrown off the motorcycle and landed, hitting his head on the cement sidewalk. He wore no helmet.

I wondered if the cyclist could survive such a landing. To my amazement, in a few moments he was standing and brushing the dust off his clothes.

The cyclist passed his hand over his head and noticed that his hair had a little blood on it, but nothing that seemed serious. To calm the car’s driver and all those who ran to help him, he said, “It is nothing to worry about.” He used his handkerchief to wipe away the blood coming from the small cut on the top of his head.

The driver insisted that the cyclist should still be taken to the hospital. A doctor there cleaned his head wound and put medicine on it. They also gave him something to take for his headache. But still he insisted that it was not serious, so they let him go home.

Just a little cut - only a little blood. Just a little sin - only a little white lie. Nothing serious? Nothing to worry about? God doesn’t look at sin lightly. He tells us plainly, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Later that night, the young motorcyclist’s headache got much worse. His family decided to take him back to the hospital. But by the time they arrived, the young man was already in a coma. Before the doctors could do anything to help him, he died. The wound that seemed to be just a small cut was disguising a serious hemorrhage inside his brain that would take his life in a few hours.

There are many who go on in this life giving little or no thought to their sins. But even one little sin is a sign of a serious problem. The Word of God says that sin comes from the rebellion of man against his Creator, and now every sinner deserves eternal judgment. Are you interested in the “helmet” God has prepared for any who will trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation? In Ephesians 6:17 God encourages us to “take the helmet of salvation.” He also tells us concerning His Son, Jesus Christ: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

ML-03/31/1996

The Worst Storm That Ever Was

Several years ago the country of England suffered severe storms that uprooted old, old trees and caused much ruin and unhappiness. But none of them compared with “the great storm of 1703.” Day after day, raging winds and rain forced families to stay indoors and kept all boats and ships in harbors.

Finally, after two weeks, November 25th was the first clear day with calm seas. Seamen were eager to sail again. People sighed with relief that now the winds had calmed down and they could get some sleep.

A man named Mr. Winstanley was anxious to get out to some rocks in the English Channel. Four years earlier he had built a great lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks. He and a few men were going across to make some small repairs. He was proud of his lighthouse and felt in his own mind that nothing could destroy it. He even said he wished he could be inside it during “the worst storm that ever was.” He and his men landed on the rocks on November 26th, and began their work.

However, unknown to everyone, a hurricane coming across the Atlantic Ocean was growing stronger and stronger. By midnight the roar of the wind that had reached 100 miles an hour was terrifying. The hurricane hit and raged for three hours. Tidal waves drove a wall of water over the countryside. Thousands of trees were uprooted, and houses were reduced to rubble. Roofs rolled up like paper and were blown into the distance. Inside was no safer than outside, and while many were killed on land, thousands died at sea.

Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Winstanley and the men who were in the great lighthouse? The big yellow light was beaming brightly just before the hurricane hit, but the next morning only the rocks were left. This famous lighthouse and all who felt safe in it disappeared without a trace.

How sad it is to put faith in something that will fail when the testing time comes. God warns us that a day is coming when the anger of God will be poured out on a world that rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 1:89 we are warned that those who do not believe or obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,” and those who do believe and obey will escape all of it. They are safe in Christ, the Rock, and can say with confidence, “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that . . . we should live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:910). That is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever. One is safe from the storm, and the other is destroyed by the storm. It is not too late to trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation right now. “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Psalm 18:2).

Are you safe from the storm?

ML-03/31/1996

Don't Leave Me Here!

It all began about 11:30 one cold night when Regan ran away from home. The Pliscott family searched for their dog for three hours and then decided to call off the search until morning. How they all loved their 11-year-old golden retriever, especially Michael, who was five years old. The two spent many happy hours playing together. The family went to bed with worrisome fears that night. This was the first time their dog had broken his chain and run away.

But what freedom Regan was enjoying as he ran across the backyards of the neighborhood, stopping here and there for a moment to sniff a new smell. Then off again on his zigzag course, which eventually led him into the woods. There were lots of smells and sounds to investigate in there, along with prowling nighttime animals to chase. It was all new to him, and his tail swished back and forth in the enjoyment of his freedom.

We all love freedom, especially from our parents’ restraints. There are new sights and sounds to sample and new things to try. We go from one attraction to the next, farther and farther into sin, leaving Jesus out of our lives. That’s just the way Satan plans it, and soon he has us where he wants us - not wanting to turn back, and headed for trouble.

And that is just where Regan was - not ready to turn back, and headed for trouble. He came out of the trees into a strange backyard. Having been on the run for several hours, he was thirsty. Perhaps it was the smell of water in the backyard swimming pool that caught his attention. He bounded over to it and tried to run across the winter liner overtop the pool. But the plastic liner couldn’t hold his weight, and both dog and liner sank in the water.

Now Regan was in serious trouble and with no owner around to get him out. And when our sins lead us into serious trouble, Satan’s plan is working. He is the enemy of our souls and wants to destroy our lives. The Bible tells us this and warns us to be careful and be on guard: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Thankfully, our sinful condition is not hopeless. We have a Saviour who is looking for us. And, thankfully, Regan’s condition wasn’t hopeless either.

The next day about noon, police chief Darrell Sanders was searching a wooded area for the source of a wailing sound. He assumed it was coming from a sick or injured deer or raccoon. As he followed the wail, it led him to the forlorn dog in the pool.

The police chief described what he found: “Regan was standing on his hind legs with his forepaws on the edge. He just couldn’t get out. His big brown eyes seemed to be pleading, ‘Help me - don’t leave me here.’ ”

The police chief tried placing a picnic table in the pool for the dog to climb out on. But it didn’t work, and the dog looked as if he was getting weaker and about to go under. The kind police chief wasn’t going to let that happen. He decided it was time to jump into that cold water and lift him out.

Once he got the heavy, wet dog out, he found the Pliscotts’ address on the dog’s collar tag. Then he wrapped the 60-pound dog in blankets and drove him home, several miles away.

The kind police chief certainly went to a lot of trouble to save the Pliscotts’ pet. A little longer in that cold water and the dog would have died.

You and I have a loving Saviour who is waiting to save us. He knows all about our sins and where they have led us. But He loves us anyway, and cares so much that He went to Calvary’s cross and gave up His life for us. He yearns to save us from our sins and the punishment that is ahead. Will you by faith grasp His kind hands reaching out to you and cry, “Help me - don’t leave me here” ? He will save you right now, before it is too late.

“ The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). “Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:34).

ML-04/07/1996

Danny

Danny is in kindergarten and he has just learned to write his name. Can you read it here?

(You will have to hold it up to a mirror to see it correctly.) Danny writes his name on books, paper, or anything he can find; even on the wall, which, of course, he should not do. Little children love to write their names just after they have learned how. When my younger sister learned to write her name, she wrote, “Anita, Anita, Anita,” everywhere!

We like to be able to write our name, but it is far better to have our name written in heaven! If you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour, then you can “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

Is your name written in heaven?

ML-04/07/1996

Are You a Stranger?

One day my wife and I were in line at a cafeteria in a shopping mall. It was a long line, and while we waited we got to talking with the family in line behind us. They had a young daughter who, we learned, was in first grade. When they discovered we were both teachers, our visiting very naturally was about school.

As we waited in line, I overheard the little girl ask her mother, “He isn’t a stranger, is he?” My heart was touched and I wanted to set her mind at ease, so I answered for her mother. “Dear, out in the mall I would be a stranger, but in the cafeteria line visiting with your family I am not really a stranger.”

Obviously our new young friend had been properly taught not to talk to strangers. You, very likely, have also been taught the danger of talking to or accepting anything from anyone you do not know. When a stranger approaches you, the best place to go is home right away, and the best people to tell are your parents.

We usually think of other people as being strangers, but did you know that you and I are strangers? The Word of God, the Bible, tells us very clearly that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This makes each one of us sinners and strangers to God. We read, “Wherefore remember . . . that at that time ye were without Christ . . . strangers . . . having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:11-12). Yes, sin makes us strangers to God because it separates us from Him. We can’t do anything about our sins, so we need Someone to stand between God and us to settle the matter. That is exactly what the Lord Jesus has done. He died on the cross for us; He stood in our place before God for our debt of sins, which we could not pay. His precious blood has paid to God the full penalty for the sins of anyone who will accept Him as their Saviour. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The little girl in the cafeteria line had been correctly taught not to talk to strangers. If the precious Saviour had not come to “strangers,” come to stand between us and God, and had not been willing to pay our debt to Him, we would be lost in our sins forever. But He did come, and He died on the cross for us. Now, all who receive Him as their very own Saviour are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Since the blood of the Lord Jesus fully pays the “stranger’s” debt of sins, all who receive Him as their Saviour receive full forgiveness of their sins.

Are you still a stranger to God?

ML-04/14/1996

Thundering Hooves

Mildred Hansen and her mother know there is a God. They also know that He stands ready to honor His promise, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15). Not only do they know that God is always on duty, but they have learned how much He cares for small children. It all happened on a western ranch when Mildred was only three years old.

Their ranch house was surrounded by grassy lawns and trees and enclosed by a white picket fence. A lane ran alongside the fence on one side, leading to the barns and corrals behind. The yard was a perfect place for Mildred to play.

One beautiful day Mother let Mildred go out to play in the afternoon. She was able to watch her in the yard through the open kitchen window. What she did not know was that someone had left the fence gate along the lane partly open. She also did not know that her husband, who had been gone for two days with his cowboys, was approaching the lane from the range with a herd of horses, wild and mean and running like a wolf pack.

Mother heard the rumbling, a muffled thunder that actually shook the house. Running to the window she saw them filling the roadway, charging in a cloud of dust down upon . . . Mildred! Yes, Mildred had found the open gate and was now sitting in the dusty lane. Father was behind the herd, unable to see her or know the almost certain death he was herding upon his small daughter.

“Oh, God, have mercy! Lord, save her!” the anguished mother cried. There was only time for the cry. She ran out screaming and waving her arms at the men.

In only a few moments the herd of horses had passed. The stricken parents found Mildred . . . still sitting, covered with dirt from head to toe, but very much alive and crying loudly. Mildred was not hurt at all!

Only God could have protected her, and the parents realized that fact immediately. A strong angel? Or did God change the excitable, wild nature of those horses long enough to cause each one to leap neatly over Mildred? He was the One who made them, and He could control them.

Yes, God cares for children, and He cares for you too. Do you want to know how much He loves you? He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world especially to save you from Satan. Satan has lured you to sin many times, for you were born with a nature that loves to sin. “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” we read in Ezekiel 18:4. But, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). He had to die - He had to take your punishment in order to save you. Have you accepted His salvation offered to anyone who will receive Him?

ML-04/14/1996

I Smell Smoke!

“Today we are going to do a science experiment,” said Miss Lozano to her third-grade students. “We have been studying chemical change, and now I will show you what we mean.”

Miss Lozano took a small paper towel, a match and a tin pie plate. She had shown third-grade students this experiment for several years now, and the boys and girls always enjoyed watching a chemical change right in front of their eyes.

Miss Lozano put the paper towel in the pie plate. Then she struck the match and burned part of the paper towel. Then she showed the children how the fibers in the paper had turned to carbon. It was a perfect experiment for the science class.

There were, however, air conditioning vents in the school, and the smoke from the burned paper towel traveled through the vents to the office of the school. The principal began to notice the smell of the smoke. That smells like smoke! he thought. There were 875 students in the school, including 99 pre-kindergarten students. These little children were only four years old, and it was their first year to be at school. The school had not yet had a practice fire drill, and the pre-kindergarten children had not yet been taught what to do during a fire drill.

Now, the principal had a decision to make. Should he take the time to go around the school to look for a fire when the Fire Department had said that in most fires even one breath of smoke can kill a person if there are poisonous gases from a carpet burning? He could have rung the fire alarm for the children to go outside, but the pre-kindergarten children wouldn’t know what to do and they might panic.

The principal made a wise decision. He calmly announced over the loud speaker that all teachers should take their classes outside right away. Then he called the Fire Department.

In no time at all the students filed outside, and almost as quickly they heard the big fire trucks pull up to the school with their sirens wailing. They brought a big pump truck with over 500 gallons of water to use right away until they could hook up with the fire hydrant which was right outside the school. Six firemen searched the school wearing hats, boots, flameproof coats and air tanks for breathing. What they found was only a few ashes in a tin pie plate in Miss Lozano’s class!

Once the students were allowed back in the classroom, the firemen in their flameproof coats and boots came into Miss Lozano’s class. She was a little embarrassed but explained, “I’ve done this little experiment every year with my class and nothing has ever happened before!” The children thought they noticed just a slight smile on the teacher’s face and a few giggled. The teacher laughed too, and suddenly the class exploded with laughter -the sight of all that equipment and those big firemen for their tiny fire, so safe in a tin pie plate.

But no one thought the principal had made a mistake. He had to think of the 875 students in the school and of the 99 small children who had never had a fire drill. He wasn’t about to take chances, and no one found fault with him for that . . . not the firemen, nor the teachers, nor the children. He had made a wise decision when he knew there was a fire, however small it might have been.

How about you? You also have been told that there is a fire coming for those who have not taken Jesus as their Saviour. And it’s not a tiny fire in a tin plate. It’s the lake of fire in hell, and the Bible says it will never be put out. God has warned you about it now, because He loves you and wants to save you from the fire. Have you made a wise decision? Have you accepted God’s offer of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

There was a lot of equipment and preparation to escape the fire in the tin plate which was already put out before the principal called the Fire Department. Have you made any preparation to escape the fire that will never be put out? God is offering you salvation. All you need to do is accept His gift. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

The principal was wise in a small matter. Will you be wise in a much bigger one?

ML-04/21/1996

Fly Away for Good

My neighbor is a lover of birds, and she seems to be making friends with them in one way or another. This past summer she cared for an injured crow that had a very peculiar voice, not like other crows! Maybe the injury affected his “Caw, Caw”!

Once the crow began to fly again, he seemed to stay in the area, coming back every day for food. However, we did not find his call very pleasant to listen to, and sometimes we found ourselves thinking, We wish that crow with its ugly call would fly away for good!

This reminds us of our ugly sins, doesn’t it? Even though we may have asked the Lord Jesus to wash them away with His precious blood, we are always doing something to remind us of those ugly sins! We then have to go to God in prayer and tell Him about this sin. When we confess this sin He will forgive us, for Jesus has washed all our sins away in His precious blood. We know this for sure because 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

ML-04/21/1996

Love Is Kind

When our daughters were little girls they went to a craft class. One of them painted three words on a piece of cloth with fabric paint. It said, “Love is kind.” She brought it home for me, and I hung it up where I could see it often. I wanted to think about those three words, “Love is kind.” They were taken from 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind.”

The Lord Jesus was kind. One day He saw a man who had been born blind. But the man couldn’t see Jesus; he had never seen anything. Jesus healed his eyes so he was able to see, and that man was so thankful that he worshipped the Lord Jesus.

We can’t heal blind eyes, but if we’re very kind we might help people to see how special Jesus is, and they will worship Him too.

Another day a father brought his son to Jesus because his boy had an evil spirit. Because of the evil spirit the boy could not talk or hear, and it often threw him into the fire and into the waters to try to destroy him. The boy’s father cried out in tears, asking the Lord Jesus to help them. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and commanded it to come out of the boy and stay out. Then the boy was just like other people and could hear and speak.

We can’t make deaf people hear, but if we’re very kind to others we might help them open their ears to listen to God’s good news, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

There was another time when Jesus saw a widow crying because her only son had died. People were carrying him out of the city to bury him. Jesus touched the coffin and said, “Young man . . . arise.” The dead man sat right up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother alive.

We can’t make dead men come back to life. But God’s Word tells us that everyone who is living in this world without Christ is really “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). If we are very kind to those people, we might be able to help them understand and believe what Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

The Lord Jesus was very kind in the way He treated His disciples too. He had chosen these 12 men to be His special friends and helpers. One of them turned out to be a thief, but Jesus never even hinted to the others that Judas was stealing, even though Jesus knew it all along. Judas not only stole some of the money he was supposed to be taking care of for all the disciples, he wanted more money. He told the chief priests that he would betray Jesus if they would pay him 30 pieces of silver. So the chief priests and a great crowd carrying swords and strong sticks followed Judas out to the garden where he knew Jesus would be. Then Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, “Hail, Master,” and kissed Him. That kiss was a sign so the soldiers would know which man they were to take prisoner. Jesus said to Judas, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?”

Would you call Judas your friend if he had just sold you to your enemies? It was very kind of the Lord Jesus to treat Judas that way. Can we be that kind? We can if we have the Lord Jesus living in our hearts. If we are His children and He is living in our hearts by grace, He tells us, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor [noisy commotion], and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice [hatefulness]: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

ML-04/28/1996

A Narrow Escape

Johnny was having fun with his toy truck. He was pulling it along behind him and enjoying the noise it made as it went bumpity-bump across the railroad tracks. Suddenly Johnny stopped. His truck was hard to pull across the tracks and at the same time he noticed something scary. A train was coming down the tracks toward him. He knew he should run, but he did not want to leave his truck behind, so he hung onto the string and pulled harder. The train came closer and closer, and still Johnny stayed on the tracks, tugging on his truck.

Johnny was in real danger, and you may be too. A freight train is not about to run over you, but unless your sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus, you are in danger of everlasting punishment. The Bible warns us that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Johnny certainly would have been killed if no one had been there to rescue him, but someone did see Johnny on the tracks. Mr. Kelly had stopped his truck at the tracks to wait for the train to go by, and he saw Johnny’s danger. He realized that Johnny needed someone bigger and stronger than himself to save him, and so, leaping from his truck, Mr. Kelly risked his own life to save Johnny. Johnny was snatched off the tracks just in time, while the freight train rushed by, smashing his little truck to pieces.

Are you being just as foolish as Johnny was? He was not old enough to understand that his life was more valuable than a toy truck. Are you risking living forever in heaven with the Lord Jesus because you are afraid of what your friends will think or because you’ll have to give up something? You are old enough to understand that being saved from your sins is much more important than having a few friends or a little fun right now. Heaven or hell is forever!

Mr. Kelly risked his life to save Johnny, but the Lord Jesus gave up His life to save us from our sins. “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Won’t you accept Him as your Saviour right now? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-04/28/1996

A Deadly Mistake

The unusual noise I was hearing was coming from an airplane that was flying over my house. When I ran outside, I could tell by the way it was flying that there was something wrong with the plane. But I didn’t realize just how wrong things were going for the four men inside that small plane.

We sometimes can see and feel that things are not the way they should be in our lives. Like that airplane, we travel through this life in ups and downs and try to fix one thing here and another there. But many of us never recognize that our problems come from a serious mistake done in the past, and we cannot see the result of that serious mistake without God’s help.

A few minutes before I heard the plane over my house, the pilot had tried to land in the small landing field close to town. Trusting his flying skills, he had tried to land using only half the length of the field. He found he wasn’t going to make it and pushed the throttle to take off and try again. But at the end of the field a main road crossed it, and beyond it was the town in a valley. Just as the plane began to pick up speed, a truck on the road crossed in front of it. The pilot had to slow the plane down to let the truck pass, and this left the plane without enough speed for a normal takeoff. The plane crossed the road just behind the truck, with its wheels still on the ground. Then it took off, but the deadly mistake had already been made.

Many years ago the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, made a deadly mistake. They trusted they could do things their own way. God told them not to eat the fruit from a certain tree, otherwise they would die. But they didn’t trust God, and Satan made them feel that there was no danger in doing things their own way.

Perhaps that pilot also thought there was no danger in breaking the rules to show the passengers his skills. But he did not know that he would have a big truck in his way, and this would make everything turn out wrong. He was able to take off but could not gain enough altitude to avoid hitting the top of a tree. This caused a short circuit in the airplane’s electrical system and started a fire. People living near the landing field saw a passenger open the airplane’s door in the air to let smoke pour out of the cabin.

It doesn’t take long for our sinful natures to show up, since we are children of Adam and Eve. Being sinners, away from God and trying to pilot our own lives, what results can we expect? It is like flying a damaged airplane.

When I saw the damaged plane turning over my house and then heading down where the road passed, I did not know that the pilot was trying to reach the road to make an emergency landing. And he almost did . . . but there was that same truck again! Again it was right in the path of the airplane, and again the pilot had to change his plans. But there was no other place for a plane to land. It hit the tops of the trees, then nose-dived into the ground and exploded!

When I saw smoke coming from the place where I saw the airplane disappear, I knew what had happened. Many of us hurried to the crash site by following the smoke. What a terrible sight to see those four men, still alive and even talking, but in shock and terribly burned. Another airplane flew them to a city where there was a hospital, but there was little that could be done for them. They all died a few days later, the result of a deadly mistake.

Sin - Adam and Eve’s deadly mistake - entered God’s creation, and now every person is born with a nature that continues to sin. And we each face the penalty for our own sins - death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But God in His wonderful love wants to forgive the sinner and give him eternal life. For this He gave His only begotten Son to die on Calvary’s cross. “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). If you trust Him right now, you will not have to face the judgment for your sins, but will have everlasting life. The Lord Jesus gives us that promise in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life.”

ML-05/05/1996

The Lost Girl

A woman in China who was a Christian went to visit a couple who had no children of their own. She found them happy because they had recently bought a four-year-old girl to raise as their own. They told the woman that there was one thing about the little girl that puzzled them. Before she would eat food, she always folded her hands, closed her eyes and said something.

The visitor knew at once that the little girl must have had a Christian upbringing. She then remembered that she had seen an advertisement about a lost girl in a Christian paper. The parents lived in a distant town.

She was finally able to find out where the little girl came from and that she was the missing child. She had been stolen and sold.

When the foster parents heard the facts, they returned the girl to her parents. What a happy time for both the little girl and her parents when they were together again.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

ML-05/05/1996

The Mouse and the Ring

As Mrs. Van Arnem got ready for bed, she removed her watch, her brooch and her three rings. Then she carefully laid them all on the dresser.

During the night the house was quiet and no one entered or left Mrs. Van Arnem’s bedroom. Still, when she got up the next morning and went to put on her jewelry, one of the rings had disappeared. The watch, the brooch and two of the rings were exactly where she had left them, but her valuable diamond ring was gone!

Mrs. Van Arnem called her children and her servants together and told them about the missing ring. They searched all over the house. Every possible hiding place was examined carefully, but no one found the ring.

Three years later Mrs. Van Arnem had workmen come to do some repair work on her house. Part of the floor was taken up, and there under the floorboards lay the skeleton of a mouse with the beautiful diamond ring around its neck. The poor little mouse must have been nosing around on top of her dresser looking for something to eat and must have accidently stuck its head through her ring.

Since the ring was so smooth and round, it probably didn’t hurt the mouse very much at first. But as the mouse grew and its neck got larger, the ring probably began to pinch and to hurt. The workmen who examined the mouse’s bones said its neck bones had been bent by the pressure of the ring which had finally strangled it.

That poor little mouse didn’t intend to get trapped. He was just curious about something pretty and got caught in it.

The same type of thing can easily happen to any of us too. Every time you sin it is as though a little wire is slipped around you. At first it doesn’t seem too bad, but those wires get tighter and tighter and stronger and stronger all the time. The Bible says that the sinner “shall be holden [held] with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22).

How could the mouse have gotten free of the ring? No other mouse could have helped him, but some person could have slipped the ring off his head or could have cut through the ring to set him free.

No boy or girl can get free from his or her own sins either. Only the Lord Jesus, through His death on the cross and His blood shed, can remove the sins that have trapped each one of us. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The little mouse couldn’t ask for help, but you can. Won’t you call to the Lord Jesus today? He loves you and says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

ML-05/12/1996

Fire

“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:15

There didn’t seem to be anyone around to play with, so I wandered into the woods where I had been trying to build a log cabin. I had used the trunks and larger branches of alder trees, but I needed more to finish the job. Now some months later the place looked rather messy. Lots of raspberry canes had sprung up. They were prickly and had caught lots of dead leaves. It was hard even to walk around. It seemed to me the easiest way to tidy things up would be to start a ground fire. Yes, it was a bit windy, but I was sure I could keep the fire under control.

The woods were very dry, so it wasn’t hard to start the fire. At first everything went as planned, but all of a sudden wherever I looked new flames were springing up. I tried stamping them out with my feet, but that didn’t work. It was getting hot. I ripped off my jacket and began beating the flames with it. As I beat the flames in front of me, more would spring up behind me.

I was quickly changing my mind about it being a good idea to start a fire in the woods. I beat and beat until my jacket was badly singed and I was exhausted. All I could think about was putting that fire out. But there is one fire that will never go out. The Bible tells us about it - hell fire. And there’s one way, and only one way, for you to avoid being in that fire. “Flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). Run right into the strong and loving arms of the Lord Jesus who died on Calvary’s cross to save you. If you will come to Him to be forgiven, He will write your name in the book of life. This will protect you. Revelation 20:15 explains how: “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

I might have started a really big fire that day, but I was finally able to beat out all the flames. And I was very, very thankful to see the end of them. But for anyone who is cast into the lake of fire, there will be no end to the flames. God warns us over 20 times in the New Testament about that fire that will never stop burning. But remember that He offers you an escape, if you will accept His Son, the Lord Jesus, as your Saviour. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). That’s God’s promise.

Will you accept the plan of escape that He has provided?

ML-05/12/1996

Safely Home

The family was sitting by the kitchen window having breakfast when we noticed a “snowstorm” of white feathers falling from our pine tree. I wondered what was going on out there, and then I saw something else that probably explained the “snowstorm.” A red-tailed hawk landed on our fence!

Hawks are not only enemies of rodents, like mice and small rabbits, but they are also enemies of smaller birds. The falling feathers probably meant a bird with white feathers had been the hawk’s breakfast.

Hawks soar high in the sky searching for prey, or they may sit quietly on a high perch, waiting. Their victims usually never see the hawk coming. You and I have an enemy watching us that we can’t see with our eyes, but he is there just the same. The Bible calls him Satan and warns us about him so we don’t become one of his victims.

Looking around the backyard, I suddenly caught sight of a cockatiel sitting on the ground. People buy cockatiels for pets. Though these birds become quite tame, they are kept in cages most of the time. Occasionally, one outside its cage will fly out an open door and get lost. Assuming the one in our backyard was somebody’s pet, I hurried outside to see if I could catch it.

As I slowly approached the bird, it walked up to me, and when I reached out to it, it walked right up my arm. Then as I carried it into the house, it moved to my shoulder and snuggled into my hair. Yes, it had to be somebody’s pet.

When we looked the bird over, we could see where feathers were gone from the back of its head, and under one wing the skin was torn and feathers were missing. It could not fly. We were pretty sure then that the “snowstorm” of white feathers we had seen were from this beautiful white cockatiel. We were so glad that the hawk had not had the chance to finish its breakfast.

Satan has different ways of catching his victims. One way is when he fills our eyes, ears and minds with harmful things that the Bible calls sin. And sin separates us from God and keeps us out of heaven. Every one of us is a sinner. The Bible tells us that “there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23). But the wonderful news is that God loves sinners, and His Son, Jesus Christ, died to wash away our sins. He is our Saviour, waiting to save us from our sins and our enemy. He is our safety and our door into heaven. Another Bible verse says, “I am the door: by Me if any [person] enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9).

Now that the bird was safely in the house, we weren’t sure how to care for it. We talked to a vet who told us how to wash the wounds and gave us medicine to help it heal. Then we put a notice in a few local stores and in two newspapers, hoping to find its owner. The notice read, “Injured bird found. Call to identify.” It also included our telephone number.

It didn’t take long for the calls to begin. We got several a day, but none of them described the bird we had rescued. Finally, we got a call from a lady who correctly identified the bird. When she came to claim her pet, there was no doubt she was the cockatiel’s owner - the bird knew her. Then she told us what had happened.

She had set the cage outside and had accidently left one of its three doors open. The bird flew out and landed in a tree. He would not come when she called him, and when she set up a ladder to reach him he flew away.

You and I are sinners who want our own way too. Satan tells us that God’s standards and commandments cage us in and we don’t need them. So we ignore what God tells us in the Bible and do things our own way. This disobedience is sin and separates us from God. And that is exactly where Satan wants us - away from God’s protection.

It was probably just a day or two later that the watchful hawk caught the unprotected, lost cockatiel and carried it to our yard a mile away. In just a short while, no doubt it would have been killed by the hawk, if we had not seen it there on the ground and taken it inside. And the Lord Jesus sees you in your sins and will free you from Satan’s grip if you will let Him. He is the only one who can save you and open the door to heaven. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He loves you and will wash your sins away in His own blood shed on Calvary’s cross. “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The cockatiel is safely home. Will you let the Lord Jesus save you?

ML-05/19/1996

Dark Clouds

While we were driving to the store one day we saw black clouds in the sky ahead of us -very black. Although we didn’t know exactly when, those black clouds were telling us it was going to rain soon.

While we were in the store, we heard a clattering sound on the roof. Such a racket! We wondered if it were possible that rain could make so much noise, so we all went over to the window to look. Sure enough, the parking lot was flooded, and the rain was coming down in torrents, harder than I’d ever seen rain fall.

Just as those dark clouds warned us it was about to rain, God is giving us dark clouds of warning that His judgment is going to fall on this sinful world very soon. Don’t be caught here when those clouds break! Come to the Lord Jesus now and be in a safe place. “Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee” (Job 22:21).

ML-05/19/1996

Fluffy

Our daughter Amy has a hamster named Fluffy. Since Fluffy sleeps all day, we have given him the freedom to climb in and out of his cage and run around part of the house in the evening and all night. He didn’t always have this freedom.

It’s most interesting how Fluffy came to live in our home. Over a year ago I briefly visited a lady who lived across the street. I noticed that her young child was very rough with their pet hamster. I suspected this happened often, and I wondered how much roughness and pain the little hamster had to take. I felt sorry for the little animal and said something about what the child was doing. The mother stopped her child that time.

Knowing the family was soon moving away, I asked the mother if the hamster would be for sale. She said “Yes.” And so I bought him right then and there. I also bought the cage and all that went with it. I took him home where I knew he would be gently and lovingly cared for the rest of his life.

In the beginning, Fluffy was afraid of us. He would try to hide when we came close. But as we gently held him and stroked his fur when we talked kindly to him, he soon was no longer afraid. He seems to be a happier hamster now, enjoying our loving care and the freedom to run around.

When I think of Fluffy’s condition before coming to our house, it reminds me of our sinful condition in this world without having the Lord Jesus as our loving, caring Saviour. It is like being a slave to sin, perhaps afraid, even hurting. I’m also reminded that the Lord Jesus came into this world to rescue us who are helpless slaves to sin. The Lord Jesus loves us and wants us to come to Himself. He has paid for our sins with His blood, by dying on the cross for those who would accept Him as their Saviour. Will you accept His love and let Him set you free? The hamster needed to be rescued, and we need to be rescued too. The Lord Jesus is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). How can I be rescued? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

ML-05/26/1996

In a Cave

Mike, Brian and Jeff were pals, as well as cousins. It was a real treat for Brian and Jeff, who were city boys, to spend part of each summer at Mike’s house in the country outside Albany, New York. They had many adventures together as they grew up. Mike was older than either of the other boys, and he knew where there were secret spots in the woods where they played together for hours. He knew where the fishing was good, where there were old Indian trails, and where there were neat caves that boys their age could safely explore. Mike was a great storyteller, so when it rained and they had to stay indoors, the boys would go up in the attic, and Mike would tell them about his adventures and the mysteries he had discovered exploring Hale’s Cave in Thatcher Park in the Helderberg Mountains.

At last, Mike’s mother felt the boys were old enough to explore the cave on their own. They packed a lunch, a flashlight and some matches. Then Uncle Tim drove them out to the Helderbergs. The boys were excited about exploring the cave, although Jeff, who was the youngest, almost changed his mind when they peered into the darkness and a bat suddenly swooped out of the cave, scaring them all a little.

It was fun, though, exploring the cave. After they had gone in quite a distance, Mike suddenly turned off the flashlight. The three boys now were in the blackest darkness they had ever experienced. Mike pretended he could not get the flashlight to turn on again, and Brian and Jeff were really frightened. Jeff was glad the others could not see him, as there were tears in his eyes. What if they had to try to find their way out in the dark? Would they have to wait for Uncle Tim to miss them and come in with a rescue party?

The awfulness of being in darkness for all eternity suddenly became very real to them. What a relief it was when Mike switched on the flashlight, and the boys were once again able to see their way through the passageways! How good the sunlight looked as they came to the mouth of the cave!

Afterwards, all three boys talked about how terrible it would be to be cast by God into what the Bible calls “outer darkness,” to be in the “blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13). How glad they were that God in love had sent His Son, Jesus, to be punished for their sins on the cross of Calvary. They would never have to know how awful the “outer darkness” of hell was, because they each had accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

Simply confessing to God that we are sinners and deserve to be shut out from God’s presence, and receiving the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

Are you facing an eternity of darkness or of light?

ML-05/26/1996

Fluffy Rescued Again

Last week we told the story of how Fluffy the hamster was rescued from a small child who was mean to him and hurt him. We bought him from the child’s family and brought him to our house. We were gentle and kind to him and gave him everything he needed.

One mild December evening after we had come home, we couldn’t find the hamster anywhere. Even though he had the freedom to run loose in part of the house, we could always find him. But this time we couldn’t, and we were afraid of what had happened to him.

The next afternoon Amy, my daughter, came running into the house sobbing and upset. There was also another unusual kind of cry. Then I saw Amy holding Fluffy in her hands. He was making the unusual sniffling crying sound. He was cold and wet and in rather sad shape. He apparently had been outside all night. He was too small to move easily in the wet snow, so he didn’t get too far from our front door. We could only assume he crept out unnoticed as we had come in the door the previous evening. He had also been in danger of predators finding him, like the many stalking cats around our house.

Poor little Fluffy was shivering and crying and making rasping sounds. I immediately wrapped him in a warm blanket and held him close to warm him up. He cried all the while and we cried too. After a while we fed him a piece of food which seemed to stop his pain and crying, and then he ate hungrily.

We had prayed to the Lord that Fluffy would be found, and we were thankful and relieved when he was. We saw the Lord’s kindness to one of His little creatures and how He hears and answers the prayers of believers. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8).

If Fluffy had been out in the snow and cold much longer, he probably would have died. Amy found Fluffy outside because of Misty, our cat. This may seem unusual, but Misty and Fluffy are friends. Misty was outside and Amy noticed her sitting beside something in the snow. It was Fluffy! Misty was looking at Fluffy and seemed to be saying, “What are you doing here, outside, crying like that?” Misty was used to Fluffy running around inside.

Poor Fluffy. Without realizing it, he had slipped out the door into a dangerous and unprotected place. But now he was found, and we lovingly nursed the little hamster back to health. The Lord Jesus, who is the great and good Shepherd, will do the same for you. The Bible says we are lost sheep, lost in our sins: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). “The [Lord Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

I’m glad to tell you that this story of Fluffy has a happy ending. But will you have a happy ending? There is joy and safety in the arms of the good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, if you will just come to Him and let Him wash your sins away. He promises you everlasting life with Himself in heaven.

ML-06/02/1996

Walking on Water

As every boy and girl will know, Africa is a land with a hot climate. Until recent years the native children knew nothing about ice or snow. I read about a missionary in Africa who tried to explain to some of them how lakes became hard and solid in his northern homeland. He told them that children could play on top of the water. But nobody believed him. They did not understand that water could freeze when it became very cold. They had never seen it, and so they said he was lying.

However, he brought one of these boys with him when he came back home for a rest, and took him to a frozen lake. The missionary asked him to walk on the ice with him, but the boy was afraid. The missionary took him by the hand, and together they walked out across the lake, walking on the water just like the missionary had said.

“You did not believe what I said about solid water,” the missionary reminded him.

“I believe NOW,” the boy replied quickly.

He had to see it before he would believe. He did not trust the missionary’s word when he could not see it.

The Lord Jesus has told us a lot of things about God. He has told us how we can come to know Him and how we can have a happy place in heaven after we die, or an unhappy place of torment if we do not believe Him. He asks us to believe BEFORE we see, for He is simply telling the truth. He has said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Jesus said He was THE TRUTH. He could not tell a lie. How important it is then that we listen to every word He says, because, like the missionary, He is simply telling what He has seen and knows, because He is the Son of God and came from heaven. He also warns, “He that believeth on Him [Jesus] is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Will you believe what Jesus has told us?

ML-06/02/1996

Noah Webster

Have you ever used a dictionary? If you go to school I’m sure your teacher has had you look up the spelling or the meaning of a word in a dictionary. You may even have one at home. Chances are that at least one of the dictionaries you use is a Webster’s Dictionary.

Noah Webster was the man who put together the first American dictionary. If it were not for him, people in New York might be speaking an entirely different style of English than what they speak in California. Mr. Webster was born in 1758 on a farm near West Hartford, Connecticut. As a boy he loved to read. It was all his father could do to get him away from his books long enough to help with the farm chores. Although his family did not have much money, Noah was able to earn enough money to go to college. After graduating he became a lawyer for a short time, and then he started teaching.

While teaching school in the 1780s, he wrote a beginner’s spelling book, a grammar book and then a reader for school children. Millions of copies of the speller were sold, which helped everyone in the United States to spell and pronounce words the same way. It took him more than 30 years to write what is called the dictionary, because language was changing so fast with new discoveries in almost every area of life.

When he was about 40 years old, he began to wonder if all his work was what really mattered most in life. He wondered if he had been building his beliefs on what he had done, rather than on God’s mercy toward him. One day he told his wife and three children, “Starting today, I’m going to study the Bible until I find out what really counts!”

This was the beginning of a very important time in Mr. Webster’s life. He studied the Bible as carefully as he had worked on his dictionary. God was working in his life. The more he read the more he understood what a proud sinner he really was. Late one night he kneeled down and asked God to forgive him. He confessed that he was a sinner and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He believed that the work that the Lord Jesus had done on the cross was everything, and that his own life and works were nothing. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:89).

The next morning Mr. Webster told his family about his Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. They began to read the Bible and pray together each day. Soon they also believed and confessed the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

Mr. Webster found out what many of us have learned, that we can’t trust ourselves or our own ideas as to what is right or wrong. We need God’s standards as shown in the Bible. It is there we see what we are in God’s sight - “gone astray” and in need of help from Him. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

ML-06/09/1996

Doug's Tree House

Bill was a carpenter, and whenever there were building materials left over from a construction job, he would bring them home for his son, Doug, to use in his building projects.

One time Bill and the other workers were tearing down a house because a new mall was to be built where the house stood. There were lots of good building materials from the house: boards, windows, shingles and all kinds of useful things. Bill gave them to Doug and his friend, and they made plans to build a tree house.

After they got the floor and walls built, the roof was next. Bill gave them instructions about how to lay the shingles. “Start at the bottom edge of the roof and lay overlapping rows until you reach the peak.”

All day Saturday the boys worked hard shingling the roof. They began at the bottom of the first side and worked their way up to the peak, then they kept right on going down the other side until they reached the bottom edge again. They were very tired at the end of the day, but very pleased with their work.

That night it rained.

In the morning they ran out to their tree house. It was all wet inside! They discovered that they had made a big mistake. They had laid the shingles on the first side exactly right. But instead of beginning at the bottom edge on the second side, they had gone over the peak and worked their way down. The shingles on the second side had acted just like funnels and directed the water inside the tree house. They were two very disappointed boys. They thought they were following Doug’s dad’s instructions, but they had not listened carefully.

God has instructions for us in the Bible too, and He wants us to listen to them carefully and follow them well. He wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). But if we are going to understand God’s message to us, we must be like David and pray as he did: “Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5).

If Doug had thought over his dad’s instructions, he would have stopped at the peak and started again at the bottom on the second side, working back up to the top. The tree house roof looked nice and neat, but it leaked terribly. All the shingles on the second side had to be taken off and put on in an entirely different order.

In the Old Testament the children of Israel said, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). But we are unable to do that because we are born in sin and we are sinners through and through. God knows that, and so He brought in a whole new order of things. He sent His own beloved Son to bear the punishment of our sins on the cross, so we could be free from sin and live to please God. That is the only way we can become free of our sins. The ten commandments are good, but trying to keep them will not save us from our sins. And it is good to do good works, but doing good works will not save us from our sins. God tells us this in Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His [God’s] mercy He saved us.” God’s instructions tell us to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Are you following God’s instructions?

ML-06/16/1996

Sleeping Wasps

Sam and his dad were looking forward to a few quiet days at their cottage, so they were both a little excited as they pulled their car up in front of the old place. Dad got his keys out to unlock the cottage door. Sam suddenly stepped back a little as he noticed wasps between the window shade, which had been pulled down, and the glass in the door. However, the real shock was ahead of them.

As Sam’s dad slowly opened the door they could not believe their eyes. There were wasps all over the floor and on the walls, even in the light sockets! As they walked across the floor, they made a crunching sound as their shoes squashed the wasps. Dad found a broom and began sweeping wasps out the door. They didn’t fly around; they seemed to be sleeping. He swept them out by the hundreds!

Finally, Sam and his dad were ready to settle down for the night. But poor Sam just could not sleep as he kept hearing a buzzing sound. Finally he and his dad got up and turned on the light and looked under the mattress. Sure enough, there was another layer of wasps! Thankfully, neither Sam nor his dad was stung; the wasps seemed to be dormant.

Often boys and girls try to treat their sins the same way Sam and his dad treated the wasps - they think they can just sweep them away and that’s the end of them. They might sweep their sins away by being kind to others or being especially good, or even going to Sunday school. But it just doesn’t work! Just like more wasps kept turning up, more of our sins keep turning up. There is only one way to get rid of our sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ to wash away your sins with His blood? Have you accepted Him as your Saviour?

Sam and his dad were very glad they did not get stung by any of the wasps. Most of us know how much a wasp or bee sting can hurt. The Bible tells us that sin also has a sting, and it is a serious sting - it is eternal death. “The soul [person] that [sins], it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour right now. He is able to take away that sting.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

ML-06/16/1996

Julie's Kindness

Julie felt like singing as she mowed the lawn one day last spring. The sun was finally shining, and it felt so good to work outside and to cut that long grass at last. Pepper, the dog, followed after the lawn mower, eager to explore whatever the mower turned up.

Suddenly, ahead of the mower blades, Julie noticed a robin’s nest in the grass. She quickly got off the mower and went to rescue the nest. But Pepper was also interested in that nest! He started yapping at Julie, trying to jump up and get the baby bird in the nest that Julie was now holding over her head. To make matters worse, the parent birds completely misunderstood Julie’s kindness and started diving at her from overhead. They wanted her to leave their baby alone. This wasn’t turning out well at all!

Through all the commotion, Julie became aware of another strange noise from somewhere behind her. She turned around in time to see the riding lawn mower chewing steadily through a young apple tree. She had forgotten to stop the motor and it had continued right on its way until it met something that stopped it!

What would you have done if you were Julie? She did the only thing there was to do - she started yelling for help!

“Kurt! Kurt! Come and get this dog!” Kurt came running and hauled Pepper away. Julie put the baby bird down where it would be safe, then ran to stop the lawn mower.

Have you ever found yourself in a mess like that when you were trying to help someone? Julie was trying to be a savior for that little bird because she felt sorry for it. But she got muddy footprints on her clothes from her dog, attacks from the parent birds, and lost an apple tree, all in saving the baby bird. This makes me think of the Lord Jesus who went through far more than all that so He could be our Saviour. He was cruelly betrayed by a friend, nailed by His hands and feet to a rough cross, and then took the awful punishment we deserved from God to pay for our sins. Wasn’t that a wonderfully kind thing to do? It says in Luke 6:35, “He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” That’s you and me.

It’s hard to understand why the Lord Jesus went through all that for sinners. He explains why in another Bible verse: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

You and I are just like that helpless baby bird in the grass. It had a lawn mower about to run over it and a dog that would have killed it if the mower didn’t. You and I are trapped in our sins with the sentence of death in the lake of fire threatening us.

Julie knew that baby bird on the ground could not save itself. She was the only one who could save it, and she did. The Lord Jesus saw us in our sins and knew we could not save ourselves from that sentence of death. He was the only one who could, and He went to the cross for that very purpose.

If you will confess to the Lord Jesus that you know you are a sinner and need Him to save you from your sins, He promises to forgive you. He says in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will forgive their iniquity [sin], and I will remember their sin no more.”

Will you let Him forgive your sins and reserve a place in heaven for you?

ML-06/23/1996

Safety Instructions

Eight-year-old Larry asked his mother for permission to burn the papers in the trash can out in the backyard. Since it wasn’t windy, his mother told him to go ahead. She knew his father had talked with him about fire safety and had taught him how to use matches safely.

Seeing his mother watching him from an upstairs window, Larry waved to her. As the trash started burning she went back to cleaning the bedroom.

Only a few minutes later his mother heard Larry screaming. She dashed back to the window and saw Larry rolling in the grass with his pant leg on fire. She raced downstairs and out to Larry. By the time she reached him the fire on his clothes was out. He had followed the rules his father had taught him, and that may have saved his life.

God our Father has given us some “safety instructions” in the Bible because He loves us and wants you and me to spend eternity with Him in heaven. First off He warns us that we are sinners and cannot go to heaven if we still have our sins. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Then He explains how we cannot get rid of our sins by anything we try to do. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good deeds] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). In other words, we cannot settle this problem of our sins by ourselves. He also warns that all sin must be punished. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Each of us will be punished for our sins after we die, unless God’s Substitute has already taken that punishment for us. Then He explains who that Substitute is. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins, if we will accept Him as our Saviour. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28).

Won’t you follow God’s safety instructions right now and be sure that you have everlasting life before it is too late?

ML-06/23/1996

Melting Hearts

Most of you know all about melting snow and melting icebergs, but what do you know about melting hearts? Here is a true story that will help you to understand.

This story is about a lady who lived in a house on top of a long, high wall enclosing the city of Jericho, near the Jordan River. Her parents and her brothers and sisters lived inside the shelter of the wall. And for many years they all had heard the story of a great army of half-a-million people who were coming to their city to destroy them.

At first it seemed like a faraway tale. But it was different from other tales because, although the people in the city had a wall and a river for protection, the people who were coming had a God. Their God was mighty and could roll back the waters of the Red Sea and lead them across safely, and then drown all their enemies who chased them. Their God could also feed them for 40 years in the barren, desert wilderness. There was no other god who could do mighty things like that. And as the people in this city thought about it, they were afraid - their hearts melted. And what can you do for melting hearts?

The lady in the house on top of the wall was not afraid - she did not have a melting heart. Her name was Rahab. Living on top of the wall, it couldn’t protect her, and she didn’t have a spear or shield, but her heart was trusting in the same mighty God who had fed His people all those 40 years. There are no ups and downs with a God like that. He is always the same, always trustworthy. Do you know Him?

Rahab had more than these people’s wonderful stories to believe. She had a personal promise. She was told by two messengers from God’s people that if she hung the scarlet cord in her window, everyone in her house would be safe when God’s judgment fell on the wicked city. Rahab quickly tied the scarlet cord in her window and did just as she was told, and the promise made her safe.

We have a promise too. “He that believeth on Me [the Son] hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Who is the Son? He is the Son of God, whose precious blood cleanses us from all sin. If you take that promise for your very own, you will be as safe as Rahab was. God keeps His promises. His awful judgment day will find you safe, because you are cleansed by the precious blood of the Saviour who died for you.

Rahab climbed down from her house on the wall and went into the city of melting hearts. The frightened people were probably reminding each other about the protection of the flooded Jordan River and the strong walls they were counting on, and the well-armed soldiers in their city. But Rahab did not listen to them; she had a promise she was counting on. She went to her parents and her brothers and sisters and told them about the wonderful promise God’s messengers had given her. She invited her family to stay in her house, which had only the scarlet cord in the window to protect them. And they came!

Will you come? We are telling you this story to urge you to come to Jesus Christ, because His blood is your protection and His Word is your promise. Will you come now and be as safe as Rahab was? God is always the Same; His promise will never change.

Soon the army of God’s people came to the wall of the city. The flooded Jordan River was nothing at all when God led His people through on the dry riverbed! And the city walls were nothing at all when God commanded His people to shout and the walls fell down flat! God’s people had a wonderful victory that day. The city of Jericho was completely destroyed, including all the people and their livestock.

I suppose it was crowded in that little house on the wall before the wall fell, but God kept His promise, and every person in Rahab’s house was safely removed to the safety of God’s people. In fact, Rahab lived to be an ancestor in the royal line of Jesus who was born of the virgin Mary.

Would you have been in Rahab’s house if you had been there? Maybe you would not have been invited, but you are certainly invited right now. Come and believe and trust the One who gave Himself for sinners. Come to the protection of His precious blood. There is no halfway point. When you hear of the judgment of God against sin, fear should melt your heart. You may shut your ears and mind to it, you may count on your good works to protect you, or you may trust the Saviour of sinners with all your heart. Only one carries the promise of God. Which will you do?

“Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe”
(Proverbs 29:25).

ML-06/30/1996

I Caught It!

We were riding in a jeep over the dusty mountain roads of Bolivia, through miles and miles of desert. There was nothing green, just lots of tumbleweed and an occasional hut, then more miles of emptiness and another little hut. We wondered what the people did for a living away out here in the desert.

As we came to the top of a high hill with our trail of dust rising behind us, we looked down into the valley and saw a child running toward the road. That’s the way it is in that part of Bolivia. Anyone who sees a vehicle coming heads for the road as fast as he can . . . just in case there will be something there for him.

As we watched the child running with his arms reaching up, we saw him fall and get up again. Then, because he was watching our jeep and not looking where he was going, he fell again into the tumbleweed. We lost sight of him for a moment, but soon he was up and running again. He wasn’t going to let anything stop him in his race toward the road. A couple more times he stumbled and fell, but immediately he was up and running again. He reached the road just as our jeep passed the spot where he was. Someone threw him an apple. He caught it.

“I caught it! I caught it!” he shouted, hugging the apple to his chest.

What eagerness! What thankfulness, and for so little.

The gift of God. Have you caught it? Don’t miss it! It is of more value than any other thing. It cost God His only begotten Son, yet for you it’s free! “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Don’t let anything stop you from accepting God’s loving gift. Hug it to your chest for your very own. You will thank Him forever. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

ML-06/07/1996

The Railroad Bridge

Amy tiptoed down the hall early in the morning and peeked into Grandpa’s bedroom. Seeing that Grandpa’s eyes were open, she climbed up on the end of his bed and said, “Grandpa, please take me fishing today.”

Every summer when Grandpa came to visit, Amy looked forward to going fishing with him. Grandpa loved to fish, and since Amy’s home was right near a river, they often went out together to catch fish for supper.

“Let’s try a new fishing spot today,” Grandpa suggested. “Why don’t we try fishing from the railroad bridge. That looks to me like it might be a good place.”

The morning train had already gone by, and no other train was scheduled until late at night, so they put their fishing rods over their shoulders and climbed the hill to the railroad tracks. Walking along the tracks they soon came to the railroad bridge. They walked out to the middle, baited their hooks and began to fish. Grandpa caught a nice, big sunfish while Amy waited patiently for something to nibble at her bait.

They were enjoying their peaceful, quiet spot, when suddenly they heard a sound that made them stare at one another in fear. A train was whistling for the railroad crossing less than a mile away. An unexpected freight train was approaching the bridge!

Grandpa didn’t know what to do. The railroad bridge was a long one, and he realized that if they tried to run back to get off the bridge, the train would probably hit and kill them before they got to the end. By now they could see the train thundering toward them.

Catching sight of them, the engineer knew instantly that he could not stop in time. In helpless frustration he pulled the train whistle again and again as the heavy freight train rushed on toward Grandpa and Amy.

Grandpa shouted at Amy, but the noise of the whistle combined with the roar of the train made it impossible for her to hear. Putting his mouth right down to her ear he yelled, “Drop your rod.” Then picking Amy up in his arms, he stepped off the tracks out onto the railroad ties which extended over the river.

Setting Amy down on the end of one of the ties, he put her small hands on the bridge railing. Pressing close behind her, he put his arms around her, placed his hands on her hands and held on tightly.

The bridge shook as the train roared by three feet behind them. The noise was deafening, but Amy was completely safe in the shelter of Grandpa’s strong arms.

After the danger had passed and the noise had faded away, Amy held Grandpa’s hand as they walked back home.

“You know what, Grandpa?” Amy said. “I was really scared when I saw that train coming, but when you put your arms around me and held me tight, then I felt safe. Thank you for holding on to me.”

Are you safe in the strong arms of the Lord Jesus Christ, boys and girls? If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour and know that your sins are gone, then you are held safely and are secure forever. Satan may try to bother you and may trouble you and try to frighten you, but the Lord Jesus promises: “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:2829).

Amy’s ears hurt from the noise of the train, and the bridge shook under her feet, but she was safe and happy with Grandpa’s arms around her. And all of Satan’s attempts to bother and disturb you will never make you frightened or unhappy as long as you remember that the Lord Jesus is holding you tightly and will never let you go. “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:56).

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Deuteronomy 33:27

ML-06/07/1996

Conquering Mt. Hood

Dave Turple and Marty Loewen had just climbed Mt. Hood with ten boys who were from a home for boys who were in trouble with the law. It was an exciting feeling for each one to have made the 11,000-foot climb.

Conquering Mt. Hood was not the only reason for taking the group on this kind of outing. It gave Dave an opportunity to tell the boys the good news of the gospel - that God loves them and that Jesus Christ died to take away their sins, if they would trust Him. Dave had also prayed a private prayer, asking the Lord to help him show His love to these troubled boys.

They divided into two groups before starting back down the mountain. Dave went ahead with his group, and Marty followed a little distance behind with his.

Billy had been asking Marty about glissading, which is sliding in a standing or squatting position down a snow- or ice-covered slope. It had been hard work to climb all the way up Mt. Hood, and Billy wanted to have a little fun on the way back down. He kept asking Marty when he could try glissading. Finally they came to a point where Marty thought he could try it.

Billy unhooked himself from the rest of the group, held his ice ax behind him for control, and started sliding down. However, almost immediately he dropped his ice ax and was sliding without being able to stop. The slope was steeper and more treacherous than it had looked. Marty shouted “FALL” to those below, to warn them.

Dave and the boys who were ahead turned around and saw Billy zooming down towards them, out of control. Dave rushed over to block Billy’s path, anchoring himself with his ice ax. He hoped that his large 6'4", 220-pound body would stop the boy from falling to his death below.

Billy slammed into Dave, and for a moment nothing could be seen but a cloud of snow. Then Marty and the remaining boys saw, in horror, what was left - just an ice ax, two hats and a glove. Both Dave and Billy had fallen to their deaths hundreds of feet below.

Some days later, after the funerals, one of the boys said to Marty, “How could Dave - with a wife, a little girl and a good life -try to save someone like us?”

Dave, who was a believer in Jesus Christ, wanted to tell others about the Saviour who loves all sinners. His prayer had been answered. The Lord had given him an opportunity to show His love to the boys. He was concerned for Billy and the other boys and wanted to help them, even to the point where he would risk his life for them.

The Lord Jesus Christ shared the glories of heaven with God His Father. The Bible tells us that up there He was honored and loved. God called Him “My beloved Son.” It also tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that Jesus was rich, but He became poor - He left heaven to come down to earth to die for you and me. His was an unselfish love.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep” (John 10:11-13). Just as a true and good shepherd doesn’t leave his sheep and run from danger to save himself, so the Lord Jesus did not turn away from what He had to do. On the cross “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). And verse six says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity [sin] of us all.”

Does the love Dave showed for Billy touch your heart? It touched mine. Does the love the Lord Jesus has for you and what He did for you touch your heart? Will you accept Him for your very own?

ML-06/14/1996

Can't You Talk?

I remember seeing a picture of a little girl and her duck. The duck was looking right into the face of the little girl. The little girl was looking right at him with her lips open as if she were talking to her friend. The title underneath the picture was, “Can’t You Talk?”

I can imagine that the little girl had been talking away to her little duck, but, of course, he never answered her. We all know why -a duck can quack, but it cannot talk and it never will. It was born a duck, and it will never be anything else.

I sometimes think of this when we try to talk to boys and girls about the Lord Jesus. If we talk about games, pets or school, there is lots of chatter. But somehow when we begin to talk about the Lord Jesus, the Bible and heaven, they do not have much to say and want to change the subject. Why is this?

You and I were born sinners, and we need to be saved from our sins (born again). In John’s gospel the third chapter, the Lord Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” I did not want to talk to anyone about the Lord Jesus either, until I was born again. When the Lord Jesus saved me and washed away my sins, I found that I wanted to be with others who also trusted my Saviour. Together we could talk about His love.

What do you do when someone wants to talk with you about the Lord Jesus? Do you join in the conversation, or do you want to change the subject?

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it” (Malachi 3:16).

ML-06/21/1996

A Merciful Policeman

“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5

It was early morning when Daddy drove the car over the back roads between Bedford, New York and Torrington, Connecticut. The family was looking forward to visiting friends who lived in Torrington. Most of the way the speed limit was 55 miles per hour. Daddy kept the car right at that speed as they did not have time to spare if they were going to get there on time.

Suddenly, just as they came into a little town in Connecticut, Daddy saw flashing red lights behind them. He pulled over to the side of the road to let the police car pass, but instead it stopped right behind them. “Looks like he’s after me,” said Daddy as a very stern policeman came up to the car window.

“Let’s see your driver’s license and registration card,” ordered the policeman.

Three-year-old Kip stared wide-eyed at the policeman’s bright badge and the revolver in his holster. He had never seen anything like this, and here it was happening to his daddy! Lana, who was almost five, watched soberly as the officer took Daddy’s cards and looked them over. The policeman told Daddy that he had been traveling 50 miles an hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone, and he reached into his pocket for his book of tickets and a pen. (A person who is given a speeding ticket has to pay a fine for his punishment.)

This was too much for little Lana. A flood of tears ran down her face as she looked up into the face of the stern policeman and sobbed, “Please don’t put my daddy in jail!” The officer’s stern look melted immediately into a smile. He put away his ticket book and only warned Daddy to be more careful in the future.

Daddy did not have to pay a fine. Lana’s tearful plea brought mercy to Daddy from the policeman. Mercy means not getting what we deserve. Daddy was guilty of going faster than the speed limit, and he deserved a ticket. The policeman showed mercy to him for Lana’s sake.

It made Daddy think of the wonderful mercy that God has shown us. Every one of us is a sinner and deserves to be shut out of heaven and punished for our sins. But God in mercy sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take the punishment on the cross of Calvary that we deserve.

Have you admitted to God that you are a sinner and deserve everlasting punishment for your sins? Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and thanked Him for bearing the punishment you deserve?

“God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins”
(Ephesians 2:45).

ML-06/28/1996

In Need of Help

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The ringing noise roused me from a deep sleep. As I came awake I was aware of the steady drum of rain on the roof. I was thankful to be snuggled in a dry, warm bed.

Ding-dong, ding-ding-dong.

There it was again . . . someone was ringing our doorbell! A quick check of the clock showed it was 4:00 a.m. Who would be at the door at this hour?

I threw on a robe and headed carefully out of my bedroom and down the dark stairs.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Whoever it was was not giving up! I opened our front door, and before I had time to invite them in, a lady and her three children quickly stepped inside. They all were crying, dripping wet, barefoot and were creating puddles on the floor wherever they stood.

“Please, can you help us?” the crying mother asked. “I work the late shift,” she explained. “Tonight I was traveling on the road right near your farm, heading home. I was going fast and didn’t see the water over the road until I hit it. My car went out of control and we landed off the road, in deep water, in a ditch. The car started filling with water fast! I got the children out through the windows, and we’ve had to walk almost a mile to get here.”

These four people needed help! They realized their need and were doing something about it. Have you ever realized that you are in worse need than this wet, frightened family? If you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are headed for an awful eternity! It’s easy to pass through life pushing the thoughts of death out of your mind. But one of these days it will happen to you, and death takes you to either heaven or hell. These people passed the road near my house almost every day, but they never came knocking on my door until they were wet and cold and in need.

Do you have problems? God may be speaking to you. He wants you to realize that there are more important things to think about than just living one day at a time.

Of course, we were glad to help that lady and her children in every way we could. And God has done everything to help you in your need of salvation from a lost eternity. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross, to bear the punishment you deserve. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement [punishment] of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes [wounds] we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). All you have to do is realize your need and come to Him to be saved. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

In the morning I walked down to see the lady’s car. They really had a close brush with death! The car was almost completely under the deep water in that ditch. Only the trunk and roof were above the swirling water. If she hadn’t hurried to get out of that car and gotten her children out, they would have drowned instead of just getting cold and wet.

Do you know when death will take you? Are you ready?

ML-06/28/1996

Found Out

It was a really nice evening, and Amanda had just gotten her driver’s license. She wanted to have some fun, so she asked her parents if she could drive to her friend Jenny’s house. Actually, Amanda had no intention of staying at Jenny’s house. She and Jenny had planned to go into the nearby city of Chicago to attend a party in a dangerous part of the city. The girls knew that their parents wouldn’t allow them to go to the party, so they both lied to their parents. They told them they were just going to a friend’s house.

Amanda and Jenny had to use a high-speed expressway to drive into the city. Suddenly Amanda lost control of the car and crashed into a guardrail. Amanda had her seatbelt fastened and was not seriously hurt. But it was a different story for Jenny. She had not buckled her seatbelt and was hurled through the windshield and into the guardrail.

Jenny was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital where she lapsed into a coma. The swelling of her brain, caused by the impact with the guardrail, gradually improved. Three days later she regained consciousness but could not remember what had happened.

What a sudden and terrible way for a lie to be found out! God does not always allow something dreadful to happen to us when we disobey Him. Sometimes it seems as if no one knows what we have done, and it looks as though we have gotten away with the sin. But God’s Word, the Bible, says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). He also reminds us that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Although we may think we have gotten away with something, not one thing is hidden from God: “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

But God is not watching us because He is looking for something to punish. He is watching us because He cares about us! He loves us so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. He is just waiting for you to accept the pardon He is offering to you. “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).

Won’t you accept His pardon for your sins today?

ML-08/04/1996

Lost in a Bolivian Desert

Mr. Albert never expected to get lost the day he left his friends in the mountains of Bolivia. They had had a happy time singing hymns and reading the Bible together the day before. He had stayed overnight, and now he planned to take the bus home. He would have to walk a few miles over to the road in order to catch the bus.

“Stay on the footpath,” his friends told him. “Don’t go on the goat path.”

So Mr. Albert started out on the path to find the road. A bus would be coming by sometime that morning and would stop to pick him up. Everything went fine for a while, but the path often divided and went in two directions. He was not always sure which way to turn.

Soon Mr. Albert noticed that there were goat tracks on the footpath. Perhaps he had taken the wrong path. He went back to check, but now it seemed that there were footprints on the goat path, and goat tracks on the footpath! How could he tell which was which?

Mr. Albert continued walking, but just ahead someone had dragged firewood along so that it was impossible to see any path at all. He walked back to where the thorn bushes had blocked out the path to see if he could find it again. But to him it looked as if the path went in all directions. Now he couldn’t find his way back to his friends, and he couldn’t find the road. He had less than a quart of water and was lost in a Bolivian desert!

Mr. Albert knew he was lost, but there are many people in this world who are lost and they don’t even know it. You don’t have to be in the middle of a desert to be lost. Thousands of people in this world are lost because they don’t know where they are going when they leave this world. Many would like to go to heaven, but they don’t know how to get there. They are lost in their sins, because they have turned away from God.

But there is good news for people who are lost. It’s found in the Bible in Luke 19:10. “The Son of Man [Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Lord Jesus came into this world to look for and to save those who are lost in their sins. If you would like to go to heaven but don’t know how to get there, then turn to the Lord Jesus. He said, “I am the way” (John 14:6).

When Mr. Albert realized he was lost, he said a prayer in his heart and then climbed a hill to see if he could see anything. There were only desert sand, thorn trees and another hill to climb. He climbed the second hill, and in the distance he could see what looked like a slice in the mountainside. It could be the road. He took off, forgetting completely about paths, and walked toward the slice in the mountainside. When he got there, he found it was the road! Not long after that a bus came along and took him home.

Mr. Albert found the road almost by accident, though it was with the help of God answering his prayer, but if you are saved it will be no accident, for Jesus has been looking for you. Are you 8 years old? Then He has been looking for you for 8 years. Are you 12? Then Jesus has been looking for you for 12 years. Come to the Lord Jesus today for salvation, and you will be on your way to heaven.

ML-08/04/1996

Thank You, Darlin'

The pink and blue bus rolled along the narrow roads of Bermuda. At one of the stops some schoolgirls in their neat uniforms got on the bus. They each dropped a ticket into the fare box and went to sit in the back of the bus. All, that is, except one little girl.

She searched all through her backpack but could not find her ticket. She called to her friends in the back of the bus, but they didn’t answer. The bus started to move. The little girl lost her balance, but a kind lady put out her arm and pulled the girl to the empty seat beside her.

We thought of the journey of life. Each of us must have our “fare” paid or we cannot go to heaven. We do not have the fare and our friends cannot help us. What are we to do?

Meanwhile we have difficulties in life. The kind lady helped the little girl when she might have fallen. God protects us too. Angels are His “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for [or serve] them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). We can’t see them, but they protect us even before we are saved.

The next time the bus stopped our little friend went back where her friends were sitting. The driver didn’t seem to care. He was busy driving his bus along those narrow, twisting roads.

Some people think that God has forgotten the world. He is too busy to think of us, so we can do anything we like. This is not true; He knows everything that is going on in the world, and He certainly cares.

Later, when the girls got off the bus, what do you think happened? As the little girl got off, she dropped a ticket into the fare box. The kind driver leaned toward her and said, “Thank you, darlin’.”

Someone had paid her fare. We guessed that would happen. Very likely the driver knew it too. He only had a kind word for the little girl.

I think you know who has paid our “fare” to heaven - the Lord Jesus Christ! A student ticket only costs a few cents, but Jesus paid our “fare” to heaven with His life. His blood was shed on Calvary’s cross to put away our sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

How can we get our “ticket” for heaven? What must we do? “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). Jesus has already paid our “fare.” We only have to claim it by believing on Him.

Have you received your “ticket” to heaven?

ML-08/11/1996

A Letter Found

We were expecting Grandma’s weekly letter to arrive. Mother watched through the living room window as the mailman came up the front walk. He dropped one envelope through the letter slot in the door. Mother saw it fall to the floor, and she walked quickly over to pick it up - but no letter was to be seen! She knew it had to be there, because she had seen it! Looking closely at the floor, she discovered a crack just at the edge of the door frame. I brought her a flashlight, and shining it down the crack we could see Grandma’s letter.

She tried so hard to get it out, but the crack was too narrow for even tweezers to grasp the letter. She finally gave up and waited for Dad to come home from work. As soon as he came in, she told him about the letter.

Dad worked and worked, trying to get the letter out of the crack. He was able to move it with a thin wire, but he couldn’t grasp it or snag it on a hook. He finally had to make the crack a little wider with a wedge. And what do you think he found? He found not just one letter, but several pieces of mail! Some of them looked like they had been there for a long time.

The whole family watched while Mother and Dad opened the mail they had just found. Some pieces were advertisements now almost ten years old! It was surprising to see how prices had gone up in the ten years the mail had been down the crack.

The most interesting piece of mail was for me. It was six years old and was from my best friend. It was an invitation to her house for a party!

I know about a wonderful letter which also has an invitation in it. Maybe this letter is lying somewhere in your home and you have never read it. This letter I’m talking about is the Bible, which contains God’s loving invitation to spend eternity with Him in heaven. He tells us how much He loves us and wants us to live with Him forever. He also tells us about the wonderful home He has prepared for us.

The Bible also tells us that no sin can ever enter God’s wonderful home (Revelation 21:27). It also tells us how Jesus came down to earth and died for sinners. He rose again from the dead, and He is now in heaven waiting for us. He has sent this invitation for us to believe Him and come to live with Him in heaven when our life on earth is over.

Have you answered this invitation? I did not accept my friend’s party invitation because I did not receive it in time. But can you say that? You have probably heard God’s invitation before, and He is waiting for your answer right now. We do not know how long He will offer this invitation. Tomorrow may be too late. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-08/11/1996

A Forgotten Bucket

Clint had a summer job trapping gophers. His equipment was a bucket with about a dozen gopher traps, and for each trap there was a metal rod with a brightly colored plastic tape tied around its top. Wherever he saw a gopher hole he’d set a trap and stick a metal rod right through the trap into the ground to anchor it. The purpose was to keep the coyotes from running off with the gopher, trap and all. It also showed Clint exactly where the traps were located. Every day he would check the traps.

Clint was busy with his traps all summer and into late fall. When the ground began to freeze, he brought all his rods and traps home, but he forgot to bring the bucket.

We have all forgotten to do certain things. But there are some things that are too important to forget. Have you heard the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners? Do you know that you are a sinner? Have you heard that Christ Jesus died for you, was buried and the third day rose again from the dead, just as God had said He would? Every time you hear this good news it is a reminder that right now is the time to be saved from your sins. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The question of your sins is too important to forget!

Winter came, and each time the family drove by the field they saw Clint’s bucket sitting out there. And each time someone told Clint to go get it and bring it home. He said he would, but he just never got around to it.

Spring came and with it very heavy rains. Many areas were flooded. One day Clint’s mother looked out the window and saw that the driveway of an elderly neighbor had been so badly rutted by the floodwaters that it could not be used. That’s strange, she thought. They have a culvert running under their driveway that always carries away any excess water. When she saw her neighbor over by his driveway, she decided to go find out what was happening.

“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Miller?” Clint’s mother asked as she walked over.

“I’ve never felt more helpless in my life,” Mr. Miller said. The poor old man had one arm in a sling and was trying to dig with his one good arm.

“What do you think is the trouble?” Clint’s mother asked.

“Well, I could kick myself,” he answered. “I had noticed a bucket in the field all winter, and I told myself that I should go out and pick it up, but I just never got around to it. I’m afraid that bucket must be stuck in the culvert now.”

Clint’s mother felt awful. She said sadly, “I know whose bucket that is. . . . It belongs to my son.”

What a confession to have to make! The rushing water had picked up the forgotten bucket and washed it right into the mouth of the culvert where it fit like a cork in a bottle. Since the water could no longer run through the culvert, it soon reached the level of the road, running swiftly over it and washing much of it away.

Although it was impossible to see the cause of the flooding, because it was under more than three feet of water, they all knew it was that bucket. And even though no one can actually see your wicked sins, if you haven’t been cleansed by the precious blood of Christ your sins are still there. They are going to cause you a lot of trouble if you forget about them and leave them hidden. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.” Forgetting about your sins will bring dreadful results. Romans 6:23 warns that “the wages of sin is death.” But the rest of the verse has the remedy: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Receive the Saviour and eternal life right now before it is too late.

ML-08/18/1996

Shining for Jesus

Caleb’s grandparents were visiting their daughter’s home, and Caleb and his brothers loved to have them come. They had such good times together when Grandpa and Grandma came. Grandpa heard the children singing, “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.” Do you know that song? It goes like this:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam

To shine for Him each day.

In every way try to please Him,

At home, at school, at play

And the chorus goes this way:

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,

I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

But one day Caleb was unhappy, and that day he was NOT a sunbeam. His Grandpa said, “Caleb, I promised you children a treat, but I can’t give a treat to you when I see you acting that way. I heard you singing, ‘I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.’ But you aren’t a sunbeam today.”

And, boys and girls, the Lord Jesus wants us to be sunbeams to shine for Him every day of our lives. How can we shine for Him? By being kind and loving in the things we do and say, just as He was kind and loving to everyone. That is just like a ray of sunshine on a dark, cloudy day. How glad we are to see the sunshine when it has been dark and gloomy. It cheers us up, doesn’t it? If you love the Lord Jesus and He has washed your sins away, you can be a sunbeam for Him because you love Him. Do you know why you love Him? The Bible tells us why: “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And when we think about how much He has done for us, we will want to do all we can for Him and shine for Him. Then the Lord Jesus will be pleased, we will be happy, and others around us may want to know about Him.

ML-08/18/1996

Dave and His Violin

The orchestra members were all in their places for their weekly practice. Each player had his own share of nervousness or confidence, for the conductor was a man who expected the best from his students. They had had all week to practice their music at home, and now he was ready, baton in hand, to hear them play together.

Dave’s home practice had been less than normal; in fact, it was zero. There had been so many more interesting things to do that his violin had not been out of its case all week. As a result, the notes of the music were still new to him, and now he faced the man who knew the music well and could hear a wrong note instantly. What was going to happen?

Maybe you don’t play in an orchestra, but you have your own tests and exams, and perhaps you know how it feels not to be ready. Somehow it works out in the end. But your biggest test is yet to come. God says, “After [death] the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27), and when you face that test you can’t be sent back to try again. Perhaps you don’t think that is fair, but it is not for you to decide. God is your Judge, and He is warning you now.

But He has an offer for you. The Judge Himself loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for you, so that you might have your sins forgiven and be welcomed to His home in heaven. But this offer must be believed and accepted NOW. It is only offered to sinners. This verse will tell you if you qualify: “There is no [person] that sinneth not” (1 Kings 8:46).

Dave was not feeling sorry that he had not done his assignment. Not at all. He had a plan so that he would not be found out. He tucked his violin under his chin just as all the others did, and he stroked the bow in perfect time -just a tiny fraction of an inch above the strings. The bow made no contact with the strings, and so not one wrong note was heard. In fact, there was no sound at all from his violin. No one could accuse him of playing a wrong note!

The conductor listened carefully, as he always did. He seemed to detect a problem, but if it was a wrong note it wasn’t coming from Dave. The conductor first asked half the players to be silent while the others played. Then he asked just a small group to play alone. Finally he asked just Dave and another player to play together. Dave’s silent violin was detected by everyone.

His plan didn’t work.

If you hope you can escape from God’s judgment, are you foolish enough to think your plan will work? Don’t wait to find that out. It will be too late ever to try again!

God’s plan is perfect. If there had been any other way to save you, God would never have sent His only begotten Son to the agony of Calvary’s cross. His plan is as costly as it is perfect. Many of us have accepted this wonderful Saviour, and we know that the judgment for our sins is behind us and not before us. What is your choice - your own plan, or God’s?

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

ML-08/25/1996

An Old, Musty Bible

As he slowly pushed open the creaky old door, dust and dirt fell on him. Leoncio went in anyway. The old adobe hut had been empty for many years. He passed by it every day on his way to work in Tacabamba, Peru.

In one of the small rooms he found some old schoolbooks. Along with them he also found another old book. He brushed it off, but it was still musty smelling from being damp and old. He opened it up to the title page: Santa Biblia (Holy Bible).

Leoncio had never had a Bible of his own. He had never even read one. He sat down on an old wooden bench in the hut and began to read. This book was very interesting. Several hours went by. When he finally decided he’d better start for home, he took the Bible with him.

During the next few weeks, he spent every spare minute he had reading the old Bible. He soon learned that he was a sinner and needed a Saviour. Soon after, Leoncio accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his very own Saviour.

“You are foolish!” said his father when Leoncio first told him about his “new Friend.” But Leoncio went on reading his Bible anyway and talked about it to his family.

Soon one of his brothers also accepted Christ as his Saviour. After that, one by one, all of Leoncio’s brothers and sisters became Christians. But his father and mother would not accept “this new idea.” “How can you be saved when you haven’t gone to the church?” they would ask. Leoncio would explain that the Bible contained all of God’s words and that they could read it themselves.

After Leoncio had prayed for his parents and read the Bible out loud to them for many weeks, they also found peace through accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. They not only had heard God’s words, but they saw how it had changed the lives of their children.

It was an old, musty Bible, but God used it to bring new life to a family.

“For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them . . . and they have believed that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:8).

ML-08/25/1996

Black Darkness

It was my job to check for leaks in the trunks of cars. I had to climb into the trunk with my flashlight. Then the other mechanic on the job had to close the trunk and spray it hard with water from a hose while I looked all over the inside for leaks with my flashlight. Of course, when the trunk closed it locked automatically.

The very first time I had to do that job, the bulb burned out in my flashlight. I don’t mind telling you I was really scared. The water spraying on the trunk lid was making such a racket that nobody could hear me yell. I was all curled up in there. I felt as though I was trapped in a tiny dungeon of darkness. It was absolutely pitch black . . . I couldn’t see one thing!

Then the telephone rang. The mechanic dropped the hose and ran into the shop to answer it. Realizing my situation had changed a little, I began banging on the inside of the trunk, but no one was around to hear me.

The book of Jude in the Bible tells us about the blackness of darkness forever (vs. 13). Darkness like that is reserved for people who are like the three people in Jude verse 11.

The first was Cain. He thought he could please God by offering Him something he had produced with his own hands. But we are all such selfish sinners full of pride that there is nothing we are able to do to please God with our own works. Cain couldn’t do it. I can’t. And neither can you. We can only come to the Lord Jesus, admitting we are sinful and helpless, and just accept His gift of salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). And Cain was pretty proud of himself, wasn’t he?

The second was Balaam. A wicked king wanted him to curse God’s people. He was willing to do that for the reward the king offered him. How terrible! Balaam wanted to curse the people God loved just so he could have a special title and lots of money. He was really greedy, wasn’t he? The blackness of darkness is reserved for people like that too.

The third was Korah. He will also enter that black darkness because he organized a group of important men to rise up against the leaders God had chosen to guide His people through the wilderness. Korah was rebellious!

These three all came to a sad end in this life, but that’s nothing compared to spending eternity in such black darkness that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. I’m a grown-up, but it still really scared me to be shut up in that car trunk even for 15 minutes!

The next time I had to do that job, I made sure I was prepared. I checked my flashlight batteries and took two things with me - an extra flashlight bulb and a wrench that I could use to take apart the lock on the trunk.

You may say, I’m not proud or greedy or rebellious like those men. But you are a sinner, aren’t you? And all sinners face the possibility of being in the blackness of darkness forever. Be prepared. Come to the Lord Jesus now and let Him forgive you. He loves you so much He died for you. He rose from the dead and is sitting at God’s right hand, calling to you, “Come unto Me.”

When I knew I was prepared, I wasn’t the least bit afraid to be shut into the trunk of a car. And God has given us His holy, faultless Word, the Bible, so we can know we’re prepared for eternity. That knowledge takes all fear out of our hearts. “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31).

ML-09/01/1996

A Foolish Bird

Bright streaks of lightning slashed across the sky and thunder crashed loudly. The two men in the little rowboat could not hear each other even when they shouted. Torrents of rain soaked their clothing and nearly blinded them. Waves more than 20 feet high threatened to swamp their small boat and sink it.

Several days earlier, on June 4, 1966, these two men, John Ridgway and Chay Blyth, had started out from Orleans, Massachusetts, to row their small boat, English Rose III, across the Atlantic Ocean to England. Now the storm was threatening to end their plans in disaster.

Finally the storm died down, and then fog rolled in. As they rowed wearily on through the fog, a small yellow bird suddenly appeared out of the fog, flying strangely and looking very tired. Chay whistled to it, and John held out scraps of food to try to encourage the little bird to land on their boat where it could rest and be safe. Although it hovered over their boat for a few moments, it turned its back on the refuge they offered and struggled on alone in the fog.

Are you as foolish as this little bird? Perhaps you realize you are a sinner and know you cannot get rid of your sins by yourself. Still you struggle and work hard. You try to make yourself good enough for God, instead of letting go and accepting the salvation God offers you through the death and shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. The bird was offered a free refuge in the boat, and God offers you a free refuge also. “In God is my salvation . . . and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:7). The Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ that “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

As the little bird flew away from the only place of safety, the two men were sad. Chay later wrote in his diary: “It upset us both to think that the bird would probably be dead within a few minutes.”

Won’t you be wiser than the little bird? Accept God’s offer today. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

ML-09/01/1996

The Person in the Mirror

When I was four or five, I remember going to a little afternoon Bible Class with children from both my day school and Sunday school. The teacher, my friend’s mother, told us that God loved us so much that He gave His beloved Son to die for each one of us. She used pictures, stories and songs to help us understand.

One day she gave each of us a small round mirror for our very own. On its reverse side were these words from the Bible: “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). She told us to look in the mirror and we would see the person for whom God gave His only Son on the cross.

It wasn’t too long after attending that class that I knew that I was that person who needed to have my sins washed away in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. I think that verse on the back of the mirror, and also the prayers of my dear parents and grandparents, were used of God to help me see that I needed the Saviour.

All of those faithful old people are now with the Lord Jesus in heaven, and if He should come today, I would gladly join them around the throne of God in heaven. Would you be there with us too?

Around the throne of God in heaven,

Will many children sing;

Children whose sins are all forgiven,

Will heavenly anthems bring,

Singing, “Glory, glory, glory be to God on high!”

ML-09/08/1996

A Warning for Max

Max was a tough young man. He lived high in the Andes Mountains, and he could stand the harsh climate and the primitive living conditions. Cold winds whipped over the high plateau where he lived, and temperatures dropped below freezing. Max did not have the luxury of a furnace or even of a wood-burning stove.

Max did have warm capes called ponchos made of coarse, woven material. He had grown used to the harsh winters of the Andes Mountains and was young and healthy. He sometimes attended Bible meetings nearby. The Christians there encouraged everyone to think about their sinful ways and turn to the Lord Jesus for salvation.

Max did not enjoy such meetings and soon stopped going altogether. He had always been taught other ideas about religion anyway. Some of those ideas were superstitions that had been passed on from his ancestors, the Inca Indians.

Max did not know at that time how serious it was to turn his back upon God’s precious Word, the Bible. But God, who is rich in mercy and great in love, placed a warning in his life.

Although Max was young and most of the time he was healthy, he now got sick. He tried many remedies, never giving even one thought to the fact that it might be God’s way of speaking to him. In spite of the medicines, he only grew worse. Finally he had to go to a hospital. Even there nothing seemed to help, and he continued to get worse.

Max’s older brother went to visit him in the hospital. Since he wasn’t getting better, Max asked his brother to do a very serious and dangerous thing. He asked his brother to go to the witch doctor to ask for help. Max and his brother did not realize that this was not only dangerous, because it was playing right into the devil’s hands, but also sinful in God’s sight. The witch doctor’s power was from the devil, and the Bible says that the devil’s work is “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). So Max waited in the hospital while his brother went to talk to the witch doctor.

However, “the Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:19). Jesus is stronger than Satan and He is able to rule over everything. He loves the sinner even when He hates the sin. For the Lord’s own reasons, He gave poor Max another opportunity to hear and obey His Word.

God was in control even when Max’s brother got to the witch doctor. The brother explained about Max’s illness. The only message the witch doctor gave was a most unexpected one: “Tell Max that he had something good and left it. If he doesn’t go back to it, he will die!”

This was a very strange message. It was not at all like the witch doctor’s usual messages, but God’s strong hand of love won a victory over the devil. When Max heard the message, he knew right away what it was that he had left. The Bible meetings! They were good even if he hadn’t enjoyed them. And he had left them. Now he must go back.

Max went back to the meetings and this time his heart was open to receive God’s Word. He heard that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Then he was told that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Max believed in the Lord Jesus and was saved from his sins. He also recovered completely from his illness. If you were to visit him today high in his mountain home, you would hear him telling others with joy that Jesus is stronger than Satan, and that “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).

Boys and girls, God’s hand of love is also seeking to bring peace and salvation in your life. Call upon the Lord Jesus today and He will save you, too. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

ML-09/08/1996

Help for Rover

It was a beautiful winter day in February. Snow was falling softly when Rover, a 13-year-old dog, went into the woods. He knew the woods and liked the snow. What started as an ordinary walk soon turned into the worst day of this aging dog’s life.

As Rover crossed a stream, the ice broke and he fell into the icy water. He quickly sank up to his neck in the very cold water.

Poor Rover. Although he was very close to the bank of the stream he was unable to climb out. He struggled and whined and struggled some more, but all it did was tire him. He was far from his home and his loving master. What he really needed was a strong person to help him out.

This is a little picture of sinners like you and me. We are wandering far away from a loving God. We take our first steps away from Him as little children, because we are all born with a sinful nature and begin to disobey God and our parents when we are very young. The Bible says, “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). We continue to sin all our lives, and the Bible tells us that we become trapped with the cords of our sins (Proverbs 5:22). Try as hard as we can to do what is right, we still continue to do wrong things, which God calls sin. We, too, need a strong Rescuer to break those cords of sin and bring us back to our loving God.

Some time later a father and daughter decided to take a walk in the woods in the beautiful snow. They took the same path that Rover had taken earlier. Mr. Dwight and Mia came to the stream and began to look for a safe place to cross over. As they were walking they heard an unusual whining noise. They soon discovered poor old Rover with only his head above water. He was so worn out that all he could do was weakly whine for help.

Mr. Dwight and Mia were both anxious to help Rover, but he was such a big dog he was too heavy for them. Even if they could get him out of the water, they wondered how they could get him the 1-1/2 miles home again. Mr. Dwight decided to go for help, while Mia stayed and talked encouragingly to Rover.

Soon two neighbors, Fred and his brother Richard, arrived on their all-terrain vehicles. Looking over the situation, Fred realized that in order to help Rover he would have to get right into the icy water. And that’s exactly what Fred did. We are so glad that he didn’t just look at Rover and say “too bad,” and leave him there. He jumped down into the icy cold water and lifted Rover out. By this time Rover was so weak, wet and muddy that he could barely stand.

And our sins have put us in the same condition. The Bible says in Psalm 14:2, “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” Sadly, this is what He saw: “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

We are very thankful that when God looked down from heaven and saw us in our sinful condition, getting farther and farther away from Him, He was willing to do something for us. The Bible tells us “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came down into this sinful world to save us. When He was here He was treated shamefully. Men hated Him, mocked Him and nailed Him to a cross. While on that cross, in the middle of the day there were three hours of total darkness. During that darkness God punished His Son for sins He did not commit. They were the sins of people like you and me. Now all we have to do is reach out to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). He can forgive us because the price of our pardon (or forgiveness) was paid with the blood of His own Son. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God and His Son have paid a great price for your forgiveness. Please do not ignore His offer, but let Him save you from your sins today. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

We are thankful to say that Rover’s life was saved. He was pulled from the icy water and placed on the back of the all-terrain vehicle. Then Fred and Richard took Rover all the way home. He was placed in front of a warm fire, and a loving family dried him off and took good care of him.

What a beautiful picture of what our Saviour, the Lord Jesus, can do for us. Not only does He save us from our sins and the punishment we deserve for them, but He saves us for heaven and will take us there. His own words are, “In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). He’s an all-the-way-home Saviour!

Will you let Him save you?

ML-09/22/1996

Are You Thirsty?

In parts of Egypt and other eastern countries, water does not come out of faucets like it does in this country. It has to be carried to the home from wells or other sources. In larger towns there are water carriers who carry a large tank of water on a cart. They go down the streets selling the water to anyone who will buy it.

To attract people’s attention the carrier will call out in his language, “Thirsty ones, come and drink!” This is much the same as what the Bible says in Isaiah 55:1: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”

But the water carrier sells the water he carries. This is different from what Isaiah says in the last part of the verse - “and he that hath no money; come ye, buy . . . without money and without price.”

Often the water carrier meets groups of children playing in the streets. They are thirsty, but they don’t have any money to buy his water. Some of us live in cities where the ice cream truck comes down the street on hot summer days with ice cream to sell. But unless we have some money, we can’t buy any ice cream.

Sometimes, but not often, someone will buy the thirsty children of desert countries water to drink. And sometimes a friend here will buy ice cream for a child who doesn’t have any money. These kind people offer the water or ice cream free to the children! It has already been paid for.

This is the true message of the gospel - Christ has paid the price - the water of life that He offers you is free!

“And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

ML-09/29/1996

The Silver Coin

Eight-year-old Albert was having a special day. He got to go to work with his dad who was building a house. At the end of the day, they stopped by the hardware store for supplies before heading home.

As Albert’s dad climbed out of the pickup truck, he spotted a coin on the ground in the parking lot. “Look, Al, there’s a 50-cent piece,” he said.

An eager boy picked up the money, only to discover that it was a silver dollar! “Can I keep it, Dad?” he asked excitedly.

“We’d better see if it belongs to a customer in the store,” Dad decided. They went into the hardware store and found the supplies they needed, and then they stood in line at the checkout counter.

The clerk who waited on them listened to their report of finding the silver dollar. She smiled down at Albert. “I’ll write your name and phone number on this envelope, and we’ll call you if no one claims this,” she assured him, placing the coin safely inside the envelope.

Two weeks went by before the telephone call came. Albert answered it, and a grin spread across his face as he heard the store clerk tell him he could come and get his silver dollar! No one had claimed it.

The next day Mother drove Albert and his younger brother and sister to the hardware store. A happy boy received his coin, and, with a “thank-you,” headed home. Albert found a safe place to keep the silver dollar and hopes that he can collect more.

Albert learned that his great-grandfather has more than 200 silver dollars saved up! That seems like a lot, but when Dad told Albert about a man in their town who gathered together one million (1,000,000) silver dollars to display at the World’s Fair some years ago, he could hardly believe it. The man had owned many silver dollars and borrowed the rest to make a million, keeping them in a special vault in the bank. Many people came to see this valuable collection. I’m sure he hired guards to keep would-be thieves away!

We don’t know if that man had put his trust in the Lord Jesus, but we do know that even one million dollars cannot buy salvation, and it cannot bring lasting happiness to anyone.

We read in Psalm 49:67, “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” That means that no one can buy his way into heaven for himself or anybody else. The cost is too high! God says only the precious blood of Jesus can redeem us. “Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:1819).

Next time you see a silver coin, remember the price of your redemption, if you have let Jesus wash away your sins. Then, thank Him for giving you the most expensive gift there is. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Have you been redeemed by the blood of Jesus?

ML-10/06/1996

A Fearless Cat

In our small yard in town we had two calico cats. The older one was small, but she was a real fighter. Her name was Heidi, and she was not afraid of either man or animal. When we yelled at dogs to scare them out of the yard, Heidi would chase them with great fierceness. We were quite concerned when sometimes she would chase one of them beyond the boundary of her territory for fear the dog might turn on her without our being there to protect her. She would run after the dog, striking with her claws at his backside to keep him moving. One time she even jumped up and rode on the back of a large dog to hurry him on his way. After the dog was sent off with his tail curled under, Heidi would trot triumphantly back to the yard with her tail held high.

The younger cat, Kinza, was larger than Heidi and solidly built. She did not spend much time in the front yard because she liked the safety of the back yard with its high fence, trees and shrubs. She was sometimes called a “fraidy cat” because she could be easily startled and would run and hide. She usually curled up under a bush to sleep while Heidi would stretch out on the front lawn and sleep in the open on a hot day.

Heidi is no longer with us. We miss her and her watchful patrol across the yard in front of our house. When she didn’t come home one day, our children were looking for her and found her lifeless body in the field across the street. She must have been caught out there in the open by a large enemy and had no place to run for safety.

Heidi was a brave cat and very sure of herself, but Kinza knew her weakness compared to the large dogs living on our street, and she kept out of sight of her enemies. Perhaps you may know people who are like Heidi. Instead of seeing themselves as sheep needing the protection of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, they see themselves as being larger and stronger than they really are. Our enemy, Satan, is just waiting to trap those who think they don’t really need the Lord Jesus. These people have no fear and think only “fraidy cats” need His help. These are the very people Satan lures into his territory to become his victims. “Your adversary [enemy] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Do you know that the Lord Jesus loves you and waits with His arms open to save and protect you? “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

Are you a Heidi or a Kinza?

ML-10/06/1996

A Heavy Backpack

“You’re going to be walking a long way,” my mother had said. “I’d like my son to have a good backpack.”

It was going to be my first trip to Mexico to visit the Mixtex Indians. Many of them live in far-off villages scattered through the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico. My mother was right. Just to get to the village where the Bible conference was to be held, we would have to walk for many hours over the hills.

Mother kindly bought me the best backpack she could find. It was so light that you could lift it with one finger, and it had foam padding on the straps to keep the straps from cutting into my shoulders. When it was packed with extra clothes, some medicines and a few other things that I might need, I tried the new backpack on. Sure, it was fine. I could carry that load easily enough!

A few weeks later we arrived in Mexico at the point where we would begin the hike.

“Could I carry your pack for you?” asked one of the Christian Indians.

“No thanks, I’m fine,” I told him.

So we started off on the long walk. The backpack worked nicely, but the longer we walked the heavier it got. Surely those things I had packed weren’t so heavy when I had tried it on at home! On we walked with the hot sun beating on our heads, up one hill and down another. Everyone had loads to carry now, so there was no one to offer to help with my backpack.

I began to be afraid that I would never make it, but after two hours someone came to meet us over the hills with a horse. This time when they offered I gladly gave up the pack, and it was tied to the horse. I was so tired that it did not matter to me that the padded straps of my new backpack were not being used the way they were meant to be, but were dangling from the horse’s saddle.

Many times since then I have warned boys and girls that the load of sin is like the load in my backpack. The longer you carry it, the heavier it gets. This world tries to make sin look attractive, but it is still a heavy load. No matter how “light” your load of sin may feel when you are young, it will get heavier as you grow older. After a while the “foam padding” of pleasure no longer eases the weight of sins.

The Lord Jesus came into the world to free you from this load of sin. He Himself carried the load of sin when He was on the cross so that you might be free of your burden forever. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28).

Oh, that you might today feel the weight of your sins and turn to Christ for salvation. “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

My backpack was the best that money could buy, but it could not keep my load from being heavy when I carried it for a long time. May you accept Christ as your Saviour now while you are young, before the load of sin becomes too heavy for you to carry. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).

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

ML-10/13/1996

Attempted Escape

“We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
Isaiah 64:6

A prisoner was trying to escape from his cell. Somehow he had gotten a small saw and cut the bars from the window. He also made a long rope by tying together his clothes so he could go down safely to the ground two stories below.

But the rope of clothes was not strong enough for his weight. It came apart, and he fell to the ground and broke his leg. Even so, and in spite of terrible pain, he was able to stand up and escape to the forest nearby. He walked for many days looking for a place to hide. But the pain from his broken leg, along with hunger, made him so weak that the police caught up with him. He was sent back to prison.

We are all born prisoners of sin and try different ways to escape from our sins. Some of us try to escape through good works, while others look for a religion that might give us freedom. But these ways are only weak ropes made of dirty clothes that we wear to try to cover our sin. Sooner or later those ropes break, and we fall into unhappiness and suffering. And, at the end of our lives, death and punishment for our sins is ahead in the lake of fire. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

But this isn’t God’s plan for you and me. He loves us and has already prepared a way of escape that does not depend on something we have to do. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this world to save sinners. He died on the cross and took on Himself the punishment for sin. Now He invites you and me to leave the ropes made of rags we are carrying and trust in Him, the only Saviour God accepts. Only those who trust Him have been freed from the terrible prison of sin and will be taken, very soon, to His home in heaven.

“We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good works] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

ML-10/13/1996

Little Raindrops Become Floods

Little raindrops were pattering against our windowpane and sliding down the glass to make a big puddle under our window.

First the snow had come, just little flakes, but when they all piled up, there was a thick, heavy, white blanket of them covering everything. Then a warm wind brought the rain and the rain melted the snow. Now it seemed as though there was water everywhere.

Our sins are like that, often just little things. They don’t seem like much. But we soon have so many of them that they begin to weigh us down.

For days those little drops of rain kept falling and falling, until the creeks overflowed their banks. The rushing water knocked down trees and even washed away houses built close to the water’s edge.

One day when there was a lull in the rain, we went out to see how things looked. A large tree had been uprooted by the swift water and lay across the creek, so we used it as a bridge. Our dog was following us. When we started over on the tree bridge, he jumped into the water, intending to swim across as he had often done before. But the current was too strong. It swept him against the tree. He clawed at a branch, trying to get out, but the fast-moving water sucked him under. He popped up again and clawed at another branch. But again the force of the water dragged him under the tree and debris that was caught in its branches.

You and I are completely helpless when it comes to our sins. It only takes one to keep us out of heaven, and we can’t remove even one, let alone the flood of them that each one of us has. Ephesians 2:1 describes us as being “dead in trespasses and sins.” They are dragging us under! King David felt the weight of his sins and prayed to God, “Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink” (Psalm 69:14). He turned to the right person - the only One who could save him. And you and I can do the very same.

But there was nothing anyone could do to save our dog in that dangerous, rushing water. Four times the poor dog went under, and four times he finally popped up again. Then the water pulled him past the tree completely, and he went bobbing down the rushing creek. Finally the water slammed him against the bank, and he was able to scramble out.

You and I have the Saviour we can turn to to save us. “Our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem [save] us from all iniquity [sin]” (Titus 2:1314). He loves us and willingly died on Calvary’s cross, bearing the punishment for the sins of every person who will come to Him to be saved. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). Do you want to be included in the “many”? There is nothing you can do except come to Him with your load of sins and let Him save you. Have you done that?

ML-10/20/1996

The Old Shack

On the outskirts of New York City stood a little, old shack. The place was run-down with cracked windows, a leaky roof and a garden overgrown with weeds. There were, however, some beautiful old trees which shaded the shack and made the property attractive. Old Mr. Brooks, the owner, was a wrinkled and bent-over old man. He never moved very far from his fireside in winter or from the shade of his trees in summer.

In the busy city nearby, Mr. Parker, a millionaire, was making plans to build a new home. As he drove around searching for a nice piece of property on which to build a new house, he came across Mr. Brooks’ property. The beautiful setting and the lovely old trees seemed like just what he wanted, so he sent his agent to see if the old man would sell his property.

Mr. Brooks was surprised and delighted with the agent’s offer to buy the property. He thought it was wonderful that a millionaire would want to buy his home. He agreed to sell it, and after the agent left he got to work quickly.

In an old cupboard in his basement, Mr. Brooks dug around and found a hammer, some nails and even some old paint and a brush. For almost two weeks he hammered, patched, repaired and painted.

Finally the agent returned and looked quite surprised when he saw what had been done to the old shack. Putting his hand on the old man’s shoulder, he said quietly, “Mr. Brooks, I’m afraid you misunderstood me. Mr. Parker doesn’t want your old house. He would never think of living in it. What he wants is your property.”

Poor old Mr. Brooks. All his time and effort fixing up his home was for nothing. The old shack was just going to be torn down.

Many boys and girls (and grown-ups too) are doing the very same thing that Mr. Brooks tried to do. They hear about God and decide that they would like to be good enough for God to love them. So they try to fix up their lives by obeying Mother and Dad, going to Sunday school, and maybe even reading their Bibles. But all those things, like the old man’s nails and paint, are not what God wants.

God wants you to come to Him just as you are. He tells us that “all our righteousnesses [good works] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), and warns us that “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). Although He hates your sins, He loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die for you.

Don’t try to fix up yourself for God. Just come to Him admitting that you are a sinner, and accept His love for you.

“God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

ML-10/20/1996

An Encounter

We were on a trip and stopped for the night in Emporia, Kansas. I always get up early and like to take an early morning walk. This time I stopped in for a cup of coffee at a service station and convenience store that stayed open all night.

A young man named Gary was the night attendant at the store. At that early hour there were no other customers in the store, so he was not busy. This made it possible for us to visit while I was buying my cup of coffee.

As we exchanged greetings, I noticed quite a fancy motorbike in the service bay of the station. When asked if it were his, Gary, very ready to talk about his bike, said, “Yes, it is an old one, but it can run with the best of them.” He did not leave any doubt that he was very proud of his bike.

Wondering if this young man had trusted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, I said, “I’m sure you’re right, but it cannot take you to heaven, unless someone hits you with a car and sends you into eternity. Have you settled the issue of where you will spend eternity?”

Gary replied, “I’m afraid so.”

His using the word “afraid” gave me a hint that perhaps he was not pleased with his decision about eternity. I was “afraid” that he may not have really settled the important matter of where he would be if he should be called into eternity. It also made me wonder whether or not Gary knew how to get to heaven to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is now in heaven, but while He was here in the world, He said, “Ye . . . shall die in your sins: [where] I go, ye cannot come” (John 8:21).

Gary was willing to visit and did not seem to resent my questions. Continuing our conversation, I asked, “Do you know how to get to heaven?”

His quick reply was, “It is sure not by giving money to some preacher. That much I know.”

I asked him then, “How do you think you could be ready for heaven if you should pass into eternity?”

It was very sad to hear Gary say, “I believe if you treat everyone right, like you want to be treated, everything will be all right.”

It is always good to treat people kindly and to do what is right, but these things will not let anyone into heaven. The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness [good works] which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). For you and me to be ready for heaven, we must have our sins washed away. The Bible tells us how this is done: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). I may never see Gary again in this world. Only eternity will tell whether or not he believed the truth of God’s love he heard that morning. We pray that he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus in the Bible verses given to him. The Lord Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).

Now I ask you, Have you believed on the Lord Jesus? Have you accepted Him as your Saviour? Just as I had the joy of telling Gary that God loved him, I can tell you that He loves you too. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross, to suffer all God’s judgment for the sins of everyone who believes. The Lord Jesus, by dying, did all the work that makes it possible for God to forgive all the sins of every boy and girl, every man or woman, who believes on Him. The Lord Jesus was raised from the dead and is now in heaven.

He is about to come again to take all His own to heaven to be with Him forever. He has made the way open for Gary and for each one of you to come to Him for the forgiveness of your sins. Won’t you do that right now? There are many boys and girls very much like you who have already made that decision. They can tell you that you will never be sorry when you decide to take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends” (John 15:13).

ML-10/27/1996

Margaret Tries to Catch a Bird

“Aren’t the birds pretty?” said three-year-old Margaret to her mother one beautiful day as they sat together in the garden. “See the robins? See that blue bird over there in the tree? I wish I could catch a bird. Will you help me catch a bird, Mommy?”

“Well, my father always used to say that if you could put salt on a bird’s tail you could catch it.”

“Did you ever catch one?” asked Margaret.

“No, I never tried,” said her mother.

“Didn’t you ever try?” said little Margaret, surprised. “If I could catch a bird, I’d try!” And with that she ran into the house to get the salt shaker off the kitchen table.

For a long time Margaret chased the birds, trying to put salt on their tails. Finally she got discouraged and ran over to her mother in tears. “They won’t stay still long enough for me to put salt on their tails,” she cried.

Mother scooped Margaret up into her arms and said, “That’s like trying to get to heaven by doing good works, isn’t it? We just aren’t able to do good, so we can’t get to heaven that way. We have to trust the Lord Jesus. He’s the only One who was always good, because He was God’s Son and He never did one sin. He died for us to wash away all the naughty things that we’ve done so we can go to heaven and live with Him there forever. Wasn’t that very, very kind of Him?”

Have you told the Lord Jesus that you are a sinner, and have you let him wash your sins away? Have you ever thanked Him for dying for you? “Not by works of righteousness [good things] which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

ML-10/27/1996

Flazey

Mr. Haley owned a pet store. While on a trip to Florida, he bought a large fish to take back to his store. He put the fish, called a grouper, in the large tank in the store’s front window. There were also other interesting and unusual fish in the tank, but this new fish was the largest. It was about a foot long and weighed three pounds.

The grouper soon grew fat on the five pounds of chopped fish that Mr. Haley fed it every other day. The fish didn’t move around much; it just stayed at the bottom of the tank. Mr. Haley decided that it was lazy. This made him think of a funny name for the fish—Flazey—short for fat and lazy.

Flazey soon became a favorite. Customers would stand at the tank watching it. Many of them talked about how fast the fish was growing.

Some weeks later Mr. Haley noticed that a few of the unusual and expensive tropical fish in the same tank were gone. He wondered who could be taking them out of the tank without his knowing it. He kept close watch on the customers in his store, but more of his expensive fish disappeared.

Then one day the mystery was solved. As he stood watching Flazey, suddenly one of his tropical fish worth several hundred dollars disappeared down its throat! His favorite and popular pet was the thief ! Flazey had been eating Mr. Haley’s expensive tropical fish for lunch.

Mr. Haley needed to find a way to stop Flazey from destroying more of his expensive fish. Since so many people, including himself, had grown fond of the grouper, he did not want to destroy it.

Mr. Haley’s hard question of what to do with Flazey is a little picture of God’s hard question of what to do with sinners and their sins. God loves sinners, but He hates their sins. It would have been fair and just if God had decided to destroy us along with our sins. That is what we deserve. But God’s love for sinners was so great that He made a plan so that He could save us after punishing Another for our sins. His plan was very expensive. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the one punished] for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

So that sinners, who deserve nothing but punishment from God, could be saved, “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, down into this world. The end of the path for the Lord Jesus down here was the cross of Calvary. During those three hours of darkness as He hung there, “Christ was . . . offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28).

Word got around of Mr. Haley’s difficult decision of what to do about Flazey. Mr. Haley’s customers solved his problem. They collected money and bought him a plane ticket to Florida. Mr. Haley and Flazey flew back to Florida where Mr. Haley could put her safely back into the ocean where she came from.

Because Christ died to put away sins, God is able to reach out to sinners and offer them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life as a free gift. Won’t you be one who, as a sinner, comes to Christ for salvation?

ML-11/03/1996

A Lost Teddy Bear

“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
1 Peter 2:24

One day when I was walking by a tall apartment building, I noticed a teddy bear lying on the sidewalk. I wondered what a nice teddy bear like that was doing on the ground. Had somebody thrown it away?

A few minutes later I came back the same way. Then I saw who owned that teddy bear. A little girl had picked it up and was carrying it back to the apartment building. Then I understood what had happened. The teddy bear must have fallen from the window of one of the apartments, and the little girl had to come all the way down to take it back. It had not been thrown away.

The same thing happened to me. I was like that teddy bear. You see, God created people to live in company with Him. But each of us has fallen in sin. God could no longer enjoy our company because of our sins. And just as that teddy bear could never climb back up to the apartment by itself, I could not go back to God by myself. The little girl had to come down from that apartment, all the way to the sidewalk to pick up her teddy bear and carry it back home. And God had to send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, down to this world to rescue sinners.

But this was not easy. The Lord Jesus had to die on the cross, suffering the judgment for our sins, and after three days He rose from the dead. Now we can enjoy His company while we wait for Him to come and take to heaven everyone who trusts Him. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

If that teddy bear had been left down on the sidewalk, soon the garbage truck would have taken it and it would have been lost forever. The same can happen to you if you don’t recognize yourself as a sinner who needs a Saviour and don’t trust in the Lord Jesus who loves you. The day may come very soon when you will face death and eternal punishment. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

The teddy bear is safely with its little owner who loves it. Will you let the Lord Jesus who loves you pick you up and save you?

ML-11/03/1996

What Does a Shepherd Do?

Mary had a little lamb. And that lamb did just what sheep and lambs are good at doing - it followed her. Apart from that one skill, it is hard to find creatures more stupid than sheep.

Mr. Chege is a farmer in Kenya, Africa, who has several hundred sheep. He has plenty of land for the sheep to graze on and a good barn for shelter, but for sheep this is certainly not enough.

Sometimes the sky is heavy with the threat of rain, but the sheep never lift their heads until the great drops begin to fall. Then there is panic. They don’t run for the barn; they hide their heads under one another’s bodies while their woolly fleece gets soaked right through. This often results in colds, then pneumonia, and finally a flock of dead sheep.

What can Mr. Chege do?

His plan is to put among the sheep a good, strong billy goat who will lift his head and sniff the coming storm and head for the barn. Usually, the sheep follow the leader straight for the shelter. If they fail to notice the leader, the shepherds will come with sticks and sheep dogs and smack them into line and keep them headed for the barn. No stick and no dog means dead sheep. They are just that stupid.

Why then does God compare people to sheep? We are not woolly, four-legged creatures, and surely we are not so stupid. Well, no. When clouds threaten rain we know enough to carry an umbrella. But what do we do when God tells us that “all we like sheep have gone astray,” and that the judgment of God is coming upon us because of our sins? Do we flee for refuge to the Lord Jesus Christ? or do we keep our eyes right down upon the earth and ignore God’s warning? If we ignore Him, wouldn’t you say that we are just as stupid as sheep? or more so?

The truth is, we need a Shepherd. The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd must lay down His life for the sheep. He willingly went to Calvary’s cross to give His life for us, who have gone astray. It is wonderfully safe to belong to Him now.

Sometimes Mr. Chege’s sheep get mixed up with other flocks, and he must be able to identify them without an argument. For this reason, each of his sheep has a brand mark in the ear where it can easily be seen.

Does the Good Shepherd mark His sheep too? Certainly not with a brand mark. Perhaps His sheep sometimes choose a visible mark themselves, such as being a member of this or that church. But the Lord Jesus gives His sheep a more wonderful mark, and we are responsible to let it be seen by God and man. He says, “My sheep hear MY VOICE, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Isn’t that a most wonderful mark for our ears and our feet? And He knows His own sheep. He adds, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall NEVER perish” (John 10:28). He NEVER finds a flock of dead sheep because He failed to save them.

Our Shepherd has no sheep dogs. He does have shepherds under Him who love and care for His sheep, but they do not bark and bite and drive the sheep into a frightened huddle. And they do not say “my flock,” and tell us to follow them. No, they urge us to follow the Good Shepherd.

It is also true that Mr. Chege’s sheep must even be watched when they come to drink. The lambs must be held back because they sometimes rush in and are drowned. Our Good Shepherd loves to refresh us all together from His precious Word, the Bible, and to guide us by His Holy Spirit that we may use it correctly. Even the oldest sheep need His watchful care as we drink from His Word.

I am sure that Mr. Chege could not name all his sheep. But the Good Shepherd never loses sight of one of His, although His flock is far greater than I could count. He calls each of His sheep by name - every one of them, including you if you have been washed clean from your sins in His precious blood, and even if you stray from the Good Shepherd. These words are true of you. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

ML-11/10/1996

What Do You Weigh?

Most boys and girls like to step on the scales to see how much they weigh. Brent liked to do this, and he always wanted to weigh more than anyone else! One time, trying to be the heaviest, he puffed up his cheeks full of air. One of his friends said, “Brent, you can only weigh what you are. Puffing up your cheeks won’t make you weigh more!”

This is true of each one of us in God’s sight; we can only “weigh what we are.” Unless we have our hearts washed clean of our sins in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are only sinners in God’s sight and on our way to eternal punishment.

In Daniel 5:27 we are told of a king who was “weighed in the balances, and . . . found wanting.” This means that when he stepped on “God’s scale” he did not “weigh enough.” God could see that his heart had not been washed clean of its sins, so he was not ready to go to heaven when he died. And he died that very night!

How terrible it will be when the Lord Jesus comes, if you do not “weigh enough” - if your heart has not been washed clean of its sins. Why not let Him wash away your sins right now?

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). “Jesus Christ, who . . . loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

ML-11/10/1996

A Frightening Lesson

“Look!” Hugo called to his friend. “There’s a condor!”

“There’s two of them!” his friend called back.

Hugo and his friend live high in the mountains of Bolivia. Their homes are not as nice as most of the homes that you have seen. They are made of bricks of mud that have been dried in the sun. The land is very dry and there are high mountain peaks all around the plateau where Hugo and his friend live.

Condors often live in this area. They are one of the largest and heaviest land birds. They have a wingspread of 12 feet - twice the height of a man! Like vultures, they eat dead animals. Condors are so common in the mountains of Bolivia that they are the national bird of that country.

It is always a special sight to see condors flying high above the earth when they leave their nests in the high mountain peaks to search for food. Now Hugo and his friend stood watching as the birds began to fly overhead. How they would like to see those huge birds up close!

Suddenly Hugo had an idea. “Let’s lie down and be very still,” he said to his friend. “Condors eat dead animals. Maybe they will think that we are dead and will come closer. We’ll get to see them up close.”

“Okay,” his friend agreed.

So both boys lay down on the ground and stayed very still, hoping that the condors would notice them. Hugo kept his eyes closed except for a little slit so that he would be able to see if the birds noticed them. Sure enough, the condors changed their direction and began to fly in large circles overhead.

Wow! thought Hugo, those birds did notice us! But he did not say a word nor did he move even a little. He wanted them to come closer. This was fun! The birds continued flying in circles overhead and slowly began to come closer to the two bodies that were on the ground.

Hugo never realized just how big those condors could be. They flew closer and closer. Peeking out of the little slits in his eyes, Hugo began to get a close-up look at the large birds. How ugly their bald heads were, and their big hooked beaks seemed so close!

They circled just overhead now, always coming closer. Suddenly Hugo was struck with fear. Those birds were very ugly, and they thought he was dead! They wanted to eat him!

Hugo and his friend had thought they were going to have fun, but their “fun” ended up being pretty scary and even dangerous. Boys and girls, we must warn you that sin is often like Hugo’s “fun.” Sin often seems not so bad, and the Bible tells us that there is sometimes pleasure in sin for a short time. But the devil is your enemy and he is a hard master. Like those fierce condors, Satan “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). You may think that you can “play” with sin and then leave it when you want, but God’s Word, the Bible, warns us that “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15). Only the Lord Jesus, who never sinned, can rescue you from the paths of sin.

Hugo knew that his fun with the condors had gone too far. Suddenly he yelled to his friend, “Let’s get out of here!” They jumped up and ran as fast as their legs could take them to a place of safety. They had been very frightened by the condors, but they reached home safely and learned a lesson they would never forget.

Boys and girls, I hope you will not forget that you cannot “play” with sin. Even a small lie can lead you deeper and deeper into the paths of sin. God loves you and wants to deliver you. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to suffer and die on the cross to break the devil’s power and save us from our sins. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Will you let the Lord Jesus save you?

ML-11/17/1996

Bear Attack

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
1 Peter 3:18

Recently we went through a few of the National Parks in the Canadian and American West and saw some of the most beautiful scenery.

However, there always seemed to be signs to remind us it could be dangerous to walk the trails in some areas. Some of these signs said: “BEWARE OF WILD ANIMALS!” “REMAIN IN YOUR CAR!” “DO NOT FEED WILD ANIMALS!”

Two days after we visited an area where these signs were posted, we heard that a group of young people who were camping had a terrifying experience. They had been sleeping in tents, feeling quite safe, no doubt, when a grizzly bear came along and found them! He was very hungry! He attacked all three of their tents, pouncing them flat and mauling the young people!

The Bible warns us in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Then in Ephesians 6:13 it warns us about the devil and advises us what to do when he attacks us. “Take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.”

How very important it is to be prepared for such an attack as this. Each one needs to tell the Lord Jesus he is a sinner, and let Him wash away your sins right now. He will save you and protect you from Satan’s attacks.

There was no time for these young people to prepare to meet God if the bear had killed them, but thankfully this story had a happy ending. All the young people were rescued alive, but not before some had been mauled by the bear. The vicious grizzly was put to death, and the injured ones were taken to a hospital.

The Lord Jesus wants to rescue you from your sins. He came into the world to be your Saviour if you will accept His loving offer of mercy. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Will you let Him rescue you from your sins?

ML-11/17/1996

Treasure Hunting

We met him on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the capitol of Canada. He was not an elected member, full of importance. He was not a tourist, with a camera and maps. He was not a gardener, to make the grounds look pretty. His eyes were fixed on the ground, with just one purpose in his mind - treasure hunting.

His equipment was a metal detector, a dull knife and a shoulder bag. We watched him as he patiently and carefully covered each foot of ground. The sound of the metal detector’s beep set him digging quickly into the sod, turning up an old bottle cap, a rusty nail, a pin, but nothing worth a second look. It was just junk for his bag, but he kept on hunting and hoping.

Patience, I thought. That’s what a treasure hunter needs. I wouldn’t be bothered with his kind of treasure hunting. Would you? But I might be interested in another kind of treasure hunting. It all depends on what treasure you have in mind, and how sure you are of finding it. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field” (Matthew 13:44). This is one of God’s parables, telling us that the Lord Jesus Himself is the treasure hunter and the field is the world.

Jesus did not come full of importance, or to just look around, or with plans of improvement. He knew exactly what the treasure was - He came to seek and to save lost sinners! “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). There is no doubt that I was a lost sinner. And isn’t it wonderful that we can be His treasure?

If the treasure hunter in Ottawa had turned up a diamond ring, would it have been his own for keeps? I don’t know. It was not his property on which he was searching. But I know that the Lord Jesus, who came to seek the lost, had to do more than just find us in the world. The world was His property because He had made it, but Satan had taken it over, and now it must be bought back, at great cost. In the Bible story, the treasure hunter was so full of joy when he found the treasure that he sold everything he had and bought the field.

Did he really? Did Jesus give up everything in order to have His treasure? Think of Him, the King of glory, nailed to a cross. He had no crown but thorns, no place on earth for His wounded feet, no water for His thirst - He died as a criminal. Yes, He gave up everything He had. But when He died He won the victory over sin and Satan, and by His precious blood, He bought the field.

But you notice in the Bible story that the man who found the treasure hid it. The Lord Jesus is still not showing to the world that we are His treasure. We who belong to Him are mostly common people and many of us are very poor. But we know that our Lord and Saviour will come at a future time and show the world that we who have been saved from our sins are His treasure. Who is more joyful about this wonderful future, Jesus, or His treasured people? Jesus, of course! “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels” (Malachi 3:17).

ML-11/24/1996

A Puff Adder in the Potato Plants

Almost everyone likes sweet potatoes. However, they have to be grown in a warm climate. In some parts of Africa they grow very well and are a main food, because white potatoes don’t grow well.

A missionary lady in Africa had an African boy plant and take care of a patch of sweet potatoes for her. It was a pretty sight to look at the many little potato hills all covered with long, green potato vines.

The missionary was looking forward to a meal of these potatoes baked with wild honey, so she walked over to see if the ground on the little hills was cracked open. That is the way to find out if they are ready to eat.

Choosing one of the largest hills, she pushed aside the vines. Instead of finding cracked ground, she was terrified to find a puff adder curled around the potato plant! Puff adders are very dangerous, poisonous snakes. Everybody in Africa is afraid of them.

This dangerous snake reminds us of Satan. In the Bible we read, “That old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 20:2).

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in the wilderness by the Devil. Then the Devil again tempted Him three times. Each of the three times He answered by saying, “It is written,” and then quoted a verse of Scripture. After the third time of quoting Scripture, the Devil left Him.

When we are tempted to do wrong, may we follow the Lord’s example by quoting a verse of Scripture.

What a loving Saviour we have! It was He who protected the missionary from being bitten by the puff adder. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Muroro! ” (serpent) when she saw the puff adder. The garden boy heard the cry and came running with a big long stick and killed the snake. It never frightened or harmed anybody again.

The Lord Jesus is ready at all times to protect and care for all those who put their trust in Him. “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4).

ML-11/24/1996

Bitter Chocolate

One of the favorite songs in our Sunday school is from a story in the Bible about a man named Zaccheus. He wanted to see the Lord Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. He ran ahead, climbed a tree, and in the end he found “something more than gold,” as the song says. You can read the story in Luke chapter 19.

I also climbed a tree when I was a boy, not so I could see someone, but so no one could see me. It’s part of the story of how I learned what is sweeter than chocolate.

I had been watching Mom making dessert. She was putting brown chunks in a pan, and I knew it was chocolate. Now, I loved chocolate, and I began thinking how I could take some of the leftover chocolate when Mom wasn’t around and enjoy it all for myself.

Later, when Mom went upstairs, I found the box of chocolate and took a nice big chunk, thinking that Mom wouldn’t miss just one piece. Then I ran outside to a tree where we boys sometimes hid and climbed up to where the branches made a nice spot to rest. Not till then did I bite into the chunk of chocolate, expecting the delicious taste I loved so well.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good,” the Bible says in Proverbs 15:3. The Lord saw me in that tree, just as He saw Zaccheus in his tree, and He had a surprise and a lesson for me. Whether or not you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, are you trying to hide things from those around you or even from the Lord? He sees and knows everything, even the thoughts that you think. If they are sinful thoughts, He wants you to know that He died for you and wants to forgive your sins and fill you with joy and happiness.

I thought that the chocolate I had taken would fill me with pleasure, but as I took that first big bite, expecting sweetness, YECCHHH! I found only bitterness, and I had to spit out what was in my mouth. I tried to figure out what was wrong, but it wasn’t until I had gone back in the house and secretly looked at the box that I found out that I had taken a piece of unsweetened baking chocolate!

I wish I could say that I learned my lesson then, but another verse says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The next thing I did was to take another chunk of that chocolate along with some sugar. I put the sugar in my mouth and then took a bite of the chocolate. I guess it takes a lot of sugar to sweeten unsweetened chocolate, because it was still much too bitter to enjoy. Again, I had to spit it out. Twice now I had sinned in taking the chocolate, but I still wasn’t through sinning.

Later, when Mom was using that chocolate again, she noticed that some pieces were missing. She asked me if I knew anything about it. I was afraid I would get in trouble if I told her what I had done, so I lied and said I didn’t know anything about it.

God hates a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:16-17), and I certainly didn’t feel very good about what I had done, but God has made a provision for that too. First John 1:7 says that “the blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Verse 9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Isn’t that wonderful!

I did confess to God what I had done. God cannot let sin go unpunished. For those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their very own Saviour, God has punished His Son instead of us, so we don’t have to be afraid of being punished for our sins. But the Bible also says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Some things that we do early in life may come back to trouble us, so let’s be careful what we do. Just as Zaccheus found out that knowing that his sins were forgiven was far better than gold, I have learned that being obedient and truthful is much sweeter than any chocolate could ever be.

I hope that if you haven’t already accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and had your sins washed away in His blood, you will, just now as you read this, and that you will live your life for Him. Then you will find what Zaccheus and I have found: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

ML-12/01/1996

A Child's Trust

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”
Psalm 34:8

“Why doesn’t Jesus visit us sometime, Mommy?” asked four-year-old Gail.

“Because Jesus is up in heaven,” answered her mother.

“Can’t Jesus fly in an airplane like Daddy does sometimes?”

“Jesus does not have to fly in an airplane, because even if His body is in heaven, He is also with us. Before He went back to heaven, He said that He would be with us all the time.”

“But, Mommy, I can’t see Him.”

“No, we can’t see Jesus, but we know that He loves us and is with us. Think of the wonderful things He does for us. There are many real things we can’t see with our eyes. You can’t see my love for you, but you know that I love you because of the many things I do for you.”

The next day Gail was sick. She said, “Mommy, I know Jesus is with us, and I’m going to ask Him to make me all better.” Then she knelt down beside her bed and prayed, “Dear Lord Jesus, please make me all better. I know You love me, and I love You. Amen.”

God wants all of us to have a simple, childlike faith in Him. “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).

ML-12/01/1996

Squabbling Ducks

At the park near our home there are hundreds of ducks and Quite a few sea gulls. Whenever we can we collect all the stale bread we have and break it into small pieces. Then we go to the park and throw it to the ducks. As soon as they see us start to throw the bread, they all swim over - white ducks, tan ducks, dark ducks, big ducks, little ducks and middle-sized ducks. Right away they all start squabbling over the bread, nipping at each other, Quacking and chasing each other away. Sometimes one duck will even snatch bread right out of another’s beak.

One day a sea gull swooped down and picked up some bread. Immediately all the ducks stopped squabbling among themselves, and four or five of the biggest ducks pounced on top of the gull. For a few minutes I thought they would drown the poor gull or tear it to pieces, but the gull struggled frantically and finally flew away without the bread.

Those ducks ganging up on the sea gull made me think of what the Bible tells us about Pilate and Herod. Let me tell you what happened.

Even though Judas Iscariot had followed the Lord Jesus for three years, he was really a thief and loved money far more than he loved the Lord. Because of his deceitfulness God allowed Satan to enter into Judas, and Judas went to the chief priests and captains to plan how he might betray Jesus. The chief priests were very glad he had come and agreed to give Judas 30 pieces of silver for his wickedness.

Jesus and His disciples, including Judas, had met together in a large upper room to keep the passover. When supper was over and it was dark, Judas went to the chief priests and told them, Now is the time! He knew that Jesus had gone with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane. Since Jesus and the disciples would be there alone, it would be a good time to betray Him. So the chief priests gave Judas a group of men and officers to go with him. Judas told the men he would kiss Jesus so they would know which man to take captive. Then Judas led the group of men with lanterns, torches and weapons into the Garden of Gethsemane and, going up to Jesus, he covered Him with kisses. Quickly the men tied up Jesus and led Him away to the priests.

The men that held Jesus mocked Him. Then they blindfolded Him, spit on Him, struck Him across His face and abused Him the rest of the night.

The next morning the chief priests and scribes held a counsel against Him. “Tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God,” they said to Jesus. When Jesus answered, “I am,” they became very angry and took Him to Pilate, demanding that He should be crucified. Pilate said, “I find in Him no fault at all.”

But the Jews answered, “We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). Of course, Jesus was the Son of God, but they would not acknowledge it.

When Pilate heard that Jesus was a Galilean from Herod’s part of the country, he sent to Herod who was just then visiting in Jerusalem. “And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity [ fighting] between themselves” (Luke 23:12).

That’s why when those ducks stopped squabbling with each other and attacked the sea gull together, they reminded me of Pilate and Herod. Those two men stopped squabbling too and joined together to condemn the Lord Jesus, God’s beloved Son. But the sea gull escaped while the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross.

Why did He do that when He could have prayed to God His Father who would have set Him free?

For this reason: “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). The Lord Jesus always did only what pleased His Father, even though it meant He had to die on Calvary’s cross for us. He bore the punishment for the sins of those who accept Him as their Saviour. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:34).

Have you accepted Him as your Saviour?

ML-12/08/1996

Grandma's Ducks

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world.”
Galatians 1:34

Grandma lived on a farm and she had a little flock of ducks. These ducks were supposed to stay in the backyard away from the road so that they would not get hit on the road or wander off and get lost. But it seemed like the ducks didn’t remember very long, and soon they would come waddling around to the front yard.

“You ducks, get back in the backyard!” Grandma would order.

Then they would turn around and waddle back to the backyard where they belonged.

Pretty soon here they would come again, and Grandma would tell them again, “You ducks, get back in the backyard!”

Sometimes we are just like those ducks . . . we often forget. God has to show us again and again what is the right way for our feet. He knew we would forget easily, so He gave us His Word, the Bible, to read every day to show us the right path.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read” (Isaiah 34:16).

ML-12/08/1996

A Hungry Stranger

In the United States from about 1930 to 1936, times were so hard for most people that those years are called “the great depression.” During that time many men did not have jobs. Since they had no money either, some would hop on freight trains to move from one part of the country to another, looking for work. These men were often called “hoboes.” There were places where they would meet in “camps” to trade stories, fix simple meals over an outdoor fire, and pass on information about the homes where they had been given food.

Violence was not as common then as now, and people were not as suspicious of strangers as we must be in our time. It was not uncommon for folks to invite these strangers into their homes to share what food they had. Some folks would give these homeless people a meal but would have them stay outside to eat. And some folks would turn them away completely, refusing to give them any help whatever.

Many homes used wood-burning stoves for heating and cooking. Some of these homeless people would offer to cut wood or do other chores in exchange for food when they came to the door seeking help.

My dad was almost always kind to the hoboes. He would invite them to come in and sit down at the table to eat what we had. There were times when we did not have much to offer them.

One day an older man with a white beard came to our house, asking for food. All we had to offer him were some shredded wheat biscuits. We owned a cow, so there was milk to drink and to put on the cereal. This poor man was really hungry - so hungry that he wolfed down his food and spilled milk down his beard. How grateful that poor man was for shredded wheat!

This poor man who came to our door begging for food knew what he needed - he was hungry. Do you have an empty feeling in your heart, a longing for something you cannot explain? Because “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), there is in each of our hearts a hunger caused by sin. The answer to that hunger is found in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” His very nature is love, and He loves us even though we are sinners. He wants to satisfy that hunger in our hearts caused by sin. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

Our family was able to satisfy the hobo’s hunger with something as simple as a bowl of shredded wheat and milk. But the Lord Jesus had to die on the cross and shed His blood to wash away our sins in order to satisfy the hunger sin has caused in your heart and mine. The Lord told His disciples, and it includes every boy and girl now, “Suffer [let] the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). To come to the Lord Jesus means that you believe in your heart that He is the Son of God who loves you, and that He suffered and died to pay to God your debt of sin. The Bible says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:910).

Do you think the hungry hobo went away from our house happy? Do you suppose he ever told anyone in one of their camps about the people who invited him in and fed him? He did leave our place happy and satisfied from his hunger, but it would not last very long. After a few hours he would be hungry again. The Lord Jesus said, “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35), and 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” When you come to Him and accept Him as your Saviour, God forgives your sins forever.

If our family had adopted this hungry stranger, he could have shared our food and comforts for the rest of his life. God does adopt into His family those who trust the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. As His sons and daughters, the joy and comfort of His heavenly home will be theirs to enjoy for all eternity.

There is one way the invitation of the Lord Jesus is completely different from the way some people treated the hoboes. The Lord Jesus never turns anyone away. He said, “Him that [comes] to Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out” (John 6:37). Will you come to Him today and let Him satisfy your heart’s hunger?

ML-12/15/1996

Do You Have a Friend?

Lucy really needed a friend. She was not the only one, because we are all the same. Everyone needs a friend.

Lucy lived in one room in a tenement house over 100 years ago. She was old and thin with gray hair and was often cold. That’s how her visitor found her one chilly November day in London. Her fireplace didn’t have a fire. She had a worn shawl around her shoulders, and barely a crust of bread to eat.

“Do you not have a friend?” asked the visitor in pity.

The old lady’s rocking chair creaked slowly. It seemed that this was a new thought to her, and it took some searching of her memory.

I ask you, “Do you have a friend when things are down to rock bottom?” There are organizations to help, as far as they can go. But there are times when they can’t be reached, or perhaps you don’t qualify, and angry shouting does not bring results. Do you have a dependable friend you can count on anytime?

There is one and only one such Friend. “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), and as a sinner you qualify for His salvation. Will you come as a poor sinner and accept His loving offer to be your Saviour and Friend?

Lucy came up with an answer which astonished her visitor.

“There’s Queen Victoria,” she said. And after a pause she explained, “When she was a young queen, she came down with the flu when she was visiting in our village, and I nursed her until she was better. Perhaps she will remember.”

The visitor took out her note pad and wrote down the details of what Lucy had told her. Then she wrote a letter to the Queen.

The Queen’s answer was very kind. Yes, she remembered Lucy’s devoted care very well. She included a generous amount of money for Lucy’s immediate needs and a promise of aid as long as Lucy needed it.

Will the Lord Jesus answer you like that? Oh, far better than that! He will answer, not according to your need, but more than that, according to His wonderful riches! He will not answer because of what you have done for Him, but rather because of His love and what He has done for you. The Saviour with nail-pierced hands will never refuse you. It cost Him His own life to save sinners like you and me, and He will never, never forget. Don’t try to think of something you have done for Him, but claim Him because of what He has done for you. He will not refuse you now, but in eternity He will refuse forever those who have never come to Him with their need.

When Lucy received her gift from the Queen, she spent no time in her rocking chair thinking about it. She went at once to a hat store where the surprised salesgirl suggested that she might find something suitable in the basement where everything was less expensive. But that was not what Lucy had in mind. Her purchase was a very large and fashionable straw hat with a wonderful array of fluttering feathers. She wore it proudly with a long, bright hat pin.

Her thin, faded shawl was replaced by a gorgeous, colorful shawl woven in India. And when a pair of beautiful horses brought her carriage to her tenement door, a footman dressed in expensive clothing and leather boots stepped down to help her into the carriage, in front of her admiring neighbors. Lucy was certainly not ashamed of her new status in society.

And surely we need not be ashamed of belonging to Jesus, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Some of His gifts to us are ours now, but we cannot expect our neighbors to admire them. We follow a rejected and crucified Saviour who has told us often that it will not be an easy road when we tell others that He is our Saviour and Friend. But if our riches are not in dollars, pounds, pesos or nira, we now may have His peace and His joy and the wisdom of His book, the Bible, and all that is included in the love of His heart. And we also have an inheritance waiting in heaven for us. It is impossible to want more than the eternity He has promised.

When Lucy died all her finery was left behind, and if she had no Saviour she will spend a Christless eternity in hell. But the Saviour, who gave His life for me, gives His best gifts forever. Do you want Him? Do you want Him as your Lord and Saviour now? Come to Him now; take His gift, and let your neighbors see that you have a wonderful Saviour and Friend who loves you forever and ever.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that [believes]” (Romans 1:16).

ML-12/22/1996

Exploding Rocks

When I was younger, I used to camp with a group of boys. One time we were camping near a small lake that had formed under a waterfall of clear water. In our exploring we discovered that the ground that formed the waterfall, the lake and the camping area was made of volcanic lava that had been formed many years before.

We built a fireplace to cook our dinner, using big round rocks we found under the water. Our dinner was not ready yet when we heard the first explosion. One after another, the rocks around the fire suddenly began to blow up like bombs, throwing pieces of rock and fire in all directions! We boys ran as fast as we could, looking for shelter from the exploding rocks.

When they stopped, we figured out what was making them explode. The rocks we used around the fire were actually big balls of hardened lava that had trapped air or gases inside. When they became hot from the fire, the air or gas that was trapped inside expanded and blew apart the rocks. Thankfully, no one got hurt.

Those rocks make me think of sinners. A sinner keeps sin trapped inside sometimes for many years, and this is what will destroy him. These unforgiven sins make him sad and without hope. But God wants to change this. He loves the sinner and wants to remove his sins and give him eternal life. And this offer is for whosoever will believe in the Lord Jesus as Saviour. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). On the cross Jesus took upon Himself God’s fire of judgment for sin. Now everyone who trusts in Him is free from the fire of eternal punishment.

Even after the rocks stopped exploding no one wanted to be the first to go near the fire, because we didn’t know if any more rocks would explode. You also don’t know when you will have to meet God, so it is urgent to believe on the Lord Jesus right now as your Saviour and be free from your sins. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1).

ML-12/29/1996

A House Without a Foundation

Have you ever sung the Sunday school song about the foolish man who built his house upon the sand? You’ll remember, it says when the storm came his house fell flat because it was not built on the rock. Karina once learned just how that foolish man felt.

Karina’s house was not built on the sand; it was built right on the ground without a foundation. This was not because Karina’s family was foolish or lazy, but because they were very poor. They could not afford to buy bricks and cement. They lived in the tropics of Bolivia and made their house out of adobe (mud) bricks that had been dried in the sun.

It rained often in the town where Karina and her family lived, so it was not long before the mud bricks became much softer than they had once been. Karina’s father had died, and now her mother had no one to help her decide how best to spend her money. Instead of repairing the house, she used the money she had to buy some new furniture, a TV and a new fan imported from Japan.

During the rainy season the ground all around Karina’s house became soft and wet. One morning Karina’s mother realized her mistake. She should have repaired her house, but it was too late. That morning they had to call the power company to disconnect the power, and Karina helped her mother move the new furniture out of the house. In the afternoon the house fell into the street. There they stood with the furniture, outside, for everyone to see their mistake. This must have been how the foolish man felt in the song we sing!

It’s not hard to see the mistake Karina’s family made, but the Bible says plainly that those who do not obey God’s Word are just like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. “Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:2427). If you spend all your time just to have fun, go places and buy things without thinking about God, then your life is like Karina’s house. It has no foundation and the fun times you planned will not be a help to you when you must leave this world. No one stays here forever.

You can build your life upon the Word of God by first coming to the Lord Jesus for salvation. The Bible says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The Word of God is the only solid foundation for your life. Do not try to live without it - do not build your life on the sand. The Lord Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Anything else you try to build your life on will fall -just like the foolish man’s house, and just like Karina’s house.

ML-12/29/1996

Stolen Hearts

If you give something to me, can I be blamed for stealing it from you? Well, maybe so. If something is gotten from you by lies and false promises, that is stealing -the worst kind of stealing. Perhaps if I tell you this story of how hearts were stolen, it will help you to understand. It is one of God’s stories from the Bible, so we know it is true.

King David had a son named Absalom who was very good-looking. He had thick, black hair which he cut just once a year. He was so proud of it that he weighed the hair that was cut off.

King David had many problems, but he was a man who trusted God, even when he was a teenager and killed Goliath with a stone from his sling. He believed and listened to God who made heaven and earth, and that’s why he said, “I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). Many times the Bible says about David, “And the Lord was with him.”

But Absalom did not want the company of his father who trusted God. He wanted his own way.

The city of Jerusalem had a gate which was a busy place where many people passed through on foot or with donkeys carrying loads. Absalom decided to meet the townspeople there and greet them warmly with handshakes and kisses. He told them that he was much better at problem-solving than his father, and his decisions would always be right. This is what he said: “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man [who has any problem] might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” And so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel with his lies and false promises. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart” (Jeremiah 17:910).

Most of the people of Israel believed what Absalom had told them and wanted him to be their king. Of course this led to a revolt against King David. King David had to flee from Jerusalem with his faithful friends, and Absalom took over the place of power. Absalom asked advice of his friends and then set out to lead an army against King David, his father.

But Absalom’s army did not have the Lord with them. They were scattered all over the country and many of them were lost in the woods. Absalom himself rode under a big oak tree where his head got caught in the thick branches. The mule he was riding on kept going and left him caught in the tree. There he hung, between heaven and earth, and the Lord was not with him. An officer in King David’s army came and put him to death with three darts through his heart.

Is this the end of Absalom’s story? Yes, as far as his time on earth goes, but he still has eternity to face. He did not want God while he was here, and he will spend eternity without Him. It will be an eternity without light or love or happiness.

Is there any hope for a thief to go to heaven? Read on.

Perhaps you have heard of another thief who hung between heaven and earth. He hung on a cross beside the Lord Jesus, and he died there when his legs were broken. This thief wanted the company of the Lord Jesus, and he got more and better than he asked for. He is with Jesus now in heaven, because Jesus forgave his sins, including stealing, and he will be in that happy place for all eternity.

Absalom did not keep his promises, but God always keeps His, whether they are for blessing or for judgment. Whose promises are you trusting, right now?

“Being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).

ML-06/21/1996

The Good Samaritan

Have you ever read the story of the good Samaritan? You can read it in Luke 10. It is a story that Jesus told about a man who was caught by thieves while walking from Jerusalem to Jericho. They hurt him and left him by the side of the road half dead. This reminds us of how sin hurts us and leaves us unable to help ourselves.

The Bible story says that the first person who passed by the injured man did not even stop to ask if he could help! He was a religious person, but was too busy to stop. The second person who passed the wounded man wouldn’t stop to help him either. Finally we read of the Samaritan who not only stopped, but picked up the man and put him on his own beast and carried him to an inn.

Once a very similar thing happened to Marita when she was nine years old. She was at a camp up in the mountains where there was about five feet of snow on the ground. Marita was taking a shortcut between the lunchroom and the cabin when her boot got stuck in the snow . . . and she couldn’t get it out! However, she was very close to the narrow path that went down a long hill.

Soon a lady came down the path and stopped to ask why Marita was digging there in the snow. Marita explained that her boot was stuck and she couldn’t get it out. The lady said she was sorry, but if she helped dig for the boot she would ruin her clothes. Then she went on, saying she would see if she could get help. The next person to pass Marita was a whistling man who never even stopped.

But then Marita saw her father standing at the top of the hill. She knew her father loved her and he wouldn’t leave her stranded. She called to him, and he came right down to help her get her boot out.

When Marita saw her father coming, do you think she told him she didn’t need him? No! She knew she needed someone bigger than herself to get the boot out of the snow. Do you think that the wounded man by the side of the road told the Samaritan that he would soon recover if left alone? No! He accepted the Samaritan’s kindness, knowing he couldn’t help himself. But many people seem to think they can get out of their sins by themselves! Isn’t that foolish? There is only one Person who can take away your sins. He is God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He died on Calvary’s cross to take away the sins of every person who accepts Him as Saviour. “When we were yet without strength . . . Christ died for the ungodly [sinners]” (Romans 5:6).

There is something else to see in that story. The Samaritan, who is a picture of Jesus Himself, paid the innkeeper what it would cost to care for the wounded man. He also promised the innkeeper that he would come back later. Jesus will be coming back soon to take to heaven everyone who belongs to Him! Will you be ready for Him? All you need is to believe that Jesus paid the cost for your sins. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

ML-06/09/1996

An Important Pool

It was far more important than an ordinary swimming pool. It was a pool in Jerusalem, and if you had been there you might have heard the bleating of sheep because there was a sheep market nearby.

Around this pool you would not find deck chairs and sunbathers; you would find sick people. The pool had five porches full of blind, diseased, crippled and paralyzed people. Some had friends with them, and some were alone. Some were sitting, and some were lying on bedrolls. All of them were waiting . . . waiting in their misery and their hope.

What were they waiting for?

God cared about their misery, and at a certain time of year He sent an angel to stir up the water. When that happened there was great excitement among the sick and crippled who waited in hope. How they struggled to get into the pool! They knew that the first one, and only the first one, who stepped into the pool would be healed of whatever disease he had.

How we pity those poor people! If you had been there, perhaps you would have been a helper, but, of course, that would not be possible if you were crippled too. I wonder if you have ever faced the problem that you are crippled with sin - sin that you cannot erase and bad habits that you cannot break. Being tied up with sins, it is impossible to make your own way to God’s home of holiness and joy in heaven. Because of your sins you are on your way to a lost eternity in hell.

Did you notice that it was an angel that stirred up the water, and that it was only the first person into the pool who was healed? But God has not sent an angel to set you free from your sins. God has sent His only begotten Son. And the promise is not to only the first who comes - it is to everyone who comes! Better still, the promise is not for the healing of the body for those who eventually will die anyway. No, this promise is for everlasting life -forever as a child of God in the Father’s house. How could anyone say, “I don’t care”?

Jesus, the Son of God, was by the pool one day. He saw a man there who had been sick for 38 years. Jesus said to the sick man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” Today we would say, “Would you like to be healed?”

You would think that the man would say, “Yes!” But he didn’t! Instead, he began to explain about the pool and the stirring up of the water and that he had nobody to help him. Did he not know who was talking to him?

Then Jesus, who created our bodies, spoke with His authority and power and said, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his bedroll and walked.

The day on which this happened was the Sabbath, Saturday, the day which God had given to Israel as a day of rest. This quickly started an argument. It was against the Jews’ religion to carry anything on the Sabbath, and the healed man had carried his bedroll. They were right about this. God had promised six days of blessing and success if they were obedient, and then they were to have a day of rest. But Jesus came to a land of disobedience and misery, and He cared so much for their sorrows that He healed even on the Sabbath day. They had lost their success and their rest because of sin. But they cared more about their religion than about the loving Saviour who came to set them free.

“Who told you to carry your bed?” they asked. But all the poor man could say was, “I don’t know.”

Is that your answer too? Don’t you care to know Jesus? He is the One who came into the world to save sinners. Your health comes from Him now, and an eternal life in heaven can never come from anyone but Jesus.

Jesus had slipped away among the crowd, and the healed man did not seem to care. But Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

It seems that with a healthy body, the man had not faced the problem of his sins. Have you? Do you know that sin is more serious than 38 years of sickness, because sin can cause you to spend eternity in hell, and eternity means forever? Hell is the end of the road if you have no Saviour.

The man left Jesus and then told those who had asked him that it was Jesus who had healed him. Their response was a plan to kill Jesus.

There we leave the man who was healed, in the company of the haters of Christ. This story is in John chapter five, but it says no more about him. As far as we know, he is still in that company. What is your company now? and for eternity? Is it Christ the Saviour of sinners, or is it the haters of Christ? You may choose Him now, today. It may be too late to make a choice tomorrow.

“Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

ML-09/15/1996

The Blind Man

The blind man sat by the dusty wayside, begging. He had been born blind and could only beg for a living. As Jesus and His disciples passed the man, the disciples wondered why anyone should have such a birth defect. So they asked Jesus about it. And Jesus is the right person to ask.

Jesus told them He had a blessing for that man, and He has a blessing for you too, which is yours for the taking. Have you seen it and accepted it? Don’t turn it down!

Jesus then spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and put it on the blind man’s eyes. Jesus is the holy Son of God, and everything that came from His mouth was holy too. Then Jesus said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.”

The blind man obeyed without asking questions, and when he washed in the pool of Siloam his eyes were healed and he could see! What a miracle!

Then he came back, and first he met the neighbors. Were they glad that he was no longer blind? No, they found it hard to believe him. But the man told them exactly what had happened. And he gave all the credit to “a Man that is called Jesus.”

“Where is He?” they asked. But all he could answer was that he didn’t know. He had never seen Jesus, but he had obeyed His voice.

Have you obeyed His voice? That is the way to receive God’s blessing - obey that voice. In John 5:24, Jesus tells us, “He that [hears] My word, and [believes] on Him that sent Me, [has] everlasting life.” You can do what the blind man did. He listened to Jesus and believed Him. The words of Jesus are recorded in the Bible for you to hear and believe and obey.

Next the man met the religious leaders. They were very strict about the Sabbath day (the seventh day, Saturday). They argued that Jesus was not of God because He healed the man on the Sabbath day. The man did not know very much, but he knew one thing, and no arguments could change his mind. He told the religious leaders, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

Even his parents did not stand with him. But the man with his marvelous new eyesight was ready to answer anyone in the world. And the more they talked against Jesus, the more he insisted that Jesus was of God. He told them, “If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing.”

The religious leaders didn’t like what he said, and they threw him out of the synagogue.

How discouraging! Family and friends gone. An outcast with no possibility of begging anymore. Who will help him now?

Jesus found him! He said to him, “[Do you] believe on the Son of God?”

The man answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?”

Jesus said, “Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that [talks] with thee.”

“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him.”

That is where we leave the man who had been blind - at the feet of Jesus. And he will be with Jesus for all eternity.

That was God’s blessing for him, and that blessing is for you too. Did you notice how he got it? It was the Son of God who healed him, and the arguments of others did not turn him away from Jesus. And when Jesus found him, he listened and believed. You can do that too. Right now. Will you? “He that [believes] on the Son [has] everlasting life” (John 3:36).

You can read this wonderful story for yourself in the Bible in the book of John, chapter nine.

ML-09/29/1996

Lessons from Nature

The Dignified Penguin

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

The penguin looks like a dignified little man dressed in a formal black-and-white suit and with a wobbly walk. No other bird goes so far into the harsh Antarctic area, and God has provided everything it needs. To insulate its body against the fierce cold, it has a complete covering of short feathers that extend down to its webbed feet. It gets all its food from the ocean and can also drink the salt water.

The emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin family - about three to four feet tall. All penguins have wings, but they cannot fly. Instead, their wings are used as flippers to swim extremely fast under water. Special muscles give these wings great strength.

The adelie species gathers rocks and makes crude nests, but the emperor does not. About a month after arriving on the ice barrier, a pair has a family of just one chick. Before the female lays the single egg, she goes several weeks without eating. Then about the middle of May the egg is laid. She turns its care over to the male and then dives into the ocean to feed, and she is gone for some weeks. As this is really the beginning of winter in the Antarctic, the male has a difficult problem since there is no nest for the egg.

The Creator has provided a way to keep the egg warm. The male stands with his feet close together and rolls the egg on top of them. With the egg securely in place, “papa” pulls a soft pouch of skin down over it, making it snug and warm. He stands in this position -never moving or going for food or water - for two months!

Here is something else amazing. Although “mama” has been away all this time, on the exact day the chick hatches she comes out of the ocean, her belly big and round from gorging on seafood. There are thousands of penguins that look just like her mate, but she goes right to him. Then she takes over, putting her beak in the newly hatched chick’s mouth and feeds it from her full belly. She does this until it can take care of itself. Meanwhile, the skinny male takes to the water to find the food he needs.

Shortly after the chick is fully grown it joins others on ice floes, and the currents carry them north several hundred miles to the New Zealand area or to the tip of South America. The next May they repeat the cycle all over again.

There are some who try to tell us the penguin was at first a common land bird, blown to the Antarctic by fierce storms, and that over the years it adapted itself to the new surroundings. But they cannot explain how a bird from a warm climate could last even one day on the ice with no usable food or water. We know the poor birds would die the very first day. We also know that when the Lord God created the penguin, He made it exactly as it is now, so it could thrive in that part of the earth. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth [and] in the seas” (Psalm 135:6).

Do you know the One who is your Creator and wants to be your Saviour as well? That is the most important question.

JANUARY 7, 1996

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17

ML-01/07/1996

A Few Strange Fish

“Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.”
Acts 4:24

Among the many varieties of fish in the world, God has created some very interesting ones. For instance, did you ever hear of the kissing gourami? When it isn’t busy feeding, it will swim up to another gourami, plant a kiss on its lips and move on to kiss another. Why do they do this? No one knows, except the One who made them.

Then there is the brightly colored butterfly fish. It has broad, wing-like fins that enable it to come out of the water, spread its fins like a butterfly and skim over the surface, searching for food.

In parts of South America and Africa, ponds form during the rainy seasons where there had been only dry ground or swampy marsh before. Miraculously, small fish often “suddenly” appear in these waters, swimming around until the ponds evaporate in the hot sun. Then the fish die, but meanwhile they have laid eggs in the muddy bottom. The eggs partially incubate in these muddy nests before the mud dries. When the rains return, these eggs finish incubating and hatch into a new generation of fish. It would seem that the Lord God, the Creator, wants to keep this strange fish as an example of the marvels of His works.

Another interesting species which is preserved in a different way is the large African lungfish. These fish, which actually look more like eels, live in seasonal ponds and bury themselves in the mud when the water has almost completely evaporated. There they form a cocoon to protect themselves during the long hibernation, curling up with their tails over their eyes to protect themselves and preserve moisture.

This fish is able to get oxygen from either air or water; tiny holes in its cocoon admit enough air to keep it alive while hibernating. Of course, its body activities almost stop during this time, and it looks like it is dead. It actually can stay alive for as long as four years this way, living off its fat and muscle tissues until rains come to fill the pond again. Then it breaks out of the cocoon and takes up the usual fish’s way of life. An unusual feature about this lungfish is that even when it is living in water it must occasionally rise to the surface to gulp air.

In some ways this is a picture to us of death and resurrection, which are mentioned so often in the Bible. When the Lord Jesus was on earth He said, “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear [My] voice, and shall come forth” (John 5:28-29). He further explained that those who have faith in Him will come forth to everlasting life with Him in heaven, but those who die in their sins will come forth to judgment and be sent into everlasting darkness. How important it is to obey God’s Word while we are still alive: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

JANUARY 14, 1996

“God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

ML-01/14/1996

The Lofty Giraffe: Part 1

“O Lord, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.”
Psalm 92:5

Some people become scared when they are up only as high as 18 to 20 feet off the ground, yet this is the height from which a large giraffe views its surroundings. The giraffe is the world’s tallest animal, and about half its height is in its long neck that has a mane so neat that it looks as if it were trimmed with clippers. Its pretty head has two short horns, standing straight up. Its large deer-like eyes with long, black lashes reveal its normally gentle character. High in the air, its eyes can see in almost every direction without turning its head.

The giraffe’s long neck has only seven vertebrae (the same as people), but these are large, strong and quite flexible. The neck’s exposed surface serves as a cooling tower in the hot African climate, and the largest windpipe in creation exhales stale air from the lungs. Then with great force it inhales, bringing in a fresh supply of air, which also helps to cool it.

God has placed a wide and interesting variety of animals throughout the world, and He has adapted each one to its own particular surroundings. In East Africa there are a dozen species of the giraffe, all pale fawn or cream colored with large rust, yellow or brown spots over their entire bodies. No two have exactly the same pattern. Perhaps the natives originally called them “zarafa,” meaning “swift creature,” because they did not know what else to name a beast that looked something like a cross between a leopard and a camel.

The high, bobbing head of a running giraffe is an immediate signal of danger to its companions, and they all promptly begin running. Actually, they have very few enemies, except that lions and hyenas will kill the calves if the parents are not close by to defend them with their sharp, powerful hooves that can kick in all directions. These 12-inch hooves, at the base of seven- or eight-foot leg bones with long, strong muscles, can easily kill a lion. Usually the only adult giraffes lions will attack are the sick or injured. When giraffes need to defend their young, or when fights occur between jealous males, the necks of giraffes, topped with tough, horned skulls, also make vicious weapons when slammed against an opponent.

When the psalmist thought of the Creator’s marvelous creation, he wrote, “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:89). As we consider the many ways the Lord has provided for all living creatures, we also should “stand in awe of Him” and thankfully accept His loving offer to be not only our Creator, but our Saviour as well.

(to be continued)

JANUARY 21, 1996

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9

ML-01/21/1996

The Lofty Giraffe: Part 2

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious.”
Psalm 111:23

Female giraffes, called cows, weigh 1000 to 1500 pounds, compared with bulls which reach 2000 pounds or more. Both males and females have short horns which are covered with skin.

Mothers show tender, loving care to their calves for several months, until they grow big enough to join the adults. During the early morning daylight a mother will hide her calf under a bush or in tall grass. Lying with its neck and head curled over its back, it blends in with the coloring around it and is not easily seen. Meanwhile, the mother is busy finding her food, returning about noon and again at night to nurse her calf.

Frequently several mothers with calves form a group. At night one stands guard while the others sleep with their own calves. Then in the morning when it is time to go searching for food, one or two of the mothers remain behind to “baby-sit” all the calves. If lions or hyenas come near, the baby-sitter bellows loudly. All the mothers and fathers who hear the bellow come running to attack or chase away the intruders. These are God-given instincts that show His care over them.

Giraffes can live on grass and other ground plants, but it is much easier to reach the leaves and tender twigs of trees and tall bushes when eating their daily requirement of 100 pounds or more. They pull it all into their mouths with their 18-inch-long tongues. The leaves and blossoms of acacia trees that grow plentifully in their homeland are a favorite food. Acacias have sharp thorns, but lips as tough as shoe leather handle that problem. It is interesting to see how God gave them this eating habit, to enable certain acacia trees to reproduce themselves. It has been discovered that the seeds of many of these trees will not germinate until they have been treated by passing through the four stomachs of a giraffe and then discarded.

Getting a drink is not an easy job for a giraffe. It must lower its head to suck in the water, then raise its head to swallow the water. This raising and lowering of its head about 20 feet would normally cause such a rush of blood that the giraffe would black out and fall over. But the Creator planned for this too. Within its veins and arteries a system of valves keeps the blood flowing evenly, no matter what movement may be made. Also, at the base of its brain, blood vessels automatically expand when its head is lowered and contract when suddenly raised. What a Master Designer we have! God’s creation worked right the first time. There was no problem here for so wise a Creator.

An animal this big needs lots of blood, and so it has been given a larger heart which weighs about 25 pounds and pumps blood through its body at the rate of 15 gallons a minute.

The next time you see one of these interesting animals in the zoo, think how wisely the Lord God, its Creator, has provided for all its needs.

JANUARY 28, 1996

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.”
Isaiah 43:1

ML-01/28/1996

The Ant Lion

“Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 5:8

The ant lion, sometimes called the doodlebug, looks like a large dragonfly when fully grown. The name “ant lion” comes from its activity in its larval stage. As a larva, it has a special appetite for ants. An ant caught in its jaws will not be able to escape, because the ant lion has strong jaws, which are the largest part of its body.

The ant lion has an interesting way of catching ants. It digs a cone-shaped pit about two inches deep in sand or loose soil. This trap looks like a miniature volcano. It buries itself at the bottom of the pit, leaving only its jaws and part of its head exposed.

An ant coming to this pit is curious and goes to the edge to look inside. On the rim it loses its footing in the loose sand and falls down the steep side. It tries again and again to climb back up the sides, but the surface is too loose and it finally slides to the bottom. The ant lion quickly grabs it in its sickle-shaped jaws and makes a meal of it. The ant lion sometimes attracts ants to the pit by throwing sand or little pieces of gravel into the air.

We might wonder how this little creature knows how to build its trap and how to attract its victims. The larva knows how to do this just as soon as it hatches, without having had a lesson or having learned by watching others. This is another example of an instinct given by the Creator to enable His creatures to survive through immature periods of their lives.

The ant lion’s methods remind us of the great enemy of our souls, Satan, who has many traps set to catch us. One of these is a natural curiosity on our part to want to explore things of the world that only lead to sin and unhappiness. The Bible tells us that Satan is the god of this world, and we can never stand up against him in our own power.

However, there is One who is mightier than Satan, the Saviour of all who trust in Him. “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). He has provided an armor that allows us to stand against this wicked enemy. Those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour are urged to “put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” This armor includes the “shield of faith,” the “helmet of salvation,” and the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (See Ephesians 6:11-17.)

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are a servant to sin and Satan. You need to find an escape from his trap. Escape is only by turning to Christ, confessing that you are a sinner and accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour. You will find Him ready and able to release you from Satan’s grasp.

FEBRUARY 4, 1996

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23

ML-02/04/1996

The World's Biggest Snakes

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:14-15

Of the world’s more than 2,500 kinds of snakes, the largest are anacondas and boa constrictors, living in swamps and tropical forests of South and Central America, and pythons in southeastern Asia, Africa and Australia.

The 12-foot boa constrictor is smaller than the 30- to 40-foot anaconda and python, which are as big around their middles as a fully grown teenager. All kill their prey by coiling around its body and constricting (squeezing) it to death. They do not actually “eat” their prey, but can swallow it whole because the bones of their jaws can be stretched far apart. After a big meal the snake may not eat again for three or four months or more.

The long, flat heads of these snakes have no ears, so they cannot hear sounds. Vibrations and a keen sense of smell, partially gotten through a flicking tongue, make them aware of what is nearby. They never stop growing, although their skins do. Twice a year a new skin replaces the tight, uncomfortable old one which is rubbed off - a startling thing to come across as it lies empty on the grass or on a rocky ledge.

Anacondas and boas give birth to live babies, but pythons lay eggs, incubated by the mother coiling around them. Either way, the “little” ones, as many as 70 at a time and as long as two feet at birth, immediately know how to squeeze small victims to death.

The boas spend a great deal of time in water, often with only a small part of their heads showing as they wait for prey to come near. At other times they climb trees to rob bird nests, or stretch out on a low branch to dart down and catch animals passing below. Pythons have similar habits, sometimes tangling with tigers or other big animals. Once they coil around their prey they are almost sure to win these battles. But such victims are too big to eat, and these battles only happen when, for some reason, they attack one another.

These reptiles have a place and purpose in God’s creation, but most people find them repulsive, especially when remembering that in the Bible Satan himself is called “that old serpent, which is the Devil” (Revelation 20:2).

When the Israelites in the wilderness spoke against God, He sent fiery serpents to bite them (Numbers 21:49). Many died, but the Lord did provide a way of escape. He instructed Moses to place a brass serpent on a pole, and any who simply looked at it were healed. This was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ who later died for sinners on Calvary’s cross. He still offers the wonderful promise to you and me that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life,” as our opening verse states.

Have you confessed that you are a sinner and simply looked in faith to the Lord Jesus to save you?

FEBRUARY 11, 1996

ML-02/11/1996

Inside Your Ear

“Hear the word of the Lord . . . and let your ear receive the word of His mouth.”
Jeremiah 9:20

Sound results from changes in air pressure. The human ear detects these changes as wavelengths, vibrating from 40 to 40,000 times each second. They range from the quietest whisper to the explosion of a bomb.

The outer ear “catches” sounds and sends them to the inner, working parts of the ear. Without the outer ear we still would hear plainly, but many sounds would go by unheard.

Between the outer ear and the eardrum is a twisting canal. It is lined with hairs and wax that trap dust, water and even small bits of dirt or insects that could cause damage.

The eardrum is a membrane about one-half inch across. This is where the transmission of sound begins. As sound waves hit this membrane, it acts much like a drum, and the sound travels through it to the middle ear. This has three tiny bones connected together called the anvil, hammer and stirrup. These magnify the drum’s vibrations by about 20 times. The tiny stirrup then taps it all against the fluid of the inner ear.

The inner ear is a hollow area protected by hard bone. It is filled with a watery fluid and contains the cochlea, a twisted snail-like tube. This is lined with thousands of sensitive cells, each of which responds to just one certain sound. When the fluid vibrates from the tapping of the stirrup, only the nerves corresponding with that particular wavelength rise up to wave back and forth. When this takes place, a small electrical signal is made and sent to a corresponding circuit in the auditory nerve, which carries it instantly to the brain. There are about 30,000 of these circuits ready to respond! While each tone is kept separate from every other one, confusion could easily result with so many sounds arriving at the same time. And yet in a remarkable way our brain separates everything into its proper order and makes it intelligible.

All of these processes are done at the same time by two ears, and the brain receives the messages exactly the same from both. This is another example of the wonders of God’s creation. No human could ever invent anything like it, nor could the body develop such remarkable parts by itself.

Since God has given us this remarkable sense of hearing, we should be careful how we use it. The Lord Himself said, “Take heed what ye hear” (Mark 4:24). He knew that many things would reach our ears, and we must learn to separate the good from the bad. And so He has invited you to “incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live” (Isaiah 55:3). May each of us desire to hear God’s wonderful Word, not just in our ears, but in our hearts as well.

“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto My knowledge” (Proverbs 22:17).

FEBRUARY 18, 1996

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32

ML-02/18/1996

Unusual Incubator Birds

“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air.” Genesis 2:19

Among the many strange birds in Australia and nearby areas are those called incubator or thermometer birds.

Incubator birds do not hatch their eggs by sitting on them, as most birds do. They depend upon a very different method of incubation, from which they get their name. Several pairs of males and females working together make a mound of dirt mixed with leaves, moist vegetation and anything that is nearby.

These birds have very strong legs and feet. Walking with their backs to the spot where the mound is being made, the birds move around it in widening circles, using their strong legs to kick everything they find into a central pile. As the pile gets bigger their circles become wider and wider, until they’ve made a hill as high as 15 feet and perhaps 30 feet wide. Just think how hard they have to kick to get dirt, leaves and everything else up on top of that pile!

Next, each pair picks a suitable spot in the mound and makes a tunnel into it, scooping out a crude nest where the eggs are laid. Then the pair walk away and forget about the eggs. How are the eggs ever going to hatch inside that big pile? As the leaves and other vegetation rot they give off heat, and helped by the warmth of the sun, the eggs soon hatch. Then the baby birds come out of the tunnels into daylight to begin life on their own.

Why do these birds do such unusual things? Who told them to work together with others to make such huge nests? What makes the newly hatched chicks leave the tunnels? and how can they take care of themselves or learn from experience? We can easily see that it pleased the Creator to make a great deal of variety in His creation. Not all birds, animals, fish or other creatures follow the same manner of life. These birds are an example of this, displaying one of His delights in the days of creation. Even now He keeps them in the same pattern of life as when He first placed them on the earth. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven [the atmosphere], and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psalm 135:6).

If the Lord cares for these unusual birds, how much more does He care for mankind into whom He “breathed . . . the breath of life.” He has said, “My delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto Me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep My ways. . . . For whoso findeth Me findeth life” (Proverbs 8:3132,35).

We hope everyone reading this will find Him and learn of His wonderful love. “I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:17).

FEBRUARY 25, 1996

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

ML-02/25/1996

Persistent Sagebrush

“The Lord’s portion is His people. . . . He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.” Deuteronomy 32:9-10

This verse speaks of the Lord’s kindness to His people Israel as they went through the wilderness - the same kindness that He shows toward His people today. Not many of us actually live in a wilderness, but some have been through the deserts in the western United States. Seeing the desert we might ask, “Can anything good be said about sagebrush?”

Travelers through the western parts of North America and Mexico are often amazed at the endless miles of land covered by this desert plant. In dry soil where nothing else will grow, under hot summer sun and cold winter snow, these plants are often the only living things to be seen. Many people think they are ugly and worthless.

But we should not be too quick to discount this small gray-green shrub which covers millions of acres. It is part of God’s creation and not as useless as we might think. For one thing, it provides a home for a great number of animals, birds and insects. It is also the main food source for others, such as the beautiful pronghorn antelope and some other species of deer. Many other living creatures are under the cover of the sagebrush and are hidden. If we would sit quietly and watch closely, we would soon discover that it shelters jackrabbits and smaller animals, such as kangaroo rats, gophers and many kinds of mice. Coyotes live in many areas where sagebrush grows, catching the rodents that live in this miniature forest. We might see a fox once in a while too.

Sagebrush supplies both food and shelter for grouse, pheasants and many small birds. Snakes and lizards also live here along with many kinds of insects, both above and below ground. Late in summer this plant’s pleasant-smelling, yellow blossoms attract bees, and the honey produced by them has an excellent flavor. Farmers who understand sagebrush know that where it grows big and tall the soil is good and that there is moisture in the ground, making the location a good place to raise crops.

Although this plant is scorned by many, it actually is another gift of the Creator and is needful for the lives of many of His creatures. As the Bible verse reminds us, “The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth” (Proverbs 3:19). It is only through His wisdom and care that the needs of all living things are provided for.

We ourselves really have no wisdom unless it is given to us by God. Moses, who thought about this and knew a great deal about the foolishness of mankind, exclaimed, “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29). Have you made sure of your “latter end” - eternity, by accepting the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?

MARCH 3, 1996

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” Matthew 7:13

ML-03/03/1996

The Harvester Ants

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:68

Ants in many areas find abundant food year-round and do not need to store it. But many ants do store food, among them the harvester ants. They use seeds as their main source of food, but also add termites and other insects to their diet.

To be sure they have enough to eat in the months when food becomes scarce, these ants “provideth [their] meat in the summer, and gathereth [their] food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:5). They collect seeds and store them in special chambers within their nests. Certain workers are assigned to this specific duty. When the seeds are brought to the nest, the husks are removed and carried outside to a garbage pile. If any of the stored seeds begin to spoil or sprout, they are immediately removed. If some seeds become damp, the ants promptly take them outside to dry in the sun. When dry, they are brought back into storage. This food supply is guarded very carefully, and the ants do not rob the store while there is still food to be had outside.

Since the ants are not able to swallow solid food, God has given them a means of changing dry seeds into what is known as “ant bread.” This is produced by first chewing the seeds, then making a little pile of this chewed food and covering it with juices from their digestive systems. This makes it liquid enough to sip.

All of this, of course, is God’s order for these little creatures, which He refers to as being “exceeding wise.” The Word of God uses them as an example for ourselves, telling us also to prepare for the future. There is more meaning for us in such a lesson than only storing up food to eat. God urges us to think of a coming eternity and to prepare for it now, before the “summer” of our lives is past.

The sorrow of those who fail to prepare for an eternity in heaven is heard in the awful cry, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved [for heaven]” (Jeremiah 8:20). Do not let this be your cry. You must realize that you are a sinner and in need of a Saviour. By faith you have to accept Jesus’ work on Calvary’s cross and His precious blood that He shed there to wash away your sins “while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).

MARCH 10, 1996

“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
Revelation 1:5

ML-03/10/1996

It Fooled the Wise Ones

“For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
1 Corinthians 1:19

Many years ago the fossil of a strange fish was found on a shore of the Indian Ocean. It was an unusual fossil with a hollow spine and, unlike other fish, had paddle-shaped fins attached to its body by “stubs.” It was given the name coelacanth (pronounced see-la-kanth). After much study scientists decided that this type of fish had been extinct for 30 million years and was the great-grandfather of present-day fish. They thought that the way its fins stuck out so far showed it was about to change to a land animal with legs and arms. Some scientists even said that man was one of its descendants! Other identical fossils were found, but no one ever thought anything resembling this could be alive today. They all thought that it had evolved into other creatures long ago.

Imagine the embarrassment of these “experts” when, in 1938, off the South African coast a live coelacanth was caught. All theories about this “extinct” fish were shown to be wrong, as others were caught and exhibited all over the world. Furthermore, the living ones were exact duplicates of the fossils, with identical fins, tails, etc. They had not evolved, but had continued just as God had made them since the day He created them.

The coelacanth is indeed an unusual fish. The largest one caught weighed 209 pounds and was five feet long, steel-blue in color with heavy scales. Seven paddle-shaped fins stick out like limbs, and it has an extra rudder at the tail. Living in depths of 650-2000 feet, it has been supplied with big, glowing eyes. This fish is just another example of the interesting variety of creatures that God has put on the earth and in the seas.

We can always trust and believe the Bible, the Word of God, in everything that it tells us, and we should reject the incorrect teaching of evolution which denies God’s hand in creation. Those who teach it usually omit the fact that evolution is a theory based on ideas and not on facts. Since they cannot prove those ideas scientifically or in any other way, it is evident that Satan is using evolution to try to take away the truth of the Bible and the knowledge that God is the Creator. The Bible tells us, “By Him were all things created” (Colossians 1:16). It also says, with respect to where our hearts should be, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:910).

This is the promise of God for everlasting life. Do you truly believe and accept His Word in your heart? Have you confessed this to others?

MARCH 24, 1996

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12

ML-03/24/1996

The Desert's Joshua Trees

“I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see . . . that the hand of the Lord hath done this.”
Isaiah 41:19-20

Joshua trees in North American deserts have also been planted by the Lord, and He has placed around them many living creatures. These trees are found only in the deserts of the United States, from Utah to California, and northern Mexico. A large display of them can be seen from your car as you drive through the Joshua Tree National Monument in southern California where soil and rainfall are just right for them.

Many grow as high as 40 feet, supported by a thick, woody trunk. They have an assortment of odd-shaped branches that end in clusters of thick, spiky, dark-green leaves. A cluster of greenish-white flowers grows in the center of these leaves after the winter rains. When other desert plants begin blooming at the same time, the desert looks like a beautiful flower garden.

The Creator has arranged that Joshua trees do not crowd one another, for each needs lots of space to benefit from scarce rain and nourishment from the poor desert soil. But they are there for a purpose; they are a shelter and life support for many animals, birds and other kinds of desert life.

For instance, many lizards live there, including the zebra-tailed lizard which scoots over the ground with its striped tail lifted over its body. Another is the long-nosed leopard lizard that always runs upright on its two hind legs. There is also the loose-skinned chuckwalla that never seems to be in a hurry. And there are many others.

Certain tortoises find a good life among the Joshua trees as do a variety of snakes, including some rattlers. Kangaroo rats make their homes there too. Gophers are all around, and desert woodrats make nests underneath or up in the tree trunks. Mice are also plentiful, and jackrabbits and cottontails can also be found along with the occasional coyote, fox and badger.

Great numbers of birds live in the area, including falcons, roadrunners, hawks, quail, ravens and owls. Many of them make nests in these trees, and others nest on the ground underneath. Bats hide in the Joshuas in daylight and hunt desert insects at night.

Although people may drive by these trees and rarely give them a glance, we see they are really another wonderful example of God’s creation and His constant care over it all. How happy those of us are who know this loving, caring, planning God. We can clearly see a master design and know that all things did not come into being just by chance. This is why the Bible says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). And to remember our Creator means also to remember the love that brought Him from heaven to die on Calvary’s cross for all who will admit they are lost sinners and accept Him as their Saviour. Have you accepted Him?

MARCH 31, 1996

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”
Hebrews 2:3

ML-03/31/1996

The Dragonfly

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
John 1:3

The dragonfly is a common sight near water or swampy areas in summer. It is a little scary looking, especially in its darting pattern of flight. Actually, it is harmless and is another example of God’s wonderful handiwork.

It has four strong but delicate-looking wings. Since the day of creation it has been able to dart through the air swifter than most birds, with its wings vibrating 1500 times per minute. It can outperform a helicopter in hovering, flying forward or backward, up or down, or rapidly changing directions. Unlike most insects, the dragonfly’s large head can easily turn to help it spot insects, which it eats in flight. Each of its enormous, compound eyes has approximately 30,000 lenses, giving it excellent vision. It can see ahead, behind, above and below, all at the same time!

The dragonfly (sometimes called the devil’s darning needle) begins its life as a nymph in the bottom of a stream or pond. It creeps along the bottom and eats nearly anything that moves, including mosquito wrigglers, tiny minnows and tadpoles. It moves very slowly, but can spurt water through its body in a jet-propulsion manner, giving it extra speed in an emergency. Most nymphs remain underwater one or two years, but some remain up to five years.

When ready for its adult change, it creeps out of the water at the shoreline and becomes an air-breather for the first time. Resting in the warm sun, its skin splits open and a new creature comes out - no longer an ugly nymph, but a fully developed dragonfly. Its wings soon unfold, but a few hours are necessary for them to dry and harden before it can fly. It is defenseless during those hours and is a tempting meal for birds and small animals.

Finally it takes to the air, with no lessons or trial flights. Traveling through the air at rapid speeds, its legs form a scoop-like net in which it catches its victims and transfers them to its strong jaws. A dragonfly’s appetite is huge, eating the equivalent of its own weight in 30 minutes when food is available. It prefers mosquitoes and so is a beneficial insect.

From the smallest microbe to the great whales, the Creator, the Lord God of heaven and earth, is always aware of the needs of each one. “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

Those who teach that life “just happened” and that it took millions of years for living things to reach their present form deny that God made everything to reproduce “after his kind.” The Bible warns, “Put not your trust in . . . man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to [the] earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Then it says, “Happy is he . . . whose hope is in the Lord his God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is” (Psalm 146:36). Do you know this happiness through faith in Him?

APRIL 7, 1996

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20

ML-04/07/1996

Computer Birds: Part 1

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the [turtledove] is heard in our land.”
Song of Solomon 2:11-12

The ability of billions of birds to migrate to and from various parts of the world each spring and fall is truly amazing. If humans were to attempt these trips, we would need many kinds of instruments, charts and computers. But God has given these flying wonders the wisdom to stay on their courses perfectly.

Scientists are very interested in the abilities of these birds and would like to learn their secret. This would help pilots flying airplanes to find their way through storms, fog and darkness. But the secret has not been discovered by man; it is the Creator’s gift to the bird kingdom. This migrating instinct is shared in different ways by some fish, whales, a small number of animals, a few butterflies and other creatures. But the birds (billions of them) are the outstanding performers. Some, like the storks, hummingbirds, plovers and terns, fly accurately for thousands of miles over land and ocean.

Some scientists think that birds are guided by the sun, and they may be right. But the sun travels from east to west, and, for the most part, birds travel north and south. If guided by the sun, they would need some kind of inner clock to tell them where the sun was in the sky at any time of day. Others think the night fliers (and most do migrate at night) use the stars for direction. But the stars change their positions as the earth revolves. So if they are guided by the stars, they have certainly been given something better than man’s best computer to find directions this way. Still others think they follow landmarks such as mountains, rivers and valleys. This might help those migrating over land, but what landmarks are there out in the ocean?

None of these provide a real answer since the migrators find their way just as well in total darkness, through foggy or cloudy skies, and often through bad storms. We must conclude that the Lord God who created and takes care of them is their source. He supplies this superb guidance and the amazing strength and endurance that carries them safely and accurately over these great distances.

It is wonderful to know the Lord as your Saviour and learn that He will provide daily strength for you too. The Bible says, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28- 31).

(to be continued)

APRIL 14, 1996

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

ML-04/14/1996

Computer Birds: Part 2

“Also [Noah] sent forth a dove . . . but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark.”
Genesis 8:8-9

Noah’s dove had no difficulty finding her way back to the ark. This is a little example of the billions of birds which migrate over vast oceans and lands throughout the world each year. One, the blackpoll warbler, travels a 4000-mile journey between the forests of North America and Brazil. One part of this trip is an 86-hour, nonstop flight over water! The golden plover travels 15,000 miles or more each year, and the bobolink travels some 6000 miles between Canada and Argentina.

What makes them migrate? For one thing, they need a place with long days and enough food to raise their young. Both of these are found in the North where trillions of insects hatch just as the birds arrive in spring. The Creator has arranged this, providing them with needed food and at the same time controlling the insects that otherwise would destroy the land. Then, aware that winter is coming, the migrators time their flights south to escape the cold of winter. Birds are the best forecasters on earth and can tell weather changes long before men can.

Young birds seldom fly with their parents. It is amazing how they can accurately fly to their destinations without help from their parents! Only God could give them this ability.

It is not only in the migration along their normal routes that their instincts are revealed. Experiments with birds removed from their normal surroundings and set free elsewhere have amazing results.

A number of shearwaters were taken in covered cages from the coast of Wales to both Italy and Switzerland. Although they are water birds and not used to flying over land, when released, these birds rose high in the air, crossed the Alps and flew straight back home. A cowbird from Illinois was taken to Colorado and released. A month later it was back home. This same bird was later taken to Quebec and promptly found its way back. In another experiment a bobolink was taken from North Dakota to California. It escaped and was soon back in North Dakota.

Eggs of many birds have been incubated hundreds of miles from their native lands. When the young birds are released at migrating times, where do you think they go? They always fly to the home of their parents rather than with the birds with which they have been raised. There they join their true relatives in their migration route established for them by their Creator. These experiments confirm that birds have God-given abilities to find their way, even when taken to strange surroundings.

The love of God points a way for us too - the way to heaven. The Bible tells us, “Broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction . . . [but] strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:13-14). The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Have you put your trust in Him as your sure way to heaven?

APRIL 21, 1996

“Prepare to meet thy God.”
Amos 4:12

ML-04/21/1996

The Intricate Eye

“He that formed the eye, shall He not see?”
Psalm 94:9

“Thou God seest me.”
Genesis 16:13

The eye is a most amazing organ - far more efficient than any camera. The lens of the eye, surrounded by fluids, automatically keeps the eye in focus. It allows us to immediately see a distant object clearly when turning our glance from a book we are reading. It is the cornea, a clear, oval window in front of the eye, that bends light rays and sends them on to the lens.

The pupil is the channel through which these light rays travel. In bright light it appears small because it contracts, but it opens wider as the light dims. It is wide open in the dark and can increase its sensitivity to light some 10,000 times. In fact, human eyes exposed to darkness for a while can see almost as well as an owl.

When the lens has focused the image, it is then passed on to the retina - the inside coating of the eyeball. The remarkable retina is only as thick as a piece of paper, but has ten layers (like an onion). It contains about 150 million rod and cone cells. Most of these are rod cells, which help us see in dim light and separate shades of black and white. The cone cells help us see color and bright light. The retina has many blood vessels, but the cornea and lens have none because they must be crystal clear at all times.

The white of the eye nourishes the cornea and so has many blood vessels. It produces tears and another fluid which helps keep the eyes moist by flushing salt water over them. This is done when we blink, which we do about 30,000 times a day. Besides keeping the eyes moist, blinking helps remove foreign particles that might damage this sensitive organ.

Everything about the eye is automatic. Did you ever stop to think how wonderful it is that we can see stars trillions of miles away, and yet with no thought we can focus on a tiny object just a few inches away? When watching an exciting activity, the eye will send millions of electrical impulses instantly to the brain, which immediately takes over to put the information to use. The picture received by the eye is always upside down, but the brain turns it right side up.

It is difficult to understand how some can say that the eye developed by itself. The eye is actually one of the great masterpieces of the Lord God, the divine Creator. It is important to remember that our eyes are not just for this life, but we will see in eternity as well. Job declares, “I know that my Redeemer liveth . . . whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold” (Job 19:25,27). The Lord said, “Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me . . . may [see] My glory” (John 17:24).

These delightful promises will be enjoyed by those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. But the eyes of those who reject Him will only see Him as their Judge, rather than as their Redeemer, and they will face eternal punishment. Which group are you in?

APRIL 28, 1996

ML-04/28/1996

A Miracle - Caterpillar to Butterfly

“God that made the world and all things therein . . . giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”
Acts 17:24-25

When a butterfly looks for a place to lay its eggs, it will select a spot on or very close to a plant that the hatched caterpillar will like to eat. God has given the butterfly wisdom to know just what the little caterpillar will eat.

The little caterpillar has strong jaws and will spend its caterpillar life eating leaves, fruit or small plants. Four times in its caterpillar life its skin will become too tight, split open and drop off. A new skin will have already formed underneath to replace it.

Many caterpillars are eaten by birds, but the one that fools this enemy is the swallowtail caterpillar. When a bird comes close, it turns over on its back, and two large imitation snake eyes appear. The frightened bird flies away. Do you suppose the caterpillar learned this by practicing, or by painting the “snake eyes” on itself? No. This means of escape was provided by the Creator when this kind of caterpillar was first created and passed on by Him to all following generations.

The time comes, usually at summer’s end, for a great change in the caterpillar’s life. An instinct tells it to stop eating and prepare for cold weather. It does this by first weaving a net of silk around itself. Then it spreads a liquid all over this new oval home (called a chrysalis), which becomes hard and shiny, as though coated with shellac. These are usually golden colored, although there are other colors too, and each is camouflaged to be hidden in its surroundings. The caterpillar, now called a pupa, remains inside through the cold winter.

A miracle takes place inside this shiny chrysalis. When it finally opens in spring, a full-grown butterfly comes out, spreads its wings and flies off with an entirely new life. Its diet now will be limited to the nectar of flowers, sipping it with a long, hollow tongue. When not in use, this tongue coils up inside its mouth like a watch spring.

Most butterflies are brightly colored, including the lovely monarch. Another very pretty one is the painted lady, which makes long migrations between Africa and Iceland. In the jungles of Central and South America there are more beauties. An outstanding one is the blue morpha. Color markings of each species are always the same because God has instructed them to reproduce “after their kind,” and they never get mixed up.

The life of these interesting creatures is a reminder that God invites us to also make changes in our natural lives. We come into the world with natures that are selfish and sinful. But God has provided a way for us to be “born again” through the death of Christ on Calvary’s cross. When we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we are brought into “newness of life . . . dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:4,11). Have you made this important change in your life?

MAY 5, 1996

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 5:24

ML-05/05/1996

The Bald Eagle

“A great eagle with great wings, long-winged . . . took the highest branch of the cedar.”
Ezekiel 17:3

The golden and bald eagle are the only eagles that breed in North America. The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. Its picture appears on many papers, coins and currency. Many people consider the bald eagle to be the most beautiful and impressive of all birds. Fully grown, it stands three feet high, weighs about ten pounds, and has a wingspan of six to eight feet. A mature eagle has a dark brown body with white feathers on its head, neck and tail. Its eyes, sharp-hooked beak and legs are bright yellow.

The Creator designed this bird for its special place in His creation. It has exceptional beauty, whether sitting in a tree or circling high in the air. Its eyes (eight times keener than man’s) can spot a mouse a mile away or a fish far below. Its food is mainly fish, but it also eats mice, gophers, rabbits, snakes, birds and dead animals. Spotting its prey, it may circle down swiftly or make a direct dive at a speed of 100 miles per hour, stopping suddenly as its curved talons grab its victim.

Seeing an osprey or fish hawk flying home with a fish, an eagle may swoop down and frighten it into dropping its food. Then the eagle dives down and catches the prize for itself. Often while looking for food, it will perch on a dead tree high on a bluff, just as they did in Bible days when the Lord asked Job, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on . . . the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off” (Job 39:2729).

Eagles keep the same mate for life. Their nest, called an aerie, is usually in the top of a high tree near water. They use the same aerie every year and add new material to it, so many old aeries are as large as 20 feet deep and 9 feet across. Only one or two white eggs are laid each year and take about 40 days to hatch.

The eaglets live on food brought to them by their parents. If both eaglets are healthy, they gain strength by playing tug-of-war with sticks or having little battles. They first learn to fly by hovering over the nest, but when 11 or 12 weeks old they leave the nest. If one is afraid to fly, the mother may push it out, then swoop below and allow it to rest on her back when it gets tired. The Lord spoke of this concerning His people Israel: “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead [them]” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12).

Another Bible verse says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” (Isaiah 40:31). If the Lord Jesus Christ is your Saviour, you will find Him always able and willing to give you the strength you need for your Christian life.

MAY 12, 1996

ML-05/12/1996

Mangroves - Unloved but Useful

“Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.”
Genesis 21:33

We are not told what kind of trees Abraham planted, but how encouraging to learn of his honoring God by planting trees. However, it is certain these trees were not mangroves because they would not grow in Israel. Mangroves require the salty, sandy shore waters of the Florida Everglades, or similar places throughout the southern oceans of the world, to thrive - and thrive they do, in spite of efforts to get rid of them.

Once mangroves take root, they anchor themselves in mud and rotting vegetation with the upper parts of their roots arching up and spreading out in a great mat. These are so tightly pressed together that only small animals, birds, crabs, snakes and insects can penetrate them. The trunk and foliage is lifted 50 to 75 feet high off the ground by these matted and tangled roots. These arching roots continue to grow from the base of the tree as it grows.

Salt water will kill almost any other kind of tree. Mangroves are helped by growing where fresh water from rain and streams dilutes the salt water. Also, God gave these trees filtering systems that remove much of the salt drawn up from the water, and they grow rapidly on what comes through the filters.

Of what use is this kind of forest? It provides living quarters for many creatures. Certain crabs find this a safe homesite. Lobsters and many shellfish welcome the opportunity to hide in the mass of roots. Dropping and decaying leaves provide rich food for many sea residents, including fish, bivalves and a great variety of worms, sea slugs and insects.

Birds such as herons, spoonbills, egrets and other water-waders find an abundance of food here. Shrimp, migrating many miles to such protected spots, grow fat and healthy before returning to deep water. Crocodiles and water snakes come to these places too. As the groves spread, ponds are formed within them, providing welcome resting places for migrating birds.

Mangroves growing in great numbers also protect adjoining land from storms and hurricanes. As they spread, the land gradually builds up behind them, in contrast to many places where storms eat into the land, washing sand and soil away.

The more God’s wonderful creation is studied, the more we see that everything has its proper place in His plan. The Bible refers to a tree to tell us something wonderful: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Can this be said of you?

MAY 19, 1996

“I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.”
John 10:9

ML-05/19/1996

About Human Hair

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Matthew 10:30

This verse reminds us that God knows not only our hearts and thoughts but everything else about us too. How many hairs do you think you have on your head? You probably have about 100,000, although each of us does not have the same number. Blond people usually have more, and redheads have less.

If you could look at a strand of hair under a strong microscope, it would look like a tightly packed tiny rope covered with fish-like scales. A cross section of the hair would show two layers surrounding a central core. The outside layer is called the cuticle. The second layer, making up 85% of the thickness, is called the cortex and is made up of the cells that provide color and sheen. The inner core is called the medulla. The whole hair structure that we see is called the shaft.

This shaft starts to grow in a bulb-like growth, known as a follicle, just underneath the skin of the scalp. The bottom part of the follicle holds the papilla which contains an artery that nourishes the root of the hair.

As the shaft grows, it pushes upward. It is made up of dead cells which are forced up as new, living cells are formed in the follicle. In about ten weeks an inch of this hair appears, and in an average lifetime about 25 feet of hair will have grown. Even though it is dead, each shaft (strand) keeps its shape and luster and is helped in this by an oily lubricant secreted by the follicle.

Nutritious food helps your hair, but worry, stress and strain hurt it and may cause some hair loss. It is quite normal to lose as many as 75 to 100 hairs a day. They have served their purpose, and the follicles will send out new replacements.

Analysis of hair can show whether the body is getting the right amount of minerals, such as iron, copper, chromium, zinc, etc., which God has wisely provided in certain foods. Laboratory tests show how much of each mineral is present, although, because of the hair’s slow growth only the condition of a few months back will be revealed. Aside from this, most medical authorities question whether any disease can be determined through the hair.

Baldness and graying are the result of aging. High fever, drugs or serious illness may also cause baldness, but most bald people inherit the tendency from their parents, and there is no way to help this.

Now, how about straight or curly hair? Round strands make straight hair; oval strands become wavy hair; flat strands make kinky hair. But there are many variations of this as well.

Like all parts of the body, the hair that adorns our heads is one more wonderful work of God’s creation. Incidentally, the Bible encourages long hair for a girl or a woman, but speaks of long hair on a boy or a man as “a shame unto him” (1 Cor. 11:14-15). It’s something to think about if we want to please the Lord. A good verse to remember is, “Them that honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).

MAY 26, 1996

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7

ML-05/26/1996

Putting the Sun to Work

“The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.” Ecclesiastes 1:5

The Crocodile

Many crocodiles live in the Nile River. Their young hatch from eggs, and the egg laying and hatching is quite interesting.

Before laying her eggs, the female finds ground that is exposed to the hot sun. After digging a hole about a foot deep, she lays her eggs in it. Then she covers them with dirt and presses it down firmly. Until the eggs hatch, the mother crocodile stays nearby, guarding them. She will attack anything that tries to dig them up.

Nearly three months after the eggs have been laid, her waiting time is over. She seems to know that the babies are starting to break out of their shells. But unless they get help, they will not be able to get out of the deep nest, because the sun-baked soil has become hard as rock. The mother crocodile comes to the rescue. With her strong claws she rips the nest open and frees the baby crocodiles. She picks them up very gently in her jaws, holding 20 or more at once, and carries them to the river or a pool where she releases them. After a few lessons in the water, they soon learn to care for themselves.

The Mallee Fowl

This large bird makes its home in Australia. Its method of hatching its young is quite similar to that of the Nile crocodile. Rather than making a nest as most birds do, the female digs a pit in the ground. She partially fills it with leaves, lays her eggs on them and finally covers it all with dirt. From then on she turns the care of the nest over to her mate.

The decaying leaves and the hot sun heating the soil provide just the right temperature for incubation. While waiting for the chicks to hatch, the male bird takes very good care of the eggs. From time to time he scrapes away the soil to check on them. If it doesn’t seem to be just right, he will sometimes clean everything out and make the nest all over again. Since his mate lays eggs several times a year in separate nests, the male spends much of his life baby-sitting eggs.

How did the crocodile learn that the heat of the sun will cause her eggs to hatch underground? How does she have patience to wait so long for this to happen? Who taught her how to carry the babies to water?

How did the Mallee fowl discover such a strange way to hatch her eggs, and who told the male how to take care of the nests?

Such instructions could only have come from the One who created them. And He didn’t leave them to discover these things over centuries of time, but instructed them the very day He created them.

Do you know the Scriptures have something to tell us in regard to instructions? The Lord says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8). The way of happiness is to follow His instructions and guidance.

JUNE 2, 1996

“The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10

ML-06/02/1996

Janitor Ants and Their Guards

“Blessed be the Lord my strength . . . my shield, and He in whom I trust.”
Psalm 144:1-2

There are thousands of kinds of ants throughout the world. Some are so small they can hardly be seen, and others are one-half inch long or longer. There is something interesting about each kind and the way the Lord God, their Creator, takes care of them.

Janitor ants have very clean habits and make strong, comfortable nests. Some ants in their colonies are larger and stronger than others and act as guards. They keep intruders from entering the nest. They are ready to die, if necessary, to protect the colony.

These guards do not go out on the warpath like army ants, but are soldiers ready to serve in a very unusual way. When making a nest, the entrances are carved by the busy little workers into just the shape and size of a guard ant’s head. Once the nest is occupied, the guard takes up his position as a moveable door for this entrance. He stands with the front part of his head plugging the hole, and the rest of his head and body in the nest. His eyes are exposed so he can see everything that approaches. Actually, his head looks so much like the nest that it would be difficult for an enemy to find any of the entrances. Even if it did and tried to enter, it would have a fierce guard to fight off.

Of course, the colony ants have to work outside during the daytime. When they return they give the guard the “secret password” by brushing antennae together. The guard backs away and lets them in and then immediately returns to his post.

There is more than one species of ant that uses this same method of protection. In the nests of some others, the guard does not back out of the entrance to let friends in. Instead, he crouches down and lets them crawl over the top of his head. Sometimes when an ant is too big to come in that way, the guard comes out of the nest headfirst, lets the ant through, then backs up into its position again.

Our beginning Bible verse tells us of King David’s complete trust in the Lord as his shield against his enemies. How wise it is to follow the advice of the Bible when it instructs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

The janitor ants seem quite safe and secure with faithful guards protecting them. However, there are times when they cannot keep the colony from danger in spite of their best efforts. But for every boy and girl there is sure safety in God’s promise: “Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25). The Lord Jesus confirmed this in His own words to those who love Him: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Are you trusting in Him for all things?

JUNE 9, 1996

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Acts 16:31

ML-06/09/1996

The Vain Lyre Bird

“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 strings stretched between them. When explorers in Australia first caught sight of a pheasant- sized bird with feathers spread out just like the lyre, they promptly named it the lyre bird.

Actually, only the male bird has the beautiful feathers, and he displays them only in winter and spring. He moves around in the forest busily scratching for worms, snails, etc., with large, powerful feet and curved claws given to him by the Creator. 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 it will not be damaged by the brush.

The music of the lyre instrument is lovely, but we cannot say the same for the lyre bird, except when it imitates another bird’s pleasant song. It is a great imitator, not only of other birds, but 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 this way.

During winter the lyre bird looks for a mate. He sings loudly 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 16 beautiful tail feathers. He raises them in lyre-like shape, 30 inches high, waving and bending them forward over his head. They look like a delicate, beautiful fan - a lovely sight to see.

On the mound he does a lively dance which may last an hour or more. Other birds and animals sometimes stand to watch him. If a female lyre bird 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, going back to his mounds to look for another female, while she hatches out the lone chick. This continues well into spring.

In spite of his beauty, the male lyre bird is really a vain 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?

JUNE 16, 1996

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”
Titus 3:5

ML-06/16/1996

The Spine — An Engineering Marvel

“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over . . . all the earth.”
Genesis 1:26

“In Our image” and “after Our likeness” does not mean man looks like God, but he is the representative of God on earth. He has an everlasting soul and intellect and authority over all earthly creation. Man in this honored place is set apart from other creatures by his upright body - something no other earthly creature ever had or will have.

It is the spine (backbone) that gives man his upright body. It is a remarkable column of vertebrae which provides a flexible, strong support for the body. If it were one solid bone, a person would be as rigid as a toy soldier. This is why God provided 36 separate vertebrae, reaching from the base of the skull to the hips. The spine is also formed in curves to act as a shock absorber and to provide maximum strength. Cervical vertebrae support the head; thoracic (chest) vertebrae have the 12 pairs of ribs attached to them; and lumbar vertebrae near the base of the spine carry most of the load.

The vertebrae are held together by discs (or pads) which look something like washers on a garden hose. The top and bottom surfaces of these are cemented to the bones above and below them. Their centers are filled with jelly-like material, allowing the spine to move this way or that and yet retain proper form. The edges of the disc are made of tough layers of strong elastic gristle to keep the “jelly” from leaking out.

The whole column of the spine is hollow, to allow space for the one-half-inch thick spinal cord. This cord connects 31 pairs of nerves from the brain to various parts of the body, carrying nerve impulses (messages) back and forth. Many things that go on in our bodies between our necks and the soles of our feet are controlled by the brain, through the nerves coming down the spinal column. The skull (at the top of the spine) has an opening for the spinal cord and is placed so that it does not interfere with man’s erect posture. This is different in an ape, whose cord passes through an opening that forces its head forward and overbalances it. Because of this, an ape cannot stand erect (except very briefly) and must go on all fours or use its arms for support. This is another evidence that man and the ape are not related.

The Bible tells us, “Now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (1 Corinthians 12:18). The design and actions of every part of the body are marvelous to study. How wisely the Creator arranged all parts to have their individual functions, yet to be dependent on one another. The backbone is just one example of this design.

No wonder David could exclaim, “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works” (Psalm 139:14). Then he added, “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17). Have you ever thanked Him for His thoughts toward you?

JUNE 23, 1996

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:34

ML-06/23/1996

Little Joey and Big Boomer

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
John 1:3

In Australia kangaroos are a familiar sight. Sometimes they are a pest because they eat grass needed by the many flocks of sheep, and they also trespass into people’s gardens. Even traffic signs warn drivers about kangaroos on the roads.

These animals have small heads and rather large ears, but what is most noticeable is their hind legs and feet. Their front legs and feet (used more like arms and hands) are about half the size of their hind legs and feet, which on some species are three feet long. They also have large tails which give them support when grazing or leaping. Both their tails and the strong claws on their hind feet can be used as powerful weapons when needed.

The great gray and the great red kangaroos are the largest. Before man came to Australia, great numbers of them covered the plains, but shepherds have killed many of them. These big fellows, about 7 feet high, weigh 200 pounds or more and travel in 15-foot leaps. They have no trouble clearing tall bushes and even 9-foot-high fences.

A small kangaroo is called a joey. It is born undeveloped and is only about an inch long. It is amazing that it survives, but God provided protection for these little ones when He created kangaroos. The mother has a pouch shaped like a pocket, close to the ground, where the baby is sheltered from anything that might harm it. Within three minutes after a joey is born, it crawls into this pouch. It could not live any longer than that if it were not for this safe hideout. How remarkable that God gave it this instinct to search for a hiding place so promptly.

When a joey is safely in the pouch, he quickly finds his mother’s milk. Because he is not strong enough as yet to suck, the mother pumps milk into his tiny mouth. This continues for about four months; meanwhile the mother goes about her activities as usual. Soon fuzzy fur begins to appear on the joey. Still he remains in his safe hideout. When he weighs about ten pounds he will begin to venture outside his mother’s pouch. But he is more than a year old before his diet changes from milk to grass. Then he is no longer a joey but is known as a boomer, or sometimes called a roo.

God not only created these unusual animals, but He takes care of them too. Psalm 145:16 says, “Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” We are also told in Acts 17:28 that “in Him we [all] live, and move, and have our being.”

Animals are not able to thank God, but we are. We should not only thank Him for His care over us, but we should also acknowledge His love and accept His gift, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through His work on the cross that we can be saved from the punishment of our sins and have everlasting life. Have you accepted Him as your Saviour and thanked Him for dying for you?

JUNE 30, 1996

“Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Proverbs 29:25

ML-06/30/1996

Poison With Three Leaves

“The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
James 3:8

Poison ivy is the common name for several kinds of harmful vines or shrubs. It grows plentifully throughout the United States and southern Canada. The plants are a problem to people only and don’t bother dogs, cats, horses and wild animals. However, the poison can brush off onto the fur of these animals and is passed on to anyone who pets them.

The strong poison in these plants is an oil that comes out through the leaves, stems and even the roots. Even in winter a person rubbing against a bare branch may pick up the oil and in a few days have the painful, itching blisters that last several weeks. Even dead plants can be poisonous. Also, a wind blowing across the leaves can carry tiny droplets of the oil to a person’s skin, as can smoke from burning plants. If the oil is not washed off, after several hours it penetrates the skin, and in a day or so the itching blisters begin to appear.

These plants are not always easy to see as they straggle along the ground or twine up tree trunks or telephone poles. But some form upright bushes if there is nothing to climb on. In the southern states and on the Pacific Coast, these bushy forms are usually known as poison oak. Both kinds have leaves made up of three leaflets on a stem. The leaves are shiny green, turning to beautiful red and orange in the fall. People who enjoy collecting colored leaves in the fall sometimes pick poison ivy leaves and don’t realize their mistake until the itchy rash breaks out. In late summer clusters of yellowish-white, waxy-looking berries form on the main stems. These are also poisonous.

These hazardous plants, with their pretty three-leaf clusters, remind us of what the Bible says. In addition to the poison of an unruly tongue mentioned in the opening verse, there are three other harmful things that Satan often uses to tempt us. These are “the lust of the flesh [using our bodies in a bad way], and the lust of the eyes [looking at and wanting things not pleasing to the Lord], and the pride of life [thinking we are better than others and wanting to be admired]” (1 John 2:16).

How much better to say “NO” to Satan when tempted by any of these sinful things and ask the Lord’s help to do only what pleases Him.

JULY 7, 1996

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15

ML-06/07/1996

The Barbary Ape

“The eyes of all wait upon Thee. . . . Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”
Psalm 145:15-16

It’s 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 behavior 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 on their tails. But this ape has no fear of them. When a scorpion is spotted, it is quickly pounced on in just the right way. Then the tail with its poisonous stinger is twisted off, and the ape has a scorpion dinner. How long do you think it took them 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.

JULY 14, 1996

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”
John 10:11

ML-06/14/1996

Is It a Frog or a Toad?: Part 1

“Or ever the earth was. . . . My delights were with the sons of men.”
Proverbs 8:23,31

From these Bible verses we know that the Creator, God Himself, loved the people of earth even before He created the world. This delight and joy also included having us share His happiness in His created things. This includes learning about the many varieties of toads and frogs that He has placed in the world.

In response to the title question, “Is it a frog or a toad?” the term “frog” is used many times to describe what actually is a toad. Because they are both amphibians, there are similarities, but there are many differences. For instance, toads have no teeth, but most frogs do. Toads have hind feet which are only partially webbed, while frogs’ feet are fully webbed. Only toads have warty skin, and this skin has a poisonous liquid, mainly in bumps just behind the eyes. This poison irritates and sometimes kills enemies, although it is harmless to humans.

The eyes of toads are interesting, and many people think they are quite pretty. Each variety has its own colors and jewel-like design. Like frogs, toads seldom blink their eyes.

Both toads and frogs have excellent patience. They sit perfectly still for long periods of time, waiting for something they eat to come swimming, crawling or flying by. Then, a quick flick of their long tongues captures dinner.

Most frogs and toads make their homes in warm climates. However, one that likes the cold is the boreal toad, a resident of British Columbia and Alaska. The Hudson Bay toad also prefers the northern climate. It is heavily warted and is easily identified by a white stripe down the center of its green back.

One of the most interesting is the suriname species of South America. It is so flat it looks like it was stepped on. It never leaves the water and eats small fish, insects and worms. When the female lays eggs, the male places them, one by one, in pockets on her back. Her skin quickly closes over them, providing a separate incubator for each egg. After several weeks the little toads come out fully developed and do not have to go through the tadpole stage like most other toads and frogs.

There is also a six-inch-long, four-inch-wide American toad with the name giant, but it is actually only about half the size of its cousin, the well-known American bullfrog.

Like each of us, toads and frogs are always under the watchful eye of our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us, “Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:910). Have you ever thanked Him for watching over you?

(to be continued)

JULY 21, 1996

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10

ML-06/21/1996

Is It a Frog or a Toad?: Part 2

“For He [God] looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven.”
Job 28:24

Yes, even toads and frogs are included in the above verse, as is every creature God has made. In the last issue we looked at the unusual ways of some toads in various parts of the world. Let’s look at a few more.

Among the smallest is Rose’s toad of South Africa which is only about an inch long. Another small one is the two-inch spadefoot. It has a sharp spade (shovel) on the inside of each hind foot, something like the toenail on your big toe. It uses these to dig underground to escape desert hot spells and then remains there until the rainy season. The spadefoot is sometimes called a frog, but it is more correctly a toad.

Both the Fowler’s toad and the oak toad look twice their actual size when they blow balloons from their mouths to increase the volume of their croaking. Some others make similar balloons by swelling out their throats to increase the volume.

The yellow natterjack of England is also interesting. It has dark-brown warts and looks almost like a tiny bulldog. It doesn’t hop, but runs over the ground. Another is the pale-green South American granular toad. It looks peculiar because it is covered with sharp-looking points that scare away attackers; however, the points are actually just soft warts.

One species which does not have the normal drab colors of toads is the olive-green Colorado River toad. It lives in the deserts of the United States and Mexico and is the most poisonous of all toads. It has glands in its legs containing poison which, when rubbed into the skin of a small animal, brings painful death. This is good protection for this species and it is seldom attacked.

Another even more colorful species is the golden toad. Their colors range from a bright red to a brilliant orange. These live in groups of a thousand or more and make beautiful displays of bright color among the trees and forests of Costa Rica. They do not have to use loud croaks to keep in touch with each other; their bright colors serve that purpose.

It would take a lot more space to write about all the known varieties of toads, but this look at a few should cause us to appreciate a little more the Creator’s marvelous works. The Bible’s reminder that “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13) also includes each of us. It is solemn to realize the time is coming when we all must give account of ourselves to God, who has been watching and caring for us. (See Romans 14:11-12.) Are you prepared for that time?

JULY 28, 1996

ML-06/28/1996

The Twinkling Firefly

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

The firefly is a beetle that is fascinating to all of us. Seeing their little lights flashing on for a second or two, like a spark of fire on warm summer evenings, is an interesting experience. They are also sometimes called lightning bugs or lightning beetles. In some tropical areas there are large firefly species, and natives keep them in bottles to use for light.

Scientists would like to duplicate this kind of heatless light, because it is much more efficient than electricity. They know how the light is produced, but the chemical reactions, one set to turn on the light and another to turn off the light, are so complex that man has not been able to use them. We should not be surprised at this, because it is a very special reaction created for these insects by God their Creator.

The firefly begins life in the ground; even its eggs have a glow to them. Before it is ready to fly, it develops into a glowworm. You may have seen these shining as they crawl around looking for food.

There is another illuminated insect found in some caves in New Zealand. This little fly, while still a maggot, gathers in groups of several thousand on the ceilings of caves and glows in the darkness. It first attaches itself to the roof of the cave. Then a two-foot-long string drops from its mouth with small, sticky balls on it. It waits in the darkness with its taillight glowing, until it feels a victim struggling to get loose from one of the sticky balls. Pulling it up, it eats the victim along with the string. Then it lets down a new string.

There are over 500,000 species of insects throughout the world, and God has made each one different. This variety of creation speaks of His handiwork and never-tiring care over them. All these little creatures, as we see them today, are exactly the same as they were the day they were created thousands of years ago. God designed each one to reproduce after its kind. Furthermore, they always obey His laws without question, and by doing so every need is provided for.

We are reminded by these lighted creatures that the Lord Jesus was announced as the true Light of the world. God has given His people a special kind of light which He wants displayed too. His Word, the Bible, says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

But the only true light shining from us is that which comes from God. King David referred to this in Psalm 18:28, “For Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” It is only when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour by faith that He brings us “out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Then we can please Him in our activities and shine out for Him.

AUGUST 4, 1996

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Proverbs 15:3

ML-08/04/1996

The Strange Kiwi

“But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him. . . . All flesh is not the same flesh.”
1 Corinthians 15:38-39

A strange bird called the kiwi is found only in New Zealand. Since it hides in its burrow until late evening or night, many people living there have never seen one. Its name comes from its call, “kee wee,” that is only heard as it moves about in the darkness.

This is the smallest of all birds that cannot fly, while the ostrich is the largest. Although it is a true bird, it looks something like an animal without a tail and even has catlike whiskers. It is about the size of a chicken and is covered with pretty, soft, gray and brown feathers. It has strong legs and feet and can run rapidly through the undergrowth. It moves silently except for a little hissing noise it makes when hunting or its occasional piercing “kee wee, kee wee” cry.

The Creator did not forget to give the kiwi the ability to fly. Instead, as mentioned in the opening verse, He took pleasure in forming it just the way it is and gave it special ability to live on the ground. Since worms and underground insects are its main food, it has been given an unusually long, strong bill to dig with. It hunts mostly in moist or swampy ground where the digging is easiest. Every other bird has nostrils at the base of its bill, but the kiwi’s nostrils are out on the end of its bill. What do you think is the reason for this? Those who have studied this bird believe it smells the food it is searching for through these openings on its bill. Its small eyes do not see much in the dark, but its keen sense of smell enables it to find all its food, including snails, berries and certain other vegetation.

If the kiwi were capable of thinking and talking, it would tell us, “No, God did not leave out any necessary thing. He has given me all I need to thrive and prosper.” And it does prosper. Burrowing under the roots of a tree, a pair builds a nest and lines it with leaves and grass. The female usually lays just one very large, white egg, which weighs one-fourth as much as the kiwi itself! The kiwi’s egg is the largest in proportion to its size of any bird on earth.

After the female lays her egg, the male incubates it. For over two months he stays on the nest, only eating and drinking on quick trips outside, while waiting for the chick to hatch. The hatched chick is covered with soft, dark fuzz called “down.” After only a few days the chick wanders off to make its own way, and the parents seem to forget about it.

God watches over these strange birds, just as He does over all His creatures. We are also part of His wonderful creation, but unlike the birds and animals, we have a responsibility to Him as to what we do with our lives. He gives us good instructions. Here are several: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Are you doing these things?

AUGUST 11, 1996

“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

ML-08/11/1996

The Cells That Make Up Your Body

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 2:7

When God brought forth man on the earth, there was a great difference between man and all other creatures. Intellectually and spiritually man was made higher than all other earthly creatures, and man had a responsibility to perform as the image (or representative) of God.

The human body is the most marvelous structure in all of God’s creation, and the cell is its vital living unit. The human body contains about 50 trillion cells! Also, every living thing, including trees and vegetation, is made up of cells. Most cells can be seen only through a microscope, yet each is separate and distinct. The membrane around each cell is so thin that it would take 2,500,000 to measure one inch. Yet it is still quite capable of not only keeping its cell separate from all others, but it determines what substances will pass back and forth through it.

Each cell is dependent on every other cell, and an amazing organization controls them all. This is of utmost importance, for life depends upon all cells working smoothly together. God has wisely provided a nervous system that takes care of this. Every cell is a specialist in its own field - bone, skin, muscle, liver, hair, etc. - and a cell made for its particular function is not able to do the work of another kind of cell.

Just think what you are made of! A single protein molecule (part of each cell) contains thousands and sometimes millions of atoms, all arranged in precise order. Remember that this is just one of thousands of molecules in one cell, and then add to that the innumerable atoms that make up the body and all its parts. Your mind could not grasp the total number, for there are just so many of them! No wonder the psalmist could say, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works” (Psalm 139:14).

If God has taken all this interest and minute detail in making man, it is certain that He must be vitally interested in how each human life is used. Furthermore, He has given man a never-dying soul and completely provided the way, through faith in Christ, whereby eternity may be enjoyed in the wonders of heaven. Have you, by faith in Him, found the joy of the “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) assured to every person who believes? “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

AUGUST 18, 1996

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13

ML-08/18/1996

The Papermaking Wasp

“How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
Romans 11:33

In the sunny days of early spring, the queen papermaking wasp comes out of hibernation to build a paper nest. She usually attaches it under the eaves of a house or other building. This wasp is equipped with strong jaws which she uses to chew old wood into a soft pulp. This pulp, mixed with the juices in her mouth, produces a product much like the paper used to make newspaper. She constructs the nest with this material.

Before making the part of the nest that is lived in, the queen cements a stem of the same material onto the underside of the eaves. Then she begins building the nest, starting from the underside of the stem. She forms cells into rings that grow wider and wider, until the nest is completed. Some nests are up to six inches wide. As each six-sided cell is added, an egg is laid inside and cemented in place. The queen also deposits a little ball of nectar inside each cell. It is attached next to the egg to provide food for the larva after it hatches.

The wasp continues her work day after day, making paper for the cells and laying her eggs in the cells. After the larva hatches from the egg, it remains attached to the side of the cell by its tail because it is not ready to fly. By the time the larva finishes the ball of nectar, it is ready for bigger things to eat. The queen and her workers then chew up cabbage worms and other insects and feed this to the larva. Thus large numbers of harmful insects are destroyed by these helpful wasps. In addition to food, water is brought to the larva by the worker wasps. In hot weather the workers also cool the nest by fanning with their wings and sometimes spraying it with water from their mouths.

Soon the larva is big enough to fill the cell. It then spins a cap over the opening of its cell, forming a cocoon. Later it breaks through this and comes out as a fully developed wasp.

We may wonder at the abilities of these little creatures. Who taught them to manufacture “paper” and form it into nests? How does the queen know how to cement the eggs and nectar into place? And how does she know when to put aside her nest-building and get food for her little ones? How do the larvae know how to spin their cocoons and cover the cells while going through the final process of becoming mature wasps?

Their ability to do these things did not come from experiments or a gradual development. It came from God, the Creator of all things, who “giveth to all life, and breath.” Yes, His ways are “past finding out.” How wonderful to know Him not only as the Creator, but, more importantly, to know Him as your very own Lord and Saviour.

AUGUST 25, 1996

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
Hebrews 9:27-28

ML-08/25/1996

The Sea Horse

“Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. . . . Declare His glory among the heathen; His marvelous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.”
1 Chronicles 16:23-25

The oceans contain strange creatures, many of them frightening, strange and unusual. The sea horse is one of these. It is a fish that doesn’t look or act like a fish. It is quite common along the coasts of North and South America, as well as in Hawaii, Tahiti and others of the South Sea Islands. Among the 40 species there are some as long as two feet, but the more common are only about three inches long. Most are dark gray or black, but some are a pretty pink, red, yellow, blue or white. All are able to change their color to that of their surroundings if they wish.

The sea horse is well named since its head and the top of its body look surprisingly like a miniature horse. Instead of scales it is covered with rough, bony plates. Its curved tail enables it to anchor onto sea grass or, hooked to another sea horse, to have a playful tug-of-war contest. Each eye pivots separately, and it can look toward the surface with one eye while searching underwater with the other.

The sea horse is always upright -head up and tail down. In this position it keeps itself balanced and moves by means of a fan-like fin on its back. This fin looks similar to the small propeller that whirls on the tail of a helicopter and enables it to swim forward, backward, up or down.

Another unusual feature about this ocean resident is the manner in which its babies are born. When the female is about to lay her eggs, she swims to her male companion and they engage in a lively dance, gracefully circling around each other. Then she transfers about 300 eggs into a pouch on his body. He incubates these for a month or more, until they hatch. Then, held in bubbles containing 50 to 100 eggs each, he releases them out into the water. As the bubbles burst, the tiny, transparent, comma-size babies separate, and each one begins a life on its own.

God has been pleased to make the sea horse very different from its neighbors, not only in appearance, but also in its peaceful habits. It has no enemies because its hard, bony plates make it unappetizing no matter how hungry they are. Its own diet is limited to tiny particles of food passing through the water. It does not attack other small fish.

The wonderful works of the Lord surely deserve the highest praise, as quoted in our opening verse, and should encourage every boy and girl to seek Him. The psalmist said: “The Lord is [near] unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). If you have not done this yet, call on Him today. He will hear and answer you.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1996

“These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.”
John 20:31

ML-09/01/1996

The Mischievous Raccoon

“God Himself . . . formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.”
Isaiah 45:18

The sun has set, and in the fading light a family of raccoons, parents and four kits, comes cautiously out of the woods. Their masked faces make them look like little burglars, which they often are. Tonight they head for a tree loaded with ripe plums. The kits remain on the ground while the parents climb up and start shaking branches, causing a shower of plums to fall. While the kits are eating them, the parents continue shaking branches until the ground is covered with fruit. Then they climb down and join the dinner.

This fruit dinner is a real treat. They eat mostly frogs, crayfish, turtle eggs and clams taken out of shallow waters. Birds’ eggs are also a favorite. They will run off from a chicken coop with an egg in their teeth without breaking it until they reach safety. Sweet corn is another special treat. Many cornfields have been ruined by their stripping ears from the stalks.

Although they weigh only about 25 pounds, dogs are often surprised at raccoons’ fighting ability. They do not hesitate to attack a dog two or three times their own size. When being chased by a dog, they are clever at escaping. They will wade in water, run along fence tops, climb trees, backtrack and leap down a hillside, all to break the scent trail the dog is following. Occasionally a raccoon may let a dog chase it into a lake; then it will grab the dog by its neck and force its head under water until it drowns.

In spite of its sometimes nasty nature, a raccoon is a pretty animal. It has a fox-like face with a black mask around jet-black eyes, erect ears, a black, button nose with whiskers, and a bushy, ringed tail. It is also very smart and soon discovers how to open latches on chicken coops, pry up garbage can lids, unscrew bottle caps, and even open refrigerators if given the chance.

This animal is another of the wonders of God’s creation. He has given it many life-sustaining instincts and also an intelligence which allows it to learn things necessary for its survival. It is found both in the woods of the United States and Canada, and in the deserts of Mexico and South America. Its life reminds us of the verse in the Bible: “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. . . . The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their [food] in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:9,15-16).

We think of these provisions of the Creator in connection with every creature, but it is also good to remember this prayer that should be in the heart of every boy and girl: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. . . . O satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:12,14).

SEPTEMBER 8, 1996

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
1 Timothy 1:15

ML-09/08/1996

The Crocodile's Friend

“Thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.”
Psalm 36:6

We are all familiar with the vicious-looking jaws and teeth of the crocodile, which are able to rip apart the flesh of almost any animal. But while these teeth are very strong and sharp, they sometimes become infested with leeches and other parasites. However, God, in His wonderful creation, has provided an unusual way to remove these from the crocodile’s teeth.

At times a crocodile will crawl onto a bank of the Nile River and lie with its jaws wide open, sometimes going to sleep in that position. Soon a little African bird, the spurwing plover (sometimes called the crocodile bird), comes along and sees the open mouth as an invitation to dinner. It will fly down and enter right into those terrible-looking jaws! It hops around the inside of the crocodile’s mouth, eating all the parasites.

What an amazing thing this is! The crocodile usually snaps its jaws closed on anything that touches them - except when it is the crocodile bird. Somehow it knows that this bird is its friend, and it will not harm the bird.

This bird helps the crocodile in other ways too. It feeds on insects living on the crocodile’s body. Flies also are always bothering these big creatures. The flies attack their eyes and sometimes cause sores to develop. This little bird goes after those flies too.

It is doubtful that either the bird or the crocodile behave this way because of any real friendship, but rather because there are benefits gained by both of them. Yet we cannot help but wonder at this unusual partnership. It is another example of how the Creator God watches over all creation.

How does this little bird know it will not be crushed in the jaws of the big reptile? What keeps the crocodile from snapping its jaws shut when the bird is inside? The answer is that this partnership was arranged by God, whose interest is not only in creating, but also in taking care of all His creatures.

While the crocodile does not harm the little plover, it will quickly attack anything else. The crocodile’s habits remind us of an enemy whose evil ways would trap us. The Bible warns 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). This enemy wants to keep our thoughts away from God, knowing that this will lead to sorrow and judgment. Our protection, through faith, is in the Saviour who “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Hebrews 7:25). Do you have the Saviour’s protection?

SEPTEMBER 15, 1996

“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:17

ML-09/15/1996

The Tidelands

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

As we travel along a coastal highway, the changing views of ocean, woods and meadows can be very pleasant. But occasionally the road may pass a swamp or backwater bay which, when the tide is out, is so muddy and unattractive that we may pass by it with hardly a glance. Do you wonder why God made such places in His otherwise beautiful creation?

He made no mistake in any of His creation, so you may be sure that these areas, which are called tidelands, form an important part of His “balance of nature.” Most of these areas are covered permanently, or at least part of the time, with a shallow mixture of salt water from the ocean and fresh water from a stream or river. For birds, fish, small animals and many insects this is a real paradise, and many of them could not live anywhere else.

Let’s take a closer look at a tideland. At first it appears unattractive with a few birds here and there being the only visible life. But there is quite a bit more to it than that. First are low bushes, reeds, cattails, sea grass, clumps of flowers and other vegetation, many kinds of birds and numerous other forms of wildlife that enjoy the privacy of all this greenery. We can see that over long periods of time this vegetation has dropped blossoms, leaves and stalks, producing a soggy mat over the area. This, added to organic material floating in from the sea or washed down from the land, has made a very rich “soup” for the lives of numerous creatures.

Here is a wonderful home for all kinds of creeping, flying and hopping insects, many amphibians, as well as small animals—mice, muskrats, rabbits and others. The tidelands also provide a rest stop for migrating birds which arrive in great numbers to eat, rest and regain their strength before continuing their travels.

In this wetland numerous kinds of shellfish thrive, enjoying the rich food as the water flows over them. Many fish also swim in with the tide and feed on the “soup.” Before departing on the outgoing tide, some will lay eggs in selected spots. The more we investigate, the more life we find. We know, too, that much invisible food for the water-dwellers is there as well.

Don’t you think that our stop at the tidelands has been worthwhile? Through this inspection we realize a little more how the Lord God so carefully and wisely supplies for every need of the creatures He has brought into the world. But none of them are able to think about the One who takes care of them. Neither can they thank Him for this kindness. We do not expect them to know that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

But every boy and girl and every man and woman who is able to understand how He has provided for us should be ready to “give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever” (Psalm 106:1). Do you remember to thank Him every day?

SEPTEMBER 22, 1996

“The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

1 John 4:14

ML-09/22/1996

Travelers of the Bird World

“I know all the fowls of the mountains . . . the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”
Psalm 50:11-12

Billions of birds migrate north each spring and south in the autumn. Large birds, small birds and those in between make up these numbers. Many fly in great flocks, and some make the journey alone.

Included among the great companies are the tiny Tennessee warblers, which weigh only about one-half ounce. They travel 3000 miles overland every fall from Canada and the northern United States to Central and South America and then return in the spring. The wood warbler and the blackpoll follow much the same pattern, some making an 86-hour nonstop trip over water to and from South America.

However, the greatest traveler of all is the Arctic tern. Every year it makes a flight from the top to the bottom of the world and back - a total distance of over 22,000 miles!

This pretty tern is about the size of a sea gull. It has a forked tail and is completely white, except for a black cap and orange beak, legs and feet. It nests farther north than any other bird, often within 450 miles of the North Pole. There it raises its young during the spring and summer months.

In August or September the terns take off on their great trip. Most of them go to the extreme southern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and on to the Antarctic Circle. Sometimes there are millions of them in these flights. Those nesting in Labrador and Greenland always fly across the Atlantic to Europe. From there, as though there were markers showing the way, they turn south to the west coast of Africa. At the foot of Africa they turn again, flying southeast to the Antarctic region. How do they know where to turn each time?

Those nesting in Alaska and Siberia go south along the Pacific Coast to Chile and Argentina. Some stay there while others continue south to the Antarctic to winter on the ice pack. Of course, our winter months are actually summer months in that part of the globe, because the seasons are reversed south of the Equator. The birds remain there until April when they return north.

The tern is mainly a fish-eater, but will include bugs and other insects. While migrating over the ocean, it will drop to the surface from time to time, catch a fish in its specially designed bill, and continue on its way without stopping.

Surely these truly miraculous trips of the Arctic tern impress us as one of the wonders of God’s creation. Over the centuries it has remained obedient to the instructions the Creator God has given it. And He wants us to obey His Word too. He warns: “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. . . . Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about” (Psalm 32:910). If we have accepted Him as our Saviour, our real happiness will be in obeying Him.

SEPTEMBER 29, 1996

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
John 3:36

ML-09/29/1996

The Well-Protected Armadillo

“But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them.”
Psalm 5:11

In God’s creation no two creatures are ever exactly alike, and they all follow the original pattern God gave them. Each species has been provided with distinctive features best suited for its manner of life. The armadillo is an outstanding example because it is so different from all other animals. Its name comes from a South American Indian word meaning “armor.” This armor covers the armadillo from the tip of its pointed snout to the end of its long tail, including its short legs and feet. Flexible and tough, this armor crosses the back of the armadillo in bands connected by bony rings. The parts over its shoulders and head, lower back and tail, are separate pieces. Though it looks like it is ready for battle, it is actually a peaceful animal.

The underpart of its body is not shielded, but has a thick, tough skin. This all-over protection is not only helpful against attacks by large animals, but enables it to travel through thorny, sharp undergrowth without harm. It has been given other means of defense too. Where the soil is soft it escapes by burrowing rapidly with its long claws. Once it is underground, it is almost impossible to pull out. Some varieties can roll into a tight ball so they are completely protected by their armor.

Although they have only very small teeth at the back of their mouths, like their relative the anteater, they have long, sticky tongues which they use to catch great quantities of ants, termites, beetles and other insects. The fangs of snakes cannot pierce their armor, so all reptiles fear them since the armadillo can kill them by pressing its armor’s sharp edges into them. Besides killing and eating snakes, they eat spiders, earthworms and land snails, but their main food is what we call destructive insects, including fire ants. So they are a real help to farmers.

It is interesting to watch them cross a stream. Since they are able to hold their breath for as long as five or six minutes, they walk along the bottom of the stream to reach the other side. The weight of their armor keeps them from floating away. But if they decide to swim across, they first swallow lots of air, which keeps them on the surface while they paddle along.

Females of the nine-banded species almost always bear quadruplets (four), and they are either all males or all females - never mixed. Their armor is soft when they are born, but it soon toughens and hardens as they get older.

We can see that the Creator was very careful in providing the armadillo with such protection, but did you know that God offers you armor too? In Romans 13:12 it is called “the armor of light,” and in Ephesians 6:1117 we learn that faith in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour provides armor to protect us from any attack of our wicked enemy, Satan. In this scripture it is referred to as “the whole armor of God,” and everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus as Saviour is invited to put it on.

Are you wearing this shelter and protection?

OCTOBER 6, 1996

“Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:18-19

ML-10/06/1996

About Your Liver: Part 1

“Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?” Job 38:36

In earlier issues we have studied various parts of our bodies and how God has made all of them work together in such special ways. The liver is one of the most important parts of the body. It is certainly the most complex organ of all and is the largest internal organ. Since we cannot live without it, isn’t it strange that we rarely think about it unless some trouble develops?

The liver is the body’s master laboratory. It filters out impurities and waste material from the blood, manufactures organic compounds, and stores and releases nutrients required by the blood. Its work is carried on by millions of cells and enzymes, each a marvel in itself. It supplies the all-important amino acids which, among other things, control the balance of salt and water needed for the bloodstream.

A main job of the liver is to regulate the blood so it will be neither too thin nor too thick. Research scientists continue to study this amazing process. But we know that it is one of the wise provisions of the Lord God, the Creator, who has made every part of the body work together with every other part.

When we cut our skin, blood immediately appears. This flow of blood not only helps clean any dirt and harmful bacteria from the wound, but it soon thickens and forms a clot which becomes a protective scab, permitting the injured part to heal underneath. The liver is responsible for supplying the chemicals in the blood to make this happen. Yet, it is the same liver that keeps the blood from clotting inside the veins and blood vessels where clotting would be very dangerous and perhaps fatal.

When food reaches the stomach, the liver receives a signal and stands by to add vitamins, chemicals and minerals to the bloodstream. It sends its own signal to the gallbladder, instructing it to release bile to aid in the final digestion of this food. For fatty foods the gallbladder automatically sends an extra supply of bile, since fat is harder to digest.

The liver performs without any instructions that we have to control, which is good, because it senses needs that we are not even aware of. These instructions were implanted when God created man, and our livers have followed them faithfully ever since.

How good it would be if man would hear and follow God’s instructions just as faithfully. “He that hath My commandments [teachings], and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

Next week we will consider more of the remarkable functions of the liver - this important part of the body.

OCTOBER 13, 1996

ML-10/13/1996

About Your Liver: Part 2

“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.”
1 Corinthians 12:18

The human body contains about 25 trillion red blood cells. Each cell lives only about 125 days, which means that over 2 million die every second! What happens to all these dead cells? Although dead, there is still some good in them. The liver dismantles them (something like a mechanic removing usable parts from a smashed car before throwing the rest away) and uses the good parts of the cells to make new ones. (And we thought recycling was a new idea!) The unusable parts are sent into the waste system. Isn’t that amazing!

When blood from the heart circulates through the body, it loses some of its contents en route. The liver replenishes it by providing nutrients, vitamins and essential minerals before it goes back to the heart to be pumped through the body again. If excitement or fright causes a sudden surge of blood, the liver expands itself temporarily to take up this surge so the extra blood does not reach the heart all at one time. Surely “the works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein” (Psalm 111:2).

The liver is a safety valve for the heart in another way too. Some things that we eat could cause serious problems to the body if there were not some provision made to overcome them. God has also given the liver this assignment. It has thousands of enzymes which neutralize a certain amount of these materials before the liver is damaged and cannot function in its protective way. That is one reason why we should always be careful what we eat, drink or breathe.

The liver also turns starch (glycogen) into glucose, providing food for the muscles. When the muscles are active, they produce lactic acid, and the liver also helps remove this acid from the bloodstream. Antibodies, also manufactured in part by the liver, are present in the bloodstream to provide protection against viruses and bacteria that cause infectious diseases.

As we think in amazement of all the marvels of our bodies, it should make us realize how completely God has provided for us. The psalmist exclaimed: “In Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God!” (Psalm 139:16-17).

These wonderful thoughts were expressed so well when God said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you . . . thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Do you know Him as your Saviour, and have you thanked Him for all that He has done and is doing for you each day?

“Our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.” Titus 2:13-14

ML-10/20/1996

The Octopus (or Devilfish)

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

In spite of its frightful appearance, the octopus is usually a very timid creature and will not attack a person unless he tries to go into its home. There are more than 150 varieties of octopuses. Some are less than an inch long, others are 30 feet or more from the tip of one outstretched tentacle to the tip of an opposite outstretched tentacle, but those most commonly seen are only about 3 feet across.

This odd resident of the ocean has a plastic-like body with a large, dome-shaped head, containing not only its brain, but also its stomach and other organs. These are covered by a membrane called a mantle. Behind its mouth and strong, parrot-type beak are huge, human-like eyes. Eight snake-like tentacles stretch out from its body, each having on its underside about 100 suction cups. These suction cups look like buttons and attach themselves onto anything with a vise-like grip. The eight tentacles also act as feet to move along the ocean floor and as hands to pull up over an underwater rock or cliff.

A large opening in the mantle is always moving, sucking water over its gills and out through a siphon. This siphon can be pointed in any direction to provide jet propulsion. It also squirts inky fluid to make a “smoke screen” when pursued. Attached to the octopus’s skin are little bags of pigment. When these bags are held open various colors are exposed, which the octopus can change to appear striped, mottled or a solid color, to match its surroundings. How wonderfully the Creator has designed it for its way of life deep in the ocean!

The octopus is sometimes called devilfish because of its frightful appearance. In spite of this appearance, it does have enemies, particularly squid, whales and large eels which attack its soft body. Because of this it hunts at night. In daytime it hides in a cave where it piles old shells and rocks by the entrance.

Do you think God sees these octopuses deep on the ocean floor? He certainly does. The Bible tells us, “Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters” (Psalm 77:19). God sees and cares for everything He has created (including you and me), and He never takes His eye off them.

But He has a special care for mankind whom He has created “in His own image.” We are the only creatures invited to come to Him in faith. His Word assures us that “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).

If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you may say as the Apostle Paul did, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

OCTOBER 27, 1996

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends.”
John 15:13

ML-10/27/1996

The Big Hippopotamus

“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind . . . and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:25

The hippopotamus, also called the African river horse, is a huge, 3- to 4-ton animal. It grows to 14 feet long and between 5 and 6 feet tall. Next to the elephant it is the world’s heaviest land animal. Its enormous head has tiny ears and small eyes on each side of its lumpy forehead. It is equipped with a sharp-toothed mouth that can cut a crocodile in half with one bite and even bite another hippo viciously when they are fighting.

The Creator has provided this water-loving beast with nostrils located so that it can lie underwater with just the top of its nose above the surface. If it goes completely under, valves automatically close so it can stay down for five minutes or more.

Short, thick legs with wide feet are spaced far apart to support its great weight when on land, but they hardly look strong enough. Yet a hippo can gallop with surprising speed and can easily outrun a man. It lives in streams, rivers or lakes where mud baths are available. It goes ashore at times to feed on grass and rough vegetation to add to its usual diet of water plants. A mature hippo eats about 200 pounds of vegetation a day.

A mother hippo usually gives birth to one, 50- to 70-pound, pink baby a year. A baby hippo is rather ugly with its big head and loose skin over rolls of fat, but each mother shows her baby lots of attention. She guards it carefully and often lets it ride on top of her head. The little one nurses for over a year.

A hippo’s skin is about two inches thick with many wrinkles that attract irritating insects. Knowing this, a variety of birds ride on the hippo’s back to feast on these pests. The hippo seems to realize these riders are helpful and does not scare them away. This is another example of how the Creator often provides two extremely different creatures to benefit each other. Another provision of His care is how hippos avoid sunburn when out of water in the hot African sunshine. Glands lying just under their skin moisten it, much like suntan lotion protects your skin.

As we consider the care the Lord God gives every creature, we are reminded that His loving thoughts toward us are even more wonderful. Animals have only one life, but we have a life after death. While most people hope to be in heaven, many forget that no one can enter there still having their sins, and they need to follow the Bible’s instruction: “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12).

Happily we read how God planned for this: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Each of us must make this our own personal belief. Each needs to confess to the Lord Jesus that he or she is a sinner and in faith accept Him as Saviour. Have you done this?

NOVEMBER 3, 1996

ML-11/03/1996

Snails Can Be Beautiful

“He hath made everything beautiful in His time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Most of us do not think of snails as being beautiful, but only as pests in our gardens. It is true that many things in God’s creation outwardly appear ugly to us, but God sees an inward beauty in them, sometimes visible to us only under a microscope.

Even the common garden snail has a rather pretty spiral house on its back. The outside of its shell is skin-like, the middle is much thicker, and the inside is coated with a thin, smooth, shiny surface. This shell has been designed by the Creator to provide a safe, comfortable home.

Among the thousands of kinds of snails in the world, some live on land, others live in water, and many spend their lives in trees. A number have very beautiful, valuable shells which some people collect. These include shells from some marine species with beautiful knobs, ridges and spirals. Among these beauties are the cowrie and olive varieties which are common in southern waters, and Hawaii and other Pacific islands have many tree snails with very pretty markings.

When the common garden snail hatches from its underground egg, it is fully formed, complete with a paper-thin tiny shell. It must immediately find food. Although it has poor eyesight, the Creator gave it a keen sense of smell which it uses to find what it needs. Working usually at night, its tiny tongue, which is covered with thousands of little hooks and sharp teeth, makes quick work of destroying tender plants and flowers. This is one reason why gardeners find them to be a real pest.

Another objection to snails is that they leave sticky and unsightly trails behind them. This trail, made by mucus from glands in a snail’s body, makes a soft cushion which is elastic, moist and so tough that it can crawl over the sharp edge of a razor blade and not be cut! It has been supplied by the Creator to protect the soft, tender underparts of the snail from the dry, rough surfaces it crawls over.

But not everything about snails is objectionable. Some people consider certain kinds as very good food. The shells of brightly colored snails are made into jewelry, buttons and other decorative objects. Also, there is one called the decollete which, instead of eating plants, kills and eats garden snails. This one is a real friend to gardeners.

Can it be that the Lord God cares about little creatures like snails? We are sure He does, for the Bible tells us that “the Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord” (Psalm 145:910).

But more than this, He has a special care for each person who has accepted Him as his very own Lord and Saviour and has trusted in His work on Calvary’s cross to take away his sins. Of these He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:2728). Is He your Good Shepherd?

NOVEMBER 10, 1996

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”
John 10:27-28

ML-11/10/1996

What Goes on Inside a Beehive?

“We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.”
1 Thessalonians 2:7

A beehive may have 20,000 to 40,000 or more bees, including the all-important queen, a few male (drone) bees, and workers. The whole activity of a hive centers around the queen. She often lays 2,000 eggs or more daily. In addition to the queen’s area, the section of the hive set aside as a nursery is also very important. Here the queen deposits the eggs, one to a cell. While she does this, “nurse” bees feed her bee milk from glands in their heads and keep her spotlessly clean.

The nurses also take care of the eggs until they hatch into grubs. Then they prepare “royal jelly” which is fed to the grubs for two days. After this the diet is changed to a mixture of pollen and honey, called “bee bread.” When a grub grows large enough to fill its cell, it weaves a silken web around itself, and a nurse makes a wax cover for the cell. Twenty-one days later a fully developed bee comes out.

What responsibilities these nurses have! Although they have no leader, each one seems to have its own duties and knows just what to do. Such wonderful instincts were given to honeybees when the Lord God first created them, and He never allows them to change.

The hive workers also take nectar and pollen from the outside workers, called “foragers.” They change it into honey, royal jelly or bee bread, as required, using special chemicals in their bodies. Other workers are used as guards at the entrance of the hive. In hot weather they all work to make air conditioning by continually fanning their wings to circulate the air. When it gets cold they group together and do activities that raise the temperature to just the right degree. Who do you think taught them to do these things?

Some of the eggs produce male bees, called “drones.” These drones do not work and are fed by the workers. Once a year the queen chooses one of them for a mate. The workers then get rid of the remaining drones, killing them or driving them out of the hive.

At the end of two or three weeks, nurses give up their inside work and become foragers. Their life span in this activity is only a month or so. During this time each bee collects enough nectar to make a teaspoon and a half of honey.

The beehive and its busy bees provide an amazing display of God’s creation. It shows us His power in preserving His works over the ages of time. The activities of the bees are also an example for all of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We see how the bees work together and are never lazy. This is just what the Bible tells us to do: “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, how good it is to encourage and work with others in ways that are pleasing to Him.

NOVEMBER 17, 1996

ML-11/17/1996

The Cute Baby Chick: Part 1

“The birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”
Matthew 8:20

Aren’t baby chickens cute? They are so little with bright eyes, little beaks, dainty little legs and feet, and their bodies are covered with soft, yellow fuzz! The Lord Jesus enjoys these little creatures too, for they are part of His marvelous creation.

Where do they come from?

“Oh,” you answer, “they come from an egg.”

Right. But where did the egg come from?

“It came from a chicken,” you reply.

Both answers are correct, but let’s see just how the Creator arranged for this to happen.

Most eggs laid by hens are “infertile” and end up on the breakfast table or in a mixing bowl for a recipe. Baby chicks never come from these eggs, but when there is a rooster in the flock, the hen produces fertile eggs which are the beginnings of baby chicks. Fertile eggs begin inside the hen’s body as a single cell too small to see. This single cell is a little white spot smaller than a pinhead.

A microscope would show the white spot (called the germ-spot) resting on the yolk, which is formed first and is made of six separate rings. Albumen (the white of an egg) forms around the yolk and germ- spot in another series of layers. The first, almost liquid layer develops around the yolk, enabling it to float and keeping it safe from damage. Next to it a tough, flexible membrane grows which is strong enough to protect the inside of the egg when it later drops into a nest. Then a third layer is just a thin covering. All this time the germ-spot is resting on top of the yolk, awaiting the right moment to start becoming a living chick.

Over all this two more sheets of white membrane form to become a lining under the two-layered shell. In every egg a small chamber is left vacant at the rounded end - right where the baby chick’s head will lie when developing. Later we will see why this is necessary. Now the germ-spot is ready, in God’s marvelous programming, to develop into a living chick. We will outline in the next issue just how this takes place.

Of course, in addition to chickens, there are millions of birds hatching each year in many sizes, shapes and colors. However, all of them begin life in the same way, except that some take longer to hatch than others.

As the verse at the beginning of this article reminds us, the birds (and chickens) have nests in which to lay their eggs, but when the Lord Jesus came to earth He had nowhere to lay His head. What a loving Saviour He is. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The riches He gives bring everlasting life and a home in heaven for all who will accept Him as their Saviour. Do you have these riches?

NOVEMBER 24, 1996

“They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.”
Malachi 3:17

ML-11/24/1996

The Cute Baby Chick: Part 2

“How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”
Luke 13:34

Last week we reviewed how a fertile egg is formed, which is the beginning of how a chicken or bird comes into the world. What takes place after this fertile egg is formed and laid in the nest is also interesting.

The warmth of the mother hen’s body at 99.5° is exactly right to incubate the egg so that the various parts of its little body can develop. First, the head develops. The next day a beating heart appears with blood vessels to carry food nutrients to the different parts of the chick as they form.

Then skin, bones, the brain, nerves and other parts develop as the days pass. By the eighth day everything is well formed, including areas where feathers will later appear. All this growth requires food supplied by the yolk and a constant supply of oxygen inside the egg. The Creator arranged this supply of oxygen by designing the shell with thousands of tiny pores that allow air to pass through. (You didn’t know an eggshell was so full of holes, did you?)

Up to now the process has taken about three weeks. Then, while still being incubated by the mother and just two days before hatching, the fully formed chick begins to breathe with its lungs for the first time. But this requires more air than can enter through the shell. How is it going to get more air? The answer is that the flat spot at the rounded end of the egg (which we mentioned last week) has been holding extra air for just this purpose. As we noticed before, the little chick’s head has been formed right at this very spot. Its beak reaches into this spot where it finds enough air for the last two days of incubation.

The chick now begins to break out of its shell by pecking at it with a temporary, hard “egg tooth” that has grown on the end of its beak. This egg tooth is in place just long enough to help it escape from its shell and will drop off later.

How can anyone doubt that this wonderful process is the result of God’s creation? Aren’t you glad to know it was the Creator, the Lord God, who designed chickens and their eggs for our benefit?

The mother hen or bird anxiously waits for the little ones to hatch and then gives them her protecting care. The Lord Jesus was thinking of this when He spoke sadly, in the verse at the beginning of this article, about foolish people who would not accept His love and care. He wants to let His love rest on you and invites you to cast “all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Have you made Him happy by accepting this kind invitation?

DECEMBER 1, 1996

ML-12/01/1996

The Amazing Heart

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23

The issues of life (physical as well as spiritual) are all dependent on the heart. All functions of the body rely on it as, beating some 100,000 times a day, it pumps about 600 tons of blood through the body each year at the rate of about a quart every minute.

What keeps it going? Medical scientists do not know but think it may be brought about by certain chemical impulses. The real answer is that this is another wonder of God’s creation. Only He could devise so intricate and reliable a machine out of flesh and blood.

The ten pints of blood that is in the adult body is pumped to the lungs by the heart. The blood passes through arteries on its way to the lungs. These arteries increase in number but reduce in size. By the time the blood finally reaches the lungs it has passed through about 600 million tiny capillaries. Each of these is less than half the diameter of a hair! As air rushes into the lungs when we breathe, this blood picks up oxygen from the air, at the same time discarding carbon dioxide, which the lungs exhale through the nose.

Enriched with oxygen, the blood travels a different route back to the heart where it is again pumped through the aorta into other arteries and capillaries. Thousands of miles of capillaries are needed to bring the blood to the cells, organs, muscles, tissues and every part of the body.

As the blood makes this long journey, the oxygen content gets less and less. By the time the blood has circulated through the system and returns to the first pump of the heart, there is practically no oxygen left, and it must be refueled before it can be useful to the body again. It contains large amounts of carbon dioxide which the cells of the body have given off. Once more the blood is sent to the lungs where the carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is absorbed.

How wise is the master plan of the Creator as seen in this most amazing system! If man tried to duplicate it, he would be totally unable to do so.

The heart is often spoken of in the Bible to describe our feelings and reasonings of the mind. God describes it this way: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The answer is immediately given: “I the Lord search the heart” (Jeremiah 17:910). It is very solemn to know that nothing is ever hidden from Him. Since God knows the heart, shouldn’t we trust in God with our heart? “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). What a wonderful invitation this is, and those who accept it and find the Lord as their Saviour can say with the psalmist, “I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation” (Psalm 13:5). Have you asked the Lord to put this joy in your heart?

DECEMBER 8, 1996

ML-12/08/1996

The Giant Panda

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

There are two varieties of pandas, but they are very different from each other. The lesser panda is small and raccoon-like with long reddish-brown fur and a long, ringed tail. Its home is in the Himalaya Mountains near India. The more interesting panda that looks like a big stuffed toy and seems like a cross between a bear and a raccoon is the giant or great panda. It also lives in the high Himalayas along the border of China and Tibet.

The giant panda has a round white head with jet-black ears and nose and black patches around its eyes. This unusual black and white chubby animal looks so lovable it is a favorite of people everywhere. Its playful nature makes it a popular attraction at zoos. When fully grown it is almost five feet long and two feet high at the shoulder - about the size of a small bear, with just a stump of a tail. The cubs are especially cute and cuddly, and they are carefully watched by their mothers.

About 20 kinds of bamboo can serve as food for them, but they are choosy and prefer just 5 of them. They seem to know which parts of these plants have the most food value. At certain times of the year they eat just the leaves and stalks and at other seasons only the plant stems. Having big appetites, they eat about 100 pounds of bamboo every day. The Creator has given them big, strong jaws and huge molar teeth especially adapted for this kind of food.

Living in such a small area in this remote part of the world and always hiding when people approach, these pandas are not seen in the wild very often. The Chinese people love them and are concerned because they may soon become extinct. The Himalayan forests are being thinned out by people moving into them, as well as by plant diseases killing many of the trees.

Although most people did not know about the great panda until the early part of this century, it has always been under the watchful care of its Creator, as the opening verse of this article tells us. Another Bible verse says: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest [displayed] in His sight” (Hebrews 4:13).

If God thinks about and cares for animals far off in remote mountains, just think how much more He must care for you. This care is included in His great love to this world in sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to “give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). All who come to Him as needy sinners, sorry for their sins, and accept Him as their Saviour, are made His very own forever. If you have not done this yet, He invites you to come to Him today.

DECEMBER 15, 1996

“Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35

ML-12/15/1996

Bacteria — Invisible but Important

“The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.”
Romans 1:20

Bacteria are a tiny form of life. Some are so small that 50,000 lined up in a row would cover only one inch. Yet they are a very important part of God’s creation, and without them life as we know it could not exist. They are present in water and air, and a teaspoonful of garden soil contains billions of them.

Just what do they do?

One main purpose is to break down other materials. Bacteria take chemicals from these materials and change them into forms that can be used by other living organisms. For instance, gardeners often make “compost piles” of grass clippings, leaves, kitchen garbage, weeds and other plant material, sometimes adding dirt and manure. Bacteria attack these materials, and the process of breaking them down generates heat. Different kinds of bacteria work this material over and over and, helped by the heat, change most of it into rich, soft humus. When added to gardens, this humus helps to produce fine crops.

Other kinds of bacteria convert material into ammonia which is picked up by the roots of plants. Some bacteria change materials to carbon dioxide which is released into the air for use by plants and trees. Still other bacteria are used to make butter, cheese, vinegar, yogurt and many other food products.

Did you know that you have many billions of bacteria inside your body? Most of the body’s bacteria are helpful and necessary to maintain life -one of the most important functions being the digestion of food. Without them much of the food you eat could not be used by your body.

But some of the body’s bacteria are harmful, causing sickness and disease. Some harmful bacteria live on your teeth and others on your skin when they are not carefully cleaned. Cavities in your teeth are caused by bacteria, and when you cut yourself, those on your skin can cause infection or blood poisoning.

This makes us think of Satan, a greater enemy, who does great harm to us when we are careless about our manner of life. The Bible tells us that he, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). When this evil one comes to us with his temptations, we should immediately turn to God and pray, just as King David did: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). He can deliver us out of any temptation.

Isn’t it wonderful how God has created such a tiny form of life to do such a big job? “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Do you know our Creator as your God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Saviour?

DECEMBER 22, 1996

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
Romans 1:16

ML-12/22/1996

Swat That Fly!

“Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” Acts 4:24

Of the 85,000 kinds of flies in the world, the most pesky and best known is the common house fly. It has been called “the most dangerous insect in North America,” because of the germs it spreads. Although I’m sure none of us likes house flies, let’s take a closer look and see what things the Creator has given them.

Starting from a tiny egg laid by a female fly, a white grub hatches. This grub grows rapidly, and within a few days changes to a pupa and then into an adult fly. In proportion to its size, the fly’s eyes are huge. Each eye has around 4,000 six-sided lenses to give it outstanding vision. (No wonder it’s so hard to sneak up on them!) Its body is made up of five segments and is covered on the underside with stiff hairs. These hairs are usually loaded with harmful bacteria (germs). It has six hairy legs, and if you look closely you can see a tiny claw and a sticky pad on the end of each leg. The sticky pads trap and carry more bacteria.

Did you ever wonder how a fly can walk as easily up a window as on a flat surface? or how it can walk upside down on the ceiling? The claws help it grip on smooth surfaces, and the pads are coated with a sticky fluid that enable it to climb or walk upside down without difficulty.

Then there are the amazing, balanced, transparent wings that move 330 times a second. As the wings move, rod-like structures, called halteres, vibrate at the same rate to give the fly its sense of balance. More than one-tenth of the fly’s weight is in the muscles that control its wings.

The house fly multiplies rapidly. During her short two-week lifetime, each female will lay six clusters of 100150 eggs. If every egg became an adult fly and none were destroyed, it has been calculated that within four months the descendants of a single pair would cover the earth. But God does not allow them to reach so great a number, keeping them under control with many enemies. In addition to people who use insecticides or swat them with fly swatters, they have many other enemies. Spiders, hornets, frogs, birds, mites and parasites also help keep them under control.

When the Lord God created the first flies they were in no way harmful. But when sin came into the world, He allowed them to have their present bad habits as a reminder that “the wages of sin is death,” and they became one of the ways by which death-resulting diseases are spread. In a future time everything will be restored to order again, and these insects will no longer be harmful. That time will be after the Lord Jesus takes all who love Him into heaven.

Yes, even the house fly is under the Creator’s control and shows again how wonderfully He has made every creature. Actually, every boy and girl is a much greater marvel of His creation. The psalmist said, “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works” (Psalm 139:14). He has not only made us His most important creation, but He wants us to know His great love. Have you responded to the invitation, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8)?

DECEMBER 29, 1996

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1

ML-12/29/1996

Poetry

No License to Fly!

From tiny eggs

Come little birds,

And little thoughts

Hatch into words,

Which then take wings

And fly away,

But may come back

To roost someday!

Before some words

Are airborne things,

We would do well

To clip their wings!

Some words are best

Left in the nest!

Don’t let them fly

Without a test

ML-06/30/1996

Ten Little Candles

Ten little candles, Jesus bade them shine,

Selfishness snuffed one right out,

then there were nine.

Nine little candles, one without a mate,

Bad companions came along,

then there were eight.

Eight little candles, doing work for heaven,

Laziness came over one,

then there were seven.

Seven little candles, every one alive,

Two got tired of trying hard,

then there were five.

Five little candles, once there were far more,

One forgot to read God’s Word,

then there were four.

Four little candles, bright as bright could be,

One didn’t have the time,

then there were three.

Three little candles, was one of them you?

One gave up Sunday school,

then there were two.

Two little candles, tale is almost done,

“I’m too small, no use,” sighed one,

then there was one.

One little candle, left all alone,

Kept on burning by itself;

Oh, how bright it shone.

Brave and steady burned its light,

till the other nine,

Fired by its example,

once again began to shine

ML-06/14/1996

A Red Light

When you feel a bout of criticism coming on,

See it as a big red light.

STOP! TURN RIGHT!

Go up the Avenue of Prayer;

Our gracious, loving Saviour’s waiting there.

Lift the one you might have criticized

To Him, in prayer

ML-12/15/1996

Count and Cross Out

What did Samuel’s mother bring to him each year?

Cross out all letters you find 4 or more times.

Write the remaining letters here:

_________________________

To check your answer, read 1 Samuel 2:19.

ML-09/15/1996

"Jonah" Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of Jonah. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

ASLEEP PERISH

BELIEVED PRAYED

BELLY PREACH

BOOTH PREPARED

DRY LAND REPENT

FAST SACKCLOTH

FISH SACRIFICE

GOURD SALVATION

GRACIOUS SHIP

JONAH TARSHISH

JOPPA TEMPEST

KINDNESS WAVES

MARINERS WIND

MERCIFUL WORM

NINEVEH

ML-04/07/1996

"Books of the Old Testament" Word Search

This word search uses the names of the books of the Old Testament. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

GENESIS

EXODUS

LEVITICUS

NUMBERS

DEUTERONOMY

JOSHUA

JUDGES

RUTH

SAMUEL

KINGS

CHRONICLES

EZRA

NEHEMIAH

ESTHER

JOB

PSALMS

PROVERBS

ECCLESIASTES

SONG OF SOLOMON

ISAIAH

JEREMIAH

LAMENTATIONS

EZEKIEL

DANIEL

HOSEA

JOEL

AMOS

OBADIAH

JONAH

MICAH

NAHUM

HABAKKUK

ZEPHANIAH

HAGGAI

ZECHARIAH

MALACHI

ML-05/12/1996

"Creation" Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of creation. First read Genesis 1 in your Bible. Then see how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

BEAST DAY GOD LAND SEASONS WHALES

BEGINNING DOMINION GOOD LIGHT SEVENTH YEARS

BLESSED EARTH GRASS MALE STARS

CATTLE FEMALE HEAVEN MAN TREE

CREATED FISH HERB RESTED VERY GOOD

DARKNESS FOWL IMAGE SEAS WATERS

ML-11/03/1996

"Paul's Shipwreck" Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of Paul’s shipwreck. First read Acts 27 in your Bible. Then see how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across -every direction.

ANCHORS HAVEN

BELIEVE HELPS

CENTURION HOPE

CONTRARY HURT MAINSAIL RUDDER SOUNDED

DANGEROUS ISLAND PAUL SAFE SWIM

DRIVEN LADING PRISONERS SAIL TACKLING

EUROCLYDON LAND QUICKSANDS SEA WHEAT

GOOD CHEER LIVES ROCKS SHIP WINDS

HARM LOSS ROPES SHORE WINTER

ML-09/22/1996

"Bible Birds" Word Search

This word search uses the names of some birds found in the Bible. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

BITTERN KITE

COCK LAPWING

CRANE OSPRAY

DOVE OSSIFRAGE

EAGLE OSTRICH PEACOCK RAVEN SWALLOW

HAWK OWL PELICAN SPARROW SWAN

HERON PARTRIDGE QUAIL STORK VULTURE

ML-08/25/1996

"Bible Mountains" Word Search

This word search uses the names of some Bible mountains. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across—every direction.

ARARAT HOREB

CARMEL MORIAH

EBAL NEBO

GERIZIM OLIVET

GILBOA PISGAH

GILEAD SEIR

HERMON SINAI

HOR ZION

ML-08/11/1996

"G" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “G.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

GABRIEL GAIUS GATH GETHSEMANE GILEAD GOLIATH

GAD GALILEE GENESIS GIDEON GILGAL GOSHEN

ML-01/28/1996

"D" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “D.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

DAMASCUS DELILAH

DAN DEMAS

DANIEL DEUTERONOMY

DAVID DIDYMUS

DEBORAH DORCAS

DECAPOLIS DOTHAN

ML-03/24/1996

"M" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “M.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

MACEDONIA MATTHEW

MARCUS MELITA

MARK MICHAEL

MARTHA MIRIAM

MARY MORDECAI

MATHUSALA MOSES

ML-04/14/1996

"G" Names Word Search

GABRIEL GAIUS GATH GETHSEMANE GILEAD GOLIATH

GAD GALILEE GENESIS GIDEON GILGAL GOSHEN

ML-05/05/1996

"K" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “K.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

KADESH KIRJATH KORAH

KENITES KISH KORE

KIDRON KOHATH

ML-06/21/1996

"A" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “A.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

AARON ABSALOM ANNA

ABEL ADAM ANTIOCH

ABIGAIL AMOS ASHER

ABRAHAM ANDREW ASSYRIA

ML-09/15/1996

"I" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “I.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

ICONIUM ISAIAH ISHMAEL ISSACHAR ITHAMAR

ISAAC ISCARIOT ISRAEL ITALY ITTAI

ML-10/13/1996

"K" Names Word Search

KADESH KIRJATH KORAH

KENITES KISH KORE

KIDRON KOHATH

ML-12/01/1996

For Little Folks

If you are between the ages of five and nine years old, there is a hidden message for you in this diagram. Starting at the top row, work from left to right and then go on to the next row. Find all the times that your age is shown, writing down each letter that is shown under your age. This will be your message from the Bible.

ML-02/04/1996

For Little Folks

ML-05/19/1996

For Little Folks

ML-01/14/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the New Testament?

S I T T U

__ __ __ __ __

L E V E R I A N O T

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S A T C

__ __ __ __

T H I N I N R O A C S

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-06/16/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

R O N L E S C H I C

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S U M B E R N

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

C U S I T I V E L

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-03/10/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

S A I H A I

__ __ __ __ __ __

S M A L P S

__ __ __ __ __ __

S A M O

__ __ __ __

ML-03/31/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

D U G S E J

__ __ __ __ __ __

M A N H U

__ __ __ __ __

M A L I T T S O N N A E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S I S N E E G

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-06/02/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

N A J O H

__ __ __ __ __

M A A L I C H

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

D O X E U S

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-06/28/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

L O E J

__ __ __ __

C H A I R Z H E A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

D O X E U S

__ __ __ __ __ __

H A C I M

__ __ __ __ __

ML-09/29/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the New Testament?

H B R W S E E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

S A M J E

__ __ __ __ __

L E M O N H I P

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

K E U L

__ __ __ __

ML-10/27/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books
in the Old Testament?

T H E R E S

__ __ __ __ __ __

R E M J E I A H

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S A M O

__ __ __ __

C U S I T I V E L

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-11/24/1996

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books
in the New Testament?

H O N J

__ __ __ __

L E M O N H I P

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-12/08/1996

"The Flood" Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of the flood. First read Genesis 68 in your Bible. Then see how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

ALTAR DOVE

ARARAT FEMALE

ARK FLOOD

BEASTS FOUNTAINS

BOW FOWLS

CATTLE GOPHER

CLEAN JUST OLIVE RAVEN WATERS

CORRUPT LIVING PERFECT SEVENS WIND

DIE MALE PITCH TWO WINDOW

DOOR NOAH RAIN VIOLENCE WOOD

ML-12/22/1996

Scripture Verse Word Search: John 10:29-30

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across -every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one”
(John 10:29-30).|{}|

ML-05/26/1996

Scripture Verse Word Search: 1 Timothy 1:15

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”
(1 Timothy 1:15).

ML-12/15/1996

Messages of God's Love: 1996

Table of Contents

Ducks and Chickens

Stolen Pear

No Tricks

How Do You Say 'Zoo' in Spanish?

In a Garbage Dumpster

The Rattlesnake

Cookie, the Brave Cat

Right of Way

A Map

Favorite Cookies

Saved From a Well

Later

A Wild Lizard

A Letter

The Sinkhole Story

Mr. Nelson's Mistake

Counterfeit Money

Who Protected Grandpa Walt?

Duda and Elisiario

Larry's Lesson

Rescue

The Durable Coyote

Ann's Disaster

A Not-so-Nice Shelter

Lending the Queen an Umbrella

Just a Little Cut

The Worst Storm That Ever Was

Don't Leave Me Here!

Danny

Are You a Stranger?

Thundering Hooves

I Smell Smoke!

Fly Away for Good

Love Is Kind

A Narrow Escape

A Deadly Mistake

The Lost Girl

The Mouse and the Ring

Fire

Safely Home

Dark Clouds

Fluffy

In a Cave

Fluffy Rescued Again

Walking on Water

Noah Webster

Doug's Tree House

Sleeping Wasps

Julie's Kindness

Safety Instructions

Melting Hearts

I Caught It!

The Railroad Bridge

Conquering Mt. Hood

Can't You Talk?

A Merciful Policeman

In Need of Help

Found Out

Lost in a Bolivian Desert

Thank You, Darlin'

A Letter Found

A Forgotten Bucket

Shining for Jesus

Dave and His Violin

An Old, Musty Bible

Black Darkness

A Foolish Bird

The Person in the Mirror

A Warning for Max

Help for Rover

Are You Thirsty?

The Silver Coin

A Fearless Cat

A Heavy Backpack

Attempted Escape

Little Raindrops Become Floods

The Old Shack

An Encounter