Messages of God's Love: 1997

One evening recently, a group of people who love the Lord Jesus spent a couple of hours together singing hymns. We do this once a month, and after the singing is over several of us often meet at an ice cream store to enjoy a dish of ice cream or a malt. Does a nice large cone of delicious chocolate chip mint or butter pecan ice cream sound good? It is a nice way to finish a lovely evening.

This particular evening five of us met at our favorite ice cream store for our usual refreshing treat. The store was busy. In order for the five of us to sit together, we had to share a table with a mother and her cute little girl. We guessed the little girl must have been about three years old.

In company with her mother, and with all of us looking very much like the grandparents we were, the little girl did not think of us as strangers. She very quickly began to talk to us. She told us her name was Ashley. She also told us, “I am too big to ride in a car seat, but I always put on my seat belt.” She had been taught well by her parents about safety in the car. We soon learned her parents had correctly taught her something else that is very important for every boy and girl to know and to do.

After we had gone through the line and had gotten our favorite dessert and were seated, as we always do, we bowed our heads and gave thanks to the Lord Jesus. We thanked Him not only for loving us and dying on the cross for our sins so we could go to heaven with Him, but also for the delicious dessert and the happy time of fellowship we were enjoying.

Ashley was watching closely and noticed we had given thanks. She said to my wife, “Did you say your prayer?”

“Yes,” my wife replied, “we gave thanks to the Lord Jesus for our treat and for this happy time together.”

Ashley then replied, “I say my prayers too. I fold my hands and close my eyes tight and say my prayers . . . I don’t open my eyes either.”

Our visit with Ashley added joy to our visit at the ice cream store. It was great fun to meet such a young child whose parents had not only taught her proper safety in the car but also had taught her to say her prayers.

Have some of you children been taught, at a very early age, the verse from the Bible that says, “Be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15)? There are many things in each of our lives for which we can be thankful. The most important one is that God loves us and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

Those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour are thankful that God has let time go on until now so that you can still believe His Word and receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Jesus said, “He that [hears] My word, and [believes] on Him that sent Me, [has] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). If there is one of you who has not yet made the Lord Jesus your Saviour by confessing to Him that you are a sinner, believing that He died for your sins, you also should be especially thankful that judgment has been put off this long. Today there is still time and the opportunity for you to have all your sins washed away in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus and have eternal life. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To put off believing on the Lord Jesus is very dangerous, because the Lord said, “Behold, I come quickly.” This means that He could come any moment. Then you would be left in the world for judgment while your loved ones who are saved go to heaven to be forever with the Lord. Won’t you choose the Lord Jesus now? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-01/05/1997

One Little Match

One little match can start a big fire, but Mike wasn’t worried about that. He just wanted to start a little fire, one he could sit around and enjoy in the pine forest. He had used up at least a couple of packs of matches trying to start the fire, before his mother caught him. He was reaching up over the fireplace mantle into the little blue jar to get another pack when she walked into the living room.

Deciding to find out what he had been doing with the matches, she discovered a large pile of pine needles that he was trying to burn. Thankfully, in gathering the pine needles he had also gathered some wet pine needles and dirt. That was why the pile wouldn’t burn, which probably kept the whole pine woods from going up in flames.

Matches are like sin. One little match could have burned down the whole pine woods, and one little sin can start a bad habit that could ruin your whole life. The Lord Jesus not only wants to save you from hell, but also from the terribly destructive power of sin in your life right now.

If you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour but have allowed some sin in your life, tell Him about it. He promises that “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-01/05/1997

A Payment Stub

When we arrived at the campground, it was early afternoon and most of the campsites were already taken. Thankfully there were a few left, so we chose one and paid for it. We carefully put our payment stub in the correct slot in the glass case so it was obvious that site had been taken and paid for. Then we set up our “CAMPSITE OCCUPIED” sign at the front of the site and anchored it with five good-sized rocks. With everything taken care of, we left in our camper to explore the area.

When we returned to the campground at about 5:30, we were surprised to find a station wagon parked in our campsite and a woman and her young daughter eating their supper at our picnic table. The woman said there had been no sign. She had seen our payment stub, but she told us she talked to the camp ranger and he said it was okay if she took the site.

We decided to speak to the ranger ourselves. We only paid a few dollars for that campsite and we only bought it for one night. That payment stub was proof of our payment. It “sealed the transaction” that the campsite belonged to us for one night.

There are different ways that transactions are sealed. We had a payment stub. In a store you are given a sales receipt when you buy food or clothing. When you buy a house you receive a contract that is signed by both the seller and you the buyer. And God also seals the transaction for each person whose sins He washes away.

Have you been bought by the precious blood of Christ? Have you believed that He died for your sins? If so, then you belong to Him. He has given you proof of His payment by not only giving you eternal life, but by sending the Holy Spirit to live in you. That seals the transaction. The Bible explains this in Ephesians 1:1314: “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Jesus 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, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:2728). Once we belong to Christ we are His forever. No one can ever change that.

But when it came to our campsite, it looked like our sealed transaction had been changed. So we went to the ranger. He said, “Tell me exactly what happened.”

When we explained he said, “She did not speak to a ranger. You wait here. She has done wrong, and I will go and talk to her.”

In about 20 minutes we had our campsite back.

The camper in the site across from ours told us he saw the woman drive right over our “CAMPSITE OCCUPIED” sign. When he told her we had been there and would soon return, she picked up the sign and threw it away. Then she put a payment stub over ours, trying to make it look as though the site was really hers. It didn’t work.

And it doesn’t work to say you have salvation if you haven’t honestly come to the Lord Jesus, telling Him you are truly sorry about your sins and believing that He paid the cost for your sins on the cross.

Do you really belong to the Lord Jesus? or are you a pretender?

“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” (Romans 10:9).

ML-01/12/1997

Crafty Rags

A delicious dinner of fried chicken had been enjoyed by the family’s dear old dog Rags. The children wiggled and shifted on their chairs. They, as well as Rags, knew the routine - a chapter read from the Bible and prayer after the meal. Petted and spoiled as he was, Rags had some manners. He sat during the dinner fairly patiently, only now and then licking his chops and whining softly to make his presence known. After dinner the table was cleared, the chicken bones collected in a paper bag and everything taken into the kitchen.

At last the family kneeled down for prayer. In an instant Rags was heard padding across the kitchen floor right to the bag of bones. Rattle, rattle, crunch, crunch! Rags paused and scampered back into the dining room for a peek. Yes, still on their knees! He hurried back to the bones before prayer time (his “safe time”) was over. Naughty old Rags!

“He thinks he’s a person,” laughed one of the children. “He acts like a bad boy!”

We smile at Rags’ sly trick which got him nothing but a good swat. But are not our own ways just as foolish? Can we hide a lie or naughty deed from God? “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).

The family of Rags chuckled at his tricks, but does God think our sinful ways are funny? “Fools make a mock at sin” (Proverbs 14:9). There are no “cute little sins.” Our loving Saviour had to bleed and die for every single sin. When this lesson was realized by a little girl we know, she exclaimed, “Oh, Mommy! Did He do that for ME?” Have you understood this wonderful truth and asked the Lord Jesus to wash your sins away?

ML-01/12/1997

The Magnet

A magnet is fun to play with. It is able to attract to itself things made from iron and steel. Other things such as wood and glass, or even other metals such as brass and aluminum, are not affected by a magnet.

An ordinary straight pin used in sewing is made from either brass or steel. But just looking at the pins, it is very difficult to tell them apart. However, if you put some of both kinds in a bowl and bring a magnet close by, you can easily tell them apart. The pins made of steel will “jump” to the magnet; those made of brass will be left behind. They are not made of the right metal to be attracted by the magnet.

The Lord Jesus Christ is like a magnet to this world. The people are all mixed together, just like the two kinds of pins. They may all look about the same, but there are two kinds - those who love Jesus and those who do not love Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is going to return. All those who love Him and have their sins washed away by His precious blood will be caught up to be with Him. They are like the steel pins that are attracted to the magnet. But those who do not know Jesus as their Saviour will not be caught up when He comes. They are like the brass pins and will be left behind, shut out forever from heaven. They will never be with Jesus.

When Jesus returns, will you be caught up, or left behind?

“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

ML-01/26/1997

Delicious Chocolate Powder

TONY and I loved Aunt Tina’s house. We could run around and around in it. We would start in the kitchen, then through the dining room, living room, hall and back into the kitchen again, making a big circle every time around. As we ran we would race to see who could get ahead, giggling the whole time.

One time as we ran around the circle, we noticed a can of chocolate powder standing open on the counter in the kitchen with a spoon already in it. YUM!! We knew how good that chocolate tasted, and there was Aunt Tina with her back to the counter, talking on the phone. Maybe she wouldn’t notice if we took a taste.

Tony took a spoonful of the delicious chocolate powder and refilled the spoon for me. It was as good as we thought! Then we ran around the circle again. Coming into the kitchen again, we looked carefully at Aunt Tina. No, she wasn’t watching. We each took another spoonful and then back around the circle, smacking our lips and giggling more than ever. Around and around we went, each time checking to see if Aunt Tina was still talking on the phone. When we were sure she wasn’t watching, we helped ourselves to another spoonful of the yummy chocolate powder. We were sure that we were such good secret-keepers that she would never know.

But as soon as Aunt Tina said, “Good-bye” to the person she had been talking to, she turned and asked, “Why, have you been eating the chocolate powder?”

“We didn’t eat any,” we both lied, shaking our heads. In disbelief we both wondered, How could Aunt Tina have known?

“Oh, yes you did,” Aunt Tina said firmly.

“No, we didn’t,” we said, a little less sure of our secret.

“Yes, you did,” Aunt Tina repeated.

“How do you know?” Tony asked, by now almost in tears.

“Go and look in the mirror!” said Aunt Tina.

We went together to look in the hall mirror. There we saw what Aunt Tina saw—chocolate all around our mouths and on our clothes!

Do you have traces of your sins smeared all over you? You most certainly do: “For there is no man that sinneth not” (1 Kings 8:46). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

We stood in front of Aunt Tina with chocolate smeared all over us, denying that we had eaten any. How foolish! It had tasted so good, but now we were caught. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). God knows all about every wrong thing you’ve ever done, and He knows every sinful thing you’ve ever thought. But let me tell you something wonderful. Although God hates your sins, He loves you just the same. In fact He loved you so much He sent His beloved Son to die for you on the cross. “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 you will simply come to Him and tell Him you are sorry you’ve sinned and that you believe He died for your sins, He will wash you clean in His precious blood. Won’t you do that now? He’s waiting to forgive you.

ML-02/02/1997

Mr. Squirrel's Hiding Place

“Get your trowel and check the new concrete at the bottom of the steps,” Grandpa called out to me from the house. It had been a busy day of pouring concrete. The steps had been one of the last things we had worked on.

When I looked at the steps, I saw that a patch of the new, wet concrete had been all dug up. As I smoothed out the spot again, my trowel uncovered an acorn. Digging around with the point of the trowel, I found four of them!

When I told Grandpa about it, he laughed and said that he had seen Mr. Squirrel digging in the new concrete. That is why he had asked me to check the steps. Mr. Squirrel had found the soft concrete, busily dug holes in it, and then buried his acorns.

As I smoothed out the concrete, I thought about what was probably going to happen. Mr. Squirrel would return during the winter and find the concrete as hard as rock. He thought he had found a good hiding place, but he had buried his acorn treasures in the wrong place. It was a place where he would never find them again, even if I had not dug them out.

There is a lesson for us to learn from Mr. Squirrel. The Lord Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:1920). Many people are storing their treasures in the wrong place. They only worry about “treasures” for themselves in this life. They work hard for food, clothing, cars, houses and other things which are necessary and not bad in themselves. But they become so concerned about these things that they do not think about God and the treasures that He wants us to have.

Where are your treasures? Are they in heaven, because you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Or are they only on earth, because you are still a sinner lost in your sins? Think about it: Where are your treasures?

“Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:23).

ML-02/02/1997

The Spider and the Fly

One day in July my grandson Stephen came to see us. He asked if he could go see Snowflake, our cat, in the barn. I said, “Sure.” So out to the barn we went to find her. She lives in the barn because her job is to keep it clean of mice and birds.

Snowflake isn’t hard to find because she is pure white. She was up in the rafters and would not come down. But we did see a big cobweb by the window above the workbench where Snowflake has a second bed and loves to lie in the sun.

Stephen said, “Look, Grandpa, there is a big fly caught in the web, and there is the spider up in the top of the web. Let’s wait to see what will happen.”

After only a few seconds, down the web came Mr. Spider to get that big fly. The fly started to beat its wings furiously! So, the spider went back up the web. In a few more seconds down came Mr. Spider again to get that fly. Again the fly started to beat its wings furiously!

Stephen said, “Look at that, Grandpa. The spider won’t touch the fly as long as he beats his wings.”

I said, “That’s right, Stephen, but the fly is going to get tired soon, and then the spider will have him.”

Again, down came Mr. Spider to get that fly, and again the fly started to beat its wings, but not quite so hard this time. Back up the web went the spider.

Stephen was beginning to feel a little sorry for the fly and asked, “Grandpa, do you think we should save that fly?”

Boys and girls, this reminds me of what God has said in His holy book called the Bible. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because we were born in sin (Psalm 58:3), we need to have someone save us from the penalty of sin. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” So who can we turn to for help? God has told us in the Bible about His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Isn’t that wonderful, that even while we were just plain sinners Christ would die for us! What good news!

“Stephen, I guess we will just have to save that fly since he sure can’t save himself.”

And we certainly can’t save ourselves from the web of sin we are caught in, either. We need help, and the Lord Jesus Christ can help us. 1 Timothy 1:15 says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Will you let Him save you today?

Stephen and I found a little piece of straw and let the fly hold on to it with his feet. Then we gently pulled him out of that web. Away he flew! Then he came right back and flew around our heads as if to say, “Thank you for saving me.”

Are you saved from your sins? If you are, have you thanked the Lord Jesus for saving you? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [God’s acceptable substitute] for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

ML-02/09/1997

The Route to Death

Years ago an American ship was being attacked by enemy gunboats. At that very time, a passenger airplane took off from an airport nearby. The pilot, not knowing that a battle between the ship and the gunboats was going on, traced the route of his flight to pass directly over the battle.

As soon as the airplane took off, it was picked up by the ship’s radar and identified as a military aircraft. Believing it was a fighter plane that was coming to help the enemy gunboats, the commander of the ship sent a message by radio warning the airplane that it should identify itself, otherwise it would be fired upon by the ship.

It is not known if the radio in the airplane was off, or if the pilot was not paying attention to it, but the men in the ship received no answer. The instruments continued to show that the airplane was coming directly to the point where the ship was. The commander gave orders to fire a missile.

In only minutes the passenger airplane became a ball of fire, falling into the ocean. All the passengers, more than 100 persons, were killed. That pilot had no idea that the route he had traced would take him and his passengers to their deaths. And the passengers were enjoying the flight without knowing that a destroying missile was approaching their plane. They were all caught by surprise!

The same happens to people who live without Christ. They are traveling in this life without thinking about or paying attention to the warnings that God is giving in His Word, the Bible. They make their plans, trace their routes and don’t realize that the route they are traveling leads to death and eternal punishment. There is a judgment for his sins waiting for each sinner, unless he trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Here is God’s warning: “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).

Listen to the warnings that God is sending you and trust right now in the Lord Jesus. Then the Lord Himself, who loves you, will change your route and trace a new one that will take you directly to heaven when you leave this life.

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

ML-02/09/1997

Rogilio

They called the little island “a tropical paradise” with sunshine, palm trees waving in the breezes, white sand and sparkling blue water. “Oh, it’s so beautiful, it’s perfect!” said visiting Mrs. James.

“Let’s wait and see,” said her husband.

There were soft breezes, beautiful flowers and sounds of guitar playing. “Oh, how happy everyone is here!” exclaimed Mrs. James.

“Are they really?” asked Mr. James. “Let’s find out.”

The chance to find out soon came. Rogilio, a boy about ten years old, knocked gently at their door looking for some business: shoes to shine, errands to run, anything that might bring him a few coins. They found some small jobs for him, and he began to tell them about his island. “Now this,” he would say, “is a Jacaranda, and that bush that smells so sweet is Jasmine. But that tree there is a mastic tree . . . it’s bad, very bad! Many bad spirits live there, and at night there are blue lights going up and down in it. Nobody, nobody goes by it at night! Sometimes I’m so scared!”

Here was Mr. James’ answer. It might be a tropical paradise, but the natives lived in fear of evil spirits and black magic. Even a small boy said, “I’m so scared.”

But there was an answer for Rogilio’s troubles. Sitting down with him, Mr. James opened his Bible and told him how God loved him. He showed Rogilio in the Bible how God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, had come down from heaven to die to take away all his sins. He told him that if he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, then he would go to live with Him in heaven someday. He finished by giving Rogilio a little testament of his own to read.

Would he understand? Could years of superstitious fear be erased so quickly? The answer came the next day. Down the street came Rogilio, straight past the mastic tree, eyes shining and grin flashing.

“Oh, Mr. James,” he called, “I read in the Book last night. I read all about the blood that washes away my sins. Oh, I’m so happy -I feel so good here!” and he placed his hand on his heart. He had no fear of evil spirits now.

ML-02/16/1997

They Cared Enough to Help

Darren, Melissa and Bill were driving home one night when they saw a car swerving all over the road and even over lawns. The three decided to call for help and then follow the car until the police arrived. They realized that whatever the driver’s problem was, he could possibly swerve into oncoming traffic and seriously hurt someone, including himself.

They quickly made the call, then followed the car at a safe distance until it stopped . . . right on the railroad tracks! The driver looked as if he had gone to sleep. Darren and Bill were trying to decide if they should pull the man out of his car since commuter trains often run on those tracks. But before they got to his car, the driver suddenly started to drive away.

Darren, Melissa and Bill realized the driver was in real danger, and they cared enough to help him. They couldn’t save him, but called police who could. Many of you reading this story have trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. All of you at one time traveled the very dangerous roads of a sinful life. A friend or relative who cared may have been watching you and praying for you as your life of sin took dangerous turns. And at some point that caring friend or relative, who could not save you himself, told you about the Saviour of sinners. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

A police car was waiting down the street and recognized the two cars by the descriptions Melissa had given when she called for help. The police car moved right in behind the swerving car and turned on the siren and flashing lights. The driver got scared and drove faster to get away. He ran over a curb, knocked over a small tree and finally stopped with the car wedged between a light post and a fire hydrant. His car was all smashed up, but he was not injured.

The police found insulin bottles on the floor of his car. This told them that he had the disease called diabetes. It also told them that his driving behavior was due to the fact that he was overdue for his medication. They immediately had a paramedic give him his lifesaving medicine. He would have died without it.

The man who was acting as if he were intoxicated was actually suffering from a disease that could have taken his life that night if Darren, Melissa and Bill had not cared enough to help him. You and I have friends and relatives who are on the dangerous roads of a sinful life. Do we care enough to warn them that they are headed for an eternity of everlasting punishment for their sins? Do we care enough to tell them of a Saviour who loves them and died to save them from that awful eternity? The Lord certainly cares about them, for the Bible says, “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

D ML-02/16/1997

The Injured Hawk

Police Sergeant William Boaz saw the injured hawk standing on the road. He radioed headquarters, telling them what he had discovered and then pulled his squad car over to the side of the road. Getting out, he stood in the road and directed traffic around the injured bird.

Soon the animal- control officer arrived and pulled over. He got out a large net and an animal carrier. The two men gently lowered the net over the bird and then coaxed it into the carrier. The animal-control officer then drove the hawk to a wildlife center.

Erica Miller, the veterinarian at the wildlife center, examined the red-tailed hawk, a beautiful bird. She quickly found that it had a serious open wound in its neck and that one of the main feathers in its left wing was broken off. She could only guess that it had been hit by a car.

The hawk’s neck wound was so serious that it could not heal by itself. Without Erica’s help the bird would die. She loved birds and animals, and being a veterinarian she also had the skills to help injured birds and animals recover. There is Someone who loves boys and girls, too. His name is the Lord Jesus, and He understands all about our sickness of sin. The Bible tells us that He is the One who can save boys and girls from their sins. “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Erica put the bird to sleep so she could sew up the deep wound in its neck. After that, the bird could only drink liquids for a few days while its neck healed.

The next repair job was that broken feather. The hawk could not fly without it. Erica thought about the problem and came up with an idea. A few weeks earlier she had worked on another red-tailed hawk that had been badly injured. She had not been able to save its life, but she had kept some of its beautiful wing feathers. She hoped she could use one of its feathers to replace this hawk’s broken feather.

Erica and one of the wildlife keepers worked together. They spread the wing out and clipped off the broken feather near its base. Then they glued a straw-like piece of bamboo over the stub. After the glue had dried Erica placed the new feather into the other end of the bamboo. It looked perfect and would be strong enough to last until a new feather would grow after the hawk molted.

The red-tailed hawk that had died could not know that one of its feathers was given to another bird so it could fly again. But when it comes to the matter of removing our sins, the Lord Jesus knew exactly what it would cost Him. It was only His blood that could wash our sins away. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). He loves you and me so much He went to Calvary’s cross and died for us. Who can understand love like this!

Three weeks later, after the hawk was healthy again, Erica and one of the keepers placed the bird in a carrier and drove it to a nearby forest preserve. The keeper took the bird out of the carrier and let it perch on his arm. How thrilled and happy they were as they watched it flap its wings and fly up into the sky out of sight.

What a happy ending to the story of the injured hawk. And your life can be happy now and have a happy ending too. You can be healed from your sins. The Lord Jesus loves you and will wash every one of your sins away in His own blood if you will come to Him. He says, “Come unto Me” (Matthew 11:28), and “him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

ML-02/23/1997

Anne Didn't Wait

Three-year-old Anne was coloring in her coloring book and talking to her mother at the same time. “We want to go to heaven to be with Jesus and we don’t want to go to hell, do we, Mommy?”

Her mother said that was right, but did she know how to get to heaven?

Anne said, “Ask Jesus to wash your sins away.”

Then her mother asked her if she had asked Jesus to wash her sins away.

Anne said, “No.”

Her mother said, “Anne, would you like to ask Him right now?”

Anne’s answer was, “Not now. I want to finish coloring.”

“Anne, what would happen if the Lord Jesus came while you were still coloring?”

Anne looked at her mother with big eyes and answered truthfully, “I would go to hell.”

Then her mother asked her if she wanted to ask the Lord Jesus to wash her sins away right then, and Anne said yes.

They got down on their knees to talk to the Lord Jesus.

After Anne finished telling Him about her sins and wanting Him to wash them away, her mother asked her, “Did He wash your sins away?”

Anne said, “Yes!”

Are you still waiting to talk to Him about washing your sins away? He loves you very much and wants to wash them away right now. Anne didn’t wait and neither should you, because He might come before you decide to talk to Him.

ML-02/23/1997

“[Let] the little children . . . come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:14

Dandelions

“They’re for you!” said my six-year-old son, Mark, as he handed me a wilted bunch of dandelions.

“Why, thank you,” I said as he proudly gave them to me. “I think they need some water. Why don’t you get a glass for them.”

Mark quickly got a glass of water so the flowers could “have a drink,” and we put them on the table for the whole family to see. Then Mark went back outside to play.

I thought about that bouquet of dandelions that Mark had given me. Dandelions are everywhere, in the city, in the country and along the roadsides. I don’t think I’ve been any place where they don’t grow. The yellow blossoms are so colorful and pretty that they attract our attention. Yet in just a few days the pretty flowers are gone and in their places are gray puffballs that children like to pick and blow. Isaiah writes in the Bible of the flower fading (Isaiah 40:7). How important it is to have that new life in Christ “that [fades] not away” (1 Peter 1:4).

The roots of dandelions grow so very deep that they seem to be a part of the earth. If we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we become “one with Him.” He has given us a new life that cannot be separated from Him. The Lord said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28). Do you have that “new life”? Are your sins washed away? Time is short, so don’t put it off. Accept Him as your Saviour today. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

ML-03/02/1997

Stolen Chickens

“Let’s go to the jail to preach the gospel,” said Mr. Chilo.

“Okay, let’s go!” I replied.

We were visiting Christian friends in the Dominican Republic, and Mr. Chilo loved to tell others of the great love of his Saviour, the Lord Jesus. He was an old man with white hair, but he still walked briskly. Although I was almost 40 years younger than he, I had to work to keep up with him as we headed to the jail.

Many people in the Dominican Republic are very poor, but Mr. Chilo was not. He had a large farm with many animals and fruit trees, but he was never too busy or too rich to remember poor people or to tell sinners about the Saviour.

When we got to the jail, it was terribly hot. There was not a single tree for shade in the whole prison courtyard. The prisoners slept on iron cots built four cots high, one on top of the other, around the courtyard. The top cot near the ceiling was the hottest of all. I couldn’t see how they even climbed up there.

Mr. Chilo and I and some other Christian friends sang hymns and read from the Bible to the prisoners. Then we walked around to talk to the men.

I started to repeat a Bible verse to a man named Juan, “Christ Jesus came into the world . . .”

“. . . to save sinners,” he finished!

“If you know that,” I said, “why are you in jail?”

“Stealing,” Juan replied.

“Well, who taught you that verse from the Bible?” I asked.

“That man right there,” Juan replied, pointing to Mr. Chilo.

Later when we left the jail, I asked Mr. Chilo if he remembered Juan.

“Oh yes, I remember him,” he said. “He and his friends used to steal from me. I told them, ‘If you’re hungry, ask me, and I’ll give you a chicken - but don’t steal from me at night.’ But Juan answered me, ‘A stolen chicken tastes better.’ ”

Since Mr. Chilo was a Christian, he had taught Juan Bible verses and had spoken to him about his need of the Saviour, rather than report him to the police. But later Juan stole from someone else and ended up in jail. And what an awful jail!

Boys and girls, could you learn a lesson from Juan? The Bible says, “The way of transgressors is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). It says, “His own iniquities [sins] shall take [catch] the wicked himself, and he shall be holden [imprisoned] with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22). Don’t steal even a cookie from the cookie jar! You never know what the devil will lead you to steal next. What Juan needs - and what you need too -is to have his sins washed away. I’m sure that Mr. Chilo had also taught him that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

I cannot tell you if Juan was ever sorry for his sins and turned to the Saviour to have them washed away. But I can tell you that Mr. Chilo is still a happy Christian and still loves to tell people of his wonderful Saviour. Who will you be like? Will you be like Mr. Chilo who is happily waiting to be taken to God’s happy home in heaven - or Juan who was shut up to live in a hot and crowded jail? If Juan never turns to the Lord Jesus to be washed clean from his sins, he will still have to go to another jail. This one will be far, far worse, where sinners are bound hand and foot and cast into the lake of fire. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

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

ML-03/09/1997

Use Your Name

Uncle Norman had been telling the children Bible stories and helping them to memorize verses. After they had memorized them the way they are written in the Bible, Uncle Norman liked to have the children use their own names in the verses.

One time he was teaching them Galatians 2:20: “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” The children repeated the verse one at a time. When most of them had learned the verse by heart, Uncle Norman asked, “Is there anyone who would like to put their own name in that verse?”

A little boy about seven years old held up his hand very high and straight.

“Yes, John,” said Uncle Norman, “will you come stand beside me and say it using your own name?”

John stood beside Uncle Norman and said as though he really meant it, “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved John, and gave Himself for John.”

Has the Lord Jesus touched your heart so you know for sure that He loves you? And can you say that verse using your own name and really mean it? Try it.

“I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved _______________ , and gave Himself for ______________ (Galatians 2:20).”

Maybe you would like to write your name in the blanks too. But what is most important is to be sure that God has written your name in His book of life. In Luke 10:20 the Lord Jesus told His disciples to “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” But in Revelation 20:15 God warns us, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Has God written your name in His book of life?

ML-03/09/1997

A New Friend

Trevor was a good boy in school and had never really gotten into any serious trouble. He was also a Christian. By that we mean he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and usually tried to please Him.

There was another boy in Trevor’s class who was a bully, and everyone was afraid of him. George loved to beat up and bully other children not as strong and tough as he was!

Trevor, like the others in his class, was afraid of George. He decided that if he made friends with him, George wouldn’t bother him!

Do you have a problem like this at school? Maybe you think if you could make friends with the “tough guys” in your class they would like you, and other children would be afraid of you too! That’s exactly what Satan would like you to do. He tells you not to worry if you get into a little trouble - it’s worth it. But the Bible has a warning: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth [does], that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). In other words, if you purposely do something that is wrong, God says it will bring you sadness.

Trevor told his mother about his new friend and what he was like. She was quite upset and warned Trevor, “Do not have anything to do with George. . . . He is a very bad boy!” Trevor’s mother believed what the Bible says in James 4:7, “Resist the devil [and his temptations], and he will flee from you.”

Some time later Trevor came home from school upset. His mother wanted to know why.

“I can’t tell you, Mother,” he said. “It’s just too bad!”

She asked him again.

Trevor was almost in tears. “I did something really bad!”

“Did it have something to do with George, the boy who fights?” she asked.

“Yes,” he whimpered.

“Trevor, you must tell me about it, and you need to tell the Lord Jesus what you have done, and then you will be happy again.”

Trevor hesitated but finally confessed that George had used the Lord’s name in vain. And then he added, “I think I laughed!”

What a tender conscience Trevor had, and how his mother appreciated her son’s honesty. “Let’s pray about it, Trevor, and confess it to the Lord Jesus.” After this, Trevor was happy again. Psalm 25:45 says, “Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me.” Psalm 86:5 says, “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive.”

MARCH 16, 1997

ML-03/16/1997

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Galatians 6:7

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton had a friend who, like himself, was a scientist. Newton was a Christian and loved the Lord Jesus Christ. However, his friend was not a Christian. He didn’t even believe that there was a God! Newton had spoken to his friend many times about how God had created a wonderful universe. Each time, though, his friend would shake his head saying, “No,” and reply that the universe “just happened.”

Newton had finished the design of a scale model of our solar system. A very skilled craftsman then built it from Newton’s plans. In the center was a large ball made of brass which represented the sun. Revolving around this sun were smaller balls attached to spokes of different lengths. These balls represented the planets, and the spokes placed them at the proper distances from the sun. All of these balls, representing Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, were in their proper order. (Today we know that the planet Pluto is also in our solar system, but Newton did not know this.) These balls were all geared together so that when a crank on the front was turned, they all moved in their orbits around the sun.

One day Newton was in his study reading when his friend came to visit him. His friend saw the model and instantly recognized what it was. As he slowly cranked the model he studied it closely. He said to Newton, “This is tremendous! Who made it?”

“Nobody,” Newton answered without looking up from his book.

His friend turned to him with a confused look and said, “You must not have heard me. I asked, ‘ Who made this wonderful model?’ ”

Looking up, Newton said with a perfectly straight face, “Nobody made it. Those balls and gears just appeared and put themselves together!”

His friend, now quite upset, said, “You must think I’m a fool! Of course somebody made this! He’s a genius, and I’d like to meet him!”

Newton set his book aside and slowly walked across the room to his friend. As they stood in front of the model, Newton explained to his friend, “This model is just a poor imitation of our wonderful universe. You know the laws and the precise order which govern our universe. I can’t seem to convince you that this model, this toy, does not have a designer or a maker. However, you have said many times that the solar system, which this model represents, ‘just happened.’ Now tell me, is that the logical conclusion of a scientist?”

Newton’s friend quickly understood how foolish he had been. He realized that there had to be a Master Designer and Creator for everything! It wasn’t long after accepting the thought that God was the Creator that he also accepted His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as his Saviour.

Have you accepted Him as your Saviour?

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “All things were made by Him” (John 1:3). “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-03/16/1997

Plenty of Time?

For our Saturday night treat we cooked hamburgers on our outdoor cooker. For a while we did not enjoy the fun of “barbecued” foods because our cooker had a rusted, burned-out burner. Finally we went to the hardware store and bought a new burner and got it installed. We thought everything was ready to cook again, but something else was wrong.

Can any of you guess why we could not begin cooking right away? I’ll tell you. We discovered the propane gas tank was empty. So we hooked up the spare tank, and then we had another surprise. It was empty too! This meant we had to make a trip to the propane filling station before we could enjoy cooking outside again.

The man at the filling station was named John. As he wrote out the ticket for the two bottles of gas, I said, “John, have you settled the question of where you will spend eternity?” You see, each of us is traveling to eternity, and where we spend it must be decided before we arrive there. Those who trust the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and have their sins washed away in His precious blood will spend eternity in heaven. Those who pass up the salvation the Lord Jesus offers will spend their eternity being punished for their own sins. They cannot go to heaven but must go into eternal punishment. The Lord Jesus said to some people who did not believe that He was the Son of God, “Whither [where] I go, ye cannot come. . . . If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:21,24).

John answered my question, “I have never given it any thought.” When I told him how important it is for each person to settle this serious question before leaving this life, John said, “I have plenty of time.”

Have you thought about receiving the Lord Jesus as your Saviour but are putting it off because you think you have plenty of time? That is one of Satan’s traps, making you think there is always time later. The Bible says, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). I reminded John that in the cemetery there are very small graves as well as large graves.

John had a co-worker who was the person who actually filled the tanks. When I asked him if he had settled the question of where he would spend eternity, he said exactly what John said. “I have never given it any thought, but I have plenty of time.”

What a dangerous way to live! No one knows when his or her life may be ended. Auto accidents, violence or even heart attacks in some who are quite young cause people of all ages to pass into eternity suddenly and without warning. Today, while there is time, is when you must respond to the wonderful invitation of the Lord Jesus: “Come unto Me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). In these words the loving Saviour is telling each of us He will give rest, the forgiveness of sins, to all who come to Him. Do not be like John and his fellow worker!

The wisdom of the Bible, God’s Word, tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). That means you should receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour right now! You don’t know what may happen tomorrow. The Lord Jesus loves you and wants to give you the joy of having all your sins forgiven and the peace of having made sure you will spend eternity with Him.

ML-03/23/1997

Mickey the Macaw

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan really valued Mickey their macaw. Not only was he a family pet, but he cost lots of money! A macaw is a long- tailed parrot with beautiful blue, red, yellow and green feathers. These birds come from the warm climates of Mexico and South America. So Mickey had to live indoors at the Morgan’s home in Illinois.

One summer day Mickey escaped from the Morgan’s house. No one seemed to know just how he got out, but there he was at the top of a tree! Mr. and Mrs. Morgan called the fire department which arrived with a snorkel truck to try to capture Mickey. The snorkel would lift a fireman right up to the top of the tree. But each time a fireman would get within reach of Mickey, off he would fly to the next tree. It certainly looked like an impossible job to catch Mickey.

Have you ever thought of your value to God? Matthew 10:30 tells us that God values us so much that He knows exactly how many hairs we each have on our head! We also know that God’s love for us is so great that He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to wash away our sins. Have you asked Him to wash away your sins and be your Saviour? Those who love the Lord Jesus are called His jewels in Malachi 3:17, “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.” Are you one of His valuable jewels?

After several attempts to capture Mickey had failed, a fireman came up with a great idea - and it worked! The fireman hooked up the fire hose and sprayed Mickey lightly with water until his feathers were soaked. Mickey was now so heavy with water that he could not fly anywhere. Now it was an easy job to raise the snorkel and catch Mickey. How glad the Morgans were to have Mickey safe indoors again, even if he was all wet!

Just as the Morgans would not leave Mickey in the treetop, the Lord Jesus will not leave His own children in this world. The Lord Jesus values His children so much that He has prepared a place for them in heaven. Very soon He will come to take those who have accepted Him as their Saviour to that home. Will He take you? “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). “I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

ML-03/23/1997

Frisky the Squirrel

Carmen the cat lived with the Mendez family in Arizona. She had a little family of kittens in a box in the corner of the kitchen.

One day young Juan came home with a tiny little ground squirrel that lay limp in the palm of his hand. “Look, Mother,” he exclaimed, “I found it out under a bush, but it’s almost dead.”

“Poor thing,” his mother said sadly. “Something must have killed its mother, and now it is starving.”

Juan asked if he could keep it.

“But how?” said his mother. “It’s too little to eat lettuce, and how could we keep such a tiny thing alive?”

Just then Carmen their cat strolled in and walked over to her box. That gave Juan an idea.

“Mother, let’s give it to Carmen. Maybe she’ll take care of it along with her babies.”

“Cats are natural enemies of ground squirrels,” said Juan’s older brother. “Carmen will just kill it.”

However, Juan decided to give it a try. He put the little ground squirrel in among the kittens in the box and watched to see what would happen. Carmen was purring contentedly. When she saw the little stranger she sniffed him all over, then pushing him aside, she called her babies to dinner.

But the hungry little ground squirrel sensed that food was near and crawled over to the mother cat, hoping to get in on the feast. Again Carmen batted him away, but again, driven by hunger, the little fellow came back to try again.

Finally, while Carmen was busy washing one of her kittens, the tiny stranger found a place to nurse. From then on Carmen accepted the new baby as one of her own.

The little fellow thrived on such good milk, and strangely enough he became Carmen’s favorite. He was much more active than her own babies and could climb in and out of the box long before her own kittens could. Juan named him Frisky.

Frisky loved to jump on top of his big, white adopted mother and ride around on her back. He would climb chairs and the family had to be careful not to sit on him. Sometimes when he was climbing a chair Carmen would grab his tail and pull him back down.

Juan and his brothers and sister loved to play with Frisky. He would climb up and sit on their shoulders, and when he scolded and chattered in his little squeaky voice he would make them all laugh.

Frisky was accepted as one of the family. When he grew older, he made a tunnel in the backyard for his home. Then he found a mate and they had a little family of their own. Carmen often paid them a friendly visit.

The story of Carmen and Frisky reminds us of how God has taken poor, lost, helpless sinners into His family. Because of our sins, we were enemies of God, and yet He loved us so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for us. “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).

Everyone who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour is born into the family of God. “As many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12).

Little Frisky was loved and cared for by Carmen the cat, but he could never become a cat. He always remained a ground squirrel. But when God takes us into His family and we become His children, He gives us a new life.

Soon the Lord Jesus is coming to take His family home to heaven to be with Himself forever. Do you belong to His family, and will heaven be your home someday?

ML-04/06/1997

Timmy's Toast

Timmy is a sweet little toddler, about a year and a half old. One morning his big brother Ron was fixing his breakfast. “Do you want some toast, Timmy?” he asked.

Timmy nodded his head yes.

Ron popped a slice of bread in the toaster and then lifted Timmy into his high chair. When the toast popped up, he buttered it and set it on the high chair tray.

Timmy didn’t eat it.

Grandma asked, “Do you want some jam on your toast?” Timmy nodded his head yes, and Grandma spread the jam.

Still, Timmy didn’t eat it.

“Aren’t you going to eat your toast?” Grandma asked.

Timmy pointed several times at the toast with his chubby little finger, bowed his head and clasped his hands together. If he had been able to talk he couldn’t have said any more clearly, “We haven’t given thanks to the Lord yet.”

Grandma was ashamed she had forgotten. She went over to Timmy’s high chair, bowed her head and thanked the Lord Jesus for Timmy’s toast.

Timmy looked up with a smile and began to eat.

What a sweet reminder about thankfulness little Timmy gave Grandma that morning. God tells us we should “[give] thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Have you thanked Him today for sending His beloved Son to die for your sins? Have you thanked Him for supplying all your daily needs? “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). “Be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

ML-04/06/1997

A Spring Snowfall

The children had all gathered in the living room in their pajamas for a Bible story before they went to bed. The baby climbed up on the couch and pulled aside the window curtain. “Hey look, Mom!” shouted the other five together. “It’s snowing!”

We had recently moved farther south and out of the snowbelt, and the children had been very sad about leaving the snow. But there it was, two or three inches of new, beautiful, white snow sparkling in the moon-light.

“Please, can we go out and play in it?” they begged.

I looked at the six children all cleaned up and ready for bed. But it was now early spring, and we all knew the snow couldn’t last.

“Please, Mommy?”

“Okay, put your snowsuits on over your pajamas and let’s go!”

What a wonderful time we had, rolling snowballs, making snowmen and building forts. We laughed and ran, pitched snowballs and rolled in the snow. Of course, when we went inside the children were soaked to the skin, but even I was glad we’d all gone out to play in what was probably the last snowfall.

Soon, very soon, the Lord is coming for His own. There is not much time left to come to Him and have your sins forgiven. “NOW is the accepted time . . . NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). And you’ll be more than glad, when the Lord Jesus comes, if you’ve trusted Him to wash your sins away in His precious blood and then lived to please Him in appreciation for all He’s done for you.

By the time the children came home from school the next day, there were only a few traces of snow left. That made us extra glad that we hadn’t missed the opportunity to play in it while we had it. But to miss the opportunity of spending eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus would be the most serious mistake you could ever make! The Bible gives solemn warning that those who die still in their sins face an eternity of judgment. “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 9:2728).

Use the opportunity you have right now to have your sins washed away. “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).

ML-04/13/1997

Snakebite

What a hot afternoon it was on the South Dakota prairie. John decided to take his little son Marc down to the Missouri River for a swim. It seemed like the best way to cool off on such a hot day.

Marc floated on a piece of driftwood, dangling his feet in the water as John swam along beside him. They both were enjoying the cool water.

Suddenly Marc screamed and jumped from the driftwood. John could tell from his screaming that he was in severe pain. John carried him right to shore. Within five minutes Marc was vomiting and looked awfully sick. John quickly discovered what had happened to Marc. A poisonous water snake had bitten him underneath his fourth toe - just one single puncture wound. Grabbing Marc, John put him in the car and drove as fast as he could to Dr. Van’s office.

Dr. Van was very concerned. He told John later it was the worst snakebite case he had ever seen. He gave Marc a shot of antivenin immediately to act against the poison from the snakebite. Then Dr. Van rushed Marc to an air ambulance helicopter, and he was flown to a larger city hospital.

Poor Marc had to have more of the antivenin while he was in the helicopter. Then when he got to the hospital, he had to have an emergency operation to help fresh blood circulate to his toes. Everyone was so relieved and happy that Marc did not die from his snakebite. He didn’t even lose any of his toes!

Marc did come very close to dying from the snakebite. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us of a sting that is much worse than a snakebite. It is the sting of sin, and it results in death (1 Corinthians 15:56). Only people who get too close to snakes are bitten by them, but every one of us has sinned. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Just as Marc needed an antivenin to cure him from the snakebite, every one of us needs a cure for our sins. There is only one cure for sin, and that is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Dr. Van gave Marc the antivenin for the snakebite and he was soon well. You must decide if you want God’s cure for sin. Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour now, and you will be saved from the sting of everlasting death.

ML-04/13/1997

He Couldn't Swim

One hot summer day, Peter and Mike took a raft and headed for their favorite water hole. It was a pond that had been formed by damming off part of a curve of a river. There had been a lot of rain and the pond was full.

Peter and Mike weren’t concerned about anything as they shoved off from shore to explore on the pond. They were having a great time out in the middle of the pond, when suddenly they realized they could not control their raft. The rain-swollen river had overflowed the dam, and the pond, they now realized, was part of the swollen, rushing river. The current was carrying their raft away from their friendly pond to the danger of a flooded river!

Children, do you know that if you have not accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you are in danger far worse than Peter and Mike? We are coming very close to the time when the Lord Jesus will come to take those who love Him safely home to heaven. The Bible warns that the people left here in the world will be carried into a period of time that will become terrible and difficult.

Peter realized they could not pole their raft back to shore because of the strong current. Their only way to shore was to swim. He said, “Mike, we gotta swim for shore or we’ll never make it!” and then dove into the water to swim with all his might.

Peter did not know it, but Mike could not swim! Mike knew he would soon be in real trouble if he stayed on the raft, but he also knew he could easily drown if he jumped off. What a decision Mike had to make! He decided to jump off the raft.

As the water closed over his head and the current dragged him to the bottom of the pond, he was sure he was going to drown. But when he touched bottom, he knew which way to head for the shore which was not far away, so he frantically crawled along the bottom of the pond as fast as he could.

Peter swam safely to shore. He did not know where Mike was, but as he crawled out of the water, Mike crawled out about the same time. Peter thought Mike had been swimming to shore just as he had!

Mike did not tell Peter for many years what had really happened. There are boys and girls just like Mike who don’t want their parents or friends to know that they have never really accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. They sing the songs at Sunday school, and they say their prayers at night, but they have never trusted the Lord Jesus to wash away their sins.

Mike had a choice to reach safety - ride the raft or jump off. Both choices were dangerous. But there is only one way to go to heaven, and it is completely safe. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man [comes] unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Won’t you come to that loving Father today, by believing that the Lord Jesus suffered for your sins on the cross? “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

ML-04/27/1997

Gold!

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13

In 1848, Jim Marshall was crossing a stream in California. Looking down, he spied a bright, shiny object in the water. He had discovered gold!

At first Jim thought he would keep his discovery as much a secret as possible. But news of the discovery leaked out and traveled across the nation like prairie fire. The California gold rush was on!

Soon prospectors flooded into California from all over. Men from every walk of life came to seek gold and their fortunes. Because many of the men made the trip to California in 1849, they became known as the “forty-niners.” California’s population exploded from 15,000 to 80,000 in that one year alone.

Only a handful of men struck it rich in a big way. The others had to work hard to earn their livings.

Jim Marshall was the first to discover gold, and his discovery sparked the gold rush, but there is a far greater discovery for each one of us to make in our lives. It is the discovery that Christ, the Son of God, is the Saviour of sinners.

Jim Marshall was working at his everyday job when he made his discovery. And you, too, may be going about your everyday life when you learn of God’s great love in giving His Son to die for the sins of any who will accept Him as their Saviour.

No discovery is so great as the discovery of realizing for the first time that Christ died for me!

It is by faith in Christ that we receive God’s gift of eternal life. Anyone who receives this gift is far richer than the man with the most gold in this world. “Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

ML-04/27/1997

Seven Boys

Mr. Rick and his son Todd were putting a new roof on old Mr. Williams’ house. A fire had destroyed the old roof and part of the kitchen.

One day while working there, Mr. Rick noticed an open Bible on the table, and so he asked Mr. Williams if he knew the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. “Yes,” was the reply. “I’ve known Him now for many years.” Mr. Rick asked him how he came to accept the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. Mr. Williams told him his story.

“You see, I had seven boys. These boys were not my own, but I was a foster parent to them. I never did marry, not that I didn’t try. When I was a young man I was engaged to be married to a lovely girl. Her name was Ruth, but just four days before the wedding she was killed in an automobile accident. And then a few years later I met another wonderful girl, Lucy. We were engaged to be married, but one day, yes, just one day before our wedding she too was killed in an automobile accident. I decided after those two heartbreaking occasions I wouldn’t try to get married. Instead I decided to help homeless boys! Now these boys - I had seven in all - were a bit on the rough side as they came from rough backgrounds, but I wanted to love these boys and give them a good home.

“One evening we were eating dinner and somehow we got talking about religion. Gary, who talked the most, said, ‘Let’s go get us a Bible after dinner!’ And so that’s what we did. We came home from the store with a Bible and started reading it that night, and one by one we were all saved! Now I am an old man, but these seven boys love the Lord Jesus and today are teaching their own children and others about Christ.”

It doesn’t matter if you are from a home where you hear about the Lord Jesus and His love for sinners, or if you are from a home that doesn’t even have a Bible. The Lord Jesus is seeking you just the same! He loves you and died on the cross for you. He wants to wash away your many sins and is now knocking on your heart’s door - won’t you let Him in? “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

Will you let Him save you from your sins?

ML-05/04/1997

Skippy

Skippy was so thirsty.

He wanted a drink, but his dish was dry. There was not one drop of water in it. He went to Lisa and sat up begging and barked. He said just as plainly as he could, “Please, Lisa, I want a drink.”

“You’re a good doggie,” said Lisa and patted him. “Now be quiet,” she added. She did not seem to understand what he wanted.

Lisa’s sister Ruthie did not understand him either. “Oh, Skippy, you’re a nice dog,” she said. “You want a dog biscuit, don’t you? Well, here’s one for you.” Skippy took the dog biscuit and then laid it down on the floor.

Daddy did not understand either. “Sure, Skippy,” he said. “There’s a bone for you out in the garage. I’ll get it for you.” But when the bone was laid down in front of Skippy he just looked at it. He did not want a bone either.

“I wonder what Skippy wants?” Mother questioned as she turned on the water in the kitchen sink.

Skippy walked over to the sink and whined as he looked at the water. “Maybe he wants some water, Lisa. Check his water dish.”

Sure enough, Lisa found the dish completely empty. There was not even a drop! Lisa brought the dish to the sink and filled it up. Did Skippy’s tail wag! At last he had his drink.

Boys and girls often want something too. But they are not like Skippy who knew exactly what he wanted, because children often do not know what they want. First they want a toy, but they soon get tired of it. Then they start reading a book. When that does not interest them anymore they look for something else to do. They are always wanting something that they do not have.

A person who has the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour has everything that he needs. Being saved is what brings real happiness. The water they gave Skippy took care of his thirst, but he would soon be thirsty again. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us the “living water” which will last forever. He is that “living water.” He is the only one that can satisfy all our needs. He loves us so much that He died for our sins. Now He is waiting for anyone who will believe in Him. Will you?

Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

ML-05/04/1997

AM 4:12

A kind dairy farmer told the local grade school teacher that he would be glad to show the children around his farm if she would like to bring her class there on a school field trip. The teacher appreciated his offer, and it wasn’t long before the children came to visit the dairy farm.

Of course, the children had lots of questions about the cows, the barns and the milking machines. They also asked the farmer about the big sign on the barn wall. It said:

“Oh yes,” the farmer said. “The Lord is coming soon, and we must be ready to meet Him. If we are still in our sins, we will not be ready. But God has sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for us on Calvary’s cross. If you tell Him you are sorry you’ve been naughty and want Him to forgive you, you will be saved. Then you will be ready to meet Him when He comes.”

After one little boy went home that afternoon, he told his mother, “I’ve got to get saved before I go to bed tonight.”

“Why do you have to be saved tonight?” his mother asked.

“Well, the farmer said Jesus is coming soon, and on the wall in the barn it said, ‘Prepare to meet thy God, AM 4:12,’ and I never wake up that early, so I need to be saved before I go to sleep.”

You may smile at the child’s mistake in thinking that the AM on the sign meant “morning,” when really it is the abbreviation for Amos, the book in the Old Testament where the verse is written. But the little boy knew this was something he should not put off. He was going to look after the most important thing in life right away.

What about you?

“Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

ML-05/11/1997

Daisy

One cold April morning a neighbor boy brought me a baby squirrel in a cardboard box. He had found the squirrel under a large oak tree in his backyard. He knew that I sometimes cared for injured birds and animals. We could see that the squirrel was cold and barely breathing. Its body was only about two-and-one-half inches long with a tail about the same length. Since it did not even have any fuzz on its body or tail, we knew it was not very old.

I brought the tiny squirrel into the house and fixed up an incubator to keep it warm. I filled the bottom of a large wooden box with crushed newspaper. Then wrapping a hot water bottle in a wool blanket, I placed this in the middle of the box. A nest of cotton was placed on top of the blanket, and into this nest went the tiny squirrel. I wondered if it would live.

Warming some canned milk, I tried to get a few drops into its tiny mouth by using an eye dropper. Getting six drops into its tummy this way took all day. I found one of my daughter’s doll bottles, and it worked much better. The little squirrel quickly learned to drink from it, and for the next 36 hours, feedings were three hours apart. I named the little squirrel “Daisy.”

Like all baby squirrels, Daisy had been born blind. It was two weeks before her eyes opened. Her fur began to show when she had been with me for a week. After two weeks her body and tail were pretty well covered with a furry coat.

As Daisy grew larger she got feedings of orange juice or grape juice in between milk feedings, until she was about two months old. Then she began to eat solid food. She liked oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, avocado, rose petals, dandelion leaves and leaves from the tips of branches. The food from the backyard was carefully washed.

This story makes me think of how the Lord Jesus takes care of His children. His children are those who have accepted Him as their Saviour. Just like Daisy, we were helpless and without any way we could please God. But God knew that we needed to be saved and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save us. He came into the world to rescue us. As sinners, there was no hope for us, except by the love and grace of the Son of God. He was perfect and could not sin. But His love for us was so great that He took the punishment for our sins on the cross. All that we have to do is admit that we are helpless sinners and accept what the Lord Jesus has already done for us. Will you let Him be your Saviour now, before it is too late?

Daisy would have died if someone had not taken such good care of her and given her the food that was just right for her. God has given us the Bible, which is the best food that we can have. It helps our Christian life grow so that we can please Him. Daisy could not have grown if she had not eaten the food that was given to her. And we cannot grow in the things of God if we do not read the Bible and use what we have learned from Him.

Daisy lived in our house for two years. I kept a branch for her to exercise on, and she learned to follow orders. Squirrels can be trained indoors so that when the time comes for them to be released outside, they are ready for life in the open. Daisy was released among the trees in our backyard. She has lived there for almost three years and has raised several families of her own.

Daisy was cared for until she could take care of herself. God has promised to be with us and take care of us until He takes us to be with Himself in heaven. The Apostle Paul stated his own trust in these words: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

ML-05/11/1997

Do You Know Anything About the Love of God?

Four different people were asked this question, and they gave four different answers.

The first, a young, hard-working man said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’ve got to get going.” The second, a young mother, said, “I don’t know very much, but I’d like to know more.” The third, a young father, said, “I take my family to church.” And the fourth, a middle-aged lady shopkeeper said, with a look of joy on her face, “Oh, yes! I know Him and I read the Bible every day!”

The first man didn’t even want to think about God’s love. The young mother wanted to know more. The young father must have thought God’s love meant he had to do something to earn God’s favor. The lady shopkeeper really knew about God’s love, and she acted like it!

What is your answer to the question?

To know God’s love is to believe that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world to die on the cross so your sins could be forgiven. God’s full love is seen at the cross where His Son was punished for sinners, so that those who accept Him as their Saviour would never have to be punished for their sins. But you have to admit that you are a sinner and believe that the Lord Jesus died for your sins as your substitute. If you have not done this, do it today while God is still offering to save sinners from their sins. Soon it will be too late. “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).

ML-05/25/1997

A Tangled Moose

Dean Tanner of Anchorage, Alaska, looked out his window one morning and was a little surprised to see that his daughter’s swing set was no longer in the back yard. Now this was no ordinary swing set, because he had built it. It was 14 feet long and 10 feet high and made of heavy lumber. Someone had gone to a lot of work to steal that heavy, bulky swing set. Mr. Tanner’s first thought was to call the police and report the stolen swing set.

After calling the police Mr. Tanner went outside to look around the yard. He found tracks in the snow made by the swing set’s heavy lumber as it was being dragged away by the thieves.

As Mr. Tanner turned the corner to the side of the house, he stopped and stared in amazement! There was the swing set lying in the driveway, and lying beside it was the thief. With his horns all tangled up in the swing chains lay a rather tired-looking bull moose!

Mr. Tanner and his daughter tried to get near to untangle the moose, but he was a very unhappy bull moose and would not let them get too close. So they called the Fish and Wildlife Department about their problem. They sent one of their workers who came and shot a tranquilizer dart into the animal.

When the moose began to get sleepy, they quickly untangled the swing chains from his horns. Then the worker gave him another shot to wake him up, and in a few minutes he got to his feet and ran back into the bush.

Boys and girls, this poor old moose is a picture of you and me. Because our sins have separated us from God, we are all tangled up in Satan’s chains of sin. And no matter how much we struggle or how hard we try, we can’t get free from those chains. We just drag all our sinful ways and habits along with us. But there is Someone who wants to cut off those chains of sin for us. The Lord Jesus Christ came here for that very purpose! Only He had the power to defeat Satan, untangle those chains of sin, and set us free. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

If you are still tangled up in your chains of sin, let Jesus set you free from sin and its terrible end, which is everlasting darkness. Will you tell Him about your sins and that you want Him to take them away? He will set you free and give you peace and joy in your heart. “If the Son [Jesus] therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

ML-06/01/1997

Luke Didn't Wait

The Robert family had traveled to Northern California and met a family of their relatives in the Red Woods for a week of camping. The other family they were camping with, the Johnsons, had their own two children with them plus Luke, a five-year-old neighbor. Luke was riding with the Robert family getting to know their children, as the two families had decided to drive over to see the ocean.

While driving along, Mr. Robert turned to Luke and asked him if he had ever been to Sunday school.

“No,” answered Luke.

“Well,” said Mr. Robert, “have you ever heard of the Lord Jesus?”

“No,” Luke said again.

“The Lord Jesus is God’s Son who came down from heaven,” explained Mr. Robert. “He lived a perfect life and then died on the cross to wash away your sins if you will let Him.”

“Oh, my daddy has that cross at our house,” remembered Luke. “He has one of those that hangs on a wall.”

Then eight-year-old Stephen spoke up and said, “You know, Luke, the Lord Jesus had nails put into His hands and His feet when He was put on the cross. And He died for you, and He’s coming again real soon, so don’t you want to ask the Lord Jesus to save you?”

“Yes, I will tonight,” answered Luke.

Stephen quickly added, “But He might come now, so don’t you want to ask Him right now?”

And Luke said, “Yes, I will right now.” And so he bowed his head and right there as they were traveling he asked the Lord Jesus to wash away his sins in His blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross.

And now what about you? If the Lord Jesus should come right now, would you be left behind in your sins? Why not bow your head right now where you are, like five-year-old Luke did, and tell the Lord Jesus you are a sinner and want Him to wash away your sins. Then you will be sure that you belong to Him. You will be happy knowing that if He should come from heaven with a shout today, you would go up to meet Him and be with Him in heaven for all eternity! “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-06/01/1997

The Missing Ducklings

Jenny was a little girl who lived on a farm. Her mother had given her a hen and some eggs to be hatched. Jenny looked forward to the time when she would have some little chicks all her own.

But these eggs were not all the same size: seven of them were hen’s eggs and six were duck’s eggs. For many days the little mother hen patiently sat on the nest. After about three weeks, two different groups of yellow, fluffy, baby birds hatched. Jenny was so excited and decided to make a house for the new family.

One morning a few weeks later when she went to the chicken house to feed them, she discovered that all of the young ducklings were gone and only the young chickens were left. She ran and told her mother the sad news.

Her mother laughed and said, “Jenny, go down to the pond in the field and see if you can find them there.”

So Jenny hurried off to the pond. Sure enough, there were the six little ducks having a wonderful time enjoying their first swim in the water. She tried to get them to come back to the shore, but no, they loved the water and were having too good a time to leave. It was just as natural for them to be in the water as it was for the chicks to be on the land. Even though both the ducks and chicks were hatched in the same nest, the two groups had different natures.

Jenny’s mother saw a little lesson in this. She explained to Jenny that we all are born with a nature that is selfish, wants to sin, loves the world and its pleasures, and is against God. But when a person becomes saved, he is “born again,” born of God. He receives a new nature that is holy, that cannot sin, and that loves to obey and please the Lord Jesus. However, that other, old nature still stays in the Christian as long as he is alive. A Christian is to keep that old nature in the place of death with the help and power of Christ. But sometimes a Christian lets it become very active.

The old nature can only sin; the new nature cannot sin. May the Lord Jesus help each of us who is saved from our sins to walk in the power of that new nature.

“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-06/08/1997

A Day at the Seashore : Part 2

What am I doing? I asked myself as I followed my friend Betty down the hallway of the large high school we both attended. We were going to a classroom where about 20 students were meeting after school to study the Bible. Do I really want to spend the afternoon listening to people talk about the Bible? I didn’t think so. But here we were at the classroom.

Betty and I went in and sat down. A few of the students I knew and liked. Most of them I didn’t know.

One of them opened a Bible and started to talk. “There are two things we need to be clear about. The first is that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” he said and turned to Romans 3:23 to read it. That’s for sure, I thought. I know I’ve done plenty of bad things.

The student continued. “The second thing is that God is offering us forgiveness and a free gift, eternal life. If you’ll just turn over a page or two to Romans 6:23 you’ll see it there. ‘ The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ ”

That was more than I could grasp.

The discussion lasted about an hour, then Betty and I walked home. Usually we chattered like a pair of magpies all the time we were together. That day I didn’t feel like talking. She was quiet too. She probably was praying for me.

When I got home, supper was ready. As soon as we had finished eating I went up to my room. I tried to do my homework, but I couldn’t concentrate. I got into my pajamas and crawled into bed. But I couldn’t sleep.

I hadn’t prayed since I was a little girl when I used to repeat the same little prayer each night. Now I felt compelled to kneel down by my bed. At first I resisted. I don’t know how to pray, I told myself. But it was almost as though there were a hand on my shoulder gently encouraging me.

I got out of bed. I didn’t say anything, but I knelt down before the Lord. In that act of bowing before Him, I expressed what was in my heart, that Jesus was now my Lord and Saviour. I immediately knew that my sins were forgiven. I knelt there for a few minutes longer, amazed at the peace and the sense of cleanness that was flowing over me. I was happier than I ever remembered being before.

I got back into bed. Then I did have something to say: “Thank you, Lord, thank you.” My heart was bubbling over with thankfulness and joy. I had received the gift of eternal life!

Have you received His gift?

“God . . . hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:911). I soon told Betty that I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and that I knew I was now forgiven.

ML-06/08/1997

Go to the Ant

Where I live in Australia we are in a rain forest region. Our summer is our wet season in the “underneath part of the world.”

The official weather forecast for today was “continuing fair.” Now that is interesting, for in the past 19 hours we have had over six inches of rain! Our weather people got it wrong.

We are watching something very interesting. For the past few days our houses have been invaded by ants, which is not uncommon for this time of year. In fact, there are so many we find them crawling everywhere. They are looking for higher ground. The little black ants scurry up and down the walls in long, busy lines, carrying their small eggs up higher to protect them from the water that will soon come. They tuck their eggs in the cracks of the wall and even as high as the ceilings. They know a time of trouble is coming, so wisely they take steps to be prepared.

We have also noticed over the past few days that the ant nests on the ground have had large lips built around them. This is common too. These lips around the nests on the ground are built up like volcanoes around the entrances to keep water from running in. Some lips are 3 to 4 inches high. It all means rain is coming.

I sometimes don’t pay attention to what the weather bureau reports. I watch the ants instead, for they always know. By watching the ants I knew rain was on the way last night, but the people at the weather bureau with their highly specialized instruments got it wrong. I don’t ignore the weather people; it is just interesting to see that in the simplest of God’s creatures there is an accuracy that man can’t match. Thinking of the amazing ways God’s creation speaks to man, it is hard to understand how man can reject the God who is the Creator of it all.

I am reminded of the verse in Proverbs 6:6 that says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” God has set lessons for us in His creation, if we are willing to see them. He has given these little ants some kind of an advance warning when the heavy rains are coming, and they obey these warnings. God gives other creatures advance warning of winter coming with its fierce winds, cold temperatures and shortness of food. And they obey these warnings by migrating to warmer climates, or storing food, or hibernating.

God has also given you advance warning of coming punishment for your sins. But He has made a way for your sins to be forgiven. Because He loves you and cares so much for you, He provided a substitute to take that punishment in your place. That substitute is His beloved Son, Christ Jesus, who died on Calvary’s cross for you so your sins could be forgiven. All that’s left for you to do is to confess to God that you are a sinner and accept Christ Jesus as your very own Saviour. “Jesus Christ . . . in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:67).

God has given you advance warning about the coming punishment for your sins. Have you obeyed His warnings? “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

ML-06/15/1997

A Little Bit of Ivy

As we traveled through England, we were interested to see that many trees were being slowly overgrown with ivy. It was a lovely sight to see big trees in full leaf with their trunks thickly covered with ivy leaves. However, in a group of ivy-covered trees there always seemed to be a few in different stages of dying. We noticed one tall trunk without a single branch. It had been a stately tree but was now just an ivy-covered post. Others had a few remaining branches without any leaves of their own, or had leaves only at the end of their ivy-covered branches. Finally, we understood what was happening. The ivy, beautiful as it was, was slowly but surely killing these trees, whether they were mighty oaks or stately ash.

It seemed to us that the simple answer to the problem was to cut the ivy roots at the base of the tree so the ivy would die, but a closer look showed us just what we were up against. We saw a maze of thick, tough vines with an iron grip on the tree, and roots spreading in every direction, sucking moisture from the soil and robbing the tree of its life-giving water, until eventually the tree died. It would take much hard work to save a tree and free it from the grasp of its enemy.

Sin is just like that. Sin unchecked will grow and grow, until it eventually takes over and finally destroys. The mighty oak might laugh at the tender little ivy stem starting out at its base, but the ivy will always have the last laugh, for the tree will surely die. Sin pays death as its wages, and sin will destroy just as certainly as ivy destroys. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

There is good news, though. The last half of Romans 6:23 tells us that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God, who is rich in mercy and loved us even when we were in the cruel chains of sin, can break those chains that have an iron grip on us and bring us into freedom, freedom to live and grow as He intended. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). If the tree refused to allow a man to cut and tear away all the ivy, then it would be doomed to die. But if the tree could admit that it was going to die unless the man saved it and let the man cut away the ivy, the tree would live. The Lord Jesus Christ is able to set the sinner free, and will release all who will let Him. Have you been set free?

ML-06/15/1997

Following Closely

One windy day I was driving down the highway in a 10-wheeled truck full of sugar beets when something unusual happened! The wind was so strong that my heavy truck could not go above 35 miles per hour, and I had the gas pedal pressed to the floor! In my rearview mirrors I could see a man in a little pickup truck following closely behind me. He soon got tired of my slow speed and pulled out to pass. As he came alongside my truck, the wind hit his pickup full force, and he did not have enough power to pass. He had to pull back behind me and follow again. While he was driving along in my wind protection he had lots of power, but when he had to face the wind alone he could not do it.

If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour, you need to follow Him closely every day. Read the Bible, talk to Him in prayer, try to do your daily activities to please Him, and make your decisions with His Word in mind. As long as you follow Jesus closely, you will have power to live your life to please Him. But if you try to go a day or two in your own strength, without His help, without reading His Word and talking to Him, you will find you have little strength to cope with the decisions and troubles of this life. Quickly pull back and “follow [in] His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

ML-06/29/1997

Nothing but Mud

Juanita hurried over to the big sale. The missionary had almost all his family’s things up for sale since they had to move away. Juanita was very poor and someone had told her that she could get some good buys at the sale.

When she arrived, Juanita found the large room at the back of the house already crowded with people, each quickly snatching up things to buy. Juanita knew she would have to move fast if she found something she could use.

“Oh, no!” the missionary called out at one point. “Don’t sell those things! Those are the shirts from my suitcase!”

Well, it was hard to know what was for sale and what wasn’t. Finally Juanita found some paint that was a brown color, and decided it would do nicely to paint her house. The can had been opened but it was still full. When she asked the price, she found that it was indeed a bargain. Juanita carried her paint home, pleased at finding it at such a good price.

She did not wait long to begin work. Soon she dipped her brush into the brown paint and spread it over the boards of her house. Strange that the paint did not cover the boards. Did it need mixing? As Juanita looked more closely at the paint, she saw that something was wrong with it. Why, this wasn’t paint at all! It was nothing but mud! In her rush to buy it she hadn’t noticed.

Poor Juanita. You can well imagine her disappointment when she realized she was trying to fix up her house with a can of mud. And there are other people who try to fix up something far more important with things just as worthless as a can of mud. Sad to say, many people try to make their lives better by “trying to do the best they can” or by “not being as bad as their neighbor” or saying “they’ve never done any harm to anyone.”

There is nothing wrong with doing your best - just as there is nothing wrong with a little mud. But mud won’t do the job of painting walls, and “doing your best” will never be good enough to make your life acceptable to God. God’s Word, the Bible, says plainly, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Every one of us has to admit that we have not always done the best we could, and that many times we have proved that the Bible is true when it says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Not even one small sin can come into the presence of a God who can have no darkness at all.

But God is also love, and He has in His great love provided a way, not just to make your sinful life a little better, but rather to give you a new life. “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). “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). You don’t need to try to fix up your life before you come to Jesus. Come just the way you are - in your sins. Just accept Him as your Saviour and He will give you everlasting life.

Juanita closed the can of mud and made a sad trip back to the missionary’s house. She explained that it was mud, not paint. Would he give her money back?

The missionary couldn’t help but chuckle, but he also explained with some embarrassment that he had tried to make some clay for a potter’s wheel. Too much water had been added to the clay, and somehow the can it was in had been set out beside a few cans of paint. It wasn’t until after Juanita got her money back that she could laugh too. Imagine painting her house with mud!

Are you willing to admit that all your “good works” are just as useless as Juanita’s can of mud? “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good deeds] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Come to the Lord Jesus today for salvation, and He will wash your sins away and give you a new life.

ML-06/29/1997

Returned Properties

Wouldn’t it be exciting to get a very important-looking letter in the mail telling you that your family owns over 200 different pieces of property? And to make it even more exciting, these properties included over two dozen castles and palaces, and some businesses besides! Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Even overwhelming maybe?

It really happened! William Lobkowicz received that important letter several years ago. The letter stated that his family’s name was on the properties’ titles, and to claim them he only had to prove his identity.

It wasn’t a total surprise to William, because he knew that his family had been Czech royalty since about the 1300s. He had heard about these castles in the country of Czechoslovakia and how beautiful and richly furnished they had been. One castle was built on a cliff overlooking the Elbe River, just like you might read about in a storybook. Others had beautiful architecture and had been filled with art masterpieces and other treasures. Once, as a boy, he had even gotten to visit some of them.

So why couldn’t he just enjoy his possessions if they were his? In 1948 Czechoslovakia was taken over by an enemy who took away everyone’s properties and businesses, and sometimes even the owners’ lives. William’s grandfather barely escaped out of the country. The only possessions he took with him were the clothes he was wearing. He lost everything! But in 1990 the enemy government was overthrown, and the new government was willing to give everyone’s property back. So they tracked down William and sent him the letter.

What condition do you think these properties were in when they were returned to William? If you guessed that they were run-down and needed repairs, you are right! When William was finally able to take possession of his castles, businesses and other properties, he found that nearly everything of value had been stolen. He also found that some of the roofs were falling in, and everything was going to need a lot of repair to be usable. William is presently fixing up his castles and businesses for tourist attractions.

I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. Do you know what it reminds me of ? When Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Heaven is going to be a wonderful place! The Lord Jesus is there right now and has it all ready. The Apostle Peter tells us more about it. He says there is “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). That means our inheritance up there can’t tarnish or rot or fall apart. Luke 12:33 tells us that it is “a treasure . . . where no thief [can come].” No one can steal any of the treasure out of heaven. What a wonderful place to live! It is much, much better than William’s castles and palaces will be after they are all fixed up.

BUT, does heaven have your name on the title? Heaven’s title is called the “Book of Life.” You can only claim heaven for yourself and live there if your name is written in that book. Is your name there? If not, it can be.

To have your name written in God’s “Book of Life” you must become one of His children. He already loves you very much and sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to die on Calvary’s cross for you. You become a child of God when you tell Him that you are a sinner and need a Saviour and truly believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He will forgive you and write your name in His “Book of Life.” From that very moment there is a place in heaven reserved for you.

I’m sure William didn’t waste any time proving his identity so he could claim the castles and properties as his own. But what about you? Have you come into God’s family so that you can truly say that God is your Father and claim heaven as your future home?

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

“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-07/06/1997

The Ring

One day six-year-old Matthew asked his mother, “Where did God come from?”

“It is really hard to understand,” she answered, “but maybe this will help.” She took off her wedding ring, handed it to him and asked, “Where does this ring begin and where does it end?”

Matthew turned the ring over and over in his hands and finally answered, “There isn’t any starting place or stopping place.”

Then his mother explained, “It is exactly the same way with God - there was no beginning to God, and there will be no end to God. He always has been, and He always will be.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:13).

ML-07/06/1997

The Tay Bridge

“No,” said John Fowler to his family, “you must not cross the Tay Bridge.”

It was wintertime in Scotland, almost the end of December a hundred years ago. Crossing the river by ferryboat was a long, chilly trip, while the trains whizzed across the new bridge in half an hour. But John Fowler was an excellent engineer, and he had his own ideas about the new bridge. His family understood that “no” meant NO.

The truth is that I have a much wiser Father than John Fowler, and when He says that salvation is “not of works, lest any man should boast,” then I will not try that bridge to heaven. When God plainly says that our good works cannot build a trustworthy bridge to heaven, why would anyone try that bridge? “No” means NO.

The great engineer Thomas Bouch was very proud of his bridge across the Tay River, and so was everyone else, including Queen Victoria. On the beautiful day that she rode across the new bridge she was so impressed with it that she gave him a new title -Sir Thomas Bouch.

But good weather doesn’t last and storms come. The long train that steamed across the bridge on that windy December night suddenly disappeared into the dark waters below, bridge and all. There were no survivors.

A hundred homes had lost family members, and everyone was shocked. The new bridge couldn’t collapse! But it did.

Sir Thomas Bouch found that he had questions to answer. “Why did you not plan your bridge strong enough to withstand the wind?” asked the judges. His answer was that although he had some inward doubts about it, the Royal Astronomer had assured him that ten pounds per square foot would be its greatest pressure.

Disastrous advice! Why would anyone trust a stargazer for such an important engineering matter? Do you at this moment have some inward doubts that your plan for eternity might not work? There is no second try. The advice you accept on this subject MUST be perfectly true and right. If you are not sure, then listen like John Fowler’s children, and don’t try any man’s bridge. If it isn’t straight from God’s Word, it cannot be trusted.

John Fowler used great steel girders and, with his associate Benjamin Baker, built a much stronger bridge across the Forth River. It has stood the test of time, with its storms and howling winds, and those men have been rightly honored. Storms are a great tester, but who wants to be on a new bridge for the test, since there is always a “maybe.”

There is no “maybe” when God speaks. God says “that Christ died for our sins . . . and . . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:34). This fact will stand the test of any storm yet to come, because Christ Himself has endured ALL the storms of God’s judgment against sin at Calvary nearly 2000 years ago. Take God’s word for it and no one else’s. He loves you. If you trust the word of any person, whoever he may be, who may tell you something not based on God’s Word, there is no hope and no survivors. God’s judgment for your sins is either before you or behind you. You can rest your whole eternity upon these five words: “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

ML-07/13/1997

The Rescued Cat

It was a cold evening with blowing snow and the temperature well below freezing.

“Listen. I hear a fire engine!”

We quickly went to the window. Dark smoke was rising above the houses on the next street. We put on warm clothes and walked in the direction of the smoke. Sure enough, an apartment building was on fire! Some of the people who lived in the building were standing there, watching their belongings go up in flames.

The question everyone asked was, “Is anyone still in there?” Firemen broke windows, intending to check, but smoke poured out and prevented them from going in. They could only hope that everyone was out.

We watched the fire fighters with their water hoses until later that evening. The next morning we walked back over to see what was left. The building was still standing and there were icicles hanging everywhere.

Firemen could not go into the building until that morning. To their amazement they heard cries from a terrified cat! They searched for it by following its meowing. One of them opened a kitchen cupboard, and there was the unhappy, confused cat, almost too cold to meow any longer! You can imagine how happy that cat must have been to get warm again!

When the firemen found the cat, it wasn’t curled up asleep in that kitchen cupboard, not caring that it was frightened, cold and hungry. It was meowing good and loud! It wanted to be rescued. And we would warn boys and girls, and grown-ups too, who are still in their sins not to ignore their danger. If no one had found that poor cat, it would have frozen to death. And anyone still in their sins faces an awful penalty - “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

There is One who cares about you and wants to save you from that awful penalty. You only need to call to Him, the Lord Jesus, admitting that you are a sinner and need to be saved. He promises, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Will you let the Lord Jesus rescue you?

ML-07/13/1997

The Flat Tire

We were moving! My husband, Alan, had built high sides on the back of our pickup truck. We had carefully packed it with all the things we valued most, because we didn’t expect to be coming back to Colorado. After we had squeezed in everything we could, we covered it all with a tarp, and on top of that we tied on our rocking chair and wheelbarrow. Just under the tarp at the very back where he could easily reach it, Alan packed a small box with all the tools he thought he might need in an emergency. Since his other tools were heavy, they were packed at the very bottom of the load and up near the front.

Now we were on our way, Alan, myself and our two little girls. We were somewhere in Utah when one of the tires had a blowout. Alan took the small box of tools out from under the tarp. To his dismay he didn’t have the right sized wrench in the box to loosen the nuts on the wheel. We had just bought brand-new tires, and we needed a different sized wrench from those in the box. That meant we would have to unload the truck to get to the other tools.

As we had traveled along we had been singing hymns. One was a special favorite:

“Unto Him who loved us - gave us

Every gift that love could give;

Freely shed His blood to save us;

Gave His life that we might live.”

Now we needed another gift. We needed help with this flat-tire problem, and we knew the Lord Jesus would help with this too.

We unloaded the rocking chair, wheelbarrow, mattresses, and boxes, boxes and more boxes at the side of the road. I did my best to keep the girls entertained and happy as Alan dug for his tools.

Alan finally climbed out of the truck with the right wrench, but he had his doubts that this hand wrench could loosen the nuts that had been tightened at the garage with an air wrench. Just like that, an air truck pulled up beside us! (It is called an air truck because it is equipped with powerful air wrenches and other tools like they use at a repair garage.) The driver was on his way home from work and saw our unloaded truck and flat tire, so he stopped to ask if we could use some help.

When we told him we would be very glad for his help, he ran back to the truck to gather up the things he would need. Soon he came back, shaking his head. “That’s really an unusual nut. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the wrench you need.”

Alan held out his hand. “Here’s the right wrench,” he said, smiling. All his digging had been worthwhile after all. It wasn’t long before the man had the flat tire off and the spare tire on. We thanked him gratefully, and then we raced the sun going down to get the truck reloaded before dark. We just made it.

Once again we were on our way, thanking the Lord for His help in sending the right man with the right truck at the right time. We also thanked Him for His saving grace that had cleansed us from our sins and brought us into His family. A child can depend on his father for help, and because we are God’s children we knew we could depend on His help with this problem. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Are you a member of God’s family? If not, why not let Him save you from your sins and make you one of His children. God’s Son, the Lord Jesus, loves you and died for you. If you will tell Him that you are a sinner and need a Saviour, believing that He died on the cross for your sins, He will wash them away and make you one of His children. “What must I do to be saved? . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3031).

JULY 20, 1997

ML-07/20/1997

That's Hot!

Mother was ironing the dresses the girls were to wear. Eighteen-month-old Emily was watching intently. Swish, swish went the shiny iron. Soon Mother was finished and set the iron on the counter to cool while she went to tie the boys’ shoes.

Just that quickly Emily started pushing a chair over to the counter. “Oh, no you don’t, little darling. That’s HOT!” said Mother, scooping Emily up in her arms.

How often God gently warns us to stay away from things that would harm us. But Emily was determined to get that iron. The next time she tried to reach it she got punished. Sometimes God must speak to us more forcibly if we continue in a wrong path. But He graciously warns us in His Word, the Bible. May we faithfully read it and carefully store it up in our hearts so that we may be kept from sinning against Him.

Now it was Mother’s turn to get dressed. Just for safe keeping she took the still-hot iron into the bathroom with her while she got ready. Soon there was a knock at the bathroom door. Helen needed help with a stuck zipper.

While the door was open and Mother was busy working on the stuck zipper, Emily toddled in and grabbed the iron she wanted so much.

She quickly dropped it, but she had to pay for her self-will with a badly burned hand. Let us not be like little Emily, seeking what we think will please ourselves, but like our blessed Saviour who said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God” (Psalm 40:8).

ML-07/20/1997

Mike Takes off

“Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57

Last summer our family spent a week in a little cabin that was close to a beautiful lake. My brothers, sisters and I had a great time swimming in the lake. Unknown to us, however, a fishhook was caught in the rope of the raft that we swam from.

There are attractive places to have fun, just like that raft. Satan likes to lure us there and catch us on one of his hidden hooks of sin. “As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time” (Ecclesiastes 9:12).

We swam in the lake for several days, climbing on and off the raft, before someone got caught on the fishhook, and that someone was me! At first I tried to shake it off, but all I did was make the barb dig deeper into my ankle. Ouch! Now I was really stuck, and since my leg was underwater, I couldn’t get the fishhook out by myself.

Since I couldn’t help myself, I called to my older sister. She was happy to help out.

When you and I realize that Satan has “caught” us in the trap of sin, we also need to understand that it is a deadly trap and that we cannot help ourselves. But there is always help nearby; the Lord Jesus is waiting to hear our call for help. “Surely [the Lord] shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler” (Psalm 91:3).

It was no problem for my sister to get the fishhook out of my ankle and then throw it away. But when the Lord Jesus came to save us, He had to die on the cross to set us free from our sins. He bore the punishment there for the sins of every person who calls to Him with their need, and then He removes those sins out of His sight forever. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

Would you like to have your “fishhook” of sins removed forever? “Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:34). “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Mike overheard his mother tell Patty, his older sister, that there was money on the table to buy some hot dogs. “Will you please run to the store for me?” she asked. “Daddy will be home in an hour, and I haven’t started dinner yet.”

Mike, who was just four years old, thought to himself, I know where the store is. I can do it. So he took the money off the table and ran off all alone. He really thought that he was doing the right thing and was happy that he could be Mother’s helper.

It had been warm when Mike had played outside earlier in the day. But now the wind picked up, and as he walked and skipped to the store he was getting cold.

Mike was only gone a few minutes when Mother wondered where he was. She went all through the house calling and looking for him. “Mike, Mike!” she called out the door several times. Then she asked Patty to look around for him before she went to the store. She called him too, but there was no answer. No one had seen Mike leave, so no one knew where he was. Mother was worried. Where could he have gone? She decided to call the police.

“Are you lost, little boy?” a gentle voice asked Mike.

He looked up into the face of a kind lady and started to cry. “I can’t find my mommy,” he sobbed, “and I’m cold.”

The lady picked up little Mike and held him close as she walked down the street to the nearest phone. She called the police and told them about Mike. They thought he was probably the same little boy that they were looking for. Soon a police car came to take Mike home, and it was not long until he was safe with his parents again.

The first thing Mike said when he got home was, “Look, Mommy, I got the hot dogs!” Sure enough, he had brought a bag home with him, and in it was a package of hot dogs and the change from the money.

Now Mother figured out what he had done. “Couldn’t you find your way home?” Mother asked, holding him tightly.

“No, I couldn’t find our street, and I walked and walked,” explained Mike.

Poor Mike. He had turned the wrong direction after coming out of the store. He had been going the wrong way!

Mike was really lost. He had walked and walked, trying to find his own way home, but couldn’t. He needed someone to help him, to show him the way. The lady who found him knew just what to do to get Mike back home.

The Bible tells us that “the Son of Man [the Lord Jesus Christ] is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). It also tells us that we have all turned our own way. Each of us is a sinner and going away from God. We are lost and cannot find our own way back to Him. It is sin that keeps us away. We are lost -lost in sin.

But God sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to save the lost. God says you need a Saviour. Little Mike admitted that he was lost. We know he was glad to accept the kind lady’s help. He did not tell her to go away, that he would find his own way home. Will you admit that you are lost and accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? God cannot accept you with your sins, but the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood to wash away sins. Accept Him as your Saviour, so that when this life is over He will take you to His home in heaven forever.

“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).

ML-07/27/1997

Cape of Hope — Cape Despair

It must be rather interesting to be the first person to sail around a newly found island and have the fun of giving names to all its coves and corners. Perhaps just for fun you have given meaningful names to special places near your home. I certainly have, and the names I chose remain in my secret memory.

A few hundred years ago, an unknown sailor made his way around the large island called Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. He was a Frenchman, and perhaps it had been a rather rough voyage. Was it fresh water he needed, or a food supply, or did he just want to satisfy his curiosity that it was really an island? We don’t really know. But I have felt all those things myself, and I understand how eagerly he rounded that peninsula and hoped for something good on the other side. He named that point “Cap d’Espoir,” or Cape of Hope.

It makes me think of my young friend Hanna whom I met recently. She seemed to be just at the tip of Cap d’Espoir. She told me that she had just graduated from college.

“What’s next?” I asked her.

“I don’t know. Something good!”

The future looked rosy for her.

But you will not find Cap d’Espoir on the map of Newfoundland today. It has another name. The name of that point is Cape Despair. Perhaps it was a mispronunciation by English settlers. In any case, most of us know that getting what we want does not satisfy us for very long. Rounding the corner of Cape of Hope leads sooner or later to Cape Despair.

But why face it now? Because now is the time to come to the only One who can satisfy your heart. The Lord Jesus does not smooth over the problems. He knows that the wages of sin is death, and He has been through death in its most dreadful form, not for His own sins, for He is God’s sinless Son. He suffered under the hand of God for my sins, and His blessings are far above all that I can ask or think. If you will accept His loving offer of forgiveness for your sins, you will never find that Cape Despair is the end of the road. Hope in Christ grows brighter and stronger the closer we come to heaven. If your Cap d’Espoir is without Christ, it will certainly turn to Cape Despair. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19).

The motto of Newfoundland has good advice - “Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei,” or, “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God.” It is taken from the Bible verse that says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). If you will follow that wise counsel, you will never have to fear Cape Despair.

ML-08/03/1997

The Dog Who Bluffed

There was that dog again, straining at his rope, jumping up and down, snarling and barking at our ponies who were feeding on the other side of the fence. “You think you’re pretty big and strong, don’t you?” I said to the dog one day as I went to get Lightfoot, my pony. But the dog just barked all the louder.

Then one day the gate was left open by mistake, and Lightfoot wandered out of the meadow into the yard next door. When I went over to get him, it was really funny to see how that dog was behaving. He was shaking and trembling as he tried to flatten himself against the back of the house. Lightfoot stood switching his tail and cocking his head from side to side as he inspected the cowering dog.

The snarling and barking were only a bluff. Now he was scared and wanted to hide.

Sometimes we act pretty big and brave, but things have a way of becoming bigger than we expected. What happens then? Do you have someone you can turn to for help, even when your father or mother isn’t around? Is there someone who is able to look after you no matter what happens? Only the Lord Jesus can do that. But is He your friend? Do you know Him well enough that you can trust Him?

Let me tell you something about the Lord Jesus. He loves you and cares about you so much that He died for you on Calvary’s cross. He knows all about your sins and wants to wash them away and make you clean. He wants to be your trustworthy Friend.

Will you let Him be your Friend? You only need to tell Him that you know you are a sinner and want Him to wash you clean from your sins. He will give you the faith to believe and trust Him. “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).

Here is a little acrostic that will help you understand what faith means:

Forsaking

All others,

I will

Trust

Him.

Will you let Jesus be your special Friend who you can always count on? If you will, this verse can be your very own: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3).

ML-08/03/1997

Stuck!

It was a cold day! Down by a river in Toronto, a man struggled to get out of mud which had held him captive for four hours. He was up to his waist in the thick slime and was getting so cold that he was in danger of dying. It seemed that there was no one around to help.

On that day, Danny, Jeremy and Robert went biking together down by that river. Suddenly, they saw this man who had fallen over a ledge into the mud by the side of the river. They could see that he was sinking deeper and deeper!

The three boys knew that however they tried to get him out, it would probably get them stuck in the mud too. They made a wise decision. Robert went on his bike for help while the other two stayed to talk to the man, who was slipping into unconsciousness.

All of us are born with a sinful nature, and so we come into the world trapped in sin. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. In fact, anything we try only buries us deeper. Other people can’t help us either, but there is Someone who can. “Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7).

After about 30 minutes, a rescue squad came with the needed equipment and with rescuers who were trained to save people in these situations. It took them two hours to pull the man out of the mud!

Jesus is the only One who can save us from our sins. Because He loves you and me so very much, He died on Calvary’s cross for us. He took on Himself God’s punishment for the sins of every person who will come to Him for forgiveness. He lovingly tells us, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). We are saved from our sins forever!

The next day, Danny, Jeremy and Robert were mentioned in the newspaper. They hadn’t really rescued the man, but they had gone for help since the man could not help himself. We cannot help ourselves trapped in our sins, but we can make a wise decision and turn to the Saviour of sinners this very moment. Jesus is waiting to hear our call and will save us right now. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-08/10/1997

A Trapped Skunk

One Saturday in early spring Donny and Matthew were exploring in the woods near their home. They were looking for skunk cabbage plants . . . not for skunks.

Following the creek, they came across a skunk caught in a steel trap by its front foot. The two boys figured the trap had probably been set for muskrats, but it had caught a skunk instead. The skunk must have been searching for something to eat in the winter’s litter that had washed up along the water’s edge when it stumbled upon the trap.

Donny decided he’d try to free the skunk, but Matthew wasn’t too sure he wanted to get involved. As Donny slowly inched his way toward the skunk, Matthew stayed up on the bank, well out of the way . . . and held his breath.

“Watch out,” Matthew warned, barely talking out loud. “You’re going to be sorry, Donny.”

But Donny kept right on, talking gently to the skunk. He finally got close enough to reach forward and close his hand around the trap. Meanwhile, the skunk had pulled as far away from Donny as the chain would allow, never taking its little black eyes off him. The trap had caught the skunk’s front paw just above the wrist, but the bones didn’t seem to be broken.

Moving very slowly, Donny grasped both sides of the trap. The skunk stayed perfectly still, but its black eyes watched every move. Now Donny was holding his breath, too. Slowly he pressed down with both hands until the spring catch released.

Suddenly the skunk’s leg came free and it tumbled backward because it had been pulling away the whole time. It quickly got back on its feet, but just stood there holding up its injured leg. It looked at Donny for a long time and then finally turned and hobbled away. In talking it over later, Donny and Matthew both felt this was the skunk’s way of saying, “Thank you.”

A skunk might be one of the last animals anyone would want to release from a trap. In fact, most people would leave it alone. But Donny was determined to free that trapped skunk. Some people might think that they are too bad for the Lord Jesus to save - that He’d rather not bother with them. But that is not the case at all. Everyone is a sinner, and it doesn’t make any difference if you are a big sinner or a little sinner. The Bible tells us, “For there is no man that sinneth not” (1 Kings 8:46). The good news is that Jesus loves each one of us so much that He died on the cross, bearing the punishment for sin. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). No matter how bad a person you might be, Jesus loves you and will save you from sin’s deadly trap. Will you let Him save you?

The skunk seemed to show its thanks to Donny. After you are saved, it will be such a relief to be rid of your sins and you will have such peace that you will thank the Lord Jesus for the rest of your life.

ML-08/10/1997

John 3:16 — I Don't Understand It, but. . .

In the city of Chicago one cold night many years ago, a blizzard was blowing in. Young Tom was on the corner trying to sell newspapers. It was so cold, the people were hurrying past him to their warm, cozy homes, so he was not selling very many. After a while Tom went up to a policeman and said, “Mister, you wouldn’t happen to know where a boy who doesn’t have a home could find a warm place to sleep tonight, would you? I sleep in a box around the corner in the alley, and it sure does get cold in there at night! Be nice to have a warm place to sleep tonight!”

The policeman looked down at the boy and said, “Son, you go down the street to that big white house and knock on the door, and when they answer, say ‘John 3:16.’ ” So that’s what Tom did; he walked down the street to the big white house and knocked on the door.

Finally a lady answered, and when she did, Tom said, “John 3:16,” and she said, “Come on in, son.” She took him inside and led him to a warm fire in the fireplace. She sat him in a cozy chair and left the room.

As he sat there Tom thought, John 3:16, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

A little later the lady came in and asked if he was hungry. He said, “Well, yes ma’am, I believe I could use some food. You see it’s been a few days since I’ve eaten . . . I am kind of hungry.” She took him to a big table full of good, warm food. He ate, and he ate, and he ate . . . until he couldn’t eat any more! He sat there and thought, John 3:16, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

After he finished, the lady took him upstairs to a bathtub full of warm, sudsy water. She left, and as he was soaking he thought, John 3:16, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. I don’t reckon I’ve had a real bath in my whole life, except when I stood in front of the fire hydrant when they were flushing it out.

After he finished, the lady had him get ready for bed. She led him to a big feather bed. He climbed in and she pulled the covers up close to his chin and kissed him goodnight on the forehead. As she left the room, she turned off the lights and closed the door.

He lay there and looked out the window. It was dark and cold out there and the snow was coming down, and he thought, John 3:16, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came and got him up. She took him back downstairs to that big table. After he had eaten, she took him back to the cozy chair in front of the fireplace. She took her Bible down from the mantel and said, “Son, do you understand John 3:16?”

He said, “No ma’am, I sure don’t. The first time I’d ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it.”

So the lady opened her Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. And right there in front of that fireplace, Tom gave his heart and life to Jesus. After a little while he said, “John 3:16, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy saved.”

You know, I have to confess, I don’t understand it either. How could God love me so much that He would send His only Son to die for me, and how would Jesus be willing to do such a wonderful thing? You know, I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a lost person saved.

And today, whether you are cold, hungry, dirty, tired or lost in your sins, Jesus can make you warm, satisfied, clean, rested and, most of all, saved from your sins.

“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).

ML-08/17/1997

Let's Keep Going!

My sister and I had to ride our bikes about two miles each day to catch the bus to get to work. In the British Isles where we lived there always seemed to be a stiff wind blowing. And no matter which direction we pedaled, we always seemed to be riding into the wind.

But coming home after work one evening the wind was just right! There was a strong wind at our backs; we simply sat and allowed the wind to blow us home. We laughed as we glided along, going really fast without having to pedal even once.

When we came to our turnoff, my sister thought that this was too much fun to stop. She suggested that we go another mile down to another road that would also take us home, so we sailed along like a skiff in the breeze.

As we came to the second turnoff, she called out merrily, “Let’s keep going!” This was so much fun! And even though I had second thoughts about going on, I followed her.

On and on we went, enjoying our present fun without a single thought for AFTERWARDS! We never stopped until we had sailed all the way to the next town . . . about five miles beyond our usual turnoff.

Now we turned to go back, and soon what we had done became very clear to us. That wonderful wind at our backs was now a very strong enemy at our faces and fought us every inch of the way. Straining every muscle for what seemed inch by inch, we struggled back home, pedaling into the wind. How we scolded ourselves for being so foolish.

We finally made it, but we were exhausted. However, we learned an important lesson - the fact that enjoying our careless fun with no thought for AFTERWARDS carried a penalty. And today many young people think of only one thing - have a good time right now and don’t worry about AFTERWARDS. The Bible has a warning about this: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [the AFTERWARDS] are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). God is warning us that a careless life of sin carries the penalty of a lost eternity. This is so serious and so important that He repeats it a second time, word for word, in Proverbs 16:25. When God gives us a double warning, He’s telling us we had better do something about it!

When I had second thoughts about going on past our turnoff, they were useless because I didn’t do anything about it. You might have a few serious thoughts as to whether your careless fun is right or wrong, but unless you get off NOW, you will be swept along to a lost eternity, and there will be no turning back. You can blame your sister, your friends or yourself, but your AFTERWARDS with its penalty will be set.

Before it is too late . . . stop, and think of two foolish girls sailing into town on their bikes, and then ask yourself if perhaps you might be doing the same thing.

“Enter ye in at the strait [narrow] 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-08/17/1997

The Cost

“Some things I try to forget,” Mr. Barr said. “At night when I think of them, I try to put them out of my mind as soon as possible.” He shook his head solemnly.

We were sitting around the supper table with our 80-year-old neighbor, Mr. Barr. He had been in World War II and had been sent to Germany to fight against the enemy in the 1940s.

“Did you have any close calls?” we asked.

“Oh, yes,” he nodded emphatically. “I was a combat engineer, and I built bridges for the troops to cross over the whole five months I was over there. Once, when the snow had melted in the hills up above and the creeks and rivers were swollen and raging, five of us in a boat tried to take some cable over to the other side and our boat overturned. We had on our snow packs, field jackets and steel helmets.” He laughed when he said, “That can really weigh you down. But when I went under, I came back up and flipped that helmet off my head and swam for all I was worth. I made it. Two of the men couldn’t swim and they disappeared. We thought they had drowned, but they had grabbed onto the boat and they showed up a few days later.

“Sometimes we would be working,” Mr. Barr said, “and the enemy would shoot their ‘Screaming Mimis.’ That’s what those big artillery shells were called. You could hear them from the time they were fired till they hit. It always sounded like they were coming right at you, but you couldn’t tell where they were. It made us all very fearful, you know. You’d just lie as flat as a pancake, and if there were a place where it was two inches lower than the rest of the land, you’d flatten into it.

“One time we were building a bridge and we didn’t have enough workers. There was an enemy tank up on the hill, so we wanted to get our job done and get out of there fast! I carried a 300-pound cable on my back and waded up to my chest in water to get it over to the other side. We built a 90-foot bridge in 90 minutes. I always had back trouble after that.”

Mr. Barr sat remembering, unable to forget the worst part of his life, even though it had happened 55 years ago.

I looked at him and said softly, “Thank you, Mr. Barr.”

He looked touched and said, “We didn’t get thanks from too many when we came back.”

I felt sorry to hear that people were so ungrateful to the soldiers after all they went through. And there is a Friend who died unselfishly for you and me so that we might go to heaven. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He came to earth to show God’s love toward men. He said, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). He came to His people Israel, but they would not accept Him as their Messiah, and they, with the Roman soldiers, crucified Him. But while He hung on the cross, unknown to the Jews and the Romans, Jesus was accomplishing a great work. The Bible says, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree [the cross]” (1 Peter 2:24).

The Bible tells us how God expects us to live, but we have not obeyed it completely. We have sinned because we cannot keep God’s laws. But the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to be our “Redeemer.” A redeemer pays someone else’s debt, and that was His unselfish purpose in coming. He will pay your debt if you will come to Him with your debt of sins and accept Him as your Redeemer.

If you have already accepted Christ’s payment on the cross for your sins, have you thanked Him? You know, Mr. Barr flies the American flag at his house. He wants to show that he loves his homeland and he is grateful for what the flag represents. Do you show for others to see that you love the Lord Jesus and are grateful for all He has done for you?

ML-08/24/1997

Following Instructions

Earl was on a business trip, and he was going to fly from one city to another in a small plane. He watched the pilot start the airplane and they took off. It was a clear day, a good day for flying.

Several hours later, however, they flew into clouds and they could not see where they were going. They were still in thick clouds as they reached the city where they wanted to land. The pilot realized he needed help; he had to land by instructions from the control tower.

Earl noticed that the pilot listened very carefully to what he was being told to do. He did not let anything take his mind off what he was doing. His whole attention was taken up with what the man in the control tower was telling him, and they soon landed safely on the runway.

We should be doing the same thing if we belong to the Lord Jesus. He wants us to be happy while we wait for Him to come to take us out of the world to live with Him in heaven. He wants us to follow His instructions. He does not want us to be hurt by the enemy of our souls, Satan. Satan is watching closely, trying to do us harm and to lead us away from the safe path of following our Saviour. We need to be reading God’s Word, the Bible, every day and also praying to Him and listening to what the Lord Jesus has asked us to do. Then we will be happy and we will be kept safely from many things that would take our thoughts away from our precious Saviour who loved us so much that He gave His life for us on Calvary’s cross to save us from our sins.

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20).

ML-08/24/1997

One Small Anchor

I am sure that most of you know what an anchor looks like and that it is used to keep boats and ships from drifting. When thrown overboard the hooks on the anchor catch on rocks or other objects on the bottom of the ocean and hold the ship.

A ship traveling from England to Turkey was caught in a storm. Reaching a harbor port, the captain signaled for the anchor to be let down. However, the wind was so strong that the anchor began to drag. It could not catch hold on anything on the sea bottom. A second anchor was let down, but it could not catch on the sandy bottom either. Little by little the ship was drifting closer to shore. Soon it would be grounded.

There was one anchor left, but it was a small one. No one thought it would do any good, but since it was their last hope the captain ordered it to be let down. Much to their surprise the chain tightened and the ship stopped drifting! The little anchor held, and the ship was able to ride out the storm in safety.

The next day when the sailors lifted the anchors, the two big anchors came up easily because they had never caught on the bottom. But raising the little anchor was a different matter. The crew worked for a long time and finally were able to get the anchor to move, but it was very heavy. Something was coming up with it!

When it was finally raised out of the water, the sailors saw that the little anchor had caught onto a huge anchor belonging to an old sailing ship that either had sunk or had lost its anchor there. The huge anchor had caught on a rock. It was this huge anchor caught on a rock that had steadied their ship. The little anchor had hooked onto it and then all the strength of the rock belonged to the little anchor.

What are you using as an anchor for your soul? Is it something you hope will hold and steady you? Hope is not firm and it will not hold by itself. It has to be set in something firm and solid, just like the little anchor was set in the rock. You need to set your hope in the Rock—the Lord Jesus Christ. Only He can save you, hold you and protect you from the storm of punishment for your sins. Won’t you let Jesus be your Rock by accepting Him as your Saviour? He is the “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19).

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Psalm 18:2).

ML-08/31/1997

Can You Guess?

How many hours would it take to read through the Bible?

The Bible contains about 3,000,000 letters, 31,000 verses and 1,189 chapters. About 38 hours are needed to read through the Old Testament, and 11 hours for the New Testament. This makes a total of 49 hours for the whole Bible.

At ordinary talking speed, it takes 70 hours and 40 minutes to read the whole Bible aloud.

By reading 4 chapters every day, you could finish reading the whole Bible in 1 year (365 days).

ML-09/07/1997

Shark Attack!

Andrew and his teenage nephew John were enjoying a vacation on the beaches of Australia. This was another beautiful day to go swimming. The waves were gentle and the water was clear and warm. Andrew stood on the beach watching John swim out to where the water was about five feet deep. Suddenly Andrew saw the fin of a shark knifing through the water toward John! He called frantically to John to come in, but John did not hear him. Andrew made a running dive into the water in hopes of helping John, even though he knew it could easily mean death for both of them.

His powerful strokes soon brought him to within reach of John, but John had already been severely bitten on his left leg. The shark had disappeared temporarily and Andrew, holding tightly to John, swam for shallow water and shore. But the shark appeared again, and this time it went after John’s right foot.

Andrew pulled and struggled to free John, hoping to save his life. Finally, he was able to beat off the shark with his hands, but not before John’s right foot and ankle were also badly mangled.

John had been conscious through it all, but after Andrew got him to shore he collapsed on the beach. With the help of others who, hearing their cries, had hurried over, John was rushed to the nearest hospital. Although he was badly injured, the surgeons were able to save both his legs and feet.

If you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour, you are in terrible danger! The danger that has a death-hold on each of us is sin. Not only does the Bible tell us we are all sinners, it also gives the sentence: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). If you die in your sins you will face never- ending punishment. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Now this is the good news: “Unto you is born . . . a Saviour” (Luke 2:11). “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The Lord Jesus saw us trapped in our sins, and He came from heaven to rescue us. He did not just risk His life, He gave up His life for us! “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

John could do nothing to save himself from that shark. Andrew was the only person near enough to save him. Andrew was John’s saviour in this situation. You and I have been bitten viciously by sin. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We are helpless. But sin’s deadly bite need not be fatal if you will let the Lord Jesus save you. He loves you and will gladly be your Saviour, washing away all trace of your sins and giving you eternal life. “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

Will you let Him be your Saviour?

ML-09/14/1997

The Beautiful Oriole

“All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name.”
Psalm 66:4

The lovely oriole has always been a favorite bird of Europeans, with its musical flute-like songs sung from the treetops. When Europeans migrated to North America, they were happy to find orioles here too. Altogether there are nine native oriole species living throughout the United States and southern Canada, with some as far north as Nova Scotia. Most migrate to the Caribbean Sea area or Colombia for the winter.

East of the Rocky Mountains the Baltimore oriole is the most common species, in the West the Bullock’s oriole, and in the South the orchard oriole. All of these robin-sized birds, relatives of the blackbirds, are examples of the wonders of God’s creation. The males are a beautiful combination of black and orange or deep yellow, but the females are not as brightly colored. This is a wise plan of the Creator, because it helps them to remain hidden when hatching their eggs.

This insect eater is interesting not only because of its beauty and song, but also because of its unusual nest. The nest is usually built as a deep pouch hanging from a fork of a tree. A favorite building material is orange milkweed which is stripped into long fibers. The female weaves these strips into a basket nest with her beak. Long strands of grass may also be used, or fibers and leaves from trees or desert plants. Whatever the material, their complicated, hanging nest is made by intricate stitching, tying of loops and knots, and perfect shuttle-like weaving. A soft lining such as wool, fine grass or even horse hairs is added. The nest is open at the top but hidden underneath large leaves or branches, concealing it from enemies. These happy birds seem to enjoy the swinging motion of their suspended nests.

Orioles need no lessons on how to build such strong, wonderful homes. The Lord God has given them this ability to make a nest just like their ancestors made hundreds of years ago. The oriole was given its skill by the One who delights in all His creation. None of us could make one so perfectly, even with a model to copy from and unlimited time to practice.

Few birds sing as often as the oriole. The loud musical voices of various species differ from each other but are always pleasant. They seem to be saying that this bird is happy and content with the way God has provided for it. When we think of all that He has done for us, shouldn’t we be happy too? Yes, and we should also be thankful as the Bible verse tells us, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

The “unspeakable gift” was the giving of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Saviour of all who will accept Him as their very own. Have you done this, and can you join in the song of our opening verse?

SEPTEMBER 14, 1997

ML-09/14/1997

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

Bear, the Dog

This is a story of a dog named Bear. The reason he is called Bear is because he is black and was born with a short tail.

One morning while visiting with Bear’s owner, I was walking around the back of their house and there was Bear. But he sure didn’t look like Bear. He was covered with little green burrs, and he looked like a green monster!

I said to Mr. Monroe, his owner, “Where has that dog been to get covered with burrs like that?”

Mr. Monroe said, “He’s been some place where he shouldn’t have been!”

Say, boys and girls, doesn’t this remind us of sin? We go places, do things and say things that we shouldn’t. Then we try to cover up our sin as if nothing has happened. God says in His Word, the holy Bible, in Numbers 32:23, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Bear couldn’t possibly hide his burrs. I thought that if we could just put a nice coat or blanket over him, we could hide all those burrs and he would look like Bear again.

But you see, boys and girls, God says in Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” If we had covered Bear with a new coat, the burrs would still be underneath, and they would hurt him since these burrs are full of tiny needles. Sin is just like a burr - it hurts and hurts, and unless it is removed it gets worse and worse.

Mr. Monroe got a brush. We only called Bear once and did he ever come quickly! He seemed to know what we were going to do.

The Lord Jesus calls you to “come” in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you ready and willing to come just as you are? Bear came just as he was. He couldn’t help himself at all.

When Mr. Monroe finished cleaning the burrs out of Bear’s hair, do you think he was sad? No sir! He wagged his tail and seemed as happy as could be. His burrs were gone!

God says in 1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin”! Will you trust the Lord Jesus today? Let His precious blood cleanse you today!

ML-09/21/1997

Flying Alone

We were at the airport recently to pick up our adult grandson, and his plane was late. While we waited, a young boy and girl came off a plane at the next gate that shared our waiting room. Something happened that could have been really scary for those two children. There was no one there to meet them.

All of the large airline companies have a service called “Unescorted Minor Service.” This means a young boy or girl may fly on an airplane alone. There is no mom or dad flying with them to show them the right seats or to help them with their luggage or meals. These children wear large name tags on chains around their necks so the flight attendants will know who they are and will take care of them. Flight attendants take these special passengers on the plane first, and then they stay with them when they get off until someone picks them up. Even when one of their parents or another adult named on their ticket comes to pick them up, a picture identification is required before they may take the children.

The plane’s crew, including the pilot, waited with these two children a long time for someone to come pick them up. The flight crew was about to take the children to the airline office when a very excited mother and grandmother rushed into the waiting area to pick up the two children. It seemed like the parents were more disturbed by being late than were the children. The children didn’t seem worried; they had real confidence that they would not be left alone until their mother came for them.

As we watched all this taking place, I was thinking that just as the children who rode the plane had to have a ticket to get them where they were going, every boy and girl must have his or her paid fare to heaven. That’s because we are all sinners, and the Bible makes this very clear. It says, “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 [sins] of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). This verse not only explains why God says we are sinners, but that the death of the Lord Jesus for our sins is the “paid fare” that each one of us may receive to open the way to be with Him in heaven. Receiving Him as your Saviour reserves a place for you up there. Unlike the children whose parents were late picking them up, the Lord Jesus Himself will take you to heaven. He has prepared a place up there for all who receive Him as their Saviour. One day soon He promises to come for us to take us to heaven. If we are alive when He comes, we will go with Him right then. But if He waits a little longer to come and some pass away, they will be “absent from the body and . . . present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

By accepting the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you receive the paid fare He bought for you when He died for your sins on the cross. Have you sometimes put off doing something important and later have it cause much sadness? You must not delay to receive your paid fare. To delay may cause you to be too late. Then you would miss heaven. If the little boy and girl at the airport had not been on time when their flight left the other city, it would have made no difference whether or not their parents were on time to pick them up. They would not have been on the plane. The Lord’s coming is very near, and if you put off accepting Him as your Saviour, you could be left behind.

Are you ready?

ML-09/28/1997

Fog Delays and Detours

Daddy, Mother and their six children were on their way to Lauropoli in southern Italy to visit some friends for their end-of-the-year vacation. As their well-loaded van reached the outskirts of Milan, the fog became so thick that Daddy had to slow the van almost to a crawl. Just as they reached the spot where the superhighway to Rome began, a policeman put up a barricade which prevented them from using the highway. This meant they had to drive over local streets through the city of Milan, which made the trip longer. Daddy was very discouraged with both the heavy fog and the detour. The fog got so bad that they had to pull off the road for a while at a rest area.

Finally they reached Rome and found a nice place to stay overnight. The next morning as they were getting ready to do some sight-seeing in Rome, they heard people talking about a terrible accident in the fog in Milan, involving over a hundred cars and a gasoline truck. Many people had been killed. Now Daddy and Mother knew why the policeman had put up the barricade. If they had come to that spot a few minutes earlier, they, no doubt, would have turned on that same highway and been involved in that terrible accident.

They realized with thankfulness that the fog delays and the detour that had made their trip longer was really a detour from death in the awful flaming wreckage on the superhighway. The family thanked God together for preserving them from unseen danger.

In the book of Job, chapter 33, we are reminded by Elihu that God keeps us back from going on to certain judgment, even using pain and sickness to detour us from the road to hell. God would deliver us from going down to the pit; He has found a Ransom (verse 24). The Lord Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all who will believe. Have you received Him as your Saviour? Can you say, “I am redeemed with His precious blood”?

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

ML-09/28/1997

Stop or I'll Shoot!

What is grace? Some say it is love put into practice. I’ll tell you a story about Farmer John. It may help you to understand a little better what grace is.

One day Farmer John was driving his pickup truck down the highway from his home when he saw a young hitchhiker and stopped to give him a ride. A few miles farther down the road the boy pulled a gun from his pocket and, pointing it directly at Farmer John’s head, said, “Stop this truck and give me all your money or I’ll shoot you!”

Farmer John didn’t like what he heard, but instead of stepping on the brake to stop the truck, he pressed the accelerator to the floor, and he and his young passenger began speeding down the highway.

“I said, ‘Stop or I’ll shoot!’ ” the boy repeated, but he was beginning to get flustered.

Farmer John continued calmly racing the pickup and said, “When the truck leaves the road I’m going straight to heaven because I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s washed every one of my sins away in His precious blood, but you’ll be headed for a lost eternity. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Saviour, you’re not ready to die.”

By this time the boy was trembling and the gun was shaking in his hand. The truck was really flying as Farmer John tried to tell the boy how much Christ loved him and longed for him to repent and accept Him as his Saviour. Finally Farmer John said, “Why don’t you open the window and throw that gun away.”

Slowly the boy opened the window and watched as his gun hit the ground. Farmer John slowed the truck down and asked, “What’s the matter, son?”

“I’m in trouble,” the boy blurted out. “I was kicked out of school and now my dad has told me I have to leave home. I have nowhere to go . . . and I have nothing.”

What do you think Farmer John should have done? Turn the boy over to the police? He was certainly acting as Farmer John’s enemy. Do you realize you are an enemy of God because of your sins, and He has every right to punish you? Farmer John didn’t want to punish that young man; he wanted to help him. And God doesn’t want to punish you either; He loves you and wants to forgive your sins.

Farmer John took that boy home as his own son. He added a room onto his house for the boy and made him a member of his own family. That’s grace! When someone threatens to take your life, and in return, and at much expense to yourself, you kindly take him in and treat him as if he were your own son, that’s certainly grace. But God’s grace is even greater! Why don’t you open the window and throw away your dislike and bitterness towards Him. Tell Him your troubles, confess your sins to Him and receive His cleansing and forgiveness. He wants to make you His own child and share His home with you forever.

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly”
(Romans 5:6).

ML-10/05/1997

Grace for a Hitchhiker

A flock of sheep grazing peacefully in a field is always a pretty sight. Few of us think about how hard it is sometimes to take care of them through the cold winter.

At this time of year sheep are growing long, thick wool coats to keep them warm through the winter. In the spring when the lambs are born in the fields, they sometimes die because it is still too cold. They do not have warm, woolly coats when they are born. So if they arrive while there is still snow on the ground, some usually die.

Sometimes a mother sheep will die, leaving a little lamb without a mother to nurse it. The shepherd then has to find a way to take care of the little lamb so it will not die too. He can either try to feed it himself from a bottle or find a mother sheep to take care of it. However, usually no other sheep will accept the lamb, because it is not her own.

Now what do you suppose the shepherd does? He looks to see if there is a mother sheep whose own baby lamb has died. He finds her dead lamb, removes its skin, and carefully places it over the body of the living lamb that has lost its mother. It is just like putting on a coat. The shepherd then takes the little orphan lamb to the mother sheep that has just lost her own baby. She sniffs the lamb all over, smelling mostly the coat of her own dead lamb. She thinks it must be her own baby, and she accepts it and nurses it.

This is just what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for those of us who have accepted Him as our Saviour. He is that Lamb who died on Calvary’s cross for us. Because of all that He did there for us, we can claim Isaiah 61:10, “He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” God the Father accepts us, not because there is anything good in us, but because He sees us wearing the “coat of salvation” that the Lord Jesus has given us.

Have you thanked Him today for dying on the cross so you could be saved from your sins and live with Him in heaven? “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood . . . to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:56).

ML-10/05/1997

A Daring Rescue

Have you ever been camping alone in the wilderness? I mean real wilderness, with no one else around for miles? Robert was a young man who chose to live alone in the wilds of northern British Columbia in Canada for several years. He lived in a small cabin while he panned for gold, trying to save money to go to college.

One morning he set out for a walk to the nearby creek. As he walked along Robert’s keen ear caught the sound of distressing moans. He headed toward the sound which came from an area of dangerous quicksand. There he found a moose hopelessly stuck in the slimy mud. She was still alive, but only her head and shoulders were above the muck, and she was exhausted from struggling. It would be only a short time before she disappeared under the quicksand that was sucking her down.

This moose was in real trouble, and she knew it. Sometimes we boys and girls and grown-ups do not realize that we are sinking in something more serious than quicksand. Our problem is hopeless too, for “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We need a Saviour just as the moose needed someone to save her.

Robert loved animals. The moose is one of the largest and strongest animals in the forest, but even a moose cannot get out of quicksand. Robert knew what he had to do to save her.

He turned and ran back to his cabin for a strong rope. He lassoed the moose around her neck and tied the other end of the rope to a tree. Then he cut a thick branch to use to twist the rope as a windlass between the moose and the tree. Each time he turned the branch it would shorten the rope and tug on the moose. As the rope tightened around the moose’s neck, she kicked and rolled and splashed. Robert continued to twist the rope, and finally the moose had one foot on solid ground. His idea was working, and eventually the muddy giant was free again.

A moose can weigh up to one thousand pounds, and Robert was not a big man. The rescue had cost him a great deal of effort, as well as getting him rather muddy too. But to be able to offer boys and girls salvation from their sins, the Lord Jesus had to die. Without the Lord Jesus, we too will perish, for we cannot pay for our own sins. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). He had to go to the cross of Calvary and shed His blood to pay for our sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

If the Lord Jesus has rescued you from your sins, have you ever thanked Him for what He did? The moose certainly was not thankful to Robert for her rescue. When she felt firm ground under her feet, she snorted and charged at him, for she was a very angry moose. Robert expected this since she could not understand that he had saved her life.

However, Robert’s job was not finished. The rope was still around the moose’s neck and around the tree. How was Robert going to get that rope off a very angry moose?

He stayed a little farther away than the length of the rope and ran in circles around the tree. As the moose ran after him, the rope wound around the tree and got shorter and shorter. Suddenly the moose was jerked to a stop because all of the rope was wrapped around the tree! She had been running so fast that she actually crashed against the tree and fell down. Now she was more frightened than angry. Quickly Robert ran to the moose and cut the rope off her neck. The moose loped off into the woods free, but still not understanding what had happened.

Robert’s love of wild animals made him feel that it was worth all his efforts, even though he had taken a risk. The moose was only an animal and could not thank him. But it is sad to see children who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour go off on their own way when He has died to save them. He loves to hear us thank Him and wants us to live for Him. “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Is the Lord Jesus your Saviour? Have you thanked Him, and are you living to please Him?

ML-10/12/1997

Don't Let Anything Bite Daddy

It was almost bedtime. Daddy was away from home on a business trip, and Mother was reading a Bible story to her children. Little Andy listened carefully to the story of Daniel. Mother read how he was thrown into the lions’ den and how God had shut the lions’ mouths so they could not bite him.

A little later as Andy knelt beside his bed praying, his mother heard him say, “And don’t let anything bite Daddy.”

No doubt Andy knew that God, who had kept Daniel from harm, could take care of his daddy too. And he was right.

In this same simple way, shouldn’t each of us be asking God to keep us and those we love from harm and from sin? The Bible tells us God does hear our prayers and cries, and He promises to help those who trust in Him.

“They cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He [saves] them out of their distresses”
(Psalm 107:19).

ML-10/12/1997

A Sparkling Light

Supper was just over when we heard the children running up from the river. “Come and see!” they called, and we all climbed down the bank to the sandy beach to share the wonder they had discovered. The setting sun made a pathway in the water of bright ripples, right to our feet.

The bright pathway came not just to all of us, but to each of us. It came right to my feet, and every one of us could say the same. That’s like God’s gospel message, isn’t it? It’s for all of us, but it’s for me, at this moment, right where I stand. We were silent with the hush of wonder.

Amy discovered something else to her great surprise. The sparkling pathway of light came with her when she ran along the sand. It stopped right at her feet when she stopped. And then it came back with her when she ran back along the water’s edge. A canoe crossed the bright pathway without changing it in the least. When the dark silhouette of the canoe was past, the pathway of sparkling light was there at her feet. Not even a big ship could change its direction for a moment. It might interrupt the pathway temporarily, but the light would return right to her feet just as before.

Rainbows are not like that. The tip of the rainbow will never shine on your toes. When God put the rainbow in the sky, He said, “I will look upon it.” Sometimes He allows us to see the beauty that He sees, but the rainbow was placed in our sky that we might remember that it is the token of God’s faithfulness to His promise. Whether we see it or not, He always looks upon it, even when it is not visible from the earth.

Fanny Crosby stood on a beach as Amy did, but she did not see a shining pathway. She was blind. Others described it to her, and she believed them and loved it. They also told her of the Lord Jesus who said, “I am the light of the world: he that [follows] Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Fanny received Him as her very own Saviour and spent her life writing songs about Him. Now she is “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” in the land of endless light.

While we stood on the beach that evening, if an Asian girl on the other side of the world had risen early in the morning and run down to the beach, she would find that the same pathway of sparkling ripples reached to her toes too. God does not care about the color of your skin or the money in your pocket. He cares about you. He is the Light for all of us and for each of us, one by one. You are never lost in the crowd with God.

Soon the sun dipped behind the hills and the sparkling pathway of light was gone. The clouds glowed red and gold and then faded into darkness, and the stars twinkled in the night sky. The day was over on our side of the world as it began on the other side.

Before today is over, will you take Jesus as your Light and your Lord and your Saviour? If you refuse our invitation to “Come and see!” it will still be true that God is Light and He will shine forever, and we who are clean through the precious blood of Jesus will shine in His light with Him. He made the stars, and there are no stars in the night without Him. Do you choose Him, or do you choose darkness? You may choose now, but God makes no promise to save you tomorrow.

ML-10/19/1997

Shop Class

Charles was a young Christian in high school. He always brought his New Testament to school and often told friends and classmates about the Lord Jesus Christ who came into this world to save sinners. He was sometimes ridiculed and called “holy Chuck.”

One afternoon in shop class as the students were working on their projects, one boy yelled out, “Hey, holy Chuck, let me have your Bible and I’ll preach a real nice sermon!” The others laughed, but Charles calmly handed the boy his New Testament and said, “Okay. Why don’t you read to us from the Gospel of Luke in chapter 16 and start with verse 19.”

And so the boy found the place, with a bit of difficulty, and started reading the story of the rich man and Lazarus. He became quite solemn when he got to verse 23: “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

After he finished the chapter you could have heard a pin drop. Something that had seemed so funny was no longer funny. The truth of God’s own Word could not be laughed at.

We don’t know if that boy or if any of the others took to heart what had been read. But we would like to ask you if you have taken to heart that there truly is a heaven and a hell? It means you have to make a decision. Where are you going after you die? The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You will spend eternity in one of two places - either heaven or hell. You must decide if you want it to be heaven. If you do nothing, your decision is already made. Will you spend eternity with the Lord Jesus who loves you, in a wonderful place where all is light and love and everlasting happiness, and live in the Father’s house as one of His own children? Then believe what God says, admit that you are a sinner before Him, and trust Jesus to save you from your sins by believing that His death on Calvary’s cross was for you. If you do not come to God this way, then your eternity will be spent in the lake of fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. The Bible warns of the terror and unhappiness of hell: “There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50).

Oh, stop and think that eternity is forever! Will you decide right now for everlasting life in heaven with a Saviour who loves you? “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

ML-10/26/1997

The Giant Decoy

It looked like a Canada goose sitting on the water. When the migrating birds flew overhead, the pond looked like a safe place to land. They didn’t seem to be aware of anything unusual. The flock came down to rest, and then suddenly . . . BANG! BANG! BANG!

Do you know what a decoy is? The dictionary says, “Anything that entices or lures for capture.” Satan has many decoys to lure children and grown-ups into his traps. Satan’s decoys usually look interesting and inviting, but they all eventually lead to the road of destruction. Jesus says, “My son [or daughter], if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10).

The decoy on the pond that looked like a Canada goose was really a large fiberglass model of a goose that could hold two men and a dog inside its hollow shell. On the water all around it were life-size models of geese. The quiet pond looked inviting - but it was all a trap. The men inside the fiberglass model were hunters.

Until we are saved we usually don’t realize that we are trapped in sin. But Jesus came to save us from our sins by dying for us. “He [Jesus] 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” (Psalm 40:2). Don’t be lured by what the world offers. Turn to Jesus today. He will wash away your sins and will give you true happiness. And unlike the short-lived fun of the world, Jesus’ joy will be with you forever. Let Jesus save you today, and you will be saved forever.

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

ML-10/26/1997

Alone on an Island

Many years ago a young man lived all alone on an island in the Pacific Ocean, because he chose to. It was his decision. But let’s go back to the beginning of the story.

The man’s name was Alex Selkirk. He was born and raised in a small town in Scotland and had always been a rebellious boy. When he reached his teens the problem he had been to his parents and teachers only got worse. This behavior got him in trouble not only at home and school, but also with the town police. Between the ages of 14 and 18 he ran away from home twice. Other times his conduct landed him in jail.

The last time he ran away he went to a large seaport town. Dreaming of adventures in faraway countries, Alex got a job on a sailing ship that was ready to leave port. However, he soon found out that things on board ship were no different than on land. Again, it was his conduct which got him in trouble. He was always quarreling and fighting with the other crew members.

One day the ship was anchored in a bay of a small island so the crew could make minor repairs. During this time Alex got in an argument with the captain. In anger Alex demanded, “Put me off this ship! I would rather stay alone on this island than work on your ship!”

The Bible tells us that people often make unwise decisions when they are angry: “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Alex was going to wish he had never made that decision.

“Agreed!” shouted the captain. “Get your gear and off the ship with you!”

Alex got his sea chest that held his clothes and tools, and without any more discussion he was rowed ashore. Lifting his gear out of the small boat, he stood on the shore unafraid as the boat returned to the ship. He was still angry at the captain.

Suddenly his feelings were changing. Fear began to well up as he looked at the surroundings, realizing he would have to stay alone on the island where there was no shelter, no food, no other people and possibly wild animals. He might never have the chance to leave or see another person.

Alex began waving his hands and shouting, “Come back! Come back!” But they did not turn back. He thought he heard the captain laugh. The sailors climbed back into the ship and hoisted up the small boat. Soon the ship sailed out of sight.

Alone now, Alex became angry again. He was angry with himself, with the captain, with everything.

He soon realized it was going to take hard work to survive. He found a cave in the rocks and built a fire outside to keep wild animals away. He set his sea chest across the narrow entrance of the cave and then rolled himself in his blanket and went to sleep.

Many days passed. Still angry and lonely he survived on fish and fruit. He still blamed the captain for all his problems. Every day he watched hopefully for a passing ship he could signal to come rescue him.

After many days of feeling sorry for himself, Alex found a small Bible in his chest. Since he did not own one, he had no idea how it had gotten there. Perhaps one of the sailors on the ship had placed it there. Hungry for something to read, he took the Bible along to his lookout place on the rocks. When he opened it he read this verse: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in” (Psalm 107:4).

Alex thought the verse described himself, lonely and in trouble. He read on: “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way” (vss. 67). As he read of the Lord’s care and that “His mercy endureth forever,” he knew that God’s mercy had been over him. For the first time he realized that his own will and behavior had been the real cause of all his troubles.

Alex knew that God sent His Son to earth to suffer for man’s sins, but he had never thought that he himself needed to be forgiven. For the first time he felt ashamed of his life. He knelt down on his lookout rock and confessed to God how wrong he had been, and he accepted Christ as his Saviour and Friend.

After that Alex did not feel so alone since he knew the Lord was with him. He began to search the island and found much to help and interest him. He found fruit and nuts that he had not seen before. He built a small hut with shelves and a bench where he could sleep and be dry when it rained. He tamed a wild goat and some rabbits which were company for him. Now even the roaring of the seals sounded friendly to him.

Each day Alex read the Bible and found new things to enjoy. He even began remembering hymns he had known as a boy. He cut a notch in a tree each day to keep track of time. So the days passed pleasantly, and he didn’t mind the quiet.

At last one day Alex saw a ship in the distance. He built a big fire on the beach to attract attention and waved a white cloth tied on a pole. It was seen by the ship’s crew and a boat was sent to shore. With only the few things he could carry, Alex was rescued from the island which had been his home for over four years.

Some months later Alex finally got back to Scotland. He was a different person from the one who had left. He had learned much about himself, and God’s love and mercy had given him a new life.

Without Christ each of us is on a road that is leading to everlasting punishment in hell because of our sins. Alex Selkirk was stopped on that road, and the quiet time alone with God’s Word, the Bible, resulted in his salvation. Have you stopped to listen to God’s Word? He loves you and wants you to know Him and be saved from your sins. The Lord Jesus was punished on the cross by God for the sins of each person who will believe and accept Him as Saviour. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Some people are so angry with everything in life that they blame God and ignore His love. Only by reading the Bible can we grasp His wonderful love. Then accepting Him as our very own Saviour, we will have a changed life that will be pleasing to Him. “Hereby perceive [understand] we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).

Editor’s note: This true experience in the eighteenth century inspired some well-known adventure stories that you may have read in school.

ML-11/02/1997

How God Used a Rattlesnake

David Brainerd was a missionary to the North American Indians many years ago. When he left home to tell the Indians of God’s love, his friends thought they would never see him again.

David traveled by foot deep into the wilderness with the good news. One day he knew he was nearing the large village he had been walking several days to reach. After a night’s sleep he was breaking camp to start on the trail again. He knelt down by his tent and asked the Lord for special help that day. He knew he would be in contact with Indians from the village that very day. He asked for special help to reach them with the Word of God.

As David knelt praying, he thought that only God was watching. Actually, a scouting party of Indians from the village was watching him. As they watched they saw a large rattlesnake crawl from under the log where David was kneeling. When it reached David’s feet it reared back as if to strike him on the leg. Suddenly, instead of striking, it turned and slithered off into the grass.

The watching Indians were amazed. For sure, some unseen hand had kept the snake from injuring the white man! They went back to their village and told the chief what they had seen. The council decided that the white man was under the protection of the “Great Spirit,” and they would not harm him.

When David reached the village he was surprised when the whole village came out to greet him. They listened to his preaching as he told them about the Lord Jesus Christ who loved them. Many of them accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

The same God that saved David Brainerd from the snake has saved many Indians and many white people from their sins. He loves you and wants to save you from your sins too. The way to have your sins forgiven is still the same way that David explained to the Indians. It is by believing, first, that you are a sinner and need a Saviour, and, second, that the Lord Jesus was punished and died on the cross for your sins. That is all that is necessary. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Have you believed?

ML-11/09/1997

Jimmy and the Candy Bar

Jimmy was spending a long afternoon at Grandma’s house. Grandma lived in a neighborhood of mostly older people, so there were no children around to play with. All the grown-ups were talking in the kitchen, and little Jimmy didn’t have anything to do.

Suddenly he remembered the pretty glass bowl that Grandma kept on top of the cabinet in the dining room. Yellow candies were usually in the bowl. Jimmy thought he needed one. He went into the dining room and peered over the top of the cabinet. Sure enough, there was the glass bowl . . . but no candies. Disappointed, Jimmy rested his chin on the cabinet top, looking at the empty bowl.

Now what could he do? He noticed the cabinet had some drawers. He pulled one open and started looking through it. All he found were some old napkins and tablecloths. They even smelled old, like mothballs. But wait, what was this . . . a candy bar! He could tell from the wrapper that it had peanuts, chocolate and caramel in it.

As Jimmy took the candy bar out, he had an uneasy feeling inside. He knew the candy bar was not his to take. He thought of asking his grandma - she had probably forgotten all about the candy bar and would be glad to let him have it. But then he would have to go into the kitchen and ask, and his mom wouldn’t like him asking for it. Jimmy made up his mind just to eat the candy bar without telling anyone. Grandma would never miss it.

Jimmy’s uneasy feeling came from God. God, our Creator, has given each man and woman and boy and girl a conscience. That is the feeling that bothers us when we are doing something wrong. It also tells us we are sinners. Many times we choose to go right ahead and do what we want in spite of what our conscience tells us -just like Jimmy was about to do. Then we try to forget about it. But God does not forget. He is holy and cannot let even a little sin slide by without His noticing it. “God requireth that which is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15).

Grandma’s yard had a high hedge around it. He could find a good place in the hedge to hide with the candy bar. So Jimmy crouched in the cool, leafy shade of the hedge and unwrapped it. He opened his mouth wide and took a big bite. But oh dear, he spit it out just as quickly. The candy bar was so old it was hard and had an awful taste! It must have been in that drawer for a long, long time. What a disappointment it turned out to be for Jimmy.

Sin is just like that. It often looks like something we want -something we might enjoy. But it always ends in unhappiness. The Bible tells us that “the wages [payment] of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

If Jimmy had just asked his grandma about the candy bar, she would have known it was not good to eat, and she would have given him something better. And if you will come to the Lord Jesus with your sins, He will wash them all away and give you something much better - His gift of a happy home with Him in heaven forever.

ML-11/09/1997

The Bear Who Came to Lunch

Henry and Jane were visiting a national park. As they entered they noticed large signs which read:

STAY IN YOUR CAR.
KEEP WINDOWS
CLOSED WHEN PARKED.
DO NOT FEED ANIMALS.

A park employee at the entrance also warned them of these rules. They spent several days in the beautiful park and enjoyed being able to see so many animals in their natural setting.

One day was so hot and they were driving slowly along with their windows open, enjoying the beautiful park scenery. They came to an area where several cars were parked along the road. They decided there must be something there worth watching.

They pulled over and parked their car, then began looking around. They quickly saw what everyone was watching. Near the road were six beautiful elk feeding in a meadow. Not wanting to frighten the animals by getting out of the car, they took some pictures from the open car window and sat watching those beautiful animals for some time.

Jane turned away from looking out of Henry’s window with him, and to her great surprise there stood a black bear looking at her through her open window! She could feel his hot breath on her neck. Jane screamed and leaned over against her husband. He quickly opened his door, and both of them scrambled out his side. Then he quickly slammed his door shut behind them.

That bear climbed right into the car through Jane’s open window and began tearing up the front seat, then sniffing the air, it climbed over to the back seat. The bear must have smelled their lunch in the trunk, because it began to claw and tear at the back seat. Those long, sharp claws soon found their way right through the seat and into the trunk!

Seeing what was happening, people in a nearby car hurried off to find a park ranger. Henry and Jane could do nothing but stand back and watch that bear, now sitting in their ruined car, contentedly eating their lunch!

Soon the ranger came and managed to get the bear out of the car. But the inside of the car was left a mess. The upholstery was in shreds, stuffing from the seats was scattered all over, and loosened springs stuck out of the seat. All of their belongings were tangled and torn.

Remembering too late the warning to “KEEP WINDOWS CLOSED WHEN PARKED,” they sadly got back into the car and found a place to sit on the torn-up front seat. They decided they had better just go on home and drove on out of the park. What a sad ending to a happy vacation!

How much better it is to obey not only the authority of people God has seen fit to place over us, but to obey our heavenly Father! “How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers” (Proverbs 5:12-13).

Have you heard the gospel message and obeyed it? Have you heard that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15)? Are you truly sorry about your sins, and have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your very own Saviour? He died to save you from everlasting death and punishment if you will trust Him.

It would have been best for Henry and Jane to have obeyed the instruction and warning given to them when they entered the national park. They had been told to keep the car windows rolled up. And it will be best for you if you obey God’s instructions, receiving the protection of His eternal love and everlasting life in heaven.

“What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

ML-11/16/1997

Hamburger Buns

I have just returned from the thrift store of a large bakery. This store is where the bakery’s day-old bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, cookies, sweet rolls, pies and doughnuts are sold at prices much less than their original price. There is often a “bargain table” where certain items are even cheaper. And sometimes there is a “bonus table” that offers certain items free when you buy over a given dollar amount.

The hamburger buns I wanted did not have a price on them. I carried them to the checkout counter and the cashier told me what the bargain price was. Seeing an opportunity to tell her the news of the love of God in giving the Lord Jesus to die for sinners, I asked, “Do you know what is a better bargain than the price of these buns?”

She replied, “If you could get them free.”

When I asked the cashier if she knew about salvation, the free forgiveness of sins, she said, “I go to church.” My reply to her was that God forgives those who go to church just as freely as He does those who don’t go to church. In the little time it takes to pay for one item it was not possible to tell her that even the worst sinners are also freely forgiven when they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Belonging to a church or going to Sunday school and meeting is not the way sins are forgiven. The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). It is the work the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross in full payment for our sins that makes it possible for God to forgive big sinners and little sinners. It is only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus that can wash away our sins. “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

ML-11/16/1997

Over Niagara Falls in a Life Jacket

Most of you have at least heard of Niagara Falls, formed by the Niagara River as it flows from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. Every minute about 20,000,000 gallons of water flow over a drop of more than 150 feet. There are many thrilling stories connected with Niagara Falls. Several men walked across it on tightropes. Some tried to go over the falls in barrels, balloons and other things. Most of them lost their lives, but today’s story is about someone who went over the falls and lived.

Seven-year-old Roger Woodward lived in Niagara Falls, New York with his parents and his 17- year-old sister Deanne. Saturday, July 9, 1960, is a date that he will always remember. A good friend of his family, Jim Honeycutt, invited Roger and his sister to go for a boat ride on the Niagara River above the falls. As they set off from Grand Island in a boat powered by a small outboard motor, Roger’s father called out to him, “Remember to wear your life jacket!” It was a warm day, and later on Roger wanted to take his life jacket off, but Jim, remembering Roger’s father’s warning, insisted that he keep it on.

For some reason Jim decided to go under the Grand Island bridge and into the turbulent waters below it. They were all enjoying the ride, and Roger asked for permission to steer the boat. Downstream they could see the mist rising from the falls. A few moments later the noise of the motor changed abruptly to a squeal. They had struck a shoal, broken the shear pin and suddenly had no power. Jim, who was an experienced boatman, immediately told Deanne to put on the only other life jacket in the boat. Then he seized the oars and began to pull furiously for the American shore of the river. But the current was too strong, and they were quickly swept into the rapids on the Canadian side, passing Goat Island.

Suddenly a large wave capsized the boat, and all three were thrown into the water. Deanne tried to hold onto the boat but could not. Although she was not a strong swimmer, she desperately tried to swim to shore. A crowd had gathered on the shore, and a bus driver named John Hayes saw what was happening. He climbed over the guardrail and, by reaching as far as he could, was just able to grasp Deanne’s hand. Another man, named John Quatrocchi, helped pull her to safety when she was only 15 feet from the brink of the falls. “My brother! What’s happened to my brother?” she cried. Having seen him go over the falls, Quatrocchi could only say, “Pray for him.” With tears streaming from her eyes, Deanne dropped to her knees and prayed.

But what about Jim Honeycutt and Roger? As they were swept along in the water, Jim said to Roger, “Don’t be scared - I’ll hold you!” But the powerful current tore them apart, and along with their boat they were swept over the falls.

For more than 100 years a passenger boat called The Maid of the Mist has taken tourists up the river below the falls to give them a close-up look at the great waterfall. On this particular date, Captain Clifford Keech of The Maid of the Mist had taken the boat to within 200 feet of the falls, as close as he dared to go. He was about to turn his boat around when someone shouted, “Man overboard!” Keech spotted Roger in his red life jacket about 50 feet away and threw out a life ring on a rope. After several attempts Roger was able to fling himself across the life ring in a belly flop. Moments later he was pulled to safety. Immediately he asked, “My sister! Where’s my sister?”

John Quatrocchi, who watched Roger’s rescue from the observation deck above, told Deanne that her prayers had been answered. Her brother had been rescued.

Both Deanne and Roger were taken to the hospital, but they had only a few bruises and were quickly released. Several days later Jim Honeycutt’s body was found. He had evidently been killed instantly on the rocks at the base of the falls.

What saved both Roger and Deanne from a terrible death? Although the help of others meant a lot, it was really their life vests that saved them. How thankful they were that they had obeyed their father! But you and I need more than a life vest to save us from eternal judgment. Roger and Deanne were saved from certain death, but God has provided a way for us to have eternal salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ has died and shed His blood so that you and I can have our sins washed away. Through faith in Him we can have eternal life and be safe from coming judgment. John 5:24 says, “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.”

But this is not the end of the story about Roger Woodward. For many years afterward he wondered why God had spared his life. People would sometimes tell him that Somebody must have been watching over him and that Somebody must have something special planned for him. Roger continued to ask himself why he was here and where he was going. No one was able to give him satisfactory answers.

Then in 1980, 20 years after his experience, a friend invited him to attend a gospel meeting. There he heard about the Lord Jesus and how He came into the world to save sinners. That very evening he knelt down beside his friend and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

Ten years later, in 1990, and 30 years after his miraculous escape, he returned to Niagara Falls to preach the gospel. “For the first time in my life I knew what God’s purpose was in saving me 30 years ago,” he said. “Something happened 30 years ago that was very, very special. I lived. Why? So that I could live again . . . so that others would come to the saving knowledge of Christ and have the gift of eternal life.”

Roger Woodward’s experience was unique. No other human has ever gone over Niagara Falls in only a life jacket and lived. Probably no one will ever do it again. But God’s way of salvation is for all. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but God’s Word also says, “By Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:39). Accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour today, as Roger did, and know that you are saved for all eternity!

ML-11/23/1997

The Little African Shepherd

The story is told of a little North African boy named Abd el Karuzeh. He lived in the limestone caves of Algeria, and, like all his friends, he was a sheep herder. But he felt different, because each of the other boys could point to one lamb in his flock that his father had given to him so he could start a flock of his own. But Abd el Karuzeh had no lamb of his own, for his father owned only six sheep.

Abd el Karuzeh got up every morning at daybreak and took his father’s sheep to the hills. He kept a sharp watch for eagles and hyenas that might harm the sheep. But though he was a good little shepherd his heart was sad, for he knew he would always be poor; he would never have a lamb to start his own flock.

One evening, when all the sheep herders and flocks were returning, two boys were missing -sons of the Headman. When the evening shadows began to fall they returned, telling how they had had to leave behind a little lamb that had fallen down a cliff. Its mother had jumped to avoid a snake, knocking the little lamb over the cliff. The boys had tried every way they knew to reach the lamb, but the stones gave way under them and the little twigs growing from the cliff face could not hold them.

Abd el Karuzeh listened closely. In his mind he pictured the helpless little lamb left there to be killed by eagles or hyenas. He stood back from the others, thinking.

Suddenly he decided. Quietly he turned and ran all the way back to the cliffs. He was scared as he thought about going over the cliff, but since he was small he hoped he could reach the lamb. He could hear bleating, and as he looked down the cliff face he could see the cold, frightened little lamb on a ledge of rock. Could he do it alone? He would be risking his life, but he must save the lamb.

He took off his jacket and began to lower himself slowly until he found a toehold, and then another. Every moment he was in danger of crashing to his death. He clung to the tiny shrubs and inched his way downward until he could jump to the ledge where the lamb stood trembling. He picked it up, put it on his shoulders, and tied its feet together with his belt. Now he wondered how he could climb back up with the added weight of the lamb and the danger of its hoofs hitting the cliff face. He remembered how the toeholds had crumbled and given way under him on the way down, and now there was the added weight of the lamb to think of. He was frightened and wet with sweat.

He suddenly realized there was another danger. He saw his fingers were bleeding, and he knew the smell of blood quickly attracted the wild animals. No time must be lost! He must begin his upward climb right away!

He began to climb slowly and carefully, inch by inch, testing each shrub and toehold before moving farther. He knew an unexpected kick from the lamb might plunge them both to their death in the canyon below. He dared not look up or down - he could only think about his next move. When at last he wormed his body up over the edge onto the path, his heart was pounding so hard and loud that that was all he could hear.

Now there was a new fear - how to get home without being attacked by a wild animal. He saw something gleaming in the distance-something moving. Was it the eyes of hyenas or jackals? Then he heard a shout. It was his father’s voice. He was coming with the Headman, and they were carrying firesticks.

With great relief Abd el Karuzeh unwrapped the lamb from his shoulders and gave it to the Headman. “Here is your lamb,” he said.

The Headman looked at the boy for a moment and then answered, “My sons left this lamb to die. You risked your life. You are torn and bleeding. You are the rightful owner. This is your lamb.”

With his very own lamb in his arms, Abd el Karuzeh returned with the men to the warmth and safety of the caves.

While reading this story, did you see yourself exactly as that little lamb? You are lost in sin and far away from God until the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, rescues you and brings you safely into His fold. “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 [sins] of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Not only was He torn and bleeding, but He died that you might be returned to God. But you must accept His rescue and thank Him for it. Every person is precious enough to the Lord Jesus that He not only risked His life, but He gave His life and died for them. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

ML-11/30/1997

Squirrel Paths

One day our next door neighbor started feeding the few squirrels that played around in our yards. One was really tame, and she would even feed it in her house! Little did she know that she would soon have an army! Apparently news travels fast among squirrels, and soon more and more were coming for her handouts.

Not only did they eat her nuts, but everything in sight. They even helped themselves to anything they wanted in our gardens.

We noticed, to our amazement, that the squirrels always came from the same directions toward our neighbor’s house. Some crossed our front yard and some crossed our back yard. We also noticed distinct paths starting to appear! They were squirrel paths, and each day they became easier to see until soon all the grass was gone and the paths were bare earth.

You and I are following paths in our lives. These well-worn paths are the popular but sad paths of sinful pleasures. They only lead downward to a lost eternity. If you are following these paths today, won’t you stop and turn around before it is too late? Turn to Christ Jesus today and follow the path of happiness. He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Those of us who have accepted Christ as our Saviour should be seeking to follow the paths that would please Him. A good verse for us to memorize is Psalm 25:4: “Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths.”

ML-11/30/1997

Homeless and Hungry

One day while Mr. Peters was walking down the back streets of a large city, he came to two homeless, dirty men sifting through the trash in a dumpster in search of food. He stopped and asked them if they would like something to eat. They stared at him in amazement as though such kindness had not been shown them before. Finally one of the men answered, “Yes.”

A sandwich store was not very far away, and the three men started walking to it. Mr. Peters found it difficult to walk close to them because of their odor. Homeless people have no place to wash themselves.

As they came close to the store, one of the men looked down at himself and said sadly, “I can’t go in there; I’m too dirty.”

“I’ll bring something out to you,” Mr. Peters told them.

When Mr. Peters returned with a bag of sandwiches, the man who had said he was too dirty stepped forward as though he wanted to hug him. Not wanting to get that close, Mr. Peters stepped back out of the way.

Later Mr. Peters realized he didn’t have the heart of the father in Luke chapter 15 who ran to greet his lost son. That father threw his arms around his ragged, dirty son and covered him with kisses. The son may have smelled like pigs since he had been working and eating with them. But his father didn’t care. He had been watching and waiting for his son for a long time. And when he saw his son finally coming home, he loved him so much he didn’t care what he looked like or what he smelled like. He ran to meet him and wrapped his arms around his son and kissed him.

That’s the way God loves us. He doesn’t wait until we’re all cleaned up and nicely dressed. We are all sinners, covered with our filthy sins and with no way to wash them off. But He says, “Come now . . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

The man who wanted to hug Mr. Peters saw him step back and instead gave him a kindly slap on the back and a hearty “thank you.”

The father in Luke 15 had shown such unconditional love for his son that he won his son’s heart. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

“But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.”

And that’s what God our Father has planned for any sinner who will come to Him and accept His unconditional love. That love has provided a Saviour to wash us clean from our filthy sins. Will you come to Him right now? “Our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity” (Titus 2:13-14).

ML-12/07/1997

She Had Help!

There was strong competition in Janet’s tenth grade class, and now during final exams it seemed to be even greater. Mr. McGee, their English teacher, announced as he was passing out the exam papers that he had purposely made it hard - so hard he didn’t really expect anyone to get an A. There were some groans, as he was famous for his tough grading. Even Kyle, one of the top students, gave a loud groan as he glanced over the exam. This boy liked to boast that he didn’t believe in God, stating that there wasn’t a God. Whether he had gotten this teaching at home or not, Janet didn’t know. But as she tried in a quiet way to be a light for the Lord Jesus, it seemed only to irritate Kyle.

Mr. McGee was not kidding, Janet soon realized. Every detail of the semester project was on the exam with the key points left for them to fill in or apply. Janet sent up a silent prayer, asking the Lord Jesus to help her remember what she had studied. She worked hard at the difficult grammar and literature questions.

The bell startled her as she finished the last answer. There wasn’t even time to check anything over before the papers were quickly collected. They got their books together and headed for the next class.

It was about three days later, after they had settled into their seats, that Mr. McGee was ready to pass out the corrected exam papers. It was very quiet as everyone wondered how they had done. He smiled as he announced, “Well, there was one A out of the whole class.”

“Who got the A?” asked one of the students.

“Janet,” he answered.

“That’s not fair!” exploded Kyle.

“And what’s unfair about it?” asked Mr. McGee.

Kyle’s expression was very serious as he pointed one finger heavenward and argued, “She had help!”

Yes, Kyle was admitting that God had answered Janet’s prayer and helped her to pass the test. Is this surprising? To a Christian it shouldn’t be, since we read in Colossians 2:3, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Kyle had been very bold about saying that there is no God. But like many others who say this, when they get into a time of trouble they admit that God does exist. The conscience of every person acknowledges that there is a God. The Lord Jesus Christ “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9).

Although the Light (Christ) has shone on all, not everyone will accept Him as Saviour. This is your responsibility if you have not done this yet. Turn to Him now. Remember, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 53:1). Don’t be a fool. Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour today.

ML-12/07/1997

The Mountain Climbers

Three mountain climbers had gone to Switzerland to climb one of the mountains there. They had climbed most of the peaks in Canada and the United States. Now they wanted to climb some of the Alpine peaks.

After arriving in Switzerland, they located the climbing school that had been recommended to them. They hired an experienced guide, a man named Jenni, and began to plan for their first climb.

Several days later the four men began their climb up the snow-peaked mountain Pitz Musteratsch. The climb went well with no unusual problems. The three climbers were proud of themselves when they reached the top. They rested for a short time and then began the return trip. They had decided to make the return trip by a different route.

Starting down, they soon found this way to be more dangerous than the way up. The slope was icy, and it was difficult to walk over. There was also evidence of recent snowslides on this side of the mountain.

“This could be dangerous,” warned Jenni. Each of them attached safety lines to their belts. These were linked to the person ahead and the person behind so that all four men were linked together. “Keep close to each other, and follow my steps exactly!” cautioned Jenni. “One wrong step or loud noise may start a slide.”

Jenni had no sooner finished warning them when there was a roar above them. Looking up he saw a huge cliff of snow break away and begin moving toward them. The four men tried to get out of the path of the sliding snow. But there was no time! Only Jenni, who was in the lead, managed to jump clear. The three others were knocked over and swept down the steep slope toward the brink of a high cliff. It seemed like certain death for the whole party. The men were being carried so fast that they could not stop themselves. Jenni realized that as soon as the safety rope tightened he would be pulled down too.

Stamping his steel-spiked boots into the ice, he drove his ice ax deep into the ice and braced himself. Straining backward with all his strength, he was able to stop the slide of the three other climbers. They found a foothold in the icy slope and carefully climbed back to Jenni, who was still holding tightly to the rope that held them. He had saved the lives of the three men - saved them from going over the cliff to their death! The three climbers will never forget Jenni, their guide who saved their lives.

At the end of a sinner’s life there is everlasting punishment if he has not had his sins forgiven. Many people are sliding over the brink of life every day into an eternity without God. What a terrible thought!

The three climbers were saved because they were linked to their guide Jenni. Are you linked to Christ? Do you know Him as your Saviour and Guide? There is no safety without Him. Everyone who is linked to Him is safe even if the path is slippery. No one in His care will be lost. Jesus said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

The Bible tells us that God loves us. He sent His Son to die for us so that we can be saved. The only question remaining is, Will you let Him save you right now?

“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-12/14/1997

Left Behind!

I was having such a nice nap! Both of my parents came to get me up, but I was still so sleepy I really didn’t want to get out of bed. When I finally did get up, the house was quiet. I walked around and checked the other beds and my baby sister’s crib. Everything was empty. No one was in the yard either. I was only six years old and I was scared.

Jesus is coming soon to take to heaven all who have accepted Him as their Saviour. I know that Jesus has washed my sins away, and so I’m not going to be left behind when He comes. But I don’t want you to be left behind either. It will be worse than being scared without your family. Those who are left behind will be punished for their sins. There will be no second chance then.

I was sitting on the couch wondering what to do when the phone rang. I was so happy when I answered it. It was Daddy! He told me that no one had noticed that I hadn’t gotten in the van with all the rest of my brothers and sisters. But someone was coming back to pick me up. Daddy told me a Bible verse to help me, and I wasn’t so scared anymore. Soon I was picked up and taken to be with my family. I was so glad. It’s scary to be left behind.

Jesus doesn’t want you to be left behind when He comes. He has told you in His letter, the Bible, how much He loves you and wants you to be with Him. “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 14:23). All you need to do is tell Jesus you are sorry for your sins and that you want Him to wash them away. Then you will never be left behind. When Jesus comes to take His people to heaven, you will go too. There you can stay forever.

ML-12/14/1997

$5 vs. $50

Mr. Barnes was a very wealthy man who lived in the early days of this country. It was one of his chief pleasures to walk through the countryside near his home, and as he walked he often noticed a particularly fine herd of cattle. One day he stopped to visit the rancher who owned the cattle and purchased a cow from him with the agreement that the cow would be delivered to his estate the following day.

The next day as Mr. Barnes was out for his morning walk he saw a young boy trying his hardest to lead the cow over to Mr. Barnes’s field. The boy, who did not know Mr. Barnes, called to him. “Please sir, would you come and help me with this cow? She is so stubborn!”

Mr. Barnes went over to help. As they walked along together he asked the boy, “How much do you expect to get for delivering the cow?”

“I . . . I don’t know,” the boy stammered, “but I’m sure to get something because the people who are buying the cow live in that house, and those people are very kind to everyone.”

By now the stubborn cow was walking along nicely, so Mr. Barnes excused himself and took a path through a wooded area that led to his back door. As soon as he got into the house he gave one of his trusted workers a fifty-dollar bill and told him to give it to the boy who was delivering the cow. After the cow had been left at the estate and the boy was returning to the ranch, Mr. Barnes went out again and met the boy on the road.

“Well, how much did you get?” asked Mr. Barnes.

“Five dollars,” answered the boy.

“Only five dollars? You must have gotten more than that,” said Mr. Barnes.

“No,” answered the boy, “that’s what I was given, and that was plenty, don’t you think?”

“No,” said Mr. Barnes. “I’m surprised it wasn’t more. I know Mr. Barnes well, and I believe that if you come back with me you’ll get more than five dollars.”

The boy agreed, and they walked back to the house together. When they went in Mr. Barnes called his hired workers and asked the boy to tell him who it was who had given him the five dollars.

“It was him,” he said, pointing to one of the workers.

When the man realized his dishonesty had been discovered, he admitted it and tried to excuse himself. But Mr. Barnes interrupted the man’s excuses and demanded that he give the fifty dollars to the boy immediately. And he said to the man, “Your dishonesty has cost you your job and your good name. I hope you soon learn that dishonesty is not only very foolish but a terrible sin as well.” And he fired him on the spot.

Just as the sin of that dishonest man was revealed, God will also one day reveal every sin, hidden or exposed, and judge every sinner for his or her sins. “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2).

But God has made a way of escape from that judgment for your sins. He will forgive you if you will come to Him now and confess that you are a sinner and accept the cleansing He freely offers you through the death of His beloved Son on Calvary’s cross. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Are your sins forgiven? or do you still face the punishment for them?

ML-12/21/1997

Favorites

Most little boys and girls have a favorite toy. It might be a truck, or an airplane, or a doll, or something else. I’m sure if you would ask your daddy or mommy if they can remember their favorite toys, they would say, “Yes,” and they could probably tell you what it was.

Most of us have favorite things or favorite friends. Sometimes school teachers have favorite students. And some children might have a favorite uncle or aunt. However, God does not have favorites like we do. He does not love some of us a little more than others. He loves each one of us so much that He sent His own Son to die for our sins, if we will accept His love.

Have you ever tried to count the grains of sand at the beach? Well, God’s thoughts about you are a higher number than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of this world added together! The Bible tells us this in Psalm 139:17-18: “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.”

ML-12/21/1997

Are You Missing?

Four o’clock came and went without any sign of Jorge. Mrs. Perez nervously glanced through her sliding glass door at the sound of each passing car. Surely that had to be her five-year-old finally being dropped off by the bus driver. But it wasn’t. She wondered if maybe he was on a field trip.

Five o’clock slipped by, and soon it was dinner time. Still no Jorge. Mrs. Perez felt alone and scared. She had been only living in the United States for a short time and did not speak much English. It would be hard to try to find anybody who could help her find her son.

Another worry crossed her mind: Jorge’s heart problem. Only last year he had had heart surgery. Maybe something had gone terribly wrong with his heart! Each passing car made her more scared. Maybe Jorge really wouldn’t be coming home.

Are you missing? What a funny question, but many people are. The Bible says “[Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The Lord Jesus came to find sinners who have turned their backs on Him. Anyone who doesn’t know Him as their Saviour is lost. That’s what I mean when I ask if you are missing.

Mrs. Perez’s fear for her missing son grew larger as minutes slipped into hours. Finally she picked up the phone to call her brother-in-law. Maybe he could find her husband who spoke English well. Surely he would be able to find Jorge.

Mrs. Perez loved Jorge with all her heart, but God loves you even more. He doesn’t need a phone call to come looking for you. He has already sent His Son to this world to die for you.

If you are still missing from God’s family then there are many people who are worried about you. Jorge’s mom was very worried about him, but not knowing whether or not a child is on their way to heaven is even scarier for moms and dads who love the Lord Jesus. He shed His blood so that you could be saved. Each person needs to accept Him as his very own Saviour. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

By the time Mr. Perez finally got home, Jorge had been missing for three hours. He quickly called the school, but imagine his disappointment when all he got was the answering machine. Then he drove to the school and found the building empty. Finally, he headed for the police station.

The police immediately called the school principal, Jorge’s teacher and even his bus driver. Nobody knew where Jorge was. His teacher said he had gotten on the bus. The bus driver didn’t think he had.

Two more hours passed, and still no Jorge. Then the phone rang. Was it going to be bad news? If Jorge had been found, it would be happy news. When God finds a lost sinner it’s a happy time. He says in the Bible that “joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7).

The police in a nearby town were calling. They reported that Jorge had fallen asleep on the bus, apparently slumping down on the seat where the driver couldn’t see him. When he woke up hours later, he got off the parked bus and wandered out onto the street where he had been found.

You can imagine how happy Jorge’s parents were. They rushed to the other police station and soon were hugging and kissing their son.

That’s just how God feels about us too. It makes God very happy when we come to Him and let Him save us from our sins. We become part of His family and enjoy the love and security that come with it. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

Have you come to Him and become part of His family?

ML-12/28/1997

Robby's Seed

On the last day of school in June, Robby’s teacher gave each child a different kind of seed to plant in his yard at home. Robby took his home and planted it, but it was a long time before he knew what kind of plant grew from his seed. In September the children brought what they had grown to school with them. Tracy had a big red flower. Mike had a tomato. But Robby told his teacher that his plant was still growing in his yard and he still didn’t know what kind it was.

“Wait a few more weeks,” his teacher said, “and you will soon find out.”

How happy Robby was a few weeks later to discover that it was a pumpkin vine! His mother made some delicious pumpkin pies out of the pumpkins.

Every Christian boy and girl is planting seeds during his life. I don’t mean real seeds like Robby planted. We are planting seeds of love, kindness, hate, lying or unkindness. What kind of seeds are you planting? What you plant in your “garden” you will harvest later. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, ask Him to help you plant seeds of love and kindness. You will collect love and kindness in return, and He will give you a reward in heaven too.

“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

“Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

ML-12/28/1997

Daniel's Jealous Enemies

The princes and presidents of the great city of Babylon long ago were working on a scheme. The scheme was this: “How can we get Daniel into trouble?”

There were a hundred and twenty of those men, and every one of them was jealous because the king had chosen Daniel as chief president, right over their heads. But there was something special about Daniel which made them hate him more than anything else. Daniel lived in obedience to the God of heaven. This was the real reason for their hatred and the target of their scheme. This is what they said: “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

And so they put their heads together and came up with this scheme. They knew the king would like this idea because it would make him like a god. They suggested the king make a law that, for 30 days, no one must ask a petition of any God or man except of the king. This, they told him, was agreed upon by all the presidents, governors, princes, counselors and captains. This sounds like a powerful list of important people, but really it was not true. We know the chief president, Daniel, did not agree.

This great law could not become valid until the king signed it, but there was no problem there. They wrote it up, and the king signed it right away. It seems that he did not give it any serious thought. Not very many business people today would be so careless. But beware! Satan has his wicked schemes today too, and his greatest purpose is to keep you from turning to God for the salvation of your soul. Are you going to let him win?

Daniel knew what had happened, but he didn’t fight it. He would trust God and prove the truth of Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” He simply kneeled as he had done before, three times a day with his windows open toward Jerusalem, and prayed and gave thanks to God. There was no secret about it. His enemies found him praying as usual. Their plan worked. Daniel had broken the new law and now he was in trouble. The punishment for breaking that law was to be thrown into the den of lions. They would soon be rid of him for good.

It did not take them long to report this matter to the king. Great as he was, the king could not back down on his own law. He liked Daniel very much, and he was very upset with himself for signing such a law.

It was too late for the king to change the law. But listen! It is not too late for you to turn to the Lord Jesus and change your “No” to “Yes.” God is still ready and willing to save you. It is wrong and foolish to refuse Him, but although He can never change His promises or break His laws, He can let you change your mind - now!

But what could the poor king do about Daniel, his chief president? This was a problem too great for him to handle. The law said the punishment must be the den of lions, and he could not change it because he had signed it. He struggled to find a solution all day, but there was no answer. The afternoon went by, the day was almost over, and the king’s problem was unsolved. He kept thinking, How can I save Daniel? How can I save Daniel? It was impossible.

Can you think of a way? Well, there might have been one. The king himself could have taken Daniel’s punishment. But it is not surprising that he never thought of that. And yet God -the God who created all things -had a great desire in His loving heart to save sinners from the punishment for their sins. God could not change His holy nature in order to save sinners like you and me, as if sin did not really matter very much. Sin must be punished, and there was no way to save sinners from that punishment- no way but one, and only God could think of such a plan and carry it through.

God sent His only Son to die for sinners. And the Lord Jesus came willingly to the world of wicked men and bore the punishment for anyone who will accept Him as Saviour. You may claim Him as your very own Saviour and say, “He took my punishment and died in my place.”

But the king never thought of such a thing. He struggled all day till the sun went down, and he couldn’t think of a way to save Daniel. No wonder. It is only God who could think of the only possible way to save sinners like us.

The jealous men came to remind the king that he must keep his promise, and so that’s what he had to do. Just before they put Daniel in the den, the king told him his God would save him. The king had no solution, but he hoped Daniel’s God did. At the king’s command, Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. Then a stone was brought and laid over top the opening of the den, and the king sealed it with his own seal and the seal of his lords. That made it official and could not be changed.

There Daniel was, down in the den with hungry lions. What do you think happened next?

Read next week’s story and see! If you are unable to read it next week, you may find out what happened by reading Daniel chapter 6 in the Bible.

ML-01/19/1997

More About Daniel

Do you remember how last week’s story ended? We left Daniel thrown into the den of hungry lions, with a stone laid across the opening and sealed. Daniel’s jealous enemies thought that was the end of him. You may read how this all came about in Daniel chapter 6 in the Bible.

The king went back to his palace. I’m sure he had a beautiful palace with more beautiful things than any of us have ever seen. He had soldiers to guard him and servants to supply whatever snacks or music might comfort him, but he did not want any of these things that night. He did not sleep a wink because he was so upset about Daniel, who was such a good and honest president, and about the plot that ended up with Daniel thrown into the den of lions.

Now which would you rather be - Daniel in the dark pit with a bunch of hungry lions, or the king in his great palace with every service at his command? If you really have come to know God through the Lord Jesus, you know that nothing is as good as having Him with you wherever you are, and nothing is as nice to think about as knowing that whatever happens, you will be with Him forever. Daniel, who had God with him in that den of lions, had more reason to be happy that night than the king, who spent a miserable night. And right now there are many miserable people who lie on soft, fancy pillows - people who haven’t accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and face the punishment for their own sins.

At the first streak of dawn, the king was up and hurried to the den of lions. As soon as he came near, he called with a fearful voice, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”

What a question! Is God able? Of course He is able. He was able to prevent Daniel from being thrown in there in the first place, but sometimes He chooses to allow trouble to come to us. He often delivers us in remarkable ways, but even if death comes, our God has power over death. Yes, our God is able!

The king did not have to wait long for Daniel’s answer. He replied at once, not with anger at his enemies or the king, but with the joy of victory in how God had protected him. He said, “My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.”

Then the king was very glad, and at his command Daniel was taken up out of the den. They looked him over to see if the lions had hurt him, but there wasn’t a single mark on him, “because he believed in his God.”

That was Daniel’s safety, and it can be yours too - he believed in his God. You also can claim that great and all-powerful God as your own, if you come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ who loves you and died for you. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man [comes] unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

And now, what about the men who had made the plot against Daniel? They probably had a good sleep that night, but it was their last. You cannot sin against God and get away with it, even though things may be okay for a while. At the king’s command they were cast into the den of lions. God did not shut the lions’ mouths this time. Those men died without a Saviour.

Oh, don’t die without a Saviour, because after death comes the judgment. “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 9:2728). Is Christ your Saviour? or will you have to bear the judgment for your sins?

ML-01/26/1997

The Story of Four Boys

They were four boys, probably teenagers, who had been taken as prisoners of war to be educated by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Most likely their parents had been killed and their homes burned by the king’s victorious army.

They had good health, good looks and sharp minds, ready for education in the greatest country in the world at that time. The king ordered where they would stay, what they would eat and their education. In three years they would have their final exam before the king. We don’t know how many young men were in this class, but since the king was the conqueror of many nations, there were probably hundreds of handpicked young men in this competition. A man named Melzar was in charge of these four young men as principal.

These four had something special which set them apart from all the other young men in their class. They had the fear of the Lord, and we know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Daniel was their leader, but each of them trusted with all his heart in the God of heaven and was ready to stand with Daniel, or if necessary, to stand alone.

Do you know the fear of the Lord? Does it matter to you what God says about what you are doing or plan to do? If not, then even if you are the smartest person in your class, you do not have the beginning of wisdom. Is it possible that you will find you are a fool after all, no matter how smart you are? God will count you a fool if you ignore what He says in the Bible.

I’m sure the royal food was very tasty and attractive, and it was a great honor to be offered the king’s wine. But Daniel and his friends were not interested in the king’s “good life” or the gods he worshipped. Daniel asked permission to eat a simple diet of grains and vegetables with water to drink. Others might enjoy the king’s food, but God had told the children of Israel what they could and could not eat, and Daniel’s first wish was to please God.

You have choices to make too, not only in food, but in what you do, where you go, what you see and what you listen to. You make these choices every day, and your choices will end up marking you as wise or foolish before God.

Daniel’s three friends made the same choice. The people in charge liked Daniel very much, and so Melzar agreed to a 10-day test of the four young men eating only the simple diet while the rest of the students ate the king’s food.

After the 10-day test, their faces were happy and healthy, even healthier than the students who ate the king’s food. So Melzar continued to give them their simple diet for the rest of the three years.

Then came the big examination day when all the young men were brought before the king for questioning. The king quickly discovered that these four young men were full of wisdom and understanding. In fact, he found them 10 times wiser than all the magicians and astrologers in his kingdom.

Where did all this wisdom come from? Certainly not from teachers or books, or the other students would have been just as wise. The wisdom of Daniel and his friends came from God who knows all things. And it is the same today. Neither the wisest men nor the most knowledgeable books can tell you how to have one of your sins wiped out from God’s record. But God’s book, the Bible, tells you. And if you ask a child who really knows the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of sinners, that child will be able to tell you too.

We have more to tell you about Daniel and his friends, so keep watching for the next story. You may also read the book of Daniel in the Bible and see if you can find out the names of Daniel’s three friends.

ML-03/02/1997

Daniel and the King's Dream

Do you remember the story of Daniel and his three friends who won the great king’s competition because God had given them wisdom? That great king, whose name was Nebuchadnezzar, was very good at forgetting, as this story will show.

The king had a bad night with a very troublesome dream. In the morning, he sent for all the wise men in his kingdom to solve his problem. The king’s problem really had two parts. First, the king could not remember his dream, so the wise men were to tell him what the dream was about. Then second, they were to tell him what the dream meant.

The wisest men in the kingdom found themselves trying to do the impossible. Not only that, the king told them they would all be put to death if they couldn’t tell him the dream and what it meant.

What terror those wise men must have suffered. Not one of them knew the God who knows all things and says, “I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them” (Ezekiel 11:5). For those of us who know Him, it is a relief and a joy to remember that God knows and understands our thoughts. But for those who do not know Him, it will be terror when they stand before Him without an answer.

The wise men tried to gain time, but the king’s unreasonable anger made him order his soldiers to kill all the wise men of Babylon. It seems that Daniel and his friends, who had not been told before of the king’s problem, were included in the list.

Perhaps you can guess what Daniel did. He did not quickly say, “Leave it to me; I’ll tell him.” Instead, he went confidently into the presence of the enraged king and asked for time and told the king that his God would tell him the dream and its meaning. Then Daniel went to his three friends, and they prayed about it together, asking God to show Daniel the dream and its meaning so they would not be killed.

Can’t you just see those four young men in all that terrified city, confidently asking their God to do what no one on earth could do? That same God can do more for you than Daniel ever knew about, because Daniel lived before the Lord Jesus died on the cross. Daniel never heard, as you have, that “Christ died for our sins . . . and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:34). But Daniel believed what God had already written, and this was the power in his life.

God gave Daniel a night vision which opened the whole secret of the dream and its meaning to him. Daniel’s answer to God was, “I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might” (Daniel 2:23). I wonder if you know, as Daniel did, that power that belongs to God.

Then the king’s servant, Arioch, hurried Daniel with his answer into the king’s presence. The king asked Daniel, “Art thou able?” Daniel’s answer was, “There is a God in heaven that [reveals] secrets.” He didn’t use the words “I” and “me” in his answer. He gave God all the credit.

The king had dreamed of a great statue with a head of bright gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Then he saw in his dream a stone which came and struck the statue so that it crumbled to dust and was blown away like bits of straw. Then the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Perhaps you can guess why this dream troubled the king so much. When he saw that great statue turn to dust and disappear, he felt somehow that his own kingdom would be destroyed too, and he was right. It is a terrifying thought, if you have no Saviour, to think that someday everything around you will be burned up by the power of God. If you are trusting in only yourself and your own things, when that time comes you will have nothing left and no protection, for “the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). What will you have left when God does this? If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then you will have riches and rest in Jesus, that the greatest of men perhaps know nothing about.

Daniel explained the dream -that the king was like the head of gold. Another kingdom after him would be like silver, which is not so valuable. Then a third one would be like brass, and a fourth one would be strong and bruising like iron. It finally would be like the feet and toes of iron and clay, which is not strong because they will not stick together. This statue was telling future events of the world as only God could show them.

Finally, Daniel explained that the stone would not only knock down the kingdoms, but would destroy all world power and then fill the whole earth itself. This has not happened yet, but the Bible tells us it will. Daniel probably did not understand as well as we do that that great stone is a reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose kingdom shall stand forever.

There is only one Refuge in these days of terror yet to come, but this Refuge takes away all doubt and fear, and gives all the protection and joy and peace and security that no one can have without Christ. Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, is ready now to welcome you to Himself. Will you accept Him as your Saviour?

ML-03/30/1997

“The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God”
(1 Corinthians 1:18).

Beware the Tornado!

“The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.”
Ecclesiastes 1:6

Wind, which is movement of air, is a very necessary part of God’s wonderful creation. It is the means of keeping air fresh, moving heat from the tropics and exchanging it with cooler air from elsewhere. This is a benefit to all God’s creatures. Even violent storms serve a purpose by bringing rain to quench the thirst of dry lands and relief from droughts and oppressive heat. But such storms are not something to fly a kite in, but rather a time to find shelter until they blow over.

A tornado is a rotating funnel cloud that extends downward from a mass of dark clouds. Not all tornadoes touch the ground, but those that do destroy everything in their paths. Homes and buildings are flattened, and automobiles are thrown around like toys. Sometimes strange things happen too. Babies in their cribs have been picked up by such winds and later found, crib and all, safely resting in the fork of a tree, or some other place. Often a tornado will flatten one house and skip right over the house next to it. We hope people who survive such experiences thank God for His preserving care.

Tornadoes occur throughout the world, but mostly in the United States. About 700 tornadoes are reported in the United States each year. Sometimes they are called twisters or cyclones. Sweeping across a lake or ocean, the force of these funnels can lift great amounts of water to form spectacular waterspouts.

Scientists do not know exactly why tornadoes develop. Most occur in spring or early summer when it is hot and humid in the afternoon or evening. A squall line of thunderclouds forms between cool, dry air from the north and warm, humid air from the south. The warm, humid air rises rapidly. More warm air rushes in to replace it and in some cases begins to rotate and forms a twisting, powerful funnel. Where this touches the ground the severe damage occurs.

These storms are a picture of Satan and his power of destruction in people’s lives. The Scriptures tell of instances in Bible days where people threatened by the wind were saved when they cried to the Lord. One instance is in Mark 4 when the Lord saved several boatloads of people from a violent storm on Lake Galilee; the grateful passengers said, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41).

The Lord still delights to save all who call on Him when Satan attacks. This is referred to in Isaiah 25:4: “For Thou hast been a strength . . . to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm . . . when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” Do not try to fight Satan by yourself. That is as useless as trying to stop a tornado by blowing on it. Go to the Lord Jesus with your troubles; ask Him to take your sins away, to shield you from Satan, and you will find Him answering you immediately.

APRIL 6, 1997

ML-04/06/1997

“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

Daniel's Three Friends

The great King Nebuchadnezzar had already had two lessons in the greatness and power of the God of heaven, but he still had not learned how powerful the true God was. You and I have certainly had some lessons of His great power too, but let us try to be better learners than the great king who decided to show off his own power.

The king only seemed to like great things. All his ideas were big, so the statue he decided to build was about as tall as an eight-story building. Then, he had it completely covered with glistening gold. At its base he had an orchestra of musicians with musical instruments, and around this he gathered all the important men in his great empire for the statue’s dedication. Their orders were to bow down in worship before this awesome statue as soon as the orchestra began to play. This was the first day of the dedication, so it was a tremendous national celebration. Everybody was there.

This crowd included Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were some of the important men in the government. Like Daniel, their hearts were true to the true God who said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exodus 20:3,5). They were not going to disobey their God.

When the orchestra began to play around the huge, golden statue, everyone else bowed down, but those three young men remained standing. Their names were noted by the officers.

This is a long-ago story, but although the music and the worldly gods are different today, the crowd and what they want you to do are the same. Who obeys God and His Word today? Do you? Or do you follow the crowd?

The three men were at once accused of disobeying the king’s order and brought before the king. He was furious! The three young men stood before the king unafraid, because they trusted their God’s greater power. They answered, “O Nebuchadnezzar . . . our God whom we serve is able to deliver us . . . but if not . . . we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” They already knew that the penalty was to be cast alive into a burning fiery furnace, but even that did not turn them away from obeying God, because they knew Him. The better we know Him, the more we trust Him.

Their answer so infuriated the king that he ordered the furnace to be overheated seven times, and he commanded the strongest men in his army to tie up the three men with ropes and throw them into the furnace. The furnace was so raging hot that the strong men themselves died from the blast of heat as they threw them in. The three young men fell down inside the blazing furnace.

I suppose the king wanted the satisfaction of seeing them burn up, and as he sat watching them in the furnace, he saw God’s wonderful surprise. He stood up and called to his officers in amazement! “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? . . . I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire . . . and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

The king then came to the blazing furnace himself and gave his personal command to the three young men to come out to him, and they obeyed. The great crowd of officers who looked them over could find nothing burned except their binding ropes had burned off. Their hair and clothes had not burned, and there wasn’t even the smell of fire on them!

Did you know that our God can do this for you too? He can save you from the fiery penalty of your sins. He knows that you are a sinner, but since the Lord Jesus has already paid the penalty for sin, God is able to forgive your sins forever, if you will come to Him for forgiveness. Why stay away any longer from the God of such love and such power? The mightiest of men had no power at all against the king’s fire. But God did! And no strength of man can save you from the fiery judgment of God for your sins. But since Jesus died for sinners, He has promised that anyone who hears His Word and believes “shall not come into condemnation [ judgment]; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). What a wonderful promise, and it won’t cost you anything!

The king finally gave honor to the true God who delivered the three men, and his new orders were that no one should speak a word against Him. However, the king still did not claim that God as his own, or trust Him for himself.

Do you? It is not enough to say “Yes” when you think of His power, if you have never come to Him to have your sins forgiven. Is He the God who gave His Son to die for you? You might go to an eternity in hell saying, “He saved others,” if He has not really saved you.

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

(You can read this story in the Bible in the book of Daniel, chapter 3.)

ML-04/20/1997

An Unhappy Dream

Perhaps you remember Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, who gave honor to the God of Daniel and his three friends, but who did not claim that God as his own. He was an intelligent and important king but a very slow learner when God spoke. The events of our story today hit him so hard that he told the story himself. In fact, he learned something that you can learn right now, even though the great men of the world today may not know it yet. He said afterwards, “How great are [God’s] signs! and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.”

The king told about a dream he had that frightened him so badly that he sent for all the wise men of Babylon to explain it to him. But none of them could. Finally, Daniel came, but why was Daniel last? Surely the king had enough proof that the God of Daniel had all the answers, but he tried all the other wise men first. Even when Daniel finally came, the king greeted him with the words, “I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.” How could a man be so intelligent and yet so foolish?

May we ask the same question about you? Do you know the real and true God who gave His only Son to die for sinners? It is the most important knowledge in the whole world. Is He your Saviour? or are you, like the king, trying everything else first?

The king told Daniel that he had dreamed about a great tree. It was very tall, and there was so much fruit on it that it fed all the people and all the animals. So far, the dream was good, but what he saw next seemed to come a little too close to his own life, and it frightened him.

A holy one came down from heaven with a command to cut down the tree, scatter its branches, leaves and fruit, and leave only the stump in the earth. Destroying that great tree seemed to have a special message for the king. The stump was to be left alone in the field all through dry days and wet nights for seven years. Since this was the decree of heaven, no one could change it. The lesson was carefully explained so that the living might know that the true God rules in the kingdom of men, and that He chooses its rulers, even though they may be very wicked men.

God showed Daniel the unhappy meaning of the dream, and Daniel felt such concern for the troubled king that he didn’t say anything for a whole hour, as if he just couldn’t bear to tell the king the bad news. By that time it was the king’s turn to feel concern for Daniel, and he said, “Let not the dream [or its meaning] trouble thee.” And this was the news that Daniel then told the king.

The huge tree was a picture of the great king himself. But the king was going to be sent away into the wilderness to live alone with the wild animals for seven years. He would eat grass and there would be no shelter from the weather. But the stump of the tree that was left in the ground was a promise that the king would be restored to his kingdom when he had finally learned that the true God is in control of everything.

It was going to take seven years of living like a wild animal for the king to learn that lesson. If you have not learned yet that God controls your life and future, I hope you learn it faster.

Then Daniel added a word of advice, which was dangerous to say to such a powerful king. Daniel advised him to stop his sinful ways and be good and kind to the people, and maybe God would let him rule as a peaceful king. It seems that the king thought seriously about this for a whole year, but thinking about it is not enough.

What about your sins? You are much more responsible to God than the ancient king of Babylon ever was, because you know so much more. You know that God sent the Lord Jesus to show His love and kindness, and then to be nailed to the cross by the people who did not want Him. Do you want Him? Don’t just think about it, but answer Him now. He came to save sinners, not just to make them great people on earth, but to share His home in heaven with them forever.

There came a last day in the palace for the great king. It was a day of pride and boasting as he walked in his palace balcony overlooking the great city. He told himself that he had built the city “by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty.” Those were boastful words for a sinner, after all his warnings! His last day of ruling as king had come, and a voice from heaven repeated the lesson he had not learned. Just as God had warned him in the dream, he was sent into the wilderness to live like a wild animal for seven years.

Have you learned the simple lesson that you are not the master of your own life? It is God who rules. He may seem to be silent now while this world of sin continues in its pride and injustice. However, the last day will come, and then God will punish all sin, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

King Nebuchadnezzar finally learned who was in control. At the end of seven years, God gave him back his kingdom with even more majesty. The king himself wrote the humbling story, and without mentioning Daniel, he gave honor and praise to the God of heaven. You can read King Nebuchadnezzar’s story in Daniel chapter 4.

The silence of God today does not mean that He does not care. He is waiting for you to learn that power belongs to Him, and that same power is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that [believes]” (Romans 1:16). Have you learned that lesson and come to Him for the forgiveness of your sins?

ML-05/18/1997

A Sick Woman and a Dead Man

“Mr. Albert! Come quickly!” a voice called at the window.

Mr. Albert looked at his watch and saw that it was 5:30 in the morning. Why would someone be calling at his window so early?

When he looked out, he saw a neighbor, Juan, was there.

“My wife is very sick!” he said. “Please take us to the doctor at once.”

Mr. Albert got his jeep and went around to the neighbor’s house. Juan’s wife had a terrible sore throat, and now she was losing the use of her right arm. They rushed to the hospital, and as soon as they got there they called to the doctor, “Doctor! We have a very sick lady here!”

As the doctor took them quickly to the emergency room, another group of people arrived and called out, “Doctor! An emergency! A man has been killed!”

The doctor didn’t stop what he was doing. He didn’t even turn his head. All he said was, “Over there is the room for dead people.”

Why did the doctor act so quickly for the sick lady and not move at all for the man who had just been killed? Because there was nothing at all the doctor could do to help a dead man. The only thing left to do for the dead man was to fill out a death certificate. No one could help the dead man.

And that’s just what Mary and Martha in Bible times thought when their brother died. They knew that if Jesus had been there when their brother Lazarus was sick, Jesus could have healed him. But when Jesus wanted to open the grave, Martha said, “Lord, by this time he [smells]: for he [has] been dead four days.” After all, who could help a dead man? But Jesus had told Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

The doctor couldn’t help the dead man at the emergency room, but Jesus can help even a dead man! All Jesus had to do was speak a word, because Jesus is God. He said, “Lazarus, come forth.” And the dead man heard and obeyed! Today the Lord Jesus can still speak to dead men. He speaks to men (and boys and girls) who are dead in trespasses and sins. Just as He gave life to Lazarus, He can give life to those who have no life towards God. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Have you ever heard the voice of Jesus speaking to you? He speaks to you through His Word, the Bible. “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” (John 5:24). The Lord Jesus wants to take you from being dead in your sins and give you everlasting life. Listen to Him today.

Even though the doctor couldn’t help the dead man, he was able to give medicine to Juan’s wife. She had a bad case of tonsillitis and could not move her arm because her throat was so swollen that a nerve was pinched. After a week she was back home with her family and able to eat. Lazarus, the dead man who lived again, was also having supper the next time we read about him. And who was he with? Jesus! If you already have eternal life, then you also need to spend time with Jesus. He loves you and likes to see your face and hear your voice. Have you spoken to Him today?

ML-05/25/1997

The Handwriting on the Wall

Do you remember the story of great King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon? Today we want to tell you the story of his son Belshazzar who became king of Babylon. He knew all about his father’s hard lessons from the God of heaven, but hearing the story did not change the young king’s heart. He could have learned from his father’s mistakes, but he did not learn until it was too late.

You have heard that you are a sinner and that God hates sin. Are you willing to learn from God before it is too late?

Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his important men, and they were having a good time at the party. In their excitement they sent for the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple at Jerusalem and used them for wine glasses. These were holy vessels used to worship the Lord, but they used them for a joke. As they drank from them, they praised whatever gods they chose - idols of gold, silver, brass, wood and stone.

It was nighttime, and the palace hall was lighted with candles set in holders on the wall. This is how the Bible tells what happened: “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.”

Belshazzar suddenly quit laughing and his knees knocked together with fear. “Bring the astrologers!” he cried.

At last he was ready to listen, but not to the Word of God. He hoped his fortune-tellers could explain the words written on the palace wall, so he cried out for help - but from the wrong source.

If there are times when you are afraid because of your sins, don’t go to the wrong source. Cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. He knows if your cry is because you are very sorry about your sins, and He is able to save you, because “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

The astrologers came, but not one of them could read the words or explain what they meant. However, the queen remembered something. She remembered that when King Nebuchadnezzar had troubled dreams, Daniel, who had wisdom from God, had explained the meanings.

The queen was not there at the party, but she came when she heard what had happened. She told the king, “Let not thy thoughts trouble thee. . . . There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. . . . Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the [meaning].”

The great question today is, “What must I do to be saved?” Some of us know the answer to that question, and that is why we are telling you this story right now.

The king then sent for Daniel, as the queen suggested. The king promised him a rich reward if he would explain the writing on the palace wall. But how can you reward someone who is already rich? Daniel had God-given riches; he didn’t want earthly riches. Daniel answered the king, “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another.” Then, with wisdom from God, he explained the strange words on the wall.

First he reviewed the story of how humbling it was for Belshazzar’s father, King Nebuchadnezzar, until he finally learned that “the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men.” But this young king had defied and mocked the God of heaven and worshipped idols!

Then Daniel explained the meaning of the strange words on the wall—“MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”:

“MENE; God has numbered thy kingdom and finished it.

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Each of these words was a signal of death. But even then, the king did not believe it, for he then proclaimed Daniel to be the third ruler in the kingdom.

What kingdom? Daniel had just explained the meaning of the words, that not only was Belshazzar’s life finished, so was his kingdom!

And during that very night, Belshazzar was killed by the enemy nation who was already waiting outside the city gates. And they took over the kingdom, just as God had said.

Do you think God does not care what you do or what you say? He is very much in control in the big world and in your own life. He allows sinners to go just so far. He is giving you the opportunity right now to repent of your sins and be safe in His everlasting arms, because His Son, Christ Jesus, came into the world to save sinners. Will you listen, and learn, and trust Him right now?

“What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

You may read this story in the book of Daniel, chapter 5.

ML-06/22/1997

Daniel

The words with missing letters in the following story are the same as those in the crossword, only in the crossword they run in two directions, across or down. Try to fill in the missing letters in the squares.

You can read this story in the book of Daniel.

Daniel was the name of one of the captives carried into the land of Babylon. He did not want to defile himself by eating the king’s meat, so he chose P __ L __ __ to eat and water to drink. D __ N __ __ L had T __ __ __ E friends who chose to be cast into a fiery F __ __ N __ C __ rather than worship the king’s __ D __ L. God protected Daniel and his friends in their difficult times.

Daniel was cast into a D __ __ of lions because he P __ __ Y __ D to God three times a day. Again God protected Daniel by closing the lions’ mouths.

One day, King B __ L __ __ A __ Z __ __ had a F __ __ __ T in his P __ __ __ C __ and worshipped his gods of gold and silver, not the God of heaven. In the same hour, a strange thing happened; F __ __ G __ __ S of a man’s hand wrote upon the wall. The king became terrified and called for the wise men to tell him what was the meaning of the words. None of the king’s men could tell the meaning of the words. Then Daniel was sent for. Daniel told the king that God was displeased with him because he had not humbled his H __ A __ T. God was going to give his kingdom to someone else. That night Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain.

Daniel is called a prophet because he wrote of things that would take place in the future. God sent an angel by the name of G __ B __ __ __ L to help him understand these things.

ML-06/22/1997

The Jonah Story: Part 1

A message beginning with the little word “Go” was given to Jonah from God. But something inside of Jonah immediately said, “I don’t want to go.” God’s message was very clear that Jonah was to go to the city of Nineveh and shout God’s special announcement there. But Jonah chose not to obey.

Of course, Jonah had a reason for not going. We all do when we refuse to do what God says. Jonah liked God’s announcement to Nineveh because it was an announcement of judgment to a city full of people he thought were no good anyway. Jonah’s problem was that he was afraid the people would repent, and then God would not send the judgment he had announced. Jonah felt they really deserved the judgment.

Now isn’t that very selfish! Jonah wanted those sinners to be punished, and God wanted them to repent and be saved! That’s the reason God was sending Jonah to Nineveh. And that’s the reason God sent His dear Son into the world - to save sinners. And that’s the reason He is sending you this announcement right now. He wants you to repent and be saved from the punishment you deserve.

But, Jonah did not obey God. He went the opposite way. He went to Joppa, got on a ship going to Tarshish, and climbed down around the cargo to have a good sleep.

Of course he paid his fare. Trips like that are not free. But salvation is free, and God is offering it to you right now. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

God had more to say to Jonah, so God sent a mighty storm into the sea. It was so terrifying that they thought the ship was going to break apart and sink. Every sailor cried to his god for protection. But Jonah slept on. The captain awakened him and cried, “Call upon [your] God, [perhaps He] will think upon us, that we perish not.”

Then they cast lots, which means that they chose a name by chance to see who had been the cause of the storm. Jonah’s name was drawn first. In that terrifying moment, Jonah knew that escape from God is impossible.

How much terror will it take to teach you? If you learn now, God has His way of escape for you. Remember that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - to save you.

Even though suicide was no escape from God, Jonah told the sailors, “Take me up, and cast me . . . into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you; for I know that [because of me] this great [storm] is upon you.”

The sailors didn’t want to throw him overboard, so they tried rowing very hard to get to land. But it didn’t work. The fierceness of the storm made it impossible.

“The wages of sin is death.” Jonah had sinned in disobeying God. He must be thrown overboard, and so this is what they did. Then the sea became calm. “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41). Because of this the sailors feared the Lord greatly and offered a sacrifice and made promises to Him.

For you today the sacrifice has already been offered since Christ died for sins. If the sailors’ lesson has reached your heart, you will fear the Lord greatly. His kind and loving announcement to you is, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. That seems awful, doesn’t it? Just imagine being crowded into its hot, oozy stomach, waiting to be digested for three hopeless days and nights of darkness.

No, not quite hopeless. Eternity in hell is hopeless. But in Jonah’s awful fish prison he was able to pray, and his hope grew into certainty that God was hearing him pray even in the fish’s stomach at the bottom of the sea. In full confidence Jonah said, “I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving. . . . Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).

This prayer was prayed in the awfulness of a fish’s stomach. Where are you right now? Maybe alone or in a crowd. Maybe having fun or in trouble. But if you pray in faith as Jonah prayed, God will hear you and answer you, because Christ is the Saviour of sinners. It is not too late right now.

God heard Jonah’s prayers from the fish’s stomach. He spoke to the fish and it vomited out Jonah onto dry land.

Next week, Lord willing, we will continue the story of Jonah. Or you may read it for yourself in the Bible in the book of Jonah.

ML-09/07/1997

The Jonah Story: Part 2

For those who read Part 1 of “The Jonah Story,” you may remember that we left the story when the Lord spoke to the great fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. If you have missed the first part, you may read it for yourself in the book of Jonah in the Bible.

The Lord repeated His message to Jonah, and this time he went to Nineveh as the Lord had told him. It was a very big city with a high, protecting wall built around it. The king and all his nobles and all the people and all their cattle lived in the city. Since there was no refrigeration, this was the only way to have fresh meat. The city was so big that it took three days to walk across it.

Jonah walked through the city for one day and shouted God’s announcement, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”! Jonah would have been glad if Nineveh had been destroyed without a warning, BUT GOD IS NOT LIKE THAT ! That is why He has sent you this paper today. Accept it from God as a loving warning, because He wants to save you now. Somehow, Jonah’s announcement got through the walls of the king’s palace (Is there any place where the Lord cannot reach you?), and the king arose from his throne, took off his beautiful robe and covered himself with rough clothes and sat in ashes. That’s very undignified, but he and the people of Nineveh believed God and nothing else mattered, not even good clothes or good dinners or nice plans. The king and his nobles commanded that every man and animal must be covered with rough clothes, and they could not eat or drink anything. They were all to cry mightily to the Lord and must stop being cruel or wicked. Somehow they hoped that God would hear.

Is it really that important? They did not even have a promise that God would hear their cry, though I am sure that with all those hungry animals, grown-ups and children it was a very loud cry!

But you and I do have a promise that God will hear even a whisper. The precious blood of Jesus has already been shed for sinners, and His promise is often repeated in His Word, “Him that [comes] to Me I will . . . [NOT] cast out” (John 6:37). You are sure of a welcome. Never mind your favorite clothes and dinners and good times. Cry to Him now and leave your wickedness behind. There is no “maybe” about His forgiving you.

The Lord saw that they were sorry in Nineveh and how they turned from their evil ways. He chose not to send the judgment He had promised. What a relief!

But that is not the end of the story for Nineveh. They had no sacrifice for their sin and God held back the judgment, but later it did come. The people of Nineveh returned to their evil ways, and their city was overthrown to a heap of ruins, still buried now by centuries of earth. “Being good” just because you are afraid is not enough. The precious blood of Jesus is the only sacrifice that can blot out your sins of the past, and only God by His Spirit can give you a new life. Improving the old one is not enough. If God’s judgment did not fall upon Jesus for your sins, then it must fall upon you forever. There is no other hope.

How did Jonah like it that God held back the judgment on Nineveh? Read next week’s paper and see.

ML-09/14/1997

The Jonah Story: Part 3

This is the third part of “The Jonah Story.” If you have missed the first two parts, you may read the story in the book of Jonah in the Bible.

You may remember from last week that God held back His judgment on the great city of Nineveh because the people turned away from their evil and violence. When the forty days of Jonah’s warning from God came to an end and the judgment did not fall, Jonah was very disappointed. There stood the same buildings, the same wall and the same people. Jonah was so angry because God didn’t bring down His judgment on Nineveh that he asked God to take away his life.

Why was Jonah so miserable? Because he knew that God is merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and Jonah did not want this kindness shown to his enemies. But no matter what we think or how angry we might be, we can’t change the character of God.

Jonah went up to a hilltop overlooking the city and waited to see if it would be destroyed. Perhaps you remember that Jesus, the Son of God, did that too and looked over the doomed city of Jerusalem with tears upon His loving face. He would gladly have spread out His arms like the wings of a mother hen and covered them all safely from judgment. But they would not come to Him. They chose instead to crucify Him, and the city was destroyed. All the people, even the children, lost their lives.

Jonah had no tears for Nineveh. He felt terribly sorry for himself and his reputation, because the city was not destroyed as he had said. And now the hot tropical sun was burning down on his head.

God cared about Jonah even though he was angry, and God prepared a gourd vine to grow very quickly over his head. Jonah was glad, very glad for the shade over his head, but he was still very far from the heart of the God of love. God still cared so much about Jonah’s wrong attitude that He prepared a worm to chew right through that vine so that it withered and died. And Jonah was again left with the hot sun beating down on his head and a strong east wind blowing against him, till he was so miserable he just wanted to die. Now Jonah was angry about the gourd vine.

What is it that is making you angry right now? Is it because God is sending troubles into your life? He certainly did this to Jonah. If it makes you angry in your heart, then you have not learned to know the God who loves you with perfect love. He is the same loving God who sent His only Son to die for sinners like you. If you will answer His call, you will hear Him say, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

We cannot tell you the end of the Jonah story because God does not tell us. But He does remind Jonah that, in that great city that Jonah wanted destroyed, there were more than 120,000 persons who could not tell their right hand from their left. Those were very young children that He must have cared about very much! He still does care about every child very much, because Jesus said, “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14).

And He cares very much about you. Have you accepted His mercy and love?

ML-09/21/1997

A Bible Riddle

He was like none of us.

He was like some of us.

He was like all of us.

What is his name?

Hint 1: He is a man we read about in the New Testament.

Hint 2: Most of you have heard about him.

Hint 3: There is a Sunday school song about him that children enjoy singing.

Hint 4: Part of the riddle says that he was like “none of us.” He was a tax collector for the Romans, and I’m sure there is no one reading this who is a tax collector for the Roman government.

Hint 5: The riddle also says he was like “some of us.” He was short.

Hint 6: Finally, he was like “all of us,” because he was a sinner.

Unscramble the letters to find out his name:

SECAZCHU __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

How kind Jesus was to __ __ __-__ __ __ __ __ . Jesus knew what had happened. He had seen __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ running along the road and then climb up into a tree. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ wanted to see Jesus. That was good. But even better, Jesus saw __ __ __-__ __ __ __ __ and wanted to save him from his sins. So when the crowd reached the spot where __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ had climbed up into the tree, he heard Jesus say, “__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ , make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5).

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ did just what Jesus asked him to do and received Him happily. Jesus had reached his heart and conscience.

Jesus is calling your name right now, because He wants you to be saved from your sins. Be like __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and answer immediately and accept Him as your very own Saviour. Then Jesus can also say to you, “This day is salvation come to [your] house. . . . For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10).

ML-10/19/1997

Not All Flies Are Bad

“There came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 8:24

The swarm of flies sent by the Lord was one of the ways in which Pharaoh was punished for refusing to let the Israelites worship the Lord. It must have been a terrible experience because the house fly is a nasty pest and a carrier of diseases, as we learned last week.

But not all flies are filthy and harmful, and many species are actually helpful. One of these has a long name - larvavaridea, also called the flying hedgehog. Its activities are entirely different from the house fly, but they look alike and are frequently killed as a result.

The flying hedgehog has clean habits and does not visit the filthy places preferred by its cousins. Unlike the house fly, it does not lay eggs but gives birth to live maggots. These are laid on leaves of plants that are eaten by caterpillars. The maggot is so tiny that the caterpillar does not see it and swallows it when eating the leaf. Unharmed, the maggot passes into the caterpillar and eats its tissues, finally killing it. The maggot soon transforms into an adult fly and is ready to produce more of its kind. As an adult it is no hazard to people’s health. Its food is not decayed matter and garbage which the house fly walks through and eats. Instead, it eats the nectar of flowers. As it gathers this nectar, it helps in the pollination of flowers and fruits by transferring pollen from one plant to another.

Another good fly, but with a bad-sounding name, is called the robber fly. It has spiny legs and a sharp beak. Perching on a stone or piece of wood until an insect comes along, it suddenly darts out and catches it in its hairy legs. Then it carries the insect back to its perch to eat. There are more than 5000 kinds of robber flies throughout the world, and all help mankind by destroying harmful insects.

Another interesting fly is the ichneumon, a very small fly. The female has a long ovipositor on the end of her abdomen. Using this, she pierces aphids and lays her eggs inside. When the eggs hatch out, the little grubs eat the aphid. They are also destroyers of the harmful horntail fly, which kills trees by tunneling in them. The ichneumon can locate a horntail burrow under several inches of wood, and with her ovipositor she pierces the wood and lays her eggs near the horntail larvae. The little grubs find and eat the horntail larvae.

There are many other “good” flies. How they destroy harmful pests is another evidence of God’s goodness in keeping mankind from being overwhelmed by bad flies.

But He is good to us in even more important ways than this. We are told in Joel 2:13, “Turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful.” In Romans 2:4 we are warned not to despise “the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” Yes, the Saviour wants you to find out and see that He is good. Will you come to Him today?

JANUARY 5, 1997

ML-01/05/1997

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

Look Out - a Rattler!

“The wicked are estranged . . . speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.”
Psalm 58:34

Rattlesnakes are common all throughout North America. Of the 47 kinds, the largest and deadliest is the eastern diamondback. Some are as long as eight feet and as big around as a man’s forearm. It is one of a group known as pit vipers. This name comes from two cone-shaped pits located in front of and below each eye. These are sensitive to heat radiated from animals, and this is how it locates them in the dark. During daylight it depends more on keen sight and smell; its flicking tongue helps to pick up odors.

The first “button” on the snake’s rattle grows about 10 days after birth, and a new one is added each time it sheds its skin. Usually this happens as often as six or eight times a year.

The rattler’s reputation is worse than it deserves. Its main interest in life is to find food, and it does this as quietly as possible. It prefers to hide when a large animal or a person comes along. Unless taken by surprise or provoked, it will seldom attack them. But when surprised, it coils its body and is so tense that its tail vibrates rapidly, making the buttons rattle. Its striking action is so fast that the human eye cannot follow it. Two long, hollow fangs pierce the flesh and inject poison into the wound. Small creatures die quickly; larger animals seldom die but have severe pain and learn to stay away from these serpents. When humans are bitten, a medicine (antivenin) is available in every area of the country. Without this medicine, severe pain and even death could result.

The rattler has numerous enemies, including many large birds and animals, and even some snakes will attack and eat it. Its life is not an easy one. In Proverbs 13:15 we are told “the way of transgressors is hard,” and Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Often a boy or girl whose life is full of rebellion has found this to be very true. How good it is when they pray this prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Although rattlesnakes do a great deal of good in killing rats, mice, gophers and other harmful rodents, and although God has provided many special features for them, they still are vicious creatures. We are reminded that the Bible refers to our great enemy as “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which [deceives] the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). But the Lord Jesus, who gave His life on Calvary and destroyed the works of the devil, will turn all who believe on Him “from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:18). Have you been delivered from the power of Satan’s darkness and been brought into the wonderful light of Christ’s salvation?

JANUARY 12, 1997

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“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.”
Romans 10:9

The Plant With Honey Jars

“O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things.”
Isaiah 25:1

The beautiful poinsettia grows tall and bushy in some southern climates. It is actually a native of Mexico. In warm weather it is covered with green leaves, but these turn yellow and fall off when the weather becomes cold. Meanwhile, beautiful red, pink or creamy white “bracts” have been growing on the stems which are not affected by the cold (unless there is a real freeze). These make the plant very attractive. They look like flowers but are actually part of the leaf system. In northern climates, small poinsettia plants are often grown in greenhouses and are familiar to most of us, as they are sold as potted plants during the winter holidays.

Each stem of this plant contains a green ball, forming part of the bract. This holds the actual flowers, which themselves are not very pretty. Inside the female flowers is the seed-bearing pistil. Inside the male flowers, pollen-bearing staminates appear. They stand erect and are bare, without petals such as ordinary flowers display. But both kinds of flowers are equipped with something ordinary flowers do not have. On the side of each green ball, a yellow, funnel-shaped “honey jar” grows, gradually filling with sweet nectar.

When the female flower, containing the pistil but no stamen, becomes mature, it grows six little arms at one end. When these appear it is as if it were saying, “I am ready for the pollen necessary to produce seeds.” But it cannot produce the pollen itself. This must come from one of the male pollen-producing flowers.

Now we see the purpose of the bracts with their bright leaves and honey jars attached. Bees, butterflies and other insects are attracted to these bright colors and sweet smells. They go into the various flowers to get the delicious honey. When they enter the male flowers with stamens, they become covered with pollen. As they move from flower to flower, they brush against the pistils of the female flowers, leaving some pollen on them. This is called pollination. From this pollinated pistil another crop of seeds will be produced.

Besides getting honey, some of the insects enter the flower for another reason. They lay their eggs inside the poinsettia, and the plant is used as a source of food when the larvae hatch.

We see again that God has neglected none of His creation. Whether animal kingdom or plant kingdom, He is always watching over them. Here is one of the many instances where He has arranged for two entirely different species to help one another. The insects get their food from the honey jars, and the plants are pollinated so that their species can continue.

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever. He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion” (Psalm 111:2-4).

JANUARY 19, 1997

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“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.”
Psalm 18:2

The Lowly Sparrow

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. . . . Ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:29-31

How pleasant it is to think that God is aware of even a small, common bird such as the sparrow. But everything, no matter how small or great, is of concern to Him whose eye is on all living things. If He watches each little sparrow, He must watch over you and me much, much more, because He tells us, “Ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

This plain little bird is known as the house sparrow because it makes its nest around houses, barns or other buildings. It is also called the English sparrow since Britishers brought them to America in 1850.

Although we see many sparrows hopping about on paved streets and sidewalks in cities, they actually prefer living in brush beside cultivated fields. There they find food in the form of seeds, caterpillars and insects.

Scientists have been able to determine that young sparrows’ food has to be at least 70% larvae and insects. As they grow, the amount of “living food” drops to only 3%, while adult sparrows feed almost entirely on seeds. Since the parents must feed the little ones until they mature, how do they know the babies need a diet so different from their own? Certainly they have learned this from God, the One who created and watches over them.

The sparrow does not have bright colors to attract attention, but it does have some amazing features. For instance, its vision is far superior to the human eye. Flying swiftly over the ground, it can spot and stop for a seed on a grass stem. It apparently can also pick out special colors that mean food, even when several plants are growing together. Its eyes, about one-fourth the size of a man’s, are large for its body. It can see ahead, to both sides and slightly behind. This permits it to keep alert for hawks, buildings, trees or other objects while flying.

Its feathers are complex. There is a central shaft in each feather called the vane. From this vane there are barbs (branches) all along its surface. Each barb interlocks into its neighbor and provides a strong, tough surface. Special muscles turn all or part of the feathers instantly, so its feathers and wings can raise, lower or rotate automatically. This provides lift, direction and balance while in flight. In cold weather additional fuzzy down grows at the base of each feather, providing warmth and insulation.

We can easily see that this little bird has been given all necessary provisions for its life by the Creator. The Bible tells us, “Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). He not only feeds and cares for each sparrow, but He also sees when life ends for one of these little birds. How closely He must watch over you and me who are of more value than many sparrows!

JANUARY 26, 1997

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“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
John 14:6

Two Big Rabbits

“I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor Me.”
Isaiah 43:19-20

THE JACKRABBIT

In desert country, you may not have to travel far before seeing a jackrabbit. It may be sitting up on its hind legs watching your every move, or it may be leaping away in a zig-zag course to get out of sight. With its big ears usually pointing upward, this furry animal is a common desert dweller.

Yet all species do not have the same size ears. Those in Australia have enormous ears. These give them a keen sense of hearing, and they also act as “coolers” by giving off body heat. High body temperature is a real problem in the intense heat of that land. The ears of jackrabbits in the deserts of the United States are much shorter, since they live in colder areas and need to conserve heat in the cooler seasons. How wise our Creator was to help these active animals to be comfortable no matter where they live.

The jackrabbit has a keen sense of sight. Its eyes see in front, to the side and even behind. This, along with its keen sense of hearing, helps keep it alert to the threats of enemies. Its great hind legs enable it to make leaps and bounds at speeds up to 45 miles an hour. It can also jump 5 feet in the air while leaping 5 or 10 feet in distance. If it is being chased by an enemy, it can even do better.

THE SNOWSHOE RABBIT

This rabbit is a cousin of the desert jackrabbit. This species can live comfortably in the cold northland. It has long, strong hind legs like its relatives of the south, but its ears are much shorter since it needs to conserve its body heat in that climate.

The one thing that sets it apart from the others more than anything else is the “snowshoes” it wears in winter. Its feet, about twice the size of a jackrabbit’s, have toes spread wide apart. As winter approaches, long hairs grow between the toes forming a pad. This permits it to walk on top of the snow and easily leap through it in 10foot jumps.

In addition, God gives it a white winter coat in exchange for the brown one of summer. When sitting still on the snow, it is almost invisible. Toward spring as the snow melts and rocks and brown soil begin to appear among patches of white snow, this rabbit’s white coat changes to a mottled one, helping it to blend with the ground. When all the snow is gone, its coat returns to brown again for the summer.

These animals do not stop to think about God’s care over them or the special features He gave them when they were created. God’s care over us is very real too, and we should think about not only His care, but His great love for us. For those who know that love and have found salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and His death on Calvary, He encourages each one to “[cast] all your care upon Him; for He [cares] for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

FEBRUARY 2, 1997

ML-02/02/1997

“Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Numbers 32:23

A Tale of Two Fishes

“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.”
Psalm 93:4

The betta Siamese fighting fish of Thailand has an unusual way of making a nest and raising a family. The male does the work by going to the surface and blowing a nest of bubbles, adding a cement to hold the bubbles together. Then he finds a mate and takes her to look it over.

Usually the female is excited about the nest and decides it is a good place to raise about three dozen babies. However, she doesn’t seem to know how to get her eggs into the nest. Each egg that she lays drops to the bottom of the lake, but the male takes care of this problem. He swims after each egg, picks it up in his mouth, swims to the nest and blows it into the bubbly nest. How do you think they learned to work together this way?

When the babies hatch, the parents stay close by to guard them. The babies are not allowed out of the nest until they are big enough to take care of themselves.

These are little fish, not over three inches long, but they are under the watchful eye of the Lord God, their Creator, just as much as the largest fish. The Bible tells us, “The eyes of all wait upon Thee” (Psalm 145:15). How nice to think of the Creator, the Lord God, not only creating them, but always taking care of them in their never-changing ways. He is the One who gives them the ability to work together in this interesting way.

The stickleback has this name because its back has spiny fins sticking up sharply as a warning to its enemies. Like the Siamese fighting fish, these also have an unusual method of nesting.

The male picks up pieces of vegetation that he finds floating on the water and weaves them together to form a nest. This nest has tunnels at each end and is attached to a living plant just under the surface of the water. After the nest is finished he looks for a mate and brings her to see what he has built. Soon they move into this double-ended nest and raise their family in it.

There are so many unusual and interesting kinds of life throughout the world, and many have not been seen by man. But the eyes of the Lord are always on each of His creatures. He cares for every one of them and takes delight in watching how they always obey Him, with each one following the pattern He set up in the days of creation.

We must never forget that He is also our Maker. The psalmist reminds us, “Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). We should obey His Word and please Him by accepting the salvation He so kindly offers through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).

FEBRUARY 9, 1997

ML-02/09/1997

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:10

Who Put the Rings Around Saturn?

“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?”
Psalm 8:34

The expanses of outer space are filled with wonderful displays of God’s creation, but man has been privileged to examine only very few of them. With the use of space probes and new technology, some parts of our solar system have now been more closely observed, and we are able to learn more of what the Bible means when it says, “One star differeth from another star in [its] glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41).

One of these displays is the second-largest planet, Saturn. This planet is approximately 100 times the size of the earth and about a billion miles away. Circling around it is a magnificent halo of rings. These rings have always been there, but they were not known to astronomers until Galileo discovered them in 1610 with his small telescope. In recent years, space probes passing Saturn have sent back remarkable close-up photographs of these rings, leaving astronomers puzzled as to how the rings got there and what keeps them in place.

The rings surround the planet at its equator, but they do not touch it. Their position seems to change as Saturn orbits the sun in an elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit, but they are always parallel to the planet’s equator. There are three major rings consisting of hundreds or even thousands of narrow “ringlets.” Astronomers estimate there could be as many as 10,000 ringlets which are probably continuously changing over time. The three major rings are very wide. Astronomers say the outermost ring may measure as much as 180,000 miles across.

Astronomers believe the rings are actually made up of trillions of chunks of ice, from particles as small as a grain of sand to boulders larger than a house.

Those who know the Lord God as the Creator of all things don’t need to wonder who put the rings around Saturn. God Himself did so, and ever since the days of creation we may be sure He has enjoyed their beauty. He is the One who keeps them in their amazing pattern. King David expressed it well when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

How important it is to recognize that it is God who has brought all things into being. The Bible plainly says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). It is important to not only know Him as your Creator, but to know Him as your Saviour as well. Won’t you accept His invitation to come to Him right now and accept Him as your Saviour?

FEBRUARY 16, 1997

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“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9

The Busy Hummingbird

“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember Thy wonders.”
Psalm 77:11

It is thrilling to watch this pretty little bird darting about the garden. It dips its long beak into a flower, then flies backward a short distance before zooming off in another direction. The hummingbird weighs less than an ounce and sometimes beats its wings 200 times per second!

Have you ever seen a hummingbird’s nest? The male brings load after load of fuzz from certain ferns or other light material to his mate. When enough material has been collected, they work together to build the nest and tightly fasten it to the branch. Then the male flies off to collect silk threads from several spider webs. He brings these to the nest by flying backward so he will not get tangled in them. He covers the outside of the nest with these threads to add strength. When the nest is finished, he covers it with moss to camouflage it from enemies.

Did you know these little creatures are great travelers? North America is only their summer home. They migrate in the fall, with the males leaving first and the females and young coming later. They fly to Central America, some going by way of Florida and Cuba. Others take a shortcut across the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 500-600 miles over water with no rest stops.

We are told these birds eat nothing while migrating these great distances, which is sometimes as much as 2,000 miles. This is remarkable, for when nesting and raising their young they must eat the equivalent of their own weight in nectar and insects every day to survive. The secret of flying such great distances without food is the fact that they store up fat by eating extra food in advance of their flight. This fat, normally about 15% of their weight, increases to around 45% and provides “fuel” for the long journey.

In spite of much study, no definite answer has been found to explain why they leave when they do, or how they know to time their return to be back at the exact time their favorite flowers will be coming into bloom. But we do know that their Creator, who watches over everything in His creation, has given them the ability to make their journeys at just the right time and directs them over the many miles they must travel.

The Bible does not mention the hummingbird by name, but it does tell us, “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young” (Psalm 84:3). The One who enables the lowly sparrows and swallows to nest and raise their young is the same One who also provides for all the needs of the lovely hummingbirds.

He assures us, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8). Are you listening to His instruction? and are you willing to let Him guide you in the path of life? Our Lord Jesus Christ always proves to be a loving Saviour to all who put their trust in Him.

FEBRUARY 23, 1997

ML-02/23/1997

“Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 6:37

The Sea Otter

“Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.”
Psalm 135:6

The sea otter lives only along the Asiatic and North American coasts of the Pacific Ocean. It is 5 to 11 feet long, including its tail, and weighs up to 80 pounds. It has beautiful dark brown fur and is rather fussy about its fur, spending hours grooming itself by rubbing its fur with its paws.

The sea otter spends most of its time in salt water. It makes its home in thick beds of kelp (seaweed) where it is quite safe from seals and killer whales, two of its enemies. Before going to sleep, it wraps itself in strands of kelp so it won’t drift away. However, sometimes it is seen napping in the open water, floating on its back with its eyes covered with its forepaws.

A female has only one pup at a time which is born in the kelp beds and is totally helpless. In fact, it can’t swim until its mother teaches it. She holds it up with her forepaws, much as a person would hold a child while teaching it to swim. The mother cleans its fur continuously.

The Creator has provided the sea otter with ears and a nose that seal closed when it dives. He placed the eyes near the top of its head so it can see while almost totally underwater. As might be expected, it is an excellent swimmer and can swim long distances underwater.

It always seems hungry and eats at all hours. One of its favorite foods is abalone, a shellfish that clings tightly to rocks near the bottom of the ocean. The otter can’t pry these loose, but takes a rock from the bottom and smashes the abalone’s shell to get at the meat. It also brings clams and other shellfish to the surface along with a good-sized stone. Swimming on its back, it places the stone on its chest, then smashes the clam down on the stone to break its shell and get to the meat.

Sea otters love to play and often chase one another through the water. They have been seen lying on their backs in the water, tossing sticks in the air. They catch the stick in their paws before it hits the water. They will do this over and over.

It is amazing that creatures such as this go on year after year and century after century, doing the same things and being provided for in the same way. This should not surprise us when we stop to think that God made every one of His creatures in just the way that would best suit it for its life’s pattern and purposes. He also said at the time of creation, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind . . . and it was so. . . . And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:2425). So we should not expect any of these creatures to change from one form to another, because God made every creature to appear “after his kind.”

ML-03/02/1997

MARCH 2, 1997

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10

Inseparable Companions

“His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:9

In the deserts of southern United States, the creamy blossoms of the yucca plant are a beautiful sight when they are in bloom. However, this plant would soon become extinct if it were not for the work of a little moth. The moth itself also would not survive if it did not have the yucca plant.

No bees, ants or other insects help fertilize the yucca flower. This is entirely the work of the pronuba moth. The moth seems to know what it has to do. The yucca blossom opens in the evening and is open most of the night. While still daylight the female moth flies to a half-open yucca blossom. When the blossom opens fully at night, she collects a good supply of pollen. Then she forms the pollen into a ball about the size of her head. She tucks it under her chin and goes to another blossom. As she walks up the pistil (the female part of the flower) she deposits several eggs into its hollow center. Then she continues her climb to the top where she deposits the ball of pollen on the top part of the pistil, rubbing it in by pressing her head against it again and again. This pollinates the yucca flower.

After some weeks the flower turns into a pod with a hard shell filled with seeds, with the moth’s eggs still inside. The eggs hatch out as tiny caterpillars who use the seeds as their only source of food. Later they chew through the pod, drop to the ground and spin themselves into cocoons. Adult moths eventually come out of the cocoons at the same time that new flowers are forming on the yucca. And the cycle begins again.

Any other moth would just find a place to lay her eggs and then be on her way. Why does the pronuba moth collect pollen from one flower, then change to another flower before laying her eggs and, finally, depositing the ball of pollen so necessary to the life cycle of the yucca? Certainly, all this is not by chance. A Supreme Power has told the little moth what to do.

Some may say this is only instinct and the little moth obeys those instincts, but it is the Lord God who gave the pronuba moth the necessary instincts when He created the first one. How serious to realize that man has been given an intelligence much higher than instinct, but he is walking in his own way away from God. The Bible says of man, “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

The Spirit of God pleads with everyone to “[cast] down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and [bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Are you submitting to God, the Creator of everything?

MARCH 9, 1997

ML-03/09/1997

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

Our Remarkable Kidneys

“God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.”
1 Corinthians 12:18

Most of us have two kidneys. They are purplish-brown and are shaped like huge beans. Kidneys are the most important waste-disposal part of the body. Through them our blood is continuously filtered to remove wastes and to help keep the chemical content of the blood in balance.

The Creator wisely gave us two of these important organs so that if one is severely damaged the other can carry on that vital filtering function. This reminds us again that “His ways [are] past finding out” (Romans 11:33). Life could go on even if the one remaining kidney were also partially damaged, especially if the person’s diet were carefully watched. But the normal, healthy kidneys are wonderful safeguards to our health, helping, among other things, to control our weight and blood pressure. Also, if we unwisely eat too much salt or sugar, the kidneys will get rid of the excess. However, there is a limit to this, so a wise person avoids eating too much of these.

The function of the kidneys is very complicated. Each kidney acts separately, extracting waste products from the blood. The major blood vessel that leads to the kidney is the renal artery. It comes from the liver, and the blood that travels in it contains urea. This substance is derived from proteins in our food. Digestion breaks down the proteins in food, and that which the body does not use is carried by the blood to the liver where it is changed into urea.

Now that the urea has reached the kidneys, a remarkable extraction process takes place in coiled tubes called nephrons. Each kidney has about a million nephrons which if stretched end to end in a line would be about 70 miles long.

As the blood enters the kidneys it goes into small blood vessels called capillaries where it is filtered. Part of the plasma (fluid part of the blood) enters the nephrons. The nephrons separate out the good substances (salts, sugars, amino acids, water, etc.) and return them to the blood. This process goes on continuously, and the nephrons are kept busy returning the good substances back into the blood and rejecting the waste substances. This waste part is called urine, and passes out of the nephrons into collecting tubes called ureters. Then the urine, about a quart and a half daily, passes on to the bladder and out of the body from time to time.

This complicated but amazingly efficient system contained within the body could only be designed by God. When medical science duplicates the kidneys’ blood-filtering process, it requires complicated, expensive machinery that could not fit inside the body. God alone could create and take care of the kidneys and every other part of our body as well. When we think of the wisdom that designed such an intricate body, we should exclaim like the psalmist, “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).

ML-03/16/1997

The Tough Sea Gull

“God . . . teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven.”
Job 35:10-11

Part of the fun of being at the seashore is watching the sea gulls. They can be seen soaring high in the sky, walking on the sand, or just resting on the water. Their high-pitched “meews” are loud enough to be heard above the noise of the waves. Occasionally they will give harsh squawks when they fight over a scrap of food. There are many varieties of sea gulls, but the herring gull is the most common. Its head, back and underside are white, with partly black wings, and its beak and web-footed legs are orange.

Although they are pretty and fun to watch, they often fight among themselves. Most are bullies and get into fights with each other by rough pushes with stiff, half-open wings or nasty pecks with their sharp beaks. But they are part of God’s creation in spite of this, and He has made them strong, swift and wise in many ways. He has also given them great skill in using air currents (thermals), or the air rising from a large ship, to glide along tirelessly with their wings outstretched. Frequently they will stay with a ship for many miles, watching for food scraps. Although mostly scavengers, they like fresh fish, clams and oysters too. Unable to break the shell of a clam or oyster, a gull will carry it high in the air and drop it on a rock to break it open.

These birds live in large groups, making nests on the ground where their eggs and chicks attract many enemies. When a gull discovers an enemy, it gives a loud shriek. This brings the whole colony rushing at the thief with hooked beaks and club-like wings. It takes a bold intruder to risk these attacks. When very small, a hungry baby taps on a red spot on the underside of its parent’s beak. The parent then brings up food for the baby to eat. Later, when they are given more solid food, they fight among themselves for the best parts.

In some ways sea gulls remind us of Satan by seeming to be so attractive when they are actually fierce and aggressive to one another. Satan makes himself attractive in the things that he offers us, but he is actually cruel and vicious. He is a deceiver and tries to bring evil into the life of every boy and girl. The Bible says this about him: “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Another important warning is given: “Be sober, be vigilant [watchful]; because your adversary [enemy] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour [destroy]” (1 Peter 5:8).

How good it is to know, as our opening verse expresses, that God has made us wiser than the fowls. This God-given wisdom tells us that there is a place of safety from the devil: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Have you made Him your place of safety?

MARCH 23, 1997

ML-03/23/1997

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

The Desert Tortoise

“And God made the beast of the earth . . . and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind.”
Genesis 1:25

The desert tortoise, with its 12-inch-diameter arched shell, stumpy hind legs, flat feet and short tail, lives in the deserts of Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Mexico. It is an expert digger, sometimes digging a burrow up to 30 feet long where it can hibernate for six months or more during the winter.

Some of these tortoises have been known to live well over 50 years. How do they find enough food to stay alive year after year in such a harsh climate? We might not find much to eat in the desert, but the tortoises feed on the plants that grow there -grass, flowers, wild fruit, certain shrubs and even the prickly desert cactus. Sometimes snails and insects are a part of their diet too. But if food is scarce they can go without eating for a month. They hunt for food only in the cool hours of the morning and evening, crawling into their burrows or resting in the shade when it is hot.

The tortoise, though wonderfully designed by the Creator to withstand fierce desert heat, does need water, which is scarce in the desert. God has given their bodies the ability to get all the water they need from the vegetation they eat. They do drink water when they find it, usually from pools in a rainstorm, but that does not happen very often.

Early in June the female digs a dirt nest several inches deep, making a cavern under the hard surface soil. Her eggs (about 10) look like ping-pong balls. As each one drops into the nest, she packs dirt around it. Then she fills the whole nest with dirt, tamping it down and smoothing it over so it is cleverly concealed. From then on the eggs are on their own, as are the young tortoises which hatch about 100 days later. It is amazing how they can hatch underground and stay alive as they dig their way to the surface. The Creator, who watches every living thing, takes care of them even though we do not understand how He does it.

The newly hatched tortoises are exact miniatures of their parents and are about the size of a half-dollar. They have soft shells and need to hide or run quickly to avoid being eaten by vultures, coyotes and snakes. As their shells harden, they become like pieces of armor. They soon learn that they have no need to fear harm from their enemies, and so they just go about the desert slowly and peacefully.

The world in which we live is often compared to a desert, in spite of all its glamour and attractions. God’s enemies, encouraged by Satan, seem to be increasing daily. Yet for those who love God and know His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as their own Saviour, He has provided an armor to protect from all evil. (See Ephesians 6:1017). The important thing is not just to know that the armor is provided, but, as it says, to “put on the whole armor of God.” Are you doing this?

MARCH 30, 1997

ML-03/30/1997

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:34

The Strange Wildebeest

“I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm.”
Jeremiah 27:5

Living in great numbers on the plains of Africa, the wildebeest is commonly known as a gnu. Although it is about the size of a pony and looks like a combination of several animals, it is actually a species of antelope.

Its buffalo-like horns, high on its broad head, spread out saddle-like, then curve upward with sharp points which are used as an effective weapon. Long, scraggly hair hangs below its lower jaw and throat, and a mane atop its head and over its shoulders often hangs down to meet the lower hair. The rest of its body has only short hair. A long, rope-like tail, bushy on the end, adds to its peculiar appearance. It would never win a beauty contest.

Being very playful animals, even adults often kick and jump around for no apparent reason. While they look clumsy on their long, thin legs, they are one of the speediest animals in southern Africa. They travel at a fast trot, taking long strides.

Wildebeests are grass eaters. Those that live in East Africa find a good supply during the rainy season. When it turns dry they migrate hundreds of miles in search of more, often in large groups of thousands, accompanied by other friendly animals and bothered by some not so friendly. Usually they remain away until the last of the year when fresh rains bring green grass back to the plains they originally left. These migrating groups are quick to stampede if something frightens them. Then they move at high speed, galloping great distances and raising huge clouds of dust.

Bulls sometimes challenge one another, dropping to their knees with heads toward each other, locking horns. Each tries to push the other over. Failing, they get up, buck and kick with neither of them seeming to win. Suddenly the fight breaks off and they go quietly about their grazing as if nothing had happened.

Females have just one calf each year. A calf can stand shakily within minutes after birth, and by its second day it is able to keep up with the herd. The mother takes good care of it, keeping it clean by licking it and protecting it from lions, hyenas and other enemies.

Although millions of animals on Africa’s plains may never be seen by man, they are always under the watchful care of the One who created them. More important than that, however, is our Creator’s concern for every person on earth. He not only provides for our daily needs, but invites us to know His love and goodness now and for eternity.

Maybe you can recite this verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That is the way to eternal joy and happiness. Can you do more than recite this verse? Can you say from your heart, “Yes, I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is my own Saviour”?

APRIL 13, 1997

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“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

Big Trees from Little Seeds

“He that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth . . . [God’s] word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit.”
Matthew 13:23

The size of the seed has no relationship to the size of the tree that grows from it. Douglas firs in Oregon and Washington may grow 200 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet in diameter, and they start from a very small seed. The giant redwoods and sequoias in California also start from very small seeds. The largest known tree, a sequoia called General Sherman, started almost 4000 years ago from a seed so tiny (1/16 of an inch long) that it takes 3000 to weigh an ounce! Although lightning knocked about 100 feet off its top, the tree is still 275 feet tall and more than 30 feet in diameter at its base.

Other parts of the country also have big trees. For instance, the 400-year-old champion white oak near Chesapeake Bay in Maryland spreads its branches 158 feet across. Like all oaks, it began as a little acorn, perhaps buried by a squirrel and forgotten.

A tree seed, like all seeds, is a storehouse of all the parts that will grow from it. Nothing can change it to anything else. As it germinates, new cells form the parts of the plant that will develop from it. These cells take over their individual work as if told what to do, which is exactly the case as God the Creator has designed the work of each cell. Some form bark, some form wood tissue, some produce branches, others produce leaves, or fruit, or more seeds and some form roots. This process continues until a full-grown tree will contain billions of cells, each faithfully doing its own job, just as the Creator planned.

Where sliding soil causes a young tree to tip outward, a special message is given to certain cells to make an “elbow” so the tree will grow straight up again. When this happens, the trunk stops growing on the inner side while the outer side continues to grow until the straightening is completed, and then they work together again. The next time you see a tree this shape, think how wonderfully God arranged this growth correction. Actually, the trunk becomes stronger at this point than the rest of the tree.

This reminds us that a boy or girl who admits his or her faults to the Lord Jesus and asks His help to correct them becomes a stronger person. The psalmist said, “I will confess my transgressions [sins] unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

The Bible also speaks of those who love the Lord in this way: “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). If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus, then this is His description of you.

APRIL 20, 1997

ML-04/20/1997

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

The LowlyEarthworm

“They shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God”
(Micah 7:17).

This verse from the Bible tells of a time when the enemies of the Lord will try to hide from His judgment. No words describe those enemies better than “like worms of the earth.”

Although earthworms are a very important part of God’s creation, many people think they are good only for fish bait, which is why they are also called angleworms. But they are much more important than this, as we shall see.

There may be 50,000 or more of them hidden in the ground in an acre of rich, moist soil. They come to the surface to pick up old leaves or other dead vegetation only when it is moist, then roll them tightly and take them down into their tunnels for future food.

Let’s take a close look at one. If it is healthy it is plump and pink-red in color. Its body, tapered at both ends, is slightly moist. This one has a collar around it in which eggs are carried before slipping off to hatch underground. If we could see inside this worm with a microscope we would discover as many as 10 hearts. Perhaps the reason for so many is this -if a worm is cut in two, each piece will soon form a whole new worm. We would also see its tiny mouth and the 120 segments of its body with about 1000 little bristles underneath. These bristles act like the scales of a snake, enabling it to move through the soil. We would also see that it has no eyes, ears or nose. These are unnecessary because it is guided by vibrations and breathes through its skin. What an amazing little creature God has made and cares for!

In what way are earthworms an important part of God’s creation? Mainly because they are better tillers of the soil than any plow or piece of equipment used by man. Wriggling through the ground, their soft snouts push the soil into their mouths. As this soil passes through their bodies, little bits of food are retained. The rest is carried to the surface and deposited in little “castings” (now soft, fertile soil) which fertilize the land. Not only do they serve this important purpose, but their tunnels loosen the ground, allowing air and water to penetrate to the roots of trees and other vegetation. Some scientists insist the earthworm is the world’s most valuable and beneficial creature, which could be true.

Does God have a lesson for us in this overlooked, humble creature? Yes, the Bible tells us, “Base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen . . . that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:28-29). We learn from this Bible verse that we do not have to be highly intelligent to come to God. The most simple person may by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour prove to be wiser than one whom the world considers to be brilliant. Are you one who trusts in Him through this simple but precious faith?

ML-04/27/1997

The Merry Rock Wren

“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”
(Psalm 113:56).

In the dry foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States and Canada, the sweet song of the six-inch rock wren is often heard. Its gray colors blend in closely with its rocky home, helping to hide it among the boulders, sandstone cliffs and rocky hills.

What an interesting home the rock wren has! Its small nest is made of twigs, grass and plant stems, lined with shredded bark, dry grass and pieces of fur. There is nothing unusual about the actual nest; it is the wall that is built beside it that is unusual. After the nest is built in a crevice under a big rock, the male and female gather small pebbles and rock chips. They use these to make a stone wall in front of the nest, leaving only a small entranceway. No doubt the Creator gave the wren this skill to help protect its nest from snakes, rats and birds of prey which would eat their eggs. They often use the extra stones to make a gravel pathway to the entrance or just pile them in a neat mound.

About six white eggs, speckled brown on one end, are laid twice a year, and in only two weeks the chicks hatch out. The parents are attentive and protective, staying close by and bringing spiders, moths and many other insects as food to the young chicks. Before they are big enough to fly, the parents lead them out on the rocks for exercise. If danger appears, they immediately obey their parents’ signal to “freeze” or find a hiding place. Isn’t it interesting to see how God has put such wisdom in the parents?

The rock wren, sometimes said to be the earliest bird out in the morning and the last one in at evening, has been given a long bill to reach food in cracks and under rocks. Its short legs have sharp-clawed toes, allowing it to cling upside down to overhanging rocks. Although it does drink water when it is available, it can get along without it, getting moisture from what it eats.

This little bird is another excellent example of how the Lord God, the Creator, has supplied everything His creatures need. The Bible reminds us: “Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire [needs] of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16).

The same One who watches over the little rock wren has His eye on you too. In a special way His “delights [are] with the sons of men.” He says, “Now therefore hearken unto Me, O ye children. . . . Blessed is the man that heareth Me. . . . For whoso findeth Me findeth life. . . . But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul” (Proverbs 8:3236). These are serious but wonderful words. The Lord God wants you to know Him, not only as the provider and preserver of your life, but as the One to whom you may go as a needy sinner. He wants you to thank Him for taking the punishment for your sins on the cross, and accept Him as your own Saviour. Have you done this? “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).

MAY 4, 1997

ML-05/04/1997

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:20

The Pocket Gopher

“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.”
Psalm 77:11

There are many kinds of gophers, and each kind has its own name. Do you know how the pocket gopher got its name? It was called this because it has fur-lined pouches on the outsides of its cheeks. It stuffs food inside these pouches to carry back to its underground tunnel. It empties its pouches by turning them inside out, then it heads back outside to collect another load. Squirrels and chipmunks also have cheek pouches for carrying food, but the gopher is the only rodent that has fur-lined pockets on the outside of its body.

Not many people have seen these gophers, for they seldom come out of their tunnels and usually only venture a few feet away, except when exploring for food. They themselves are food for snakes, large birds and larger animals and so are nervous, darting quickly into their tunnels when danger is near.

These 10-inch rodents weigh less than a pound and are found over wide areas of Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. They vary in color from reddish-brown to gray. The most noticeable features are their long, sharp-pointed front claws and their large, yellow teeth, which are always showing even when their mouths are closed. They have large heads with very small eyes and ears.

You may wonder why the Creator designed them this way. The reason must be that most of their lives are spent digging tunnels, and these features are a real help in this. Incidentally, those big front teeth are used not only for gnawing food but are real power shovels, working with the claws when digging. What a wonderful provider the Lord God is for His creatures!

The main tunnel may be 500 feet long with side tunnels and storage areas. The tunnels, which are always being lengthened, are about a foot below the surface, but go much deeper where the grass-lined den is placed. There is a mound at the tunnel’s entrance, but the tunnel itself is plugged and only opened when it is necessary to look for food or to let in sunshine and fresh air.

The pocket gopher’s digging opens up otherwise hard ground, allowing rain to penetrate rather than run off. However, because they eat plants in the areas around their tunnels, they are not welcome guests to farmers and gardeners.

This is just one more of God’s underground creatures that display the wonders of His creation and the diversity of life He has created for this earth. The psalmist was impressed with creation when he wrote: “Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are . . . in the earth!” (Psalm 113:5-6).

Do you know that loving One not only as the Creator but also as your very own Saviour?

MAY 11, 1997

ML-05/11/1997

“Prepare to meet thy God.”
Amos 4:12

Termites and Their Ways

“Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee . . . the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:12

The 2,000 species of termites are found throughout the world. These insects live in large colonies in dark places and never come out into the open, except when swarming to establish new colonies. There are three classes of termites in their colonies: workers, reproducers and soldiers.

The workers, along with the baby nymphs, form the largest part of the colony. Their lives are spent tunneling and feeding on wood. They digest the wood and feed it to the king, queen, babies and soldiers, all of which cannot feed themselves.

The queen’s responsibility is to provide eggs. Soon after mating she swells up with eggs until she is much larger than the workers. In fact, this load of eggs is so great that she has to finally settle down in her royal chamber where she will stay the rest of her life, producing millions of eggs during that time.

The workers lick each egg clean before placing it in the nursery area. It takes many months for the eggs to hatch and the young termites to fully develop. During development, the nymphs are blind and helpless. They could not survive if the workers did not take care of them by constantly bringing them food to eat.

Most of the soldiers have large, armored heads and fiercely attack enemies. Standing guard over the nest, they often plug the entrances with their heads to keep intruders out. If danger appears they make sharp noises, calling other soldiers to help them.

Termites usually live where it is dark and moist, because they cannot survive under other conditions. Where it is necessary to cross exposed areas, they make tunnels of mud. These are built by special soldiers who have the ability to produce a liquid cement for holding the mud in place.

In Australia a species known as “compass termites” builds nests up to 20 feet above ground. The sides of these nests always face east and west, with the ends pointing north and south. Lost travelers have found their way by using these nests as compasses. Since these nests are exposed to the hot sun, the termites build ventilating flues in them to maintain a constant, cool temperature.

These creatures, seeking dark places and hiding their activities, remind us of those persons who “loved darkness rather than light.” They foolishly think they can hide evil deeds. But the Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Our opening verse also reminds us of the One from whom nothing can be hidden.

But we are happy to tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows all the secrets of our hearts, loves us and invites us to come to Him as the Saviour of sinners. “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).

MAY 18, 1997

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“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

The Comical Puffin

“Hast thou not heard, that . . . the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?”
Isaiah 40:28

The colorful bird called the puffin lives in Arctic waters of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It has a comical look because of its bright-orange, high, flattened bill with blue and red stripes. Its white, puffy face is topped with a black skullcap. Add to this a white body with a black collar and cape and stubby, orange legs and feet. Though it seems to be a strange-looking bird, it is well suited to its environment.

The puffin is an expert swimmer and diver and is skillful at catching seafood. Its beak can hold several fish, eels or shrimp crosswise while pursuing and catching others. No one understands how a puffin can manage this, but scientists think it holds the first catches with its tongue while opening its bill to catch others. Then the contents of its bill are brought to a rock where they are eaten.

Some colonies of puffins contain hundreds of thousands of birds. Sometimes they make their homes in burrows, but usually they build nests on cliff ledges where the female lays one white egg. The eggs are a remarkable example of the Creator’s special care of their needs. Instead of being oval like chickens’ or round like some woodland birds’, puffins’ eggs are round on only one end and pointed on the other.

Why do you think the Lord God made their eggs such an odd shape? When He created the puffin He knew that their eggs would be laid on rocky ledges. A round or oval egg would easily roll off the ledge if left unattended even for a moment or two. However, a pointed egg just turns around in a small circle and can easily be returned to the nest.

It takes almost a month for the chick to hatch. While the chick remains in the nest it is fed a continual diet of fish. When the tired parents leave the fat chick after about six to eight weeks of care and constant feeding, the young bird eventually goes to the edge of the cliff and flies down to the water. There it feels comfortably at home, and soon it is diving for its own food. It becomes an active part of the colony and later migrates south with them, returning in the spring to the same rock on which it was born.

These birds live in a remote part of the world but are not forgotten by the One who created them. The Lord God once said, “Consider the ravens [and other birds]: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24). He is making it plain that He thinks more highly of human beings than of the rest of His creatures. He has shown this by giving us a never-dying soul and a home in heaven for those who trust in Him.

Our acceptance for heaven is by acknowledging that we need to have our sins forgiven and by confessing that He is the only One who can save us. Have you done this?

MAY 25, 1997

ML-05/25/1997

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25

A Day at the Seashore: Part 1

“Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
Matthew 8:27

How refreshing the salt air is as we arrive at the seashore. Someone asks the question, “How many things here remind us of God’s creation? For instance, where did all this sand come from?”

Here is the answer. A microscope would reveal that sand is made up of tiny particles of rock, seashells, bits of minerals and even material from underwater volcanos. All of this, tossed up by the waves, continually adds to the freshness and beauty of what was placed here when the world was made by the Creator. The sandy beach is also a barrier to keep the ocean from washing away the adjoining soil. Someone in our group remembers the verse, “Here shall thy proud waves be stayed” (Job 38:11).

It is low tide. As we walk across the sand someone exclaims, “Look at all the pretty stones I found!” Soon everyone is searching for pretty stones. Where did they come from? The action of waves pounding rocky beaches and inflowing streams breaks and carries chunks of rock into the water. These are tumbled over and over by the waves, smoothly polishing them. Finally some of them tumble close to shore where they can be seen. Someone asks, “Isn’t there a verse that says, ‘For Thy pleasure they are and were created’?”

“Yes,” is the answer, “in the very last verse of Revelation 4. Think what pleasure God must have as He sees all the beautiful stones He has created on beaches throughout the world.”

Something else catches our attention—seashells—all kinds of them - round, oval, spiral, ribbed and smooth. Each one used to be a home for a live shellfish, and after it died the shell washed ashore. Seashells must be included in that Bible verse too.

Someone rolls over a large stone, and we see little crabs and other creatures scurrying away to find another hiding place. Some of these creatures are sand hoppers with their 14 pairs of legs. They dig furiously to escape, while aggravated sand fleas hop about. Look, there goes a seaworm, and right behind it a centipede. Do all rocks on the seashore hide these different kinds of life? Yes, usually they do. It is just a small display of the many creatures God has made that live on ocean shores.

As we walk toward the water, the shells also remind us that death follows life. For these creatures of the sand and sea, there is nothing after death. But every human being has a soul that never dies. During his life on earth, he is the only one of God’s creation who has the opportunity to find God’s way of preparing for the more important life that is yet to come. God’s Word, the Bible, says, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Have you accepted this wonderful gift?

Next week we will resume our walk across the beach to the ocean.

JUNE 1, 1997

ML-06/01/1997

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
John 8:36

A Day at the Seashore: Part 2

“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them.”
Psalm 89:9

Last week we began a visit to a saltwater beach. We were interested in finding things that remind us of God’s creation. We can plainly hear the roar of the waves as we walk toward the water. A little squirt of water pops up at our feet, signaling a clam down in the wet sand. How does it breathe and eat buried down there? God has designed it for this life with a long, tube-like neck called a siphon. It extends to the surface to keep its breathing and eating vent open. When waves come, water flows down the clam’s siphon bringing food with it. Does God see the clam buried in the sand? Yes, He does. The Bible says, “The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee” (Psalm 139:12).

We hear the cries of flying sea gulls. One drops down for food its sharp eyes have spotted. Notice how swiftly the sandpipers run, chasing receding waves for bits of food left behind on the sand. Suddenly, they all take to the air. How gracefully they fly, all turning together as though following a given signal. Along the shore there are also avocets. Their curved bills pecking at the sand are finding food that we cannot even see! Someone reminds us that the Lord cares for each creature and remembers Psalm 145:9, which says, “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

We cross a rocky area where we inspect pools left behind when the tide went out. Some of these pools have colorful sea anemones showing a display of delicate tentacles as tiny fish swim around them. Periwinkles cling to the bottom and sides of their tide-pool prison. In some pools there are pretty shells, starfish, snails, barnacles, mussels, sea urchins, crabs and even small octopuses. We think it must delight the Creator to look into these pools and see all these living creatures that are under His care.

Leaving the tide pools, we have to step around piles of kelp and brown and red seaweed left on the beach. These look like whips, although some are lacy. They tell of storms which have torn them loose from the sea and washed them ashore. Mixed in among them are sand dollars, stranded jellyfish and sometimes a dead fish.

How interesting to look at all these strange things and realize they are part of the wonderful creation of “The Mighty God, The Lord of hosts, is His name, great in counsel, and mighty in work” (Jeremiah 32:1819). Did you know that in His Word He has invited you to be one of His children by believing in the work of His beloved Son on Calvary’s cross? “By Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law” (Acts 13:39).

Next week we will finish our visit to the ocean.

JUNE 8, 1997

ML-06/08/1997

“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

A Day at the Seashore: Part 3

“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above.”
Genesis 1:7

In the first two parts of this visit to the seashore, we were so busy that we did not notice the tide coming in. Suddenly the water is almost at our feet. What fun it is to run and splash in it! But don’t get any in your mouth . . . it is very salty!

What makes the tide go in and out? We know that it is under the control of the Creator. King David said long ago, “He [gathers] the waters of the sea together as an heap: He [lays] up the depth in storehouses” (Psalm 33:7).

This is one of the very important things the Creator designed for the needs of the world. If there were no tides, the ocean would long ago have become a stagnant pool with no life in it. The tides, together with the action of the waves, stir up these great bodies of water, mixing them thoroughly and aerating them with life-giving oxygen. This movement helps to maintain just the right conditions for fish, plants and all marine life. This is also important to man and all life on earth, since sea products are vital to us.

To give tides their motion, God set the sun, the earth and the moon in exactly the right relationship to each other. The sun aids in setting the tides, but it is mainly the moon with its pull of gravity, like a huge magnet, that pulls the water up. High tide occurs directly below the moon and on the opposite side of the earth, because the moon pulls the solid earth away from the water. It takes the moon 24 hours and 51 minutes to make its circle, providing two high tides each day. This action is so regular that tide tables for any part of the world can be prepared far in advance. Only divine power could maintain such a system! No wonder the Psalmist said: “I know that the Lord is great. . . . Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psalm 135:56).

Waves add a great display to the tidal force as they roll in, rise to a crest, break and spill over with a crash. The action of the wind on the surface of the ocean is the main contributor to the size of the waves. Some waves travel hundreds of miles before reaching shore.

The Creator’s wisdom is also seen in the waves. Moving through the ocean in a rolling action, waves do not push water ahead but transmit their energy to the adjoining water, which passes it on the same way. Otherwise, the water would pile up to tremendous heights and flood the land with great destruction resulting.

How wise is the Lord God, and what wise counsel He has given to all young people: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Have you placed Him above everything else in your life, by knowing His love and accepting Him as your Saviour and Lord?

JUNE 15, 1997

ML-06/15/1997

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10

The Playful Prairie Dog

“God that made the world and all things therein . . . giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”
Acts 17:24-25

The prairie dog lives in the western part of North America, from Canada to Mexico. It is not actually a dog but is a rodent in the ground-squirrel family. The dog part of its name comes from its shrill warning bark that sounds like a dog’s bark. It is a plump little animal, about a foot long with coarse grayish-brown fur. It has teeth like a beaver’s to help it gather grass, its chief food.

Early pioneers found millions of prairie dogs in the western states. But their population has been greatly reduced since they were considered a serious pest. Farmers found much damage to their alfalfa and grain crops since prairie dogs ate not only the plants but the roots as well. Early cattlemen did not like prairie dogs because of their burrows. A running horse or cow that stepped into an open burrow often broke a leg. But their burrows were a great benefit, allowing moisture to penetrate the soil. This prevented floods and water runoff that would otherwise wash topsoil away. It was all part of God’s design in providing balance in the things of creation.

Prairie dogs are sociable animals and live in colonies. They dig their homes by tunneling straight down for 12 feet or more. At the bottom they dig out several rooms - a sleeping room, a storage room and other rooms. An emergency exit is always provided, with another tunnel slanting upward to within a few inches of the surface. This is their escape route. If an enemy gets into their home, they scamper up this tunnel and quickly dig through the remaining soil and get away.

The entrance to each burrow is topped with a mound of dirt to keep water out. Prairie dogs love to sit upright on these mounds, yipping back and forth to their neighbors. At times they play together and also like to be groomed by one another. When outside of the burrow, one is always the “watchdog,” and when he sees anything alarming he gives several sharp barks. All of the others immediately dash to their burrows and disappear - all except the male of each family. He sits with his head out so he can see what’s going on and barks continuously. When the whole colony is barking like this, it makes quite a racket.

In the northern prairies, these animals hibernate after fattening up during the fall, but in the south they remain active year-round. Pups are born in the spring, and in about a month are the size of chipmunks and are full-grown by the end of summer.

The burrows and tunnels of prairie dogs are strongholds (safe places) for them. There is a better stronghold provided by God for those who accept His Son as their Saviour. The Bible tells us “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7). Is He your stronghold?

JUNE 22, 1997

ML-06/22/1997

“What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
1 Peter 4:17

The Cleanup Committee

“There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen.”
Job 28:7

You would not want a vulture or a condor as a pet. Their naked heads and necks, often covered with warts or loose-hanging skin, and large, hooked beaks make them rather ugly. Among the many kinds, the largest is the South American condor which is about four feet long with a multi-colored head, topped with a crown of loose skin called a carbuncle. The California condor is almost as large.

Although clumsy on the ground, condors (which are large vultures) have a graceful, easy, soaring flight hundreds or even thousands of feet in the air. South American condors, living high in the Andes Mountains, may fly as high as 20,000 feet. Rising on thermals (air currents) they make an impressive display as they soar in broad circles, often for hours without flapping their great wings. They have been provided with a keen sense of smell and the keenest eyesight of any creature and can spot a dead animal from as high as 5,000 feet. An amazing thing happens when they find a dead animal. Although only one or two of these birds may be seen in the sky, the minute one drops down to feed on carrion others quickly appear in the sky, also dropping down to squabble over the dead animal.

We can see why the Creator designed them as He did. Their heads and long necks have no feathers so they can easily reach into the dead animal’s body. Feathers would get so filthy they could never get them clean. The sharp hook on the end of their beaks helps tear off pieces of flesh. Their tongues, lined with “teeth” that point inward, move the food into their gullets. When several of them are present, a carcass is stripped to the skeleton in minutes. Frequently these birds eat so much they have difficulty becoming airborne again.

California condors are rare because the large animals they eat are scarce and many have been killed by man. They also have a slow rate of reproduction. They do not breed until they are six years old and lay only one egg every two years.

Although so unattractive, vultures and condors are an important part of God’s creation, and He has provided them with the features so necessary in their lives. They are helpful because they eat dead creatures which otherwise might decay and spread disease.

While vultures are suitably occupied in their way of life, they make us think of foolish people whose appetites are for the “dead things” of the world and who have not obeyed the important Bible verse, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15).

God’s Word, the Bible, points to the right things to occupy us. A wise person who proved this said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). Are you a wise or foolish person?

JUNE 29, 1997

ML-06/29/1997

“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

The Pesky Mosquito

“And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
Genesis 3:17

The week of constant rain has formed pools of water in low spots. It has collected in the bottom of an old tire leaning against a tree and in empty cans along the roadside. What does this have to do with mosquitoes? Standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.

It only takes a day or two for a mosquito egg to hatch into a wriggler. It has a head on one end and a siphon for breathing on the other. It immediately begins to wriggle from the bottom of its watery home to the top. It takes in air with its siphon, then drops back to the bottom and repeats this cycle over and over. A wriggler eats small plants and small animals that live in the water.

After about a week a wriggler changes into a thin-shelled pupa, also called a tumbler because it rolls and tumbles in the water. It does not eat. In two to four days it is ready to shed its skin and become a fully developed adult. While in the pupa stage it develops a breathing system that looks like tiny portholes along its body.

Rising to the surface, the skin on the pupa’s back splits open. It then pumps air into its body through the portholes, which causes it to expand, making the opening wider. It soon pushes its head and front legs out, then pulls the rest of its body from the shell. The veins of its wings expand and open. It rests for a day on its floating shell, allowing its newly exposed body to harden. Then it takes off with the familiar hum of its wings. Another marvel of God’s creation has been completed!

But not all eggs become mosquitoes. Many wrigglers become food for fish, ducks, frogs, turtles and other creatures. In Alaska young salmon eat them by the millions.

The male mosquito lives on nectar, fruit juices or sap. Only the female seeks the blood of humans and animals. Inside her dagger-like beak, called a proboscis, are six needlelike stylets that stab into the skin to sip enough blood to satisfy her appetite.

Certainly mosquitoes are not liked by man or beast, but God has provided these remarkable little creatures to fulfill a place in the chain of life. The swelling and itch of a mosquito bite are reminders that sin has left its mark on all creation, marring it in many ways. Its loveliness will not be restored until a time to come when the Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ shall be acknowledged as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15).

Before that time all who have accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour will be called to heaven where He lives and where no sin will ever mar its wonders or the joy of those who are there. Will you be there?

JULY 6, 1997

ML-07/06/1997

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”
1 John 3:1

About the Salmon

“Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.” Job 12:8

Job was correctly convinced with the fact that all things on earth, including fish in the waters, tell of God’s ways to everyone who will listen.

The story of the salmon is a fascinating one. Its eggs are laid in the gravel bed of a cold mountain stream. When an egg hatches, the tiny salmon lives a few weeks on nourishment from the yolk sac to which it is attached. It finally frees itself from this sac and leaves its gravel bed to make a home in the stream. In Alaska, mosquitoes breed in great numbers. Their larvae, which the young fish finds in nearby pools, become its chief food.

After six months to a year in these waters, an inner urge causes the young salmon to swim toward the ocean. With hundreds and sometimes thousands of other young salmon, it begins its long trip to the ocean, swimming facing backwards (with its head into the current) wherever the stream is swift or there are rapids or waterfalls. By swimming facing upstream, it can control its movements and avoids drowning in the swift currents. How does it know to do this? God has given it that knowledge!

Following its long swim downstream, the young salmon leaves the fresh water and enters the salt water of the ocean. Few other species of fish can adapt to such a change. Scientists have found that the young salmon swim out hundreds to thousands of miles beyond the mouth of the river in which they were born. The salmon spends several years feeding hungrily on smaller sea creatures.

The mature salmon, weighing as much as 100 pounds, turns back toward the fresh water, returning to the mouth of the river where it first entered the ocean. It fights the current all the way to its exact birthplace. En route it must jump waterfalls ten feet high or higher, shelf by shelf, and covers 10 to 20 miles a day. Large numbers make the journey together, each leaving the group when it comes to the little stream where it was born.

At its final destination the female, with a swoop of her strong tail, makes a trench in the gravel bed where she lays thousands of eggs which are fertilized by the male. Then both of them, having finished their work, float down the current and die somewhere along the way. They have literally given their lives to provide life for others.

This makes us think of the One who gave His life that others might have eternal life. “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).

Men marvel at the ways of this spectacular fish. God created it this way in the beginning, and ever since it has obediently followed God’s purposes. God wants obedience from us too, and when we do we have His promise, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6).

JULY 13, 1997

ML-07/13/1997

“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

Mushrooms - Good and Bad

“Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward.”
Psalm 40:5

There are over 38,000 kinds of mushrooms, or toadstools. Generally, the name “mushroom” is used for the few kinds that are safe to eat and “toadstools” for those that are poisonous. But all are interesting as part of God’s handiwork in creation. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are as large as a soccer ball, while others are no larger than a common straight pin. Their colors range in shades of brown, black, orange, red, violet, pink and white. Some grow on tall stems; others grow close to the ground.

Their names include the huge puffball, weighing up to 20 pounds and each year producing millions of spores (seeds). Because of their distinctive colors, one is called red blusher, another inky cap and another scarlet cup. This last one grows so close to the ground that it looks like a bright-red soup bowl. The jack-o’-lantern is a brilliant orange color. Underneath the top, 100 or more paper-thin ribs spread out to form the base for its smooth topside. Turkey-tails grow on trees and stumps. Their undersides, colored like turkey feathers, contrast with a smooth white or tannish top. Deadman’s finger looks like a dirty finger sticking out of the ground from a giant, buried hand. Two, the horn of plenty and the son of the woods, are found in great numbers. Then there is one with large outstretched petals, looking like a vegetable starfish. Another, spreading its petals on the ground, has a smooth, round center which looks like a brown cookie.

One of the more common mushrooms in the midwestern United States is the morel, soft-tan in color and often found in woodlands under oak trees in late spring. This is one that is safe to eat and looks like a partly folded miniature umbrella, full of irregular-shaped spongy wrinkles.

These are just examples of a few. A good rule to follow is to leave all mushrooms alone, unless you are with a mushroom expert who can distinguish between poisonous and nonpoisonous. An edible kind may have poisonous relatives that look similar. Eating only one of certain poisonous varieties is enough to cause death. Of course, those for sale in grocery stores are safe and make good eating.

In a way, mushrooms provide an example of the two forces that are in the world - good and evil - and perhaps the Creator would like us to think of them that way. The Bible tells us to “abhor [hate] that which is evil; cleave [cling] to that which is good” (Romans 12:9). A person who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour and uses the Word of God, the Bible, for guidance will be given wisdom to recognize evil and stay away from it. That person will find happiness in holding tightly to that which is good. But we need to continually ask God’s help to recognize good and evil, just as mushroom hunters need wisdom in the mushrooms they select.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

ML-07/20/1997

Man's Friend — The Horse

“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.” Zechariah 14:20

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

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

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

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

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

A horse’s entire body helps it to receive sounds. Besides its ears, its hooves sense sound and pass it on through its bones and nerves. A horse has sharp hearing and can move its ears to catch sounds from almost any direction. It does not have to practice this because God made it this way. Its ears are also a clue to its disposition. Straight forward - it is interested and usually friendly. Laid back - look out! - it may be angry or annoyed.

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

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

The psalmist said, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7), and, “Blessed is the man that [trusts] in Him” (Psalm 34:8). Are you trusting in earthly things, or are you trusting in God?

JULY 27, 1997

ML-07/27/1997

The Ways of Woodpeckers: Part 1

“The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.”
Psalm 50:1

Listen! Do you hear that sound? “Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat.” High on the trunk of a dead tree we finally see what is making the noise. A woodpecker is clinging to the trunk, hammering its long, sharp beak against the trunk as if it were trying to beat its brains out. However, it knows what it is doing, as we will soon see.

There are nearly two dozen kinds of woodpeckers in North America and about 300 kinds throughout the rest of the world. The smallest is the downy which is 6 inches long from beak to tail tip. The largest is the ivory-billed which is 18 inches long. All of them climb up and down tree trunks where they spend many hours searching for food. The Creator has equipped them for this by providing them with two strong toes pointing forward and two pointing backward, although some species have just one pointing backward. Their claws dig firmly into the tree, and they also have stiff tail feathers that press against the trunk to give added support.

Woodpeckers slam their heads against tree trunks hundreds of times a minute several times a day. Any other bird or animal trying to do this would damage its head, neck and body so severely that it would not survive very long. But God designed woodpeckers with bodies that thrive on such treatment. You see, there has always been a special job for them to do which is helpful to trees and also mankind - they drill holes in trees in search of wood-eating grubs and insects. To do this work they have been given large heads, short and powerful necks and strong chisel-like beaks which continue growing to take care of the “wear and tear.” Their heads are reinforced inside with bony supports, a lining and an air space, all to protect their brains. How wisely God has made all His creatures!

One reason why these birds drill holes in trees is to make a nest. They first cut an entrance and then enlarge it inside to a foot or more deep and several inches across. Chips falling to the bottom of the hole provide a soft base for the 6 or more glossy white eggs that will be laid. The male bird starts the drilling but usually leaves the finishing to his mate. These nesting holes are used only one season.

It is certain that the Lord God, the Creator, takes real delight in these birds since Revelation 4:11 tells us, “Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” More importantly, it is through Him that you are here, as the Bible verse says, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Are you aware of that care, and have you thanked Him for His love and kindness to you?

AUGUST 3, 1997

ML-08/03/1997

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33

The Ways of Woodpeckers: Part 2

“Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all.”
Nehemiah 9:6

Woodpeckers are pretty birds with barred or spotted black and white, or brown and black feathers. Males may have red or yellow markings on their heads. Some, like the pileated and ivory-billed varieties, have beautiful tufts of feathers forming crowns on their heads.

Most of their hole- drilling is to get at beetles, grubs and other insects inside trees. They have an amazing ability to hear these insects chewing the wood, and a hole is drilled at that spot. The bird’s tongue darts in to spear the insect.

Their tongues are one of the features setting these birds apart from other birds. While most have tongues connected to their mouths, woodpeckers have tongues attached to thin, flexible bones passing over the skull and coiling up behind it. A woodpecker needs to reach far back in the hole to catch the insect. If its tongue were attached to its mouth it would not be long enough, so one that stretches out far was provided by a wise Creator. The tongues of woodpeckers are also specially designed in other ways. For instance, the pretty flicker has a long, sticky tongue. Any ant, beetle or grub touched by it cannot escape. Other varieties have barbs on the end to pierce the insect and pull it out. Another, the sapsucker, drills most of its holes in just the outer layers of live trees. These holes form little wells where sweet sap collects. The end of its tongue has a brush, helping it to lap up the syrup.

The acorn woodpecker, named for its love of acorns, does something very interesting. It drills holes in trees, fence posts or utility poles and then stuffs one acorn in each hole. Often hundreds and even thousands of these storage “cupboards” are made to assure it has plenty to eat in winter.

Woodpeckers are very beneficial to mankind, eating millions of harmful insects. Without their help many trees would die from the attacks of insects. Thus they are another example of God’s ways of keeping a necessary balance among all things in His creation.

Where do you think these remarkable birds learned how to capture insects hidden inside tree trunks? Where did they receive the specially designed features of their bodies? They were given to them by the Creator when He placed them on the earth. The Bible reminds us, “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

This also reminds us that we share in His blessings too. We are responsible not only to enjoy them, but to acknowledge that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He invites us to believe on Him, the only Saviour of sinners, for everlasting life. “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life” (John 5:24). Do you have everlasting life?

AUGUST 10, 1997

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“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:34

The Peculiar Aardvark

“Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all.”
Nehemiah 9:6

The 4- to 6-foot-long, 150-pound African aardvark is unlike any other creature in the world. Its nearest relative might be a pig; in fact, the name aardvark means “earth pig.” It was given this name by Dutch settlers in Africa in the 1600s. But the aardvark’s similarity to a pig is mostly in its long snout, nostrils, brown body and bristly hair. Its long upright ears look more like a donkey’s, its tail is something like a kangaroo’s, and its arched body is not too different from a hyena’s.

There are two things the aardvark does very well. One is finding termites’ nests, which in their part of Africa stand out in the open like concrete mounds. Approaching one, it listens carefully to determine if termites are inside. Hearing their movement, it tears the mound open with its powerful claws. Then it laps up the termites with its 12- to 18-inch-long sticky tongue.

But don’t think termites don’t fight back . . . they do, just like ants fight when their nests are entered! Both insects have “soldiers” with sharp mandibles, and they attack the intruding aardvark but find that its skin is so tough that they cannot bite through it. In addition, the Creator has provided nostrils and ears that seal tightly when invading insects’ nests, so these are protected too.

The aardvark is also an expert at digging. Their dens are in tunnels about ten feet long with six or more entrances, and this requires lots of digging. No problem! Their strong front legs and sharp claws, kicking the dirt out behind them, go through even hard dirt faster than men with shovels can. For the most part they stay in these dens during the day and come out at night to raid anthills and termites’ nests, adding other insects and fruit and gourds to their menu when available.

Babies are born in the den. They have skin so loose and full of wrinkles that it looks like it is several sizes too big, but they soon fill it out. To keep her little ones hidden, the mother moves into a new burrow about once a week. Before long they are taken out to learn how to hunt, and within a year’s time they are on their own.

For all the strange appearance of these animals, they indicate God’s pleasure in placing such a great variety of life on the earth at the time of its creation. For each creature He has provided what is exactly right for its way of life, and He watches over each one all its days.

The Bible tells of something else that brings pleasure to Him: “I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness” (1 Chronicles 29:17). Is your life pleasing Him? It can please Him only if you have confessed that you are a sinner and have asked the Lord Jesus to forgive and cleanse you, accepting Him as your Saviour. If you have not done this yet, why not do it right now!

AUGUST 17, 1997

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“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

The Miracle of Soil

“He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
Acts 14:17

If you have garden space in your yard, dig your spade into the soil, turn it over, smooth it out and plant some seeds. This starts the wonderful process of new plant life arranged by the Lord God when He created the world. Soon, when rain and sunshine have done their part, new plants will appear. With your care, or even if left to themselves, they will grow rapidly and be able to reproduce themselves many times over with their seeds. As far as earthly needs are concerned, this means of obtaining good from the ground is one of God’s richest blessings, just as the above verse tells us.

The soil around us is really a miracle. It is teeming with life 24 hours a day, including billions of invisible microbes (bacteria, fungi, etc.) which supply essential elements as well as producing nutrition on which plants depend.

There are visible helpers as well, though seldom seen because they work underground. Earthworms are one of the most important, munching their way through the ground, loosening and fertilizing it by pulling leaves and grass down into the soil and depositing mineral-rich castings on the surface in exchange. Moles and even ants do much the same, as well as many other insects. The roots of grass, plants and trees all play their part too. Everything has been arranged by the Creator to work together to replenish the richness put into the soil when He created it.

A very important need of soil is nitrogen, which is made available to plants by the activities of some of the microbes. Rain and lightning are also very important contributors of valuable nitrogen, carrying it right into the soil where it can be used. Aren’t the ways of the Creator wonderful?

We can understand that farmers are pressured to get more and better crops out of their fields and are unable to give the land needed times of rest. However, certain crops and fertilizers replace much of the important properties. But the Lord well knew land should not be overworked, and He instructed the children of Israel that every seventh year the land should have a “year of rest” so that its important qualities could be restored.

And on the subject of crops, the Bible talks about another kind of sowing to which we should pay careful attention. It says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). This refers to our way of life that is always seen by God. If we are involved in things that are good, they will return to us happiness, but if we are involved in things that are wrong, they will return to us sorrow. This is something very important to think about.

AUGUST 24, 1997

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“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15

Those Pesky Thistles!

I was determined to get rid of those thistles! Two years ago thistles that grew as high as a man had spread into our garden from the field beside us. You see, thistles send their roots down deep into the ground, then they send out runners in all directions just under the surface, and then new thistle plants pop up all over. This is just what God told Adam would happen after he had sinned in the garden of Eden. God said, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee” (Genesis 3:17-18).

Those thistles in that field had blossomed and gone to seed while we were away from home for some weeks. Their seeds had blown all over our garden and settled down to make new patches of thistles. They had been very successful! Like bad habits in our lives, the thistles had grown stronger and multiplied. But I made up my mind to attack them and get rid of them.

Almost every day for several weeks I went into the garden and dug up every thistle that popped above the ground. Then I went to the other side of the fence and dug a strip about two feet wide all along the garden’s back edge and as deep as I could go to kill those underground runners. The city maintenance crew would mow the rest of the field if the weeds grew too high, but they never mowed close to the fence.

There! I thought, as I wiped the grime and sweat off my face. That will finish those thistles! But deep down inside I knew I hadn’t gotten all those roots. And sure enough, within a couple of days they were popping up all over between the marigolds and snapdragons I’d planted along the fence.

Those thistles popping up reminded me of how sin keeps popping up in our lives. Sadly, we can’t get rid of the sin by ourselves any more than I could get rid of those thistles even though I kept digging at them. God tells us “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). What a sad condition we are in! And to top it off, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). We really don’t realize how sinful we are in God’s sight.

Trying to dig the bad things out of our lives is not enough. God says there must be punishment for our sins. Either we each must bear our own punishment, or someone else must bear it for us as our substitute. Only the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy, sinless Son of God, qualifies as our substitute. “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 9:2728). Will you accept Him as your substitute? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). The Bible says this is the only way we can have the sin in our lives removed by its roots and have our names written in God’s Book of Life.

I lost the battle with the thistles, but you don’t have to lose the battle with your sins. Will you let Christ have the victory in your life?

ML-08/31/1997

Tasty Shrimp

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear”

(Hebrews 11:3).

Most everyone likes shrimp, but not everyone knows that the tasty shrimp in salads and casseroles is just the underpart of their broad tails.

There are over 2000 varieties throughout the world, including tiny brine shrimp in Utah’s Great Salt Lake, an 18inch, 3pounder in the Philippine Islands, and skinny ghost shrimp found in the sand of some seashores. It is easy to confuse them with prawns. Although there are some large shrimp, the prawn is more than twice the size of the common shrimp, and the prawn has a long, saw-toothed beak compared with the sharp, short and smooth one of the shrimp.

The shrimp that we usually eat inhabits America’s shores by the billions, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, but similar numbers are also under the Arctic ice. More than 10,000 boats are constantly working in taking thousands of tons monthly from the Gulf of Mexico. You might think that this would soon wipe out all the shrimp, but not so. The Creator has given them an interesting life pattern, providing a sure place in their saltwater homes.

Although they prefer shallow shore waters, three times a year on a night when a full moon is shining, the adult shrimp leave the shore areas and ride on an outgoing tide into deep water. There each female releases about half a million eggs so tiny it takes a microscope to see one. Then the adult shrimp return to shallow shore waters. The eggs not devoured by fish hatch in 24 hours and after a few weeks reach a visible size and allow incoming tides to carry them to shore waters. In six months they reach adult size. Soon they do exactly as their parents did before them -swim out to deep waters on moonlit nights, lay millions upon millions of eggs, and the cycle begins again.

So many billions of shrimp hatch that it would seem the waters would be saturated with them, as they actually would be if most were not eaten by fish and birds or taken by trawler boats. Similar quantities hatching in Arctic waters form a supply of rich food for fish, whales, penguins, seals and other sea life.

This is another example of the way the Creator provides for His creatures, as the Bible verse says, “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That Thou givest them they gather” (Psalm 104:2728). And it is not only fish, birds and animals that He provides for. Another Bible verse says, speaking of the Lord Jesus, “Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17).

Have you ever thanked Him for His care over you? Do you really know this wonderful Provider as your very own Lord and Saviour?

AUGUST 31, 1997

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“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
Jeremiah 17:9

The Persistent Flea

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise . . . that no flesh should glory in His presence”
(1 Corinthians 1:27,29).

Perhaps the flea is one of the “foolish things” referred to in this verse, for it certainly does baffle the wisest of men. The flea sometimes has caused wise men to feel quite humble, because they cannot cope with such a small creature.

Why are fleas so hard to get rid of? There are several reasons. For one, when you try to kill a flea by pinching or pressing on it, it relaxes its body to absorb the pressure and then hops safely away. Another reason is their reproductive ability. Including all the offspring produced by one pair, as many as 6000 can hatch in a little over a month. Eggs the size of a large grain of sand are laid in the fur of an animal. These roll off to the ground where they hatch in just a few days. The larvae look like tiny white threads and immediately begin searching for food. They are not yet interested in blood but eat decayed plant life.

Within the first two weeks, the larva molts twice and greatly increases in size. It pupates by wrapping itself in a sticky silken cocoon in which its six legs, antennae and mandibles (jaws) develop. It comes from the cocoon as a full-size adult with a hard, flat-sided body.

Strong legs allow this adult flea to jump onto a passing animal where it works its way through the fur to the animal’s skin. Its sharp mandibles pierce the animal’s skin searching for a blood vessel. A flea has two tubes within its mouth - one to draw out blood and the other to pump in saliva to keep the blood from clotting. The animal tries to relieve the bite pain by scratching the wound. This produces more blood, to the benefit of the flea.

Although they have no wings, an amazing ability given to fleas is that their strong legs allow them to jump a foot into the air and as far as two feet between hops. A man in proportion to the size of a flea and with the same ability could jump to the top of a skyscraper or hop over two football fields at once.

Incidentally, there are about 1100 species of fleas throughout the world, including mouse fleas, rat fleas, bird and bat fleas, cat and dog fleas.

Why did the Creator make fleas? It is well to remember that all things were created perfect by Him, and fleas were not originally a nuisance but part of His overall perfect creation. Sin soon marred the world, bringing death, pain, sickness and sorrow with it. The present character of such insects as flies, mosquitoes and fleas is the result of sin. Whenever they annoy us, it should cause us to be humble and realize our own wisdom amounts to little.

Undoubtedly God would have all of us listen to His Word: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Turn to Him and learn of His wisdom. You will find that it leads to everlasting life through trusting in the Saviour “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity” (Titus 2:14). Have you done this?

“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Mark 4:41

ML-09/07/1997

The Giant Panda

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

There are two varieties of panda, 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 looks like a big stuffed toy and seems like a cross between a bear and a raccoon. This one 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 circles around its eyes that look like they’ve been painted on. It looks cuddly and is loved by people everywhere. 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 lovable, 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 five of them. They seem to know which parts of these plants have the most food value. At certain seasons they eat just the leaves and stalks and at other seasons only the plant stems. Having big appetites, they munch on 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, they usually hide when people approach, so they are not seen in the wild very often. The Chinese people love them and are concerned because they may become extinct. The forests in that region are being thinned out by people moving into them, and plant diseases are killing many of the trees.

In 1972 the Chinese wanted to send a complimentary gift to the President of the United States. They selected a pair of these animals and shipped them to the Washington, D.C. zoo. To help preserve these lovable animals, arrangements were made to place more of them in zoos in other cities as well, and this has helped to multiply their numbers.

Although most people did not know about the great panda for many years, 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 in far-off remote mountains, just think how much more He must care for you. This care is shown by His great love to all people 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 sinners, sorry for their sins, and accept Him as their Saviour become His very own forever. If you have not done this as yet, He invites you to come to Him today.

SEPTEMBER 21, 1997

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“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13

How Many Moons Are There?: Part 1

“The heavens [skies] are Thine, the earth also is Thine. . . . Thou hast founded them. The north and the south Thou hast created them.”
Psalm 89:11-12

One nice thing about the darkness of night is that the stars can be seen then. Sunshine flooding the land is wonderful to see and enjoy, yet a person cannot gaze at the sun on a clear day without hurting his eyes. But the beauty of a full moon and the beauty of the stars can be looked at with no harm to the eyes whatsoever. Most everyone enjoys looking at the wonders of a bright, full moon rising in the east, often with a radiant glow, crossing the sky and eventually disappearing in the west.

What an awesome yet beautiful sight rewards the stargazer, and if using a telescope or binoculars, each point of light becomes increasingly more interesting. The Psalmist, perhaps lying on his back in a grassy field at night, expressed his wonder of it all, saying, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). This should be the conclusion of anyone who gives serious thought to the beauty of these amazing lights shining through the endless heavens.

The moon at night appears to be the largest object in this display because it is so close to us, but it is actually a very small part of the heavens. However, it is well worth our study, particularly when we learn that God has placed it in exactly the right spot over the earth to be of the greatest benefit to all life on this planet. Not only does it give welcome light at night, it is also the principal means of producing and controlling ocean tides. Its force (along with wind) keeps the waters in constant motion, supplying oxygen to the oceans’ creatures as well as preventing the oceans from becoming stagnant, harmful and foul smelling. How carefully the Creator designed this wonderful arrangement and has kept this balance all the years since He brought it into being! “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” (Job 11:7).

Astronauts have now been able to visit the moon, walk on it, photograph mountains higher than Mt. Everest, and closely examine craters of long-extinct volcanoes. They found just what was anticipated - a large globe about one-fourth the earth’s size, located 239,000 miles above us, with no life, no air, no water, no grass, no trees, no rivers and no lakes or oceans. As expected, it proved to be a “dead body” in space, but placed by the Lord God in just the exact spot to most benefit the earth.

Thankfully, we do not need a telescope to find the Saviour! He has said, “I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:17). Another Bible verse says, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Make sure you have done this while He is still near.

Are there other moons? Yes, many, many more. We will look at them in the next issue.

SEPTEMBER 28, 1997

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“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

How Many Moons Are There?: Part 2

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1

Reference to “the planetary system” means the nine heavenly bodies (including our earth) that are grouped around the sun and held in their individual orbits by its great gravitational pull. The sun maintains this control because it is 700 times more massive than all the planets and their moons put together. But it is, of course, the Creator who has arranged this grouping and has kept its force operating since they were first created -“upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3).

In outer space there are many, many unidentified moons, but it is only those of our planetary system that are familiar to astronomers. In the language of these experts, planets are satellites of the sun, and moons are satellites of the planets.

There are 46 named moons, including the moon that is so familiar to us. Every planet does not have a moon, but some have two or more circling around them. Mars and Neptune each have 2, Uranus has 5, Jupiter has 15 and Saturn has a total of 21. Earth’s moon is just average in size. Some are smaller than Earth’s, and some are almost twice as large. Many, like ours, are covered with mountains, plains and valleys. Some look like huge snowballs with icy coverings, while others have volcanoes erupting on them. They are all interesting examples of the wonders of God’s creation.

Each moon follows its own orbit, century after century, keeping its exact position over its planet, never crashing into the planet or other moons. But the most extraordinary thing is that some moons circle their planets clockwise and others circle their planets counterclockwise! Only one of the nine planets, Venus (which, incidentally, does not have a moon), orbits around the sun in a clockwise direction. The other eight all travel counterclockwise. It would almost seem that Venus would interfere with the others, but the Creator does not allow that to happen.

Most moons travel the same direction as the eight planets, but not all. Neroid - one of Neptune’s moons -travels counterclockwise, but its companion, Triton, travels the opposite way. The five moons of Uranus all circle it in “reverse” direction. But strangest of all are the moons of Jupiter - eleven move around it in counterclockwise motion, but the other four travel the opposite direction! Did the Creator make a mistake? No. If it had been a mistake they would have crashed into each other long ago. We do not know why He made this interesting arrangement, but we do know He took pleasure in doing so and that He has each of them under His control. “His work is perfect” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

These marvelous wonders of the heavens should certainly cause the serious thinker to conclude that there is a Master Designer. Are you letting Him be the Guide and Protector of your present life? Have you made Him your Saviour to take care of you eternally? He is worthy of your trust.

OCTOBER 5, 1997

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“When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Romans 5:6

The Colobus Monkey

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things: . . . He is strong in power.”
Isaiah 40:26

The most common Colobus monkey has a black body with a fringe of long, silky, white hair, a flowing mane and a long, hairy tail. Several species of this pretty animal live in the rain forests of Africa and are usually named for their color. For instance, there is the black, the green, and still another is the red with its attractive orange and brownish-black colors. All are acrobatic and great tree climbers and spend most of their lives in trees.

All of the Colobus species take good care of their young. An observer watched a mother and father standing close together, teaching a baby to leap between their shoulders. Each day the distance was increased until the little one was able to make long jumps, which it would soon have to do when following the parents through the trees.

Another time a mother was sitting on a branch looking down at her youngster who was on the ground unable to reach her. The mother let down her long tail, and the young one jumped up and grasped it and quickly climbed up.

These interesting monkeys are also called leaf monkeys. This is because they live almost entirely on leaves. When God created them He gave them a specialized stomach and digestive system, with molar teeth designed to chew and grind leaves. These body parts are different from all other monkeys. The stomach system is composed of three parts. The front section receives the chewed leaves from the mouth. Juices are added, and then more fluid material is passed on to other sections of the stomach. In each section the leaves are broken down more until finally they pass into the digestive system as nourishment for the body. When the monkey has finished eating, it climbs to a treetop and sits for hours while it digests its food. Isn’t it wonderful how God made the Colobus different from other monkeys, though they all look and act similar. This is another display of His delight in showing His creative power and wisdom in many different ways.

While monkeys are more clever than most animals, much of their activity is through God-given instincts, which they could not survive without. And as we have noted, their bodies were designed by the Creator to take care of their specific needs. They could not have gradually developed this way over periods of time, because they could not survive if all their parts were not perfectly formed at the beginning.

These pretty animals do not know about the God who watches over them. But His Word, the Bible, tells us He is not only the Creator, but also the One who loves us and has provided salvation for anyone who will come to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of sins. Job said, “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: which doeth great things and unsearchable” (Job 5:89). We are urged to accept Him as Saviour and are promised, “Those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:17). Do not wait any longer to turn to Him.

OCTOBER 12, 1997

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“He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psalm 40:2

The Lowly Sponge

“And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him [Jesus] to drink.”
Mark 15:36

I’m sure when most of us think of sponges we think of the artificial, rectangular sponges which come in all sizes and colors. But the best sponges are still those from the ocean, and they still have many uses because the artificial sponges are often too hard and scratchy.

Surprisingly, sponges are not plants but animals, although in the simplest form. Their bodies are made up of millions of cells honeycombed with tubes. Unlike most other animals they have no blood vessels, nerves, brain, stomach or other organs.

Small hairs on the surface draw large amounts of water through millions of pores into a hollow center where tiny plants and sea life are strained out to provide nourishment. This goes on 24 hours a day.

There are over 4000 kinds of sponges, from pinhead size to some six feet tall. The more common ones have a dull black color, but some are quite pretty. Among the many kinds, finger sponges look like long pink fingers. Others also have names to fit their appearance, such as breadcrumb, horny and elephant’s ear. Some look like large vases and are prized by collectors, especially those that are yellow, pink, red, purple or green. Still others, called glass sponges, are just as pretty. They look like feather dusters, umbrellas, unusual carvings or long embroidered tubes.

Having no physical way to defend themselves, sponges would soon be destroyed by fish and animals except that the Creator has not left them without any type of defense. To discourage hungry prowlers, they give off a bad odor that keeps most of these enemies away.

Sponges are usually harvested by divers, sometimes in very deep water. All of the outside portion is stripped away, leaving only the clean inside parts to be sent to markets.

The next time you use a natural sponge, think how it is one of the innumerable things made by the Creator for man’s benefit. Also think about the fact that He watches over and delights in every one of them.

The scene at Calvary’s cross, told in our opening Bible verse, reminds us of the cruelty of those who crucified the Lord Jesus Christ and of His love in enduring the awful suffering. The offer of a sponge soaked in vinegar was perhaps meant as a little act of kindness. But the Lord did not accept it, choosing rather to pay in full, without any relief, the load He bore in accepting God’s punishment for sin.

What does His wonderful love mean to you? Have you personally thanked Him for dying on the cross for you? He longs to hear every boy and girl and every grown-up not only thank Him, but accept Him as his or her very own Saviour. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

OCTOBER 19, 1997

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“I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12

What Your Nose Knows

“In whose [God’s] hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:10

Many people think of the nose merely as a means of breathing and smelling, or as a problem when they have colds or allergies. But it is much more than that. As one of the world’s best air-conditioners, it is an extremely important provision of God when He created man.

What is it that my nose knows? Among other things it knows how to filter air, how to add moisture to dry air, how to make cold air warm, how to bring back memories, how to tell the difference between good and bad food, and how to make your voice sound good or bad. It knows many more things too.

First, your nose filters all the air you breathe. It does this in two ways -by hairs in the nostrils catching impurities and by sticky mucus secreted from tiny sinus tubes above it. The mucus, controlled by tiny “brooms” that sweep it into position, traps impurities and prevents them from entering your lungs.

Why should moisture be added to dry air? Because your lungs and throat require controlled amounts of moisture. This is also supplied by the nose with just the right amount added to each breath.

Cold air is also harmful to your tissues, and the Creator has placed automatic “warming ovens” at the top of each nostril. These are flat pieces of bone about the size of a postage stamp which warm the cold air before it is passed on.

What does your nose have to do with memories? The pleasant odors it detects often make us think of an event that took place long ago, just as an unpleasant smell will bring a not-so-welcome memory.

How does it know good food and bad food? By sensitive little bulbs that pick up the slightest odor. When something smells spoiled or sour, your nose sends a message to the brain which immediately tells you not to eat it. This is another safeguard the Creator has provided.

Finally, your nose has much to do with your voice, for as you speak, much of the tone passes through the nasal passage. We become aware of this when the nose is stopped up with a cold or allergies and our voice and singing sound strange to others as well as to ourselves.

The nose was given an important part when the Lord God formed man and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). This was not done to any other creature, and it is another example of God’s special interest in us. He gave us a life not only for this world but for eternity, and He has assured us that our eternity will be in heaven if we accept His Son, the Lord Jesus, as our Saviour. But the Bible faithfully tells us to do this right now, saying, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, do it right now! Tomorrow may be too late.

OCTOBER 26, 1997

ML-10/26/1997

“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 World's Strangest Animal

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

The 18-inch, duck-billed platypus, which is found in Australia and Tasmania, looks like a mix of several animals and birds. Although it has a bill like a duck, fur like a beaver, short legs like a lizard, claws like a muskrat, cheek pouches like a monkey and lays eggs like a turtle, it is a true mammal. No wonder people who think it evolved can’t figure out what it evolved from.

However, the Bible record assures us this is another of God’s creatures, adapted by Him to its way of life. Its duck-like bill makes it possible to get food from the muddy bottom of a stream or pond. Its beaver-like fur is waterproof and keeps it warm in and out of water. The short legs help it to easily move along its long tunnel to its nest. It is able to store food in its cheek pouches while continuing its hunting. Its webbed feet make it an excellent swimmer. In addition to all these features, the male’s hind legs are equipped with poisonous spurs for protection from enemies. When the webs of its front feet are pulled back, claws are exposed.

It is hard to get a look at this little fellow because it stays in its tunnel during the day and hunts mostly at night. Even though no ears can be seen (just ear slits), its hearing is unusually good, as are its sense of smell and touch.

Before the female lays her eggs, she increases the length of the tunnel to about 20 feet with a hidden opening on land. She brings in leaves and grass to make an underground nest where she lays from one to three eggs. She curls her body around the eggs for a week to ten days, until the one-inch-long, hairless babies hatch. Using her tail to hold them close to her body, she nurses the babies. She keeps them hidden in the nest until they are several months old and nearly full-grown.

We may wonder why God made such a distinctly strange animal. We can be sure He had a definite purpose in this and that He gives the platypus the same care and attention that is given to all His creation. And we may say about ourselves that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” also, because the human body is a marvelous structure, equally amazing in its many parts.

Have you stopped to think that God made man with a special purpose in mind? He said of those called by His name, “I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7). This assurance is given to anyone who has put their faith in the Saviour’s work at Calvary: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9). Can you apply this promise to yourself?

NOVEMBER 2, 1997

ML-11/02/1997

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us.”
1 John 3:16

The Shrieking Shrike

“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?”
Isaiah 40:28

Among the birds the Creator has placed throughout the world, there are more than 50 varieties of one called the shrike. Usually they are about the size of a blue jay, and all of them eat nothing but flesh, including insects, snakes, small birds, mice and other rodents.

While most of them have feathers of black or brown with some white beneath, there are three unusual ones - the woodchat, with a brilliant red top on its head; the gray-headed, which has gray on the front of its head, changing to green on its back and tail with a soft-yellow underside; and the plumed helmet, with a white, feathery plume rising proudly above the back of its head.

Most common in North America is the great shrike, with a 10- to 14-inch body and a wingspread of more than a foot. Its strong, notched bill is equipped with a sharp, hooked point just like other birds of prey. As with other shrikes, it nests in trees or shrubs where a cup-shaped nest is lined with feathers, fibers, hair and sometimes decorated with old snake skins.

These birds use high, exposed perches as vantage points. They have sweet, warbling songs, sometimes mimicking other birds. But a harsh, shrieking call is made when a victim is spotted, and then, swooping down swiftly, its catch is made in midair or on the ground and is promptly killed.

Since its claws are not strong enough to carry its prey any distance, it usually hangs it on a nearby support. This may be a large thorn, the sharp point of a broken branch, or the barbs of a wire fence. There it tears its prey to pieces and eats what it can, taking some to its little ones in the nest and leaving the remainder for another meal. This is how it got the nickname “butcher-bird” and also why it is an unpopular bird to many. However, farmers are always glad to have them nearby, knowing they are a help in destroying harmful insects, mice and other pests.

Perhaps the Creator provided the shrike to benefit people in this way, for God’s first thoughts concerning the creatures of earth are toward man. The Bible says, “So God created man in His own image. . . . And God blessed them, and God said unto them . . . have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:2728).

The Bible also tells boys and girls to “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). How important it is to remember Him not only as the Creator, but to know Him as your own Lord and Saviour. Is this true of you?

NOVEMBER 9, 1997

ML-11/09/1997

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

The Colorful Parrot Fish

“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters. The sea is His, and He made it.”
Psalm 77:19; 95:5

The interesting parrot fish received its name because of its bright green and red colors and its parrot-like jaw. Great schools of a million or more live in southern oceans.

The mouth of this fish is like a parrot’s beak. It has about 50 bluish-white teeth which are so strong it can pull apart and chew hard, brittle coral to get at the tasty algae found in it. A mature parrot fish chews enough coral each year to make 30 pounds of sand. Over the centuries this has resulted in many pretty sandy beaches along the shores of Australia and other countries. But, sad to say, much beautiful, valuable coral is destroyed by these fish since they do not distinguish between rare, priceless coral and ordinary varieties.

In June the parrot fish have a strong urge to leave the quiet, shallow, protected reef where they live and swim into areas where the water is 80 feet deep or deeper. They join millions more of their kind there that have obeyed the same God-given instinct. They all become excited, and soon they are swimming violently around until, as if by a signal, all dash to the surface and then immediately turn and swim down toward the bottom. As they descend, the females release millions of eggs which the males cover with a substance called milt.

This same event is repeated many times by different groups at these spawning places. Soon it is over and the group breaks up, all going back to the quiet waters of their homes and leaving innumerable masses of eggs to hatch out later in the open sea.

One variety of this fish blows a cocoon of mucus around itself at night, carefully leaving small holes for breathing. This gives it an appearance of having been carefully wrapped in a silk blanket, which it discards in the morning. This process is repeated each night. Although it is uncertain why this variety does this, it may be a provision made by the Creator for protection from night-prowling enemies.

Does the Lord God, their Creator, care about parrot fish? We may be sure that He does, for the Bible tells us, speaking of all the fish in the seas, “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their [food] in due season. That Thou givest them they gather: Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good” (Psalm 104:27-28).

More important to us, we also know from the Bible that in greater measure His love has been shown to all the people of the world. The psalmist joyfully said, “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand” (Psalm 139:17-18). We should gratefully thank Him every day for His wonderful love and care over us.

NOVEMBER 16, 1997

ML-11/16/1997

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

Ever-Present Beetles: Part 1

“Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth . . . the locust . . . the beetle . . . and the grasshopper. . . . But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.”
Leviticus 11:21-23

It is interesting to find the lowly beetle mentioned in the Bible and included in the “clean” food approved by the Lord for the Israelites. Most creeping things were not to be eaten, but the locust, beetle and grasshopper were exceptions. Do you know why? If the Bible verse is read carefully we will see that the “clean” insects had legs above their feet. This raised them above the ground. The bodies of creatures without legs above their feet are always in contact with the earth.

This distinction is a lesson for us. If we allow Satan to occupy us with this world so that we do not want to be separated from it or to rise above it in our thoughts, this is not pleasing to God. But if our thoughts and affections rise above the world (heavenward) and separate us from it, then God is well pleased. Think about it.

There are over 200,000 kinds of beetles, and it is interesting to notice how the Creator adapted each kind to its surroundings. All “clean” beetles have four wings. The top pair are a stiff outer case not used for flying but for covering the inner pair when folded and at rest. The many varieties include all sizes - tiny ones small enough to crawl through the eye of a needle up to the Goliath beetle of Africa which is the size of a man’s fist. One of the tiny ones is only one-tenth of an inch long and is blind and has no wings; this one would be “unclean.” It lives in a nest of yellow ants where it receives good care because of a sweet liquid the ants take from it. When it is hungry it nudges an ant. Their two mouths come together as if kissing, and food from the ant is transferred to the beetle.

Then there is the yellow tiger beetle which, though a pretty brilliant green with coppery legs flashing in the sunshine, is a ferocious little creature. It lives on sandy shores or on flat, open places and catches insects by attracting them with a fragrant perfume. Then it kills them with its sickle-shaped jaws.

The unusual water beetle lives below the surface of ponds. It carries air down in a bag-like part of its body and comes back up when it needs more. The Creator provided this one with exceptional eyes so that when on the surface of the water it can see both what is in the air above and what is going on down below. The diving beetle also spends much time in water and is equipped with fine hairs on its underside that hold an air bubble for breathing when it dives down.

We will look at more interesting beetles in the next issue.

NOVEMBER 23, 1997

ML-11/23/1997

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

Ever-Present Beetles: Part 2

“Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
Jeremiah 23:24

Thousands of the world’s beetles keep hidden from their enemies, often living in almost total darkness. But they are never hidden from the Lord God their Creator who knows about each one of them. The death watch beetle no doubt considers itself well hidden as it bores into wood or books. Its stomach has two tiny pockets containing yeast cells that help digest this kind of food.

The larva of the oil beetle, hatching from an egg laid near a flowering plant, is quite a hitchhiker. Immediately after birth it climbs to the flower and waits for a bee to arrive. Leaping onto the bee’s back and clinging to its hairs, it is carried to the hive where it drops off and finds there a good supply of sweet food as it grows. How do you suppose it learned to do this? Each one could never discover this same arrangement by itself. No, it is part of the wise instinct the Creator gave it.

The tiny braconid beetle is an enemy of the tomato hornworm and goes after them this way: The female beetle lays eggs under the skin of the worms, and the eggs hatch into maggots which eat the flesh of the worms. Tomato growers appreciate this good service.

Beetles are found in strange places, but none stranger than the head stander beetles. They live in certain sand dunes along the African seacoast where temperatures reach 150 through the day. Like all living things these beetles require moisture to endure the hot sand, but there is seldom any rain in these deserts. However, the Creator supplied them with an unusual ability to get water. Just before dawn as the sea fog moves in from the ocean, the head standers climb to the top of a sand dune. They lift themselves up on their short front legs and long, spindly hind legs, pointing their heads down and turning their bodies toward the foggy breeze. They wait patiently, and soon small water droplets from the fog wet their hard backs, and drops roll down their legs into their mouths for a cool, drink of pure water!

None of these beetles could achieve their surprising ways of life by gradually developing them over centuries of time. The species could not have survived until fully equipped for their amazing ways of sustaining life. How nice to know that the Lord God, the Creator of all, had even the needs of lowly beetles in His purposes when placing them on the earth.

We know every human is more wonderfully made than any other creature. In addition, we have an everlasting soul, a mind and a heart that can learn of and accept God’s wonderful love. That love has provided an eternal home in heaven for each one who admits to God that he or she is a sinner and accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. Have you done this?

NOVEMBER 30, 1997

ML-11/30/1997

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”
John 10:11

The Scary Squid: Part 1

“The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship . . . our maker.”
Psalm 95:56

Millions of squid live in the world’s oceans, many of them off the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland on south to the United States’ waters, and also along the Pacific coastal areas from the Aleutian Islands to South America. They are more abundant in the colder waters, but there are also unknown numbers elsewhere.

The longest on record was 57 feet from tip to tip, but larger squid undoubtedly live in deep places of the ocean where they are rarely seen. These are very vicious squid, able to kill small whales, porpoises and octopi, and they would not hesitate to kill and devour a person. But the Creator keeps them at depths where men do not venture except in submarines.

There are nearly 400 species of squid, ranging from huge giants down to only six inches long. The smaller common squid represents the greatest number and is harmless. It lives on tiny forms of marine life.

Regardless of size, all squid have slender, soft, boneless bodies that are dark gray with red spots. They have two fins at the tail end and eight, long, snaky arms attached at the head end, equipped with rows of round sucking discs. A 50-pound squid can spread these arms out about ten feet beyond its body. They also have two long, whip-like tentacles that reach even farther. The purpose of these arms and tentacles is to catch and hold fish and pull them into their mouths where they are rapidly eaten.

Long before airplanes had jet engines, squid used jet propulsion for swimming, provided by the Creator. It works by a loose mantle which fits over the squid’s body below its ugly-looking eyes. This fills with water which squirts out through a muscular tube, making it move backward. However, the tube is flexible and can be pointed up, down, ahead or sideways, to move the creature any direction.

Except for those seen at sea aquariums, it is unlikely any of us will come face to face with any of these creatures. However, they are really a wonderful example of God’s handiwork. As the Bible states, “God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind” (Genesis 1:21).

But He is not only the God of creation; He is also the God of love. Another Bible verse tells us, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Have you experienced that love by accepting His Son, the Lord Jesus, as your Saviour?

DECEMBER 7, 1997

ML-12/07/1997

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18

The Scary Squid: Part 2

“They that go down to the sea in ships . . . in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.”
Psalm 107:23-24

While the squid is an enemy of fish and other marine life that are smaller, it also has many enemies of its own that consider squid a very nice answer to their hunger. Fish larger than themselves - killer whales, porpoises, octopi and other kinds of large sea life - gobble up the small- and medium-sized squid when they get the chance.

But a squid has several means of defense. In addition to being able to swim away faster than nearly anything else in water, the Creator has given it other means of self-protection. For one thing, its strong arms can often wind around an attacker and kill it, even if it is larger than itself. It also has two other very interesting defensive weapons that it uses. One is the ability to change color almost as fast as you blink your eyes. This helps it to hide from an enemy by blending in with its surroundings. Another is to shoot out a cloud of thick black ink, sometimes even making it in a shape that looks just like itself. Then it backs quickly away while the badly fooled enemy attacks the inky mass and, to its surprise, finds nothing there. Aren’t these wonderful survival features the Creator has given squid?

The shallow ocean shores of some California islands are one place where great quantities of squid are caught. Every winter millions of them, six to eight inches long, come there to lay tremendous quantities of eggs, and fisherman (as well as sharks and other big fish) are always waiting for them - somehow knowing just when this will take place. They scoop up tons of them but scarcely make a dent in their numbers. The same thing takes place in the Mediterranean Sea where they are caught in a similar manner. Millions of tons go to the world’s fish markets from these and other places every year.

Ocean workers, mentioned in the opening Bible verse, as well as cruising tourists, tell of interesting encounters with squid. One common thrill is to see smaller ones jump from the water, by means of their jet propulsion, as high as 20 feet and 50 feet in distance. Sometimes they accidently land on board bigger boats and at other times jump over smaller ones.

Truly the works of the Lord are marvelous, and though we may not understand why He created some of these strange creatures, we know they serve His plan in ways known to Him. He also has a plan for every boy and girl, and every man and woman. Have you thanked Him for His love for you and asked Him to show you what His plan is for you and how you can honor Him in your life?

DECEMBER 14, 1997

ML-12/14/1997

“I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”

John 10:28

The Pretty Almond Tree

Jacob said: “Carry . . . the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds.”
Genesis 43:11

When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt, hoping to receive some favors there, it is interesting to note that the gifts he sent included almonds. In those days they might not have known of the vitamins and other nutrients which almonds contain, but this was a wise choice, as we now know, since these tasty nuts contain minerals as well as vitamins and other nutrients. They were a valuable gift.

An orchard of almond trees is a beautiful sight in early spring when they are covered with fragrant, pinkish-white blossoms that open long before the shiny, pointed leaves come out. These blossoms soon develop into fruit that, in its first stage, looks something like a small, unripe peach. This fruit has a silvery-green rind (soft at first, but turning leathery and hard) which surrounds the nut that is forming inside. This hard outer covering, or hull, finally splits open when fully ripe, curling downward to let the nut drop out. The smooth, thin inside shell, with which most of us are familiar, is easily broken open to get at the edible almond. This nut is actually the seed of the almond tree.

Almonds are enjoyed all over the world, whether they are eaten plain, toasted and salted, or used in desserts, candy and food products. They also provide an oil for cooking purposes and another product which can be found in small bottles in grocery stores called “almond extract.” This is used for flavoring certain foods.

In addition to the sweet-almond trees of California and southern Europe, many bitter-almond trees are grown in the Mediterranean and tropical countries, mainly as shade trees. As the name suggests, these almonds are far too bitter to be eaten; however, the oil extracted from these nuts is used in making certain perfumes and cosmetics, as well as in cough syrups, soaps and a variety of other products.

These popular nuts remind us of the third day of creation when the Lord God created the first trees -told of in Genesis 1:11. In verse 29 of that same chapter, God told Adam, “Behold, I have given you . . . every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].” It was there that almond and all other trees got their start, and in God’s goodness they have continued to reproduce to our present time, providing nutritious food for countless numbers of people.

In Romans 8:32, we read: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Have you thanked Him for His goodness in creation and for the best gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Saviour of those who put their trust in Him?

DECEMBER 21, 1997

ML-12/21/1997

“There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.”
Luke 12:2

Cheerful Ovenbirds

“The glory of the Lord shall endure forever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works.”
Psalm 104:31

Ovenbirds were not named because they are baked in ovens, but because their nests look like an old-fashioned baker’s oven. There are many varieties of ovenbirds throughout North and South America. In North America they are found only east of the Rocky Mountains. They are all noted for their lovely songs, especially when a bright moonlit night brings them out to sing in groups.

Their unusual oven-like nests are admired by bird watchers. However, it takes much searching to find one since they are well hidden. The nests look like ovens or igloos and are constructed with twig-supported mud or clay with a small opening at the bottom. Usually they are built right on the ground, up against a fallen tree and near a pile of brush or leaves. They are so well hidden that a person may walk right past one and never see it.

When a male ovenbird wants to attract a mate, he puts on quite a display. With wings and tail spread out, he hops around with his head bobbing up and down excitedly. If a female is impressed by this she will agree to be his mate, and soon they are busy building a nest. This is done very carefully. As it progresses, if they are not pleased with any part they will remove that section and do it over, or perhaps when finished they will add something to improve it.

After the eggs are hatched, the mother carefully protects her chicks. When she leaves them for any reason, she stays close to the ground to avoid letting the nest be discovered, running like a mouse for a good distance before taking to the air. When she returns she does the same.

South American ovenbirds are found all over that large continent, some in deserts, some on ocean shores and others in mountains as high as 16,000 feet above sea level. These usually make their nests somewhat differently from their northern relatives, although following an oven-like pattern. One variety seems to prefer being near people and even makes its nests in plain sight. They are often built snugly on top of a fence post or stump.

Who taught these unusual birds to build such elaborate nests and how to raise and protect their young? Who gave them such sweet songs? Of course it was the Lord God, their Creator, of whom the Bible says, “O Lord, how manifold [what variety] are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all” (Psalm 104:24). None of the birds or animals are aware that they are always watched over by their Creator, but we who experience His daily love and care to us should always thank Him. The psalmist declared: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8). Have you ever thanked Him for His love and care?

DECEMBER 28, 1997

ML-12/28/1997

“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.”
Luke 15:7

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-10/19/1997

For Little Folks

ML-06/08/1997

For Little Folks

ML-06/01/1997

Gideon Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of Gideon. First read Judges 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 PITCHERS

BAAL SAVE

BARLEY SMITE

BLOW SWORD

DELIVERED THRESHED

GIDEON TRUMPET

LAMPS VALOR

LAPPETH WHEAT

MIDIAN WINEPRESS

MIGHT WORSHIPPED

PEACE

ML-06/15/1997

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-03/02/1997

H Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “H.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

HAGAR HEBREWS

HAGGAI HEBRON

HAM HERMON

HAMAN HEROD

HANNAH HOPHNI

HAZAEL HOSEA

ML-04/20/1997

C Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “C.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

CAESAR CALEB CANA CARMEL CLAUDIA CORNELIUS

CAIN CALVARY CANAAN CEPHAS CORINTH

ML-07/06/1997

K Names Word Search

KADESH KIRJATH KORAH

KENITES KISH KORE

KIDRON KOHATH

ML-08/03/1997

The Prodigal Son Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of the prodigal son. First read Luke 15 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.

ALIVE FAMINE LOST SERVANTS WASTED

BEST ROBE FAR COUNTRY MERRY SHOES WORTHY

BREAD FATTED CALF PERISH SINNED YOUNGER

COMPASSION HUNGER PORTION SON

DEAD JOURNEY RAN SPENT

ELDER KISSED RING SWINE

ML-05/18/1997

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-03/30/1997

E Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “E.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

EDEN ELISABETH ESAU

EGYPT ELISHA ESTHER

ELI EMMANUEL EUNICE

ELIJAH ENOCH EVE

ML-02/16/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books
in the Old Testament?

H U S O J A

__ __ __ __ __ __

G A G A H I

__ __ __ __ __ __

M A N H U

__ __ __ __ __

ML-12/21/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

B O P R S E R V

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

A H I G G A

__ __ __ __ __ __

U R T H

__ __ __ __

P A I N A H Z E H

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-11/09/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble
these names of books
in the New Testament?

R T E E P

__ __ __ __ __

U E D J

__ __ __ __

S A T C

__ __ __ __

ML-10/26/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

C C E E E S S S L I T A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

M O O N S O O N F O G S L

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

R E M J E I A H

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-07/27/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the New Testament?

M O T H Y I T

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

S N A I S E H P E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

L E V E R I A N O T

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-07/13/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

Z E E K E L I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

H E M E H A N I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

O H J A N

__ __ __ __ __

B O I D A H A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-06/29/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

K A K A B H K U

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

R O R B E P S V

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

D U G S E J

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-04/27/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the New Testament?

S H I N E S P E A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

U J D E

__ __ __ __

T H A W M E T

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

M R S N O A

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-04/13/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

K E Z E L E I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

S I N G K

__ __ __ __ __

L O E J

__ __ __ __

ML-03/16/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble
these names of books
in the New Testament?

T S H N S A S I A L N O E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

K E U L

__ __ __ __

S I T T U

__ __ __ __ __

ML-02/02/1997

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble
these names of books
in the Old Testament?

O J B

__ __ __

R A Z E

__ __ __ __

T H E R E S

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-02/09/1997