Messages of God's Love: 1999

One of the hardest things to carry on a long hike is enough water. If there are no places to refill your water bottles along the way, you do not last long. What then could anyone do for a million people who left home in a rush in the middle of the night, without even time to bake their bread?

It was not just a long hike for the children of Israel; it was a journey 40 years long. It included mothers and dads, grandparents, children and babies, and cattle, goats and sheep. Supplying water for that size crowd is a problem too big for any department to handle. There were no rivers, no lakes, no springs or fountains. That would make any engineer in the world say, “Impossible!”

It might be good to begin by considering what took the children of Israel into the desert. They got there by crossing the Red Sea, not in boats, but on dry land, because God had told Moses to go ahead and lead them through. They were hotly pursued by their enemy, but God looked after that by putting a cloud behind them so the Egyptians could not see them.

And how did you get here? Because God made you. He made you by His power, when man could only say, “Impossible!” Clever men can make dolls, but not people. And God made you grow too, and He knows what you need. Will you not trust Him for everything you need? The children of Israel had to learn to trust Him for their needs.

“Water,” cried all those people. “We need water!” This was true enough, and their need was very real, but why should they be angry at Moses? “Did you bring us here to kill us with thirst?” they demanded. But since God’s power had divided the sea and brought them through on dry land, surely they could trust Him for water! Yes, and since God has by His wisdom and power created each one of us and brought us through until today, surely He has a plan for us in the biggest problem of all - our sins and eternity. Yes, He has the answer, if we will trust His way.

The people were ready to pick up stones to throw at Moses for bringing them there. They did not stop to think that if God had not already saved them, they would have been dragged back into slavery. Could they not look back at those wonderful miracles and know that He wouldn’t let them down now?

But if God had the answer to their need of water, why did He let them feel so dry and thirsty? That is a very old question. If you are saying, “I know God can get me out of my problem, but why doesn’t He do it?” you are asking a question that is thousands of years old. You see, God wants to show us how very much He loves us, and if He solved all our problems before we felt them, we might live and die like animals without thinking of Him at all. God’s answers to our problems often come in unexpected ways. And His answer to the children of Israel was far more wonderful than they ever guessed.

God’s answer for their problem was given to Moses. “I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb.” The answer was coming, not from earthly springs, but from God Himself. Moses was told to use the same rod which had been used to open up the Red Sea. The command was, “[Strike] the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did just that.

The story does not need to say what happened next, for I’m sure you know. Water! Not a cupful or a jugful but plenty for everyone, because God’s supply is always enough, without rationing or crowding. In fact, if you have read His promise in John 4:14, you know that Jesus said, “[Whoever drinks] of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” Never! Not that we don’t want any more, but that the supply is always there. Everlasting life does not need renewing; it is an ever-springing well.

I think there was great drinking and splashing and wading and washing that day, and even the cattle slurped their fill. And it did not cost God a lot to give them such a waterfall. But when God supplies His never-thirst-again water for us, it cost Him a tremendous amount - He gave up His only Son for our need. The Lord Jesus Himself became poor for our sakes, that we through His poverty might be rich.

When the Lord Jesus was there upon the cross, He said, “I thirst!” Surely God would supply for His Son abundance of water, wouldn’t He? No, there was nothing given to Jesus but some vinegar on a sponge. No man could ever be poorer than He was that day He died for you and me.

He has gone back to heaven now and is offering to share all His abundant riches with you. The Lord Jesus loves you and really wants you to come, just as you are, right now. The last invitation in the Bible is, “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

ML-01/03/1999

God Cares for Baby Sparrows

We were working on a community college expansion project. It was Friday afternoon, and we were erecting steel canopies on the new buildings. As we worked, I noticed a small hole in the cinder block wall about the size of a golf ball. Two sparrows were flying in and out of it.

There must be a nest in that block, I thought. So I got a ladder and climbed up to look in. Sure enough - open, hungry mouths!

We had several canopies to erect and the last one would cover the hole. I tried to think of a way to rescue or move the birds. The only way I could think of was to break out the cinder block, but that would get me in trouble with the masons who built the cinder block wall. But the thought of covering the hole and having those young sparrows starve to death was really bothering me. God tells us in Matthew chapter 10 that nothing can happen to a little sparrow without our Father in heaven knowing about it, and I didn’t want to be responsible for harming those baby birds.

Finally we got down to the last two canopies. I was really getting worried when my foreman came over and said we were going to stop working there and move to another building. What a relief ! God was looking after those sparrows.

Do you know that God is watching over you so carefully that He even has the hairs of your head all numbered? You can’t do that for yourself, because that numbering started with your first hairs when you were a baby. But God can. And He will take care of you in any situation if you will trust Him and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour. So God is telling each of us now, “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:31-32).

For now the little sparrows were safe, and I was relieved. I hoped that before we had to return to that job on Monday they would have grown enough to be able to leave the nest.

First thing Monday morning I got a ladder to check the birds. They were all still there. Right then I made up my mind that even if the masons got really angry with me, I was going to move that nest!

As I started to pound on the cinder block with a hammer, I was startled when one sparrow flew out of the hole, quickly followed by three more. I startled them, they startled me, and all ended happily. The birds were free, the canopy was put up, and the masons didn’t get angry with me. It was another proof to me that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).

I am so glad that God tells us how He watches over even the little sparrows, and I saw it firsthand. But you and I mean even so much more to Him than little sparrows! Do you know how much He loves us? So much that He sent His only Son Jesus to die on Calvary’s cross for us. While Jesus hung there, He bore the punishment for the sins of any who will truly admit from their hearts that they are sinners and accept Him as their very own Saviour. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

I also know His great love firsthand, and you can too.

ML-01/10/1999

Hide and Seek

Almost everybody knows how to play “hide and seek.” I think it is one of the first games that children learn to play. What fun it is to have your daddy hide and then try to find him. Where could he be? In the closet? Behind a curtain? Under a bed? “MAKE A NOISE, DADDY. WE CAN’T FIND YOU!”

It does not take long for children to learn how to find someone. They soon know all the good hiding places. But it is harder to teach children how to hide. They have to learn to be very quiet, to stay completely out of sight and to keep very still. All three of these are hard for children to do.

I can remember when my children were quite small and just learning to play hide and seek. I had told them to go hide while I counted up to 50. They ran off squealing as I counted, “1 . . . 2 . . . 3. . . . . . . . .48 . . . 49 . . . 50! HERE I COME, READY OR NOT ! ”

I looked carefully all over downstairs and then went upstairs into their bedroom. What do you think I found? They were very quiet and they were perfectly still, but they were not out of sight! They both were lying on the floor with their heads under the bed. They couldn’t see anything, and so they thought they were hidden. But the rest of their bodies, from their shoulders down, was in plain view!

Are you trying to hide from God? Some people are. What they are really trying to hide from Him are their sins. How foolish! The Bible says that “[God’s] eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings” (Job 34:21). What does God see? “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Yes, He sees and knows everything about us, so why try to hide? It is impossible! We must bow before Him, admitting that we are sinners, and accept His Son the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. Then we won’t want to hide from Him any longer, but we will want to be as close as we can be to Him “who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

ML-01/10/1999

The Biggest Truck in the World

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

One day while traveling through the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, we saw something that made us pull off the road in a hurry! There, parked below the highway, was a huge green dump truck - the largest we’d ever seen!

It was amazing to get up close to such an immense truck. We grown-ups were only half as tall as the wheels! We decided it would take a ladder to get up to the cab.

A sign stated that this truck was used in the mines nearby, probably to haul loads of ore to be processed. The sign also stated that this was the largest truck in the world. It was fun to have seen this interesting sight.

We were reminded of the popular books of world records that our children like to look at. In these you can read about the world’s largest airport (in Saudi Arabia), the office building with the most floors (the Sears Tower in Chicago) and many other “greatest” things. We also found this huge truck listed in the record book.

We need to turn to another book to read about the greatest LOVE in the world. In the Bible we read: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man [Christ Jesus] lay down His life for His friends” (John 15:13). Tremendous love! We also are told that “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Unconditional love!

Who would not want to experience such great love? You won’t find it anywhere else! Come to the Lord Jesus today and you will “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).

Here is a wonderful Bible verse which I saw hanging on the wall in a friend’s home:

For God - the greatest Person,

So loved - the greatest love,

The world - the greatest company,

That He gave - the greatest act,

His only begotten Son - the greatest gift,

That whosoever - the greatest invitation,

Believeth in Him - the greatest simplicity,

Should not perish - the greatest deliverance,

But have everlasting life - the greatest possession.

Not everyone can see the biggest truck in the world, but everyone can experience the greatest love in the world. Have you?

ML-01/17/1999

Heavy Snow

CRASH!

“What was that?” everybody asked at the same time.

“It sounded like a branch of a tree breaking and falling,” said Dad. He went to the front window. “Wow, look at all the snow!” he exclaimed.

The whole family came to the window to see. The night was very still, but large, heavy snowflakes were falling fast. Everything in the garden was already covered with a thick blanket of wet, heavy snow.

“It must be nearly a foot deep already,” said Dad. “I’ve never seen it snow so hard before.”

CRASH!

“Look over at Kennedy’s house!” said Dad. “That crash was a big branch that just came down from their big oak tree. The snow is too heavy for the trees!”

Through the night it continued to snow. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Anyone who was awake would have heard branches breaking and falling from the weight of the snow on them.

The next morning showed the damage that had been done by the snowstorm. Abandoned cars were everywhere. Large branches of trees had fallen. Electric wires were down, and even some telephone poles had fallen.

When we think of all the damage that a snowstorm can do, we must remember that a pretty little snowflake is what caused it. Snowflakes may be small, and one of them will melt quickly on your finger, but their habit of sticking together makes them dangerous. One seems to attract another, and when they meet they stick together. If the snow is wet, it will pile up on everything and become so heavy that things start to break. Sin is very much like this too. Most of us think we are pretty good. At least we can always think of someone who is worse than we are. We don’t really understand how awful sin is in the sight of God. Sometimes we can see what sin has done to a person; one sin leads to the next, then another, until finally something terrible happens. The Bible tells us that actually all it takes is one sin for something terrible to happen - one sin will keep a person out of heaven!

God who cannot have one sin in His presence opened the way for sinners like us to be with Him in heaven. Because He loves you and me so much, He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be punished on the cross for sinners. If you believe that He was punished for you - that He died for your sins - and accept Him as your own Saviour, a place has been reserved in heaven for you because your sins have been washed away in His blood. Why not accept Him right now?

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36).

ML-01/17/1999

Mike and the Coyotes

Mike was an active little dog, in spite of the fact that he looked somewhat overfed. He guarded his territory, fearlessly chasing away any trespassing dog, cat or wild animal. The size of a trespassing animal didn’t bother him at all, for he was a brave little dog.

One day Mike chased a trespassing rabbit out of the yard and followed it into the surrounding brush. He barked fiercely as he trailed it. His master stood by, smiling at Mike’s scrappy spirit.

Suddenly the fierce barking changed to a frightened, shrill yelping. Moments later Mike tore out of the brush, raced across the yard and leaped for safety right up into his master’s arms.

At the edge of the yard appeared two coyotes who were hot on the trail of their next meal . . . so they thought. They backed off when they saw Mike’s master and slunk away to look for something else for dinner.

Mike had left the safety of his master’s side. Chasing that rabbit took him beyond his boundaries and into an enemy’s territory. This mistake nearly cost him his life. But when trouble came, he knew that he would find safety in his master’s arms.

Those who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour have a place of safety for their souls. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). We are safe only when we stay close to our Saviour. Satan is just like those coyotes - he is “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But the Lord Jesus saves all who come to Him. He loves you and wants not only to save your soul, but to protect and keep you safe. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Won’t you accept Him today as your Saviour? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

ML-01/31/1999

A Bag Full of Mud

The Sunday school children were all curious to see what Mr. Williams had in the paper bag he set on the table.

“I need someone to help me,” Mr. Williams announced.

Several of the children raised their hands, and Mr. Williams chose Peter to come up beside him.

“Good morning,” Mr. Williams said as he shook hands with Peter. “First, will you please say the memory verse you learned for today.”

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

“Thank you. Now will you please look in the bag and tell everyone what’s in there.”

“Ugh, it’s a plastic bag full of mud!” said Peter in disgust.

Mr. Williams took out the bag of mud and rubbed his hands in it. Then he offered his hand to Peter. Peter just backed away.

“Why won’t you shake hands with me, Peter? You were willing to a minute ago.”

“Your hand was clean then,” answered Peter.

“Yes,” said Mr. Williams. “This mud makes me unacceptable to Peter, and sin makes each of us just as unacceptable to God. He can only receive us when we’ve been washed clean in the precious blood of His own beloved Son.”

Then Mr. Williams dug around in the bag of mud a little more and brought out a mucky quarter. He offered it to Peter, but Peter didn’t take it.

“Don’t you want this quarter?”

“Not now,” said Peter decidedly.

Mr. Williams explained the point he was trying to make. “Sometimes people who have not had their sins washed away try to do something good for God. But God says, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6). God cannot accept the good works of a person still in their sins.”

Mr. Williams tried to hide his muddy hands behind his back, but some of the children could still see them and were giggling and pointing at them. So Mr. Williams put on a pair of long gloves. “Now you can’t see the mud,” he stated.

“But we know it’s still there,” one of the children volunteered.

“You are right. And Hebrews 4:13 tells us that ‘all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.’ We can’t hide anything from God!”

Mr. Williams asked another boy, Philip, if he would please bring some water and wash his own hands in it. Philip did, but Mr. Williams’ hands were still just as filthy, and he explained, “You may have friends and family whose sins are washed away in the blood of Christ, but that won’t wash your sins away. We must each come to the Lord Jesus and confess our own uncleanness and let Him wash our sins away. Our God is a loving God, ‘ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness’ ” (Nehemiah 9:17).

Finally Mr. Williams washed his own hands. There was no mud left on them. Now Peter willingly shook hands with him again.

Won’t you let the Lord Jesus wash your sins away?

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

So that not one spot remains?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh, precious is the flow,

That makes me white as snow!

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

ML-01/31/1999

A Single Grape

Carlos had been taught since he was a small boy that stealing was wrong. When he and his cousin were walking through the supermarket, his cousin began pulling off grapes, one by one, from the produce counter and eating them. Carlos was surprised and did not join his cousin in stealing.

Still, the grapes looked awfully good, and no one seemed to notice his cousin taking the grapes. Finally, Carlos could resist no longer. Carefully, when he thought no one was looking, he reached out to take a grape -only one - from the bunches of grapes on the counter. Imagine his surprise when, instead of a single grape, he found a whole bunch had pulled off in his hand! The single grape just would not come loose from the bunch.

“Hey!” shouted one of the supermarket employees at Carlos. Frightened, he raced out of the supermarket, looking for a place to hide. But the only place he could find to hide was under a jeep parked at the curb. His heart pounding with guilty fear, Carlos lay under the jeep, wondering what would happen if the owner of the jeep were to come out and start his vehicle.

What a mess Carlos had gotten himself into! And all because of a single grape! Boys and girls, let us remember that little things we do can have big consequences in our lives. Adam’s one disobedience shut him out from fellowship with God and from the Garden of Eden. And it only takes one sin to keep us out of heaven.

I am happy to tell you that when Carlos was 15 years old he came to realize that his sins were going to keep him out of heaven, and he received God’s gift of eternal salvation through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Today, Carlos is one of the happiest Christians I know, but he has never forgotten the lesson of the one stolen grape.

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

ML-02/07/1999

Weird and Wonderful Animals

You don’t have to look very far around you to discover a wonderful variety in animals. God has made some very strange creatures. But they are very wonderful as well.

New Zealand, where I live, has only a very few of the world’s animals. The differences between even these are remarkable.

When we look at the birds, we see different sizes, shapes and colors, and hear different songs. Some like being on the ground, such as the kiwi, and others like flying high, such as the hawk.

Overseas the differences are even greater. There are some with brilliant colors, like the toucan; others with unusual habits, like the flamingo.

We found a Northern Royal albatross dead on Foxton Beach. It was just a young bird with a wingspan of about 2 meters (about 6 1/2 ft.). Fully grown, they may measure up to 3 meters (almost 10 ft.)! It would have been great to keep the albatross for display, but it is against the law to keep them. We are hoping the local school will be able to get permission to display it. That’s a very large bird, but some birds are very small, such as the hummingbird.

Every other sort of animal that we look at shows similar varieties. We can be amazed at the power of an electric eel and the majesty of a lion. We can be surprised at the way a hyena gets its food and how an ant stores food for the winter.

Every one of these creatures has been created by God for a purpose. One purpose is to be a lesson to us. God has provided everything these creatures need. In Genesis 1:30 (the first chapter of the Bible) God says He has supplied food for the animals, birds and everything that creeps on the earth. They don’t even need to plant crops! Thousands of years later Jesus said the same thing when He told us to look at the birds of the air; they don’t plant or reap or store food in barns (Matthew 6:26). Why did He tell us to look at the birds? Because He wanted us to know that God cares for us even more: “Yet your heavenly Father [feeds] them. Are [you] not much [more valuable] than they?”

When God flooded the world in the days of Noah, He took great care to provide for animals to be preserved as well. This was because the world would need the animals afterwards. God has cared for animals ever since He created them. It’s good to know that. If God has looked after the animals, He will also look after people. That’s you and me. In fact, He looks after us even better.

When Jesus came to die for sin, He came to die for human beings, not animals. God has no plan to take animals to heaven, but He does plan to take people. Animals are made for the earth, but people are made to have fellowship with God - forever! That means He wants us to be His friends, in His family, free to share every thought and need with Him.

The Lord Jesus died so you can enjoy God’s presence in heaven forever. Have you ever accepted that as true? Not even angels (God also created them) can be saved by Jesus’ death. It’s a privilege of humans only. You can read in Hebrews 2 about Jesus becoming human to save humans. You can also read this warning: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). God has a special plan of salvation for you - it is centered in Jesus. Believe it!

“These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31).

ML-02/07/1999

An Unwelcome Caller

FEBRUARY 14, 1999

Thirteen-year-old Miriam was brought up on a farm where the vegetables and fruits were stored in the cold basement for the winter months.

Miriam usually attended a prayer meeting with her parents, but one night she had a lot of homework to finish. She persuaded her parents that she should stay home to finish her work.

After a while, she became tired of doing homework and, feeling hungry, she remembered there were delicious apples in their cold basement. She lifted the door latch and carefully climbed down the stairway. Suddenly she caught sight of a huge furry animal eating away at the apples!

Miriam turned and raced upstairs with her heart pounding! She was terrified and couldn’t wait until her parents came home to hear her story.

Psalm 46:1 reminds us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Those who belong to the Lord Jesus can always turn to Him for help when they need it. No doubt Miriam thought of the Lord Jesus, but we are not certain she prayed for help. All we know is that she was terrified and sorry she had not gone with her parents to the prayer meeting. It was the longest evening of her life!

Hearing her story, her father set a trap in the basement. It wasn’t long before a very large, well-fed muskrat was caught!

The muskrat was certainly a very unwelcome caller to have in a home. It reminds us of another unwelcome caller who will sneak into our lives through any little crack or opening he can find. His name is Satan, and he is the enemy of our souls. He is vicious and greedy. He doesn’t care how much he steals from us. He will rob us of our time, our energy and our possessions if he is allowed to enter our lives. He will occupy us with anything that will take us away from the Lord Jesus Christ and from serving Him. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can fill our hearts with goodness and kindness towards others. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Is the Lord Jesus Christ your Saviour? Trust Him today and He will gladly enter your life and bless you richly. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

ML-02/14/1999

A Letter From Grandpa

FEBRUARY 21, 1999

“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

Dear Children,

Let me tell you about the grasshopper that got stuck in the rain barrel behind the barn.

I was weeding the garden and I stopped for a rest, because it was very warm. After a while, I took the empty water bucket over to the rain barrel to get some water to put on the garden. Lo and behold, there was a grasshopper on top of the water trying his very best to hop out of the water he was floating in. He hopped and hopped but wasn’t going anywhere.

As I watched him, I knew what would happen. Soon that hopper would get tired and just drown and go right down to the bottom! So, should I help him or not?

Well , when I was 14 years old, that is 53 years ago, God saved me from going down to hell. He looked down from heaven and saw me lost in sin, and He gave me this beautiful verse from the holy Bible : “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). I believed it and was saved! The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus also gave a verse to a man named Nicodemus. “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). Nicodemus believed that the word “whosoever” meant him, and he believed what Jesus said and was saved too.

We sing a chorus in Sunday school that goes like this :

That means me, that means me,

“Whosoever will believe,” and

that means me.

I am so very glad because the

Saviour said,

“Whosoever will believe,” and

that means me.

Well , I felt sorry for that hopper, so I gently put my hand underneath him. As soon as he felt my hand, he gathered strength in his hind legs, gave a mighty shove with those legs, and out he jumped! Boy, was he glad to be free! One moment ready to drown, the next moment, FREE! Children, are you ready for heaven? Are you free from your sins?

That grasshopper doesn’t know who set him free, but I not only know who set me free, I sing about Him! “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit . . . set my feet upon a rock . . . and He hath put a new song in my mouth” (Psalm 40:23).

Children, I hope that one of you out there will trust the Lord Jesus Christ today!

Love, Grandpa

ML-02/21/1999

A Trail of Blood

Greg Johnstone yawned and stretched. The morning sun shining through his window had wakened him after a good night’s sleep, and now he was ready to get up and go to work.

Suddenly, he noticed something and jumped out of bed. Something was wrong! His clothes were not neatly folded as he had left them. In fact, some of them weren’t even there. He hurried from room to room, checking to see if anything else was gone. Sure enough, his watch, his wallet and several other small, valuable items were gone. Greg knew that he had carefully locked the doors before he went to bed, and he did not see how anyone could have gotten in. Continuing his search, he found that one of the windows at the back of the house had been broken. He also noticed that there was blood on the glass. Looking more closely, he found spots of blood in the different rooms where the thief had been.

Greg called the police who came quickly. He showed them the broken glass and the blood, and told them about the things that had been stolen. Then he showed them the trail of blood on the driveway.

Two of the policemen set off together to follow the trail of blood. They followed the drops up the steps of a house to a side door. The policemen knocked loudly on the door, called several times, and finally pushed the door open and went in. Inside they found a man with a bandaged hand. The policemen questioned the man, but he claimed he knew nothing about any robbery. Noticing a large bag under a bed, the officers pulled it out and opened it. There was Greg’s watch, his wallet and all the other things that had been stolen from his home. The thief had been discovered!

I doubt that you have ever broken a window and stolen from anyone. But you don’t have to be a thief to be a sinner. God tells us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” He also says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). God can see the stains of sin on your heart which no one else can see.

The thief who stole from Greg Johnstone was put in jail for his crime, but God has good news for you and me. Although we are sinners, God offers us forgiveness through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

You cannot hide from God. Admit that you are a sinner and need forgiveness for your sins. Trust His Word, the Bible, which says, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).

ML-02/21/1999

The Most Common Pie

“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

Here is a riddle for you: What is the most common kind of pie? Perhaps some of you quickly answer, “Apple pie!” as you remember the sweet, spicy smell coming up through the little slits in the crust as it comes out of the oven. But remember that this paper is being read by many in the far north or in Africa and India who have never tasted apple pie.

Guess again.

There is one kind of pie that is the most common and the most useful in the whole world. It is spelled pi, and when we write its symbol, it looks like this: . This pi is the relationship between the distance across a circle and the distance around it.

There is one very strange thing about this pi. God lets us use it every day, but only God knows exactly what it is. See that jar lid or penny or bowl or ring? What is the number that gives us the relationship between the distance across it and the distance around it? Perhaps you say, “3.14.” Well, that’s partially correct, but it’s only an approximate answer. Someone else might remember a few more decimal places and say, “3.1415926,” and while this is a little more accurate, it is still only an approximate answer. You could keep adding numbers to the right of the decimal point all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and never find the exact answer. God planned it that way.

Isn’t it wonderful to have a God whose understanding is way beyond ours? This is what we mean when we say, “God’s understanding is infinite.” Infinite means endless. And we can fully trust our God who has infinite love, understanding and wisdom.

In His infinite love, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to be our Saviour. When He was on the cross, He took on Himself the sins of all who trust in Him and endured the punishment for those sins in the hours of darkness until He could say, “It is finished.”

After that, He died. He gave up His own breath in a way that none of us could do. (Just try to stop breathing and see if you can!) There is no question that the Saviour of sinners is the eternal Son of the eternal God!

You and I have only as much understanding as He gives us. A woodpecker who hammers a nest-hole in a tree trunk can probably make a much better circle than you or I can, although the woodpecker never heard of pi. Many of us can make use of this strange but wonderful pi in drawing, planning and building, but none of us can find its true value. The circle is a strange mystery. Like eternity, it has no beginning or ending. Our God is the God who possesses eternity, and whether you like it or not, your eternity is in His hands.

Is He your Saviour now? Then those loving hands are ready to welcome you to eternity in heaven, because Jesus died for you. If He is not your Saviour, He makes it very plain that you are facing eternity in hell. “He that [believes] on the Son [has] everlasting life: and he that [believes] not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God [abides] on him” (John 3:36).

Why not make that decision right now to spend your eternity in heaven? “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).

The glen was a place where a small creek flowed between the hills near where I lived. As a boy I loved to go there, either by myself or with a friend. We would slide down the steep bank, holding on to roots or small trees to keep ourselves from falling into the creek. In the spring after a rain, the creek would be full and running fast, but in the summer, parts of the creek would dry up completely.

There is no end to the fun a creek can provide for children. One of the best things we did was to find a fallen tree across the creek and then try to walk across it without falling in. Another was to cross the creek, stepping from stone to stone without getting wet. Every bend of the creek was different. At some places there were waterfalls. At other places there were quiet pools of water that had minnows in them and fast-moving water bugs that skimmed across the surface of the water. We found salamanders hidden under the rocks that were everywhere along the streambed. We also found animal tracks where deer came to drink and raccoons came to wash their food.

Who designed this beautiful playground? God did! It tells us in the Bible that “He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and His eye seeth every precious thing” (Job 28:10). Even though sin has left its awful marks on God’s wonderful creation, we can still see enough beauty to know that He is a mighty and wonderful God. And when we remember that we ourselves are part of His creation, then we remember that we are accountable to Him. God has not only given us all of creation to enjoy, but He has also given us His Word, the Bible, that we might know Him - as the Creator and also as a loving Father.

Have you read in the Bible about the special gift He has for you? You will find it in Romans 6:23 and also Ephesians 2:8-9.

ML-02/28/1999

Love Your Enemies

The old Christian was doing what he loved to do - giving out gospel tracts on the foreign ships that came into the seaport near where he lived. Sometimes he invited men he met on these ships to his home for dinner.

There was one wealthy Asian gentleman who came frequently to the port. The Christian got to know him quite well and often invited him to his home for meals. But in spite of the Christian’s kindness and prayers, the Asian continued to worship the god of his eastern religion and to mock Christ. That was very sad since Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and even though the Asian was very rich and very religious, he was still a poor, lost sinner in need of the love and grace of God.

Then one day the Asian came with a very different attitude and said, “I want to tell you that I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and He is my Saviour!”

“How can this be?” asked the amazed but happy Christian.

“How can it be that a man loves his enemy?” asked the Asian. “Each time I came to your house I watched you, and each time your life said, ‘I love you,’ even though by my religion I was your enemy. My heart told me it must be your God who made you different, and finally I called upon the Lord Jesus to save me. He did not turn me away. Now I too am a Christian, and I pray for my enemies and love those that hate me.”

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

ML-03/07/1999

Mery vs. Mary

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13

Willie was in fourth grade. Sometimes Mrs. Snyder, his teacher, gave the children assignments to begin working on in class. What they didn’t finish at school had to be taken home and finished that evening. A parent was supposed to sign the finished homework paper, and it was to be turned in to the teacher the next day.

After a week of rain nearly every day, the weather had finally turned nice. Willie and his friends had played outside after school until time to go in for supper. Then after supper Willie had found other things to do, so the homework hadn’t been finished.

One day soon after, the telephone rang and Willie’s mother answered it. She was surprised to hear Willie’s voice on the other end. She knew something was wrong, because Willie was almost crying.

“What’s wrong, Willie?” she quickly asked.

“I . . . I . . . I didn’t finish my homework,” he choked out.

“Is that all, Willie? she asked doubtfully.

There was no mistaking, Willie was crying now. “Th . . . that was last week,” he added tearfully.

“Willie, is that the only reason you’re calling me from school?” she questioned him.

“No. You were supposed to sign that paper,” he explained.

“Willie, tell me about it.”

“Well, there were really two papers . . . and I signed them,” he confessed.

“You signed my name, Willie?”

“Yeah, and I spelled it wrong,” he blurted out tearfully.

Willie was in trouble. The first thing he had done wrong was not finishing his homework. Then to cover that up so his teacher wouldn’t notice, he had done something else wrong - he had signed his mother’s name on his papers. This made it look like his mother had seen the papers and knew about the homework. But, he had spelled his mother’s first name

Mery

instead of

Mary

Mrs. Snyder had seen the misspelled name on both papers and knew what Willie had done. Willie’s cover-up job had fallen apart. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

We all understand Willie’s sinking, guilty feeling when Mrs. Snyder called him up to her desk and asked him about his homework and pointed out his mother’s misspelled name. Every one of us has done something that we knew was wrong. We usually got caught and had to confess what we had done and suffer the consequences.

But sometimes our cover-ups worked and we didn’t get caught. We thought we had gotten away with it. But no, we didn’t. Maybe our parents or teacher never found out, but God saw what we did. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). What we did God calls sin. The Bible tells us that all sin must be punished by God. That punishment is being reserved in an awful place called hell until after we die. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment [punishment]” (Hebrews 9:27).

However, God loves you and me and He wants to forgive our sins. But still, there is punishment necessary for those sins. Because He loves you and me dearly, this is what He did. He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to bear that punishment on the cross -“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). If you are truly sorry about your sins and confess to the Lord Jesus that you are a sinner, He promises He will forgive you. Then you will not have to be punished for your sins, because He took that punishment for them on the cross. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Are you still covering up your sins? Won’t you confess to the Lord Jesus that you are a sinner and accept His forgiveness instead?

ML-03/07/1999

Jiggles

“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

Jiggles is a small white and black dog who works and plays on my farm. She is also our pet.

One summer evening when I was fixing supper, there was a “click, click” on the patio door. Jiggles was tapping it with her toenails. I knew what she was saying: “Open, please!” I was busy, so I didn’t open the door right away. But Jiggles really wanted in, so she knocked again by jumping up against the glass, bumping it with all four feet at once, “ka-thump, ka-thump.” “Hey, open up . . . I want in!”

Stop for a minute and listen. Do you hear someone knocking on the door of your heart? It’s Jesus knocking! He tells us in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.” Will you open the door of your heart and let Him come in? He wants to wash your sins away so He can have fellowship with you and then take you to live with Him in heaven. He wants you to let Him in.

I went to open the door, but what I saw was a very, very dirty Jiggles who had been in some very dirty place. I told her, “No way are you coming in my house . . . you are as dirty as a pig! You need a bath first.” Jiggles likes to sit in my chair and share it with me, and sometimes she hops up on the bed. In no time everything would be dirty, if I let her come in the way she was.

In John 14:2 God tells us that He has a house in heaven, but in Revelation 21:27 He tells us that nothing can enter His house that defiles it - no dirty sins. We must have our sins washed away before we can enter His home. And only one thing can wash us clean: “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Jiggles needed a bath, and only after she was scrubbed clean was she welcomed into the house. And if you will come to Jesus and let Him wash you clean, He will welcome you into His home with open arms when your life on earth is over.

ML-03/14/1999

What Happened to Jim?

It has been over 50 years ago now, but I can still see my older brother’s happy face when I walked into the kitchen that morning. Yes, his face actually shone, and I knew something very special had happened. What could it have been?

Jim had lived a reckless life and had gotten into a great deal of trouble, usually with his teenage friends. He often stayed out very late with these friends. A concerned neighbor had seen Jim several times and warned him to “get on home,” knowing he should not be roaming the streets at such hours.

Jim was a worry to our dad who was having to raise us alone since our mother had died several years earlier. Dad had gotten calls from the police station to inform him that they were holding Jim and a friend. The two teenagers had been picked up for stealing something from a local store. Other times these boys had vandalized property and were even required to report to a judge for several weeks as a part of their punishment.

Jim was certainly on a path that could only take him deeper and deeper into trouble, and our dad was deeply concerned. Both Dad and Mother were born-again Christians. I had also accepted Christ as my Saviour. Dad and I had been praying that Jim would see his sinful condition before God and come to the Lord Jesus for His forgiveness. We both knew what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 - “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Paul called himself the chief of sinners because of the many evil things he had done to those who followed the Lord Jesus. If the Lord Jesus could change Paul and turn him around, could he also change a sinner such as Jim? Both Dad and I knew that He could, and He did.

Jim agreed to attend a Bible conference with me, and that’s when it happened. All of Jim’s life he had heard of God’s plan of salvation for sinners through the sacrifice of His only Son. Many times he had repeated the Bible verse John 3:16, “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.” However, it was during this Bible conference that once again he heard the invitation to accept Christ as his Lord and Saviour. And this time he did! An immediate change took place in his heart, and what a change it was! His happiness shone on his face.

But what about his teenage friends he enjoyed so much, the ones who were always ready to join him in doing wrong? He would be tested very soon!

The first one he met when he went back to school began to tell him a story which Jim knew was not something a Christian should listen to. Jim stopped his friend immediately and told him that he was now a Christian and didn’t want to hear the story.

How important it was for Jim to take a stand with his old friends. In doing so they knew that he was a different person, and they no longer asked him to join them in doing wrong.

How happy Dad and I were to know and see that he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his own Saviour. And we also knew that it brought much joy to the heart of God. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7).

ML-03/14/1999

The Cost to Get There

If it cost 1¢ to go 1,000 miles through space, it would cost $2.39 to go to the moon since the moon is 238,857 miles from the earth. To travel to the sun would cost $930. But to reach the nearest star would cost $260,000,000! So how much do you think it costs to get to heaven? Far, far more than any of us could ever pay. Only the blood of Christ could ever pay our passage there.

We’ve talked about cost; now let’s talk about time. Light travels 186,282 miles per second. If we could travel at the speed of light, it would only take a tiny bit over 1-1/4 seconds to reach the moon, about 8-1/4 minutes to travel to the sun, and approximately 4.3 years to reach the nearest star. How long would it take to travel to heaven? The Bible gives us that answer. When the Lord Jesus comes to take His own blood-bought people to heaven, we will be there “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”! (1 Co-rinthians 15:52).

Stars look so bright to us on a clear night, but the light from the nearest star has traveled more than 4 years (called light-years) before it comes close enough to the earth so we can see it. There are only about 20 stars within 12 light-years of the earth. And light from other stars takes much longer.

How many stars are there in this vast universe? Only God knows that answer. With stronger telescopes, astronomers are continually discovering more stars that God placed in the sky when He first created them. Psalm 147:4 says, “He [God] telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.” But I know something much sweeter and more personal than that. “He [calls] His own sheep by name, and [leads] them out” (John 10:3). Isn’t it wonderful that God, the One who created the sun, the moon and the stars loves you and me so much that He sent His Son who became a man so He could die for our sins? How thankful we should be that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And do you know that the God who created this vast universe and named every star is the same God who loves you and knows your name? He sent His Son Christ Jesus to die for you, and now He is waiting for you to accept His Son as your very own Saviour.

Will you accept His gift of eternal life, which is far more valuable than the unmeasured universe?

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

ML-03/21/1999

A Little Girl for the Browns

A few years ago I heard a sweet, true story that reminded me of the precious Saviour’s love. I would like you to hear it.

Olin Brown told me about his son who was a soldier in the Army in the 1950’s during the Korean war. Near the end of the war Major Brown spotted little Korean children playing near a small lake. The children were war orphans. (This means each child’s father and mother had both been killed.) These children were living near the lake in a home for war orphans. They were dirty, poorly dressed and were eating little dead fish that had washed up on the shore of the lake.

Major Brown was a very kind man. He immediately felt pity and love for these children and wanted to do something for them. One dear little girl caught his eye. It was love at first sight on his part.

Major Brown gave some money to the orphanage to help care for the children. Every time he visited the orphanage he thought more and more about adopting the one little girl he loved. He talked it over with his wife in the United States, and they decided they would adopt this little girl if they could.

Major Brown talked to the people in charge at the orphanage and assured them that he and his wife wanted the little girl very much.

After a few months the adoption papers were signed. Soon the little girl and Major Brown flew to New York where they were met by Mrs. Brown. It was a very happy time for the Browns.

The dear little Korean girl was taken into the Browns’ home where they gave her everything she needed - they showered her with lots of love, taught her what was right and wrong and how to obey, and gave her lovely clothes and toys. Major and Mrs. Brown adopted other children with whom she could grow up and whom she could learn to love.

When I heard the story from Olin Brown, the little Korean girl was a grown-up woman and was teaching school. She was most grateful for all that the Browns had done for her.

The Browns did everything that could be done to make their adopted daughter happy, but the Lord Jesus has done so very much more for poor sinners like you and me. He not only loves us, but He gave His life for us that we might be brought to God. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

When Major Brown first found his little girl she had many needs. She was helpless, hopeless and needed everything the Browns could give her - especially love. Boys and girls, have you ever felt helpless, hopeless and in need of someone to love you? The Lord Jesus offers you a Saviour’s love. Accept Him as your Saviour, and you will be able to say of Him, “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

ML-03/21/1999

Jim, Holly, and the Woodchuck

“What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:30-31

Jim and Holly had watched the woodchuck in their backyard for most of the summer. Some days he seemed unafraid and would come close to the house. He would sit up as though he were trying to look through the windows in the back door. Other times he would run off to hide at the slightest sound.

One afternoon Holly went to the basement to do the laundry, and who should be looking in the window at her but Mr. Woodchuck. He had fallen into the window well, and it was too deep for him to get out. He was trapped in there. He just kept frantically scratching at the window and the metal sides of the window well. He needed help to get out, but Jim and Holly were both very busy, so Mr. Woodchuck didn’t get the help he needed that day.

Have you ever needed help? There are times when children and grown-ups need help too, and if you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour you can turn to Him anytime. He always hears us, and He is never too busy to listen and help. Psalm 91:15 encourages us: “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him.”

Two days later when Holly went to do another load of laundry (can you guess?), there was Mr. Woodchuck still in the window well. Now he was just sitting quietly as he looked through the window. Holly told Jim, “That’s it! We’ve got to help Mr. Woodchuck get out of there before it’s too late.”

Jim came up with the idea of putting a long board down into the window well to see if Mr. Woodchuck would climb up the board and get out by himself. So, that’s what they did, but when they went back a little later Mr. Woodchuck was still sitting on the bottom of the window well. They decided that he was too tired from trying to get out, and now he really needed help.

Do you know how much many of us are like poor Mr. Woodchuck? We try our own ideas of what we think will get us to heaven. We do kind deeds, go to Sunday school, and maybe even give money to missionaries. But that won’t do. We need a Saviour. We need the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, since it is our sins that will keep us out of heaven.

And Mr. Woodchuck needed someone to save him from the window well. Jim came up with a better idea. He found a 5-gallon bucket, tied a rope on it and lowered it into the window well. Using the board, Holly pushed Mr. Woodchuck into the bucket. Jim pulled the bucket up, giving Mr. Woodchuck a ride out of the window well to the freedom of the yard. Jim had set Mr. Woodchuck free from possible death in a few days.

Christ Jesus loves you and me, and He came into the world to save us, and He is ready and willing to save each sinner who comes to Him. “What must I do to be saved? . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). That’s all you have to do to be set free from your sins.

Mr. Woodchuck could not thank Jim and Holly for getting him out of the window well, so he just wandered off. But if you let the Lord Jesus Christ save you from your sins, you can thank Him for dying on the cross to make it possible.

Are you free from your sins?

ML-03/28/1999

No Sign of a Storm

The fishing fleet was ready to leave port and go out to sea, but just before they left, the fishermen checked the barometer. They were amazed to see that during the night the indicator had dropped from “fair” to “stormy.” Looking out over the water they could see no sign of a storm; the sky was clear and sunny and the sea was calm, so it wasn’t even windy. The only possible warning of trouble to come came from the barometer.

The men didn’t know what to do. They did not want to lose a day’s fishing with the weather so good, so they decided that something must have gone wrong with the barometer, causing it to give a wrong reading. Only one captain believed the barometer’s reading. Every boat but one went out to sea.

Everything went well for awhile. The boats arrived in good time at their fishing grounds and let down their nets.

Rather quickly the sky clouded over and the wind began to howl. Soon a fierce storm hit, and the men were frightened. The barometer was right after all! Leaving their nets behind, they headed back to the safe harbor, but some of them never made it. The storm became so violent that several of the boats sank and their crews drowned . . . all because they refused to believe the barometer’s warning.

God has given us warnings too. “God . . . now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world” (Acts 17:30-31). “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

What are you doing about God’s warnings? Are you believing and acting on them? Or are you ignoring God’s warnings? The fishermen ignored the warning and died. Do not refuse to believe God’s warnings, but accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour today.

ML-03/28/1999

A Letter From Grandpa: the Coyote and the Cat

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

Dear Children,

Let me tell you about the coyote and the cat!

The clock said 6:00 a.m. It was time to get up. So up I get, and look out the bedroom window as there are trees and a pond in our front yard. We also have a creek flowing through our backyard. One morning we had about 100 Canada geese in our backyard, eating the corn we had put out. This morning I was surprised to see a coyote in the front yard. He was sitting watching the cat that was fairly close to him.

Well sir, the coyote got up from his sitting position and moved slowly toward the cat. Now then, that cat started to walk toward the coyote! The cat had only moved five feet when the coyote retreated. The cat stopped as well. They watched each other for about two or three minutes, then the coyote moved toward the cat again! The cat started to walk toward the coyote as well, but again the coyote retreated, and again the cat stopped too.

Little did the cat realize it was gradually losing its only place of safety, which was a big tree not far behind it. The coyote knew what it was doing; it was luring the cat away, bit by bit, from that tree and safety. Then it would suddenly charge, and the cat would have no place to run or to climb for safety, and Mr. Coyote would kill it!

Children, I thought about Satan trying to lure you boys and girls away from Sunday school where you learn about the Lord Jesus Christ and how much He loves you. Satan puts things in front of your eyes that are sin - he will whisper in your ears things that are wrong. He says, “Go ahead and do it. No one will ever know.” But God knows! God sees! God hears! John 8:44 tells us that Satan is the father of lies, but John 1:17 tells us that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” We can always be sure that what Jesus says is right and true.

But now I know you want to find out what happened to the cat. I called to Grandma to come and watch. Well sir, she didn’t like what she saw at all! She ran out the front door, down the steps, screaming at the coyote with all her might! It was kinda funny, but I didn’t let her see me laughing as I probably would have been scolded for letting it go this far. The coyote took off, and the cat was saved. Grandma was happy. I was too. I wouldn’t have let the coyote get the cat either.

Dear children, the Lord Jesus Christ came to save us from going down to hell. Have you come to Him for that place of safety? He loves you and will wash your sins away just as soon as you tell Him you believe He came to die for your sins. Will you trust Him today? “Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25).

Love, Grandpa

ML-04/04/1999

God Doesn't Want Me

Our class had been on a tour to an art gallery and historic buildings in another city. It was all very interesting, but it wasn’t only a pleasure trip. We each had an assignment that was hard work too. So our teachers thought we deserved an evening party at a country club just outside the town.

I was a young Christian then and I didn’t like the thought of the party, but our group went and I had no place else to go. I remember the loud music and the chatter that I might have shared in if I had not known the Lord Jesus as my Saviour.

As I stood there feeling uncomfortable, I noticed another girl sitting at the back near the exit door. I had never seen her before, but somehow I felt like sitting beside her.

She smiled a welcoming smile as I sat down. “God doesn’t want me to join in this party,” she said. “I can’t fit in here because I belong to Jesus.” And then I knew I had found another young Christian!

“Let’s go outside and talk,” she said, and we slipped away without being noticed.

The grass was long and wet with dew, but it was a beautiful summer evening. Wet feet did not bother us at all. We walked on and on, and what a lot we found to talk about! (It’s a wonderful bond to meet a real Christian, isn’t it?) Her name was Marilyn. “Tell me how you were saved,” I said to her.

“Even when I was little I always went to Sunday school,” she said, “and I loved to see the teacher smile when I repeated Acts 16:31: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ But I did not like to be told that I was a sinner. The stories of Jesus were interesting, but I wished they would leave the sinner part out.

“But I clearly remember one day when I was five years old. I had my dolls all lined up on the bed, and the bright sun was shining in, lighting up each of my little treasures when suddenly I thought, I’m a bad girl. It came to me just like that, and I knelt down by the bed and said, ‘Lord, I’m a bad girl. Save a bad girl.’ And He did! And it has been real in my heart ever since.”

We shared so many happy things that evening, telling each other how wonderful the Lord Jesus had been in the past, and what He meant to us right then, and what it will be like when He takes us to His Father’s house in heaven as He has promised. We were just so happy as we talked about all these things.

The party was ending as we returned, and the teachers had begun to worry about us, but it ended up all right. The other students were thrilled, excited, exhausted, or jealous and depressed after their party. They had probably tasted the pleasures of sin that only last for a short while, but we had tasted the pleasures that will be ours forever.

Marilyn has been my best friend ever since. Others have told me, “There are lots of things the other girls do that Marilyn won’t do, but she is always ready to help anybody.”

If you don’t have a good Christian friend like that, will you ask God to give you one?

“I am a companion of all them that fear Thee” (Psalm 119:63). “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

ML-04/04/1999

In a North Korean Hospital

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

Harry was a young man in the army. He had been brought up in a Christian family. His father and mother loved the Lord Jesus, and both had accepted Him as their Saviour and had taught their children about Jesus. But Harry had never accepted Jesus as his own Saviour. He knew how to be saved from his sins; he knew all about what Jesus had done on the cross; he had even memorized many verses in the Bible. But he had never taken that step of admitting that he was a sinner and accepting the Lord Jesus for himself.

Now Harry was in Korea during wartime. Some of his buddies were killed almost beside him, but Harry still did not seem to be concerned about settling the “heaven or hell” question, even though he could be the next to lose his life. If anything, the war seemed to make him hard-hearted. “God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not” (Job 33:14).

One night while Harry and his squad were on patrol, they were ambushed by the enemy. Harry was wounded and several others were killed. He was taken prisoner by the Communists.

For many days he lay in a North Korean army hospital where he had lots of time to think. Still, his close call with death and God’s mercy in sparing his life did not seem to soften his heart.

One day a young doctor in that Communist hospital came to Harry and asked him many questions. To Harry’s amazement he discovered that the young Korean doctor was a Christian! The doctor had to be very careful not to say too much about God, or he would be punished by the Communists. It was the beginning of Harry’s “waking up.” He thought to himself, Here I am, brought up in a Christian family, having gone to Sunday school, having read the Bible, and still I am not a Christian. Yet now I am being urged to become one by a North Korean army doctor in Communist territory!

For the first time in his life, Harry was ashamed before God, when he thought of how long he had ignored the Saviour who loved him. The Lord Jesus wanted to bless Harry. He had followed Harry all the way to Communist North Korea to bring him that eternal salvation that only Christ can give. When Harry thought of that love and the prayers that he knew were going up for him every day, it broke his heart. He surrendered to God and thankfully accepted the Lord Jesus as his own Saviour.

If you are like Harry and have not yet surrendered to Christ Jesus who “loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20), why not give up your fight and let Him wash away your sins and be your Saviour too? “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

ML-04/11/1999

The Elephant's Offer

Al had always been interested in elephants. Every chance he got he’d go to visit them. He knew they loved to eat fresh lettuce, so one day he bought a big bag full of heads of lettuce and took it to the elephants.

All the elephants crowded over to the side of their enclosure where Al was breaking up the heads. They began to stretch their long, flexible trunks through the bars, but they couldn’t quite reach the lettuce. Before Al had it all ready, he was very much surprised to feel a big load of loose hay fall right on his head from the trunk of one of the elephants.

“Hey, what’s that elephant doing?” Al asked the elephants’ trainer.

The trainer laughed and answered, “She likes the looks of your lettuce and is offering you some of her hay in exchange for it.”

Now, that was very nice of the elephant, wasn’t it? She may have thought that Al would be able to eat the hay just as she did.

Al appreciated the elephant’s offer, but he hadn’t asked for the hay, and he couldn’t use it. When people think they can offer God the exchange of the good and kind things they have done to cancel their sins, they are acting like this elephant. The exchange is unsuitable. One day the psalmist asked himself, “What shall I render [give] unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12). Then he thought that over and decided that he had nothing that was good enough to be a suitable gift for our wonderful and holy God, so he said, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord” (vs. 13). That’s what God wants each one of us to do: take what He is offering. Only the Lord Jesus’ work on Calvary’s cross can cancel our sins, because even our best works are contaminated with sin. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”

Al was quite startled when he felt that hay falling on his head. It wasn’t what he expected, needed or wanted, but he had brought a treat for the elephants, so he brushed off the hay and fed them the lettuce. They quickly gobbled it up and seemed to enjoy it.

Our God is a giving God, and He wants us to take His offer to remove our sins through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Will you just take God’s offer?

ML-04/11/1999

"May God Strike Me Down With Lightning!"

It was Thursday, and Josh was having a discussion with his mother about the Bible. The teenager did not believe there was a God. He was speaking like a fool! God tells us plainly in Psalm 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” To show his disbelief in God, Josh finished the discussion with his mother by saying, “May God strike me down with lightning!”

The next day, Friday, Josh and his brother were in the city when a thunderstorm came up. They ran to a park which was close by. The two teenage brothers knew full well that standing under or near a tree in a thunderstorm is a very dangerous thing to do. Josh’s brother ran into the washroom to stay out of the rain, but Josh, in defiance of God, stood by a tree!

The lightning flashed! The thunder was deafening! A bolt of lightning that was very close followed instantly by a crash of thunder made Josh’s brother run outside to see if his brother was OK. He found Josh lying on the ground!

Boys and girls, it is very serious not to pay attention to the warnings of our parents. Josh’s mother had tried to warn her son not to tempt God, but he would not listen. God has warned each of us, “Beware lest He take thee away with His stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee” (Job 36:18).

God was very kind and merciful to this young man. When struck by the lightning, Josh was only knocked unconscious. He was taken to a hospital, checked over and then released. He does have a burn hole in his hat and a bald spot on his head where the lightning struck him. And he has changed his mind about not believing there is a God. Now Josh needs to believe that God loves him and sent His Son Jesus to die for him.

Boys and girls, how many times have you picked up a Sunday school paper and read it and said to yourself, “I know I should be saved, but not today.” Then you set the paper aside. God says, “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou SHALT be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Will you believe God’s warnings?

ML-04/18/1999

Failing Fourth Grade

Mrs. Mills enjoyed teaching school and watching her students learn. But she had a student in her fourth grade class who refused to pay attention. Brian was not learning and was in danger of not passing to the fifth grade. He thought having a good time was more important than learning. The result was that Brian did not have his homework assignments done on time, and only once in a while could he answer questions correctly in class.

I wonder if there are any boys or girls reading this story who are like Brian when it comes to the Word of God. Perhaps you have never paid enough attention to the Bible to find out that God wrote it because He has a very important message for you. When you read the Bible or listen to it being read, do you learn what God wants you to know?

One very important thing to learn is that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). If we have displeased God even once, we are sinners. Every time we try to hide something we are doing, we are hiding it because we know it is wrong. Hasn’t this happened to you? It proves that God is right when He says, “All have sinned.”

Another important thing to learn is that the result of sin is death. God explains that this death means to be put in a place of awful sorrow and suffering in complete darkness forever, never to be allowed into heaven. Just as Brian’s refusal to pay attention was about to result in his failing to pass into the fifth grade, our refusal to pay attention to the Bible may result in our missing heaven.

Most important of all, we learn that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). God loves us so much He gave His Son Jesus to die for sinners like us. Any sinner who believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life. Have you ever admitted to God that you are a sinner? God is willing to forgive anyone who will admit to Him that he is a sinner and will believe that Jesus died for his sins.

Are you wondering what happened to Brian? Here is the rest of the story. Because Mrs. Mills’ class was ahead of schedule in their workbooks, she arranged for them to have the first hour of each day, for a week, to play a game in the gym. When she made the announcement Friday afternoon, Brian was reading a comic book which he had carefully hidden inside his schoolbook. He was so interested in his comic book that he didn’t hear anything Mrs. Mills said.

Monday morning arrived and Brian found himself alone in the classroom, alone except for Mrs. Mills. Hoping to teach him a lesson she said, “Because you chose not to listen in class, you are in here by yourself and not in the gym with the rest of the class. Now you will come to class each morning the rest of this week and write for an hour, instead of going to the gym. It is important to pay attention.”

I only hope Brian learned his lesson. His punishment only lasted a week, but the punishment for sin is forever! It will never end! Learn a lesson from Brian - pay attention to the Word of God that says, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Admit to God that you are a sinner and that you want Jesus as your Saviour, and He will save you from the results of sin and death. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

ML-04/18/1999

Not in the Book

When our flight from Canada arrived in Boston, everyone had to go through the usual United States immigration check. However, this time there was a special check for criminals and terrorists. Each person had to step up alone to an official in uniform who had a special yellow book in front of him.

When my turn came, he asked my name and I told him. He opened his book to a page that had a list of names. Then he asked where I was born. When I told him, he again checked in his book. Then he said, “OK, you may go now.”

I was very glad my name was not found in that yellow book or I would have been arrested.

God has books too. He has written down everything that every person in this world has ever said or done. Even what we think is written down in God’s books. Did you realize when you were telling a lie or taking something that did not belong to you or when you were disobeying your mother that it was being written down in God’s book?

Someday God’s books will be opened. You will stand before Him and He will look up your name and read to you what He has written down. He knows everything about you, and you will remember that what He reads is all true.

God is very fair, and so He has another book He will look at. It is called the Lamb’s Book of Life. When anyone accepts the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, He gives eternal life to them. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Then their name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They will never have to stand before God as their Judge, because their sins are blotted out in God’s other book. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins. . . . I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:22). They will already be with Jesus in heaven when that other book is opened. “I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

Is your name written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life? or is it still in God’s other book?

“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).

ML-04/25/1999

The Bite of Death

One fall morning the family was getting ready to leave in the van to take me to work and then drop Erin off at school. I was the first one out of the house and heard a bird’s frantic chirping. It sounded as if it were in great distress. Following the sound behind some bushes, I found our cat Jingles with a cardinal he had caught. I gave Jingles a swat that so surprised him that he dropped the bird and ran away. The beautiful red bird was lying on the ground, its poor little body heaving after its desperate struggle with the cat.

The children came to see the poor little victim. We decided to lay the bird in a box with a lid since we had to leave. Anne, my wife, would see what she could do for the bird when she came back home.

Home again, Anne borrowed a bird cage from a neighbor and gently placed the cardinal in it. The cardinal began to perk up and soon was acting perfectly normal, hopping about in the cage. Anne and the boys, Jimmy and Andy, decided to take it to a nearby wildlife center to let them care for it and release it back into the wild.

When the lady at the wildlife center saw our beautiful red cardinal, do you know what her first question was? “Did your cat bite this bird?”

“Well, probably, but why does that matter? It seems to be recovering,” Anne explained.

“If the cat bit this bird, it will die within two days,” the lady told them.

Anne and the boys were surprised and so sad to hear this. “But why? How can that be?”

The lady explained that cat saliva contains something that is very toxic to birds and causes death. She said she would send us a postcard if the bird died.

As the family talked about it at dinner that night, we all thought our beautiful cardinal would surely be alright. But we watched for the postman each day.

One day went by; no postcard came. Two days, and no postcard. Three days, and still no postcard. Maybe our cardinal is going to make it, we all thought.

We went out of town for the weekend and forgot all about the bird. But Monday afternoon there was the dreaded postcard in our mailbox, informing us that, yes, our poor cardinal had died. How sad we were to hear this, and how sad we were that our cat had caused the death of this beautiful bird.

You and I have been bitten just like that cardinal, and even though it was so beautiful and seemed healthy, it was dying! You and I have been bitten by sin, and no matter who we are or how we feel about it, we will one day die. The Bible says, “By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). The Bible also tells us that after death we face punishment for our sins. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). No excuses will do for our naughty sins; only one thing will remove them from God’s sight. What is that? “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Have you told Jesus that you know you are a sinner? Have you let Him wash away your sins? Why not do it today!

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

ML-04/25/1999

What's in Your Heart?

“Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
Hebrews 4:7

Gracie was getting ready to start to school. In kindergarten she would need some pencils, a notebook, eraser, ruler, scissors, crayons, paste, a new dress and new shoes. She would also need a doctor’s checkup.

Gracie’s doctor used his otoscope to carefully examine her ears to see if they were okay. Yes, they were fine. He playfully asked her, “Did you think I saw a big bird in there?”

Gracie did not answer.

After checking her eyes, the doctor got a tongue depressor and told Gracie to open her mouth and say “Aaaaaah” while he looked in. “Everything is fine!” Then he asked, “Do you think I saw a monster down in there?”

Again no answer.

Gracie’s neck glands were fine too, so the doctor got his stethoscope and explained, “Now I’m going to listen to your heart. Hmmm, sounds good.” And then he asked, “Is that some kind of animal that’s making all that noise in your heart?”

Gracie quickly replied, “Oh no, Doctor. I have Jesus in my heart!”

Now, I wonder what the doctor thought of that answer. Could you give the doctor Gracie’s answer? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your very own Saviour? We have all sinned, but Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood so our sins could be washed away.

Will you open your heart to let Jesus wash away your sins? Then you can say like Gracie, “I have Jesus in my heart too.”

“Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).

At the heart’s door

the Saviour’s waiting,

At the heart’s door locked in sin.

Can’t you hear Him gently

knocking?

Open the door and let Him in.

ML-05/02/1999

The Wrinkled Dress

“Many years ago I learned what real Christian love can be like,” a woman wrote in a small farm magazine. “Mother was struggling alone to provide for us three children. She did her best, but we barely had enough food and clothing. A Sunday school nearby began inviting the neighborhood children to attend, and Mother said I could go. I used to slip in quietly and leave quickly, ashamed of how I was dressed.

“One day we were told there would be a special treat for us the next Sunday. For each child there would be a small gift and something to eat. How I wanted to go! But how I wished I had something better to wear! I knew some of the children laughed at my shabby dress, so I asked Mother to be sure my best dress was clean.

“That Sunday I was so excited as I went off to Sunday school. How I was looking forward to the special treat!

“ ‘Just look at that poor child over there in such a terribly wrinkled dress! Couldn’t her mother at least iron it for her!’ a mother whispered loudly to her friend. ‘My Amy is in the same class with her, and she tells me that she always looks that way. There’s just no excuse for sending a child to Sunday school looking like that . . . and this is the special treat!’

“I had overheard what they had said, and the words were like a knife to my heart. I couldn’t think about anything else, and the delicious cookies just stuck in my throat. My only thought was to run home and never, never come back. As I sat miserably alone blinking back the tears, the smell of perfume made me aware that someone was very near to me. And just then I felt an arm slip around my shoulders. I looked up into a face so sweet and kind that I shall remember it the rest of my life.

“ ‘Katy,’ she was saying, ‘we are so glad you come! When you finish eating I’d love to walk you home. I’ve been wanting to get to know you better. Would that be all right?’

“She did just that, and as we walked she asked about my family. After a while she very casually asked if my mother possibly needed an iron. ‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘we have one that I would like to bring over . . . if she can use it.’

“Would Mother like an iron! Needless to say we accepted the gift, and through other kindnesses from this lovely Christian lady my wounded heart was healed.

“This incident,” she added, “influenced and colored my whole life.”

This story has a real message for those of us who love the Lord Jesus. Do you stop to think how you hurt other children when you make those sly, unkind remarks to your friends about someone who perhaps isn’t as nicely dressed or as well-liked as you are? Or if someone is standing alone and feeling strange, do you try to make friends with them? Have you ever thought that failing to be kind really hurts the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ? This puts a serious light on actions like these.

Among the things that the Lord Jesus hates is “a proud look” (Proverbs 6:17). He wants His children to “preach the gospel to the poor” and “to heal the broken-hearted” (Luke 4:18). Jesus also said in Matthew 11:5 that “the poor have the gospel preached to them.” It is wrong to look down on someone or make fun of poorly dressed children who need the Saviour and whom He loves and wishes to save. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Why not try to be kind and reach out to “heal the broken-hearted”? Your friends might snicker, but then again they just might decide to do the same. The commendable woman in Proverbs 31 had, among her other qualities, one jewel which we should desire -“In her tongue is the law of kindness” (vs. 26).

ML-05/02/1999

Learning to Fly

What fun! Robins were building their nest in a tree we could see clearly from our kitchen window, and we would be able to watch them as they raised their babies. One thing we were afraid of - our big orange cat, Pumpkin, was watching them too. The conversation at our supper table was often about what we were going to do with the cat while the baby robins were learning to fly. We could tell from the feathers lying around our yard that Pumpkin had already caught quite a few birds, and we were especially concerned now about the baby robins. But our heavenly Father cares more for little birds than we do. Luke 12:6 says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” He already had a plan better than any we could have worked out.

We watched while the mother and father robins took turns sitting on the eggs until they hatched and then while they busily gathered worms to feed their four hungry chicks. As the chicks’ naked bodies gradually grew feathers, the day was coming closer when they would have to learn to fly.

The very day they left the nest we noticed that the cat didn’t come to eat his cat food. And that night he didn’t sleep in his usual place on the rocking chair on the front porch. The next day he was missing too.

That first day the robin parents had urged their babies to come out of the nest. First they hopped onto a tree branch, then from the branch to a bush, and then from the bush to the ground. There they hopped around in the grass, and their mother fed them worms. But they couldn’t fly. So if Pumpkin had been there, he could easily have caught them all. But he wasn’t there. We didn’t know where he was, but as the week went by we began to worry about him. He had never stayed away so long before. But at the same time we were glad the little robins were having such a good chance to learn to fly. By the end of the week they were flying as well as their parents.

Then one night we heard a faint “mew, mew.” When we opened the door, there was Pumpkin with his orange fur all caked with mud. He could hardly wait for us to fill his dishes with food and water. When he had finished eating, he lay down and rolled around and purred and rubbed himself against us all.

Pumpkin was home again, and the baby robins had already learned to fly. We were very happy to see how the Lord had worked things out for both the cat and the birds.

But you are of more value than any cat or many robins. The Lord Jesus loves you so much He died so you could have your sins washed away in His precious blood. Won’t you accept His love by coming to Him and telling Him you are a sinner and that you want to be 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). “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

ML-05/09/1999

Caught in a Trap

I was having a wonderful vacation all by myself up at the Muskoka Lakes. The place where I was staying was built overtop of a boathouse. A long window ran along two sides of the dining room, giving a beautiful view of the bay. I loved the sound of the water lapping against the dock and inside the boathouse. But there was one sound I did NOT like - mice scurrying around in the loft.

The loft could be reached from the kitchen by a short, brown ladder. It was full of the most interesting books, so I spent quite a bit of time up there. But when I snuggled into bed at night, I would lie quite tense, until I heard the mousetrap snap. Then I could relax and drift off to sleep, knowing that mouse would not be running all over the place while I slept.

But the next day I’d hear another mouse. Again I’d set a trap, and again I’d lie tensely in bed until I heard it snap. Then I’d relax and go off to sleep. Each night for the two weeks I was there I caught a mouse, and each night I’d settle down to sleep as soon as I heard the trap go off. But I’m sure that when I left, there were still many mice in that loft.

And there’s never a time in our lives when we don’t need to be on our guard against the tricks of the devil. His tricks never run out. The Bible warns, “My son [or daughter], if sinners entice [tempt] thee, consent thou not [say no]” (Proverbs 1:10). We can turn away from Satan’s tricks if we walk closely with the Lord Jesus and follow His loving directions. But Satan will continue tempting us with his tricks all through our lives down here.

Each of us needs to be sheltered from the penalty of our own sins by the precious blood of Christ. Then we can be kept from the power of sin in our daily lives by reading and obeying the Bible, the precious Word of God, and by prayer. When we belong to the Lord Jesus, we can count on His help because He lives in our hearts. The Lord Jesus promised, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode [live] with him” (John 14:23). Can you think of anything more wonderful than having the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and your closest friend? No one loves you as much as He does. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

ML-05/09/1999

Have I Done My Best?

About 100 years ago, Ed Spencer was a student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was a well-known athlete in that day and had won one of the first Olympic gold medals for the U.S.A. in 1896.

One evening while Ed and others were studying in the library, a violent storm was raging outside. The campus of Northwestern University borders Lake Michigan, and it is well-known that storms on the Great Lakes can be quite violent. Even large boats have gone down in storms that often compare to those on the oceans.

Suddenly some young men burst into the library to report that a large pleasure boat called The Lady Elgin had been driven onto the rocks and was sinking. There were many people on the boat who would drown unless something were done immediately.

Ed and others ran from the library to see what was happening and were soon convinced by what they saw that the situation was serious. The boat was indeed sinking. While the storm had calmed somewhat, the water was still rough and the waves high. Without any hesitation, Ed immediately dove into the water and swam out to the wreck. Using his athletic strength and stamina, Ed brought back one person to safety. Several more times he returned to the ship, and each time he brought someone else back safely.

By this time his friends on shore were concerned for Ed’s safety and urged him not to go out again. “You’ve done all you can,” they said. “You’ll kill yourself if you try it again!”

Ed’s only reply was, “I’ve got to do my best,” as he plunged into the water and swam out to the wreck once more. All in all, he rescued 17 people from that boat who would otherwise have drowned. After bringing in the seventeenth person, Ed himself could go on no longer. He slumped unconscious on the shore.

He was taken to the infirmary in the university and throughout the night remained delirious. Over and over again he would call out, “Have I done my best, fellows? Have I done my best?” Ed did recover, but the strenuous exertion of saving 17 people from Lake Michigan had cost him his health. He no longer was the athlete he was before, and he no longer won gold medals for his strength. In fact, he was forced to live the life of a semi-invalid.

We are saddened by this story, and our deepest feelings of sympathy are stirred for Ed who gave so much to rescue so many people. He could easily have stopped sooner and no doubt have kept his health, but he continued until he became unconscious. But there is someone else who gave much more of Himself so that you and I might be saved from eternal punishment for our sins. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners before God and deserve eternal judgment for our sins. Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 warns us, “The wages of sin is death.” But “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,” and the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and died on Calvary’s cross so that all who believe on Him “should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Ed Spencer gave his health to save people from drowning, but the Lord Jesus gave His life so that we might be saved from eternal hell. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?

It is not recorded that anyone on that sinking ship refused to let Ed Spencer rescue them. No, it was their only means of rescue, and they allowed him to take them safely to shore. But how many today are saying “no” to the Lord Jesus and refusing to let Him save them from their sins. How many don’t believe there is judgment coming, although God has faithfully warned us in the Bible that He will judge this world. Are your sins washed away by the blood of the Lord Jesus so that you are safe from that judgment? He is your only hope.

Some years later, a man went to Phoenix, Arizona, in the western United States, as he had heard that Ed Spencer was living there. He decided to visit him. Ed was living in a small cottage on the edge of the city, and the visitor found him to be thin and sickly. During their conversation, the visitor remarked on Ed’s health and his small home and how much rescuing those 17 people had cost him. He suggested that, had Ed been able to keep his health, he might have had much more in this world and, no doubt, a much nicer home. “But despite all this,” he said to Ed, “I’m sure that those you rescued haven’t forgotten you. No doubt they send you some help from time to time.”

There was a long moment of silence, and the visitor looked over at Ed to see why he did not answer. He noticed that there were tears running down Ed’s face, and slowly, after several minutes, Ed replied, “Not one ever came back even to say thank you!”

Again our feelings are stirred, feelings of extreme sorrow, that those whose lives had been saved at such a cost to the rescuer did not even care enough to say “thank you.” Sad to say, such things are all too common in this world. But have you and I ever thanked the Lord Jesus for all He has done for us? First of all, have you accepted Him as your Saviour? Have you come to God as a sinner, and accepted His free offer of salvation? If so, have you ever thanked God for sending His Son to die for you, and have you ever thanked the Lord Jesus for dying such a cruel death so that you might be saved? “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

ML-05/16/1999

Careless About Death

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Ephesians 1:7

It was a hot, sultry day in the jungles of Vietnam in 1968. Even though bombs were falling nearby, my buddy Brian chose to leave himself carelessly exposed to injury or death. He was lying in a dry rice paddy with his upper body propped up on a rice paddy dike. His elbows rested on the dike and his chin rested on his hands.

Occasionally a large shard of steel would break away from the exploding bombs and fly through the air. This speeding weapon of death made an eerie whistling sound which increased in pitch as it came closer. In spite of the occasional noise of shards flying about, Brian refused to get down to safety.

We don’t like to think about death, but we know that traveling in cars or just walking down the street can bring each one of us very close to death. Death cannot be avoided, but are you ready if your time comes today? It is surprising how many people do not care what comes after death. God has said, “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). This judgment is for the sins that we have all committed, but God has prepared a way for you and me to have our sins forgiven. It is through the death of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who bore the punishment on the cross for the sins of those who will accept Him as their Saviour. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

We had all been warned to take cover, but Brian, the soldier who didn’t care, came very close to death that hot day. After one explosion a shard of steel came whistling louder and closer by the second. Then suddenly the bomb fragment slashed across the flesh of both of Brian’s forearms!

Looking up from the rice paddy after hearing the noise, I was shocked to see Brian alive but with blood streaming down his arms. We fixed him up as best we could with our first aid supplies and called in a helicopter for transportation to the base hospital. Brian did not act the slightest bit affected by his brush with death. I watched with amazement as he sauntered down to the helicopter landing zone. He didn’t seem to care at all.

My hope is that you will not be careless about death and the judgment that comes afterward for those who are still in their sins. “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). Prepare now while you can by believing that Jesus loves you and died for you. “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7).

ML-05/23/1999

The Volcano Will Erupt!

Mr. Edwards was a happy Christian who lived on the beautiful island of St. Vincent in the West Indies. He lived in a little house on the side of a volcano called Soufriere. His job was to check on the volcano so he could warn people if he thought it was going to erupt.

Every day Mr. Edwards would climb up the side of the volcano and check the temperature of the water in the crater at the top. Then he would report to the authorities what it was.

Not everyone liked hearing the reports Mr. Edwards gave of the water temperature going up. Some people grumbled that he was just trying to scare everyone. Others laughed and said that old Soufriere had been around a long time and had never done much damage.

Maybe you boys and girls feel the same way about what you hear in Sunday school. Perhaps you think you are just being told scary stories. But the warnings you have been given are all true.

The Bible has told us about the judgment that is coming on this earth. We have been warned to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). We are also told that “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night . . . the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

Just as no one could predict exactly when Soufriere would erupt, so no one can predict exactly when God’s judgment will fall on this sinful world. We need to pay attention to the warning in Matthew 25:13 which says: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.”

One morning Mr. Edwards got up, read his Bible, and prayed for God’s help for the day as he usually did. He was just finishing his breakfast when he heard the first rumblings. Alarmed, he realized that Soufriere was about to erupt. Leaving his breakfast, he ran down the mountain shouting to all the villagers to run for their lives!

Some of them just laughed. “Mister,” they said, “we’ve heard those noises all our lives and nothing has ever happened.” Others said, “There’s still time . . . we’ll start getting our things together and soon we’ll leave.”

“No! No!” Mr. Edwards shouted. “Leave now! The volcano may erupt any minute!”

Some believed the warning and ran with Mr. Edwards down the mountainside to safety. But others weren’t in any hurry to leave, and some just decided to stay behind in their homes.

Suddenly the volcano erupted with an awful roar! And for those who had not paid attention to the warning, it was too late. More than 1000 people lost their lives.

God has warned you of judgment that’s coming. Do you believe His warnings? Put your trust in the Lord Jesus now before it is too late. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-05/23/1999

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

Aunt Rose

Aunt Rose was a very old lady, but she was a special old lady. She was almost 94 years old and had loved the Lord Jesus and known Him as her Saviour for many, many of those years. Aunt Rose had forgotten many things she once knew, but she was always happy when anyone talked about the Lord Jesus Christ.

One day when Holly was visiting Aunt Rose, she read to her from the Bible. As she read John 14, verses 16, Aunt Rose was able to repeat every verse along with Holly except for verse 5. She had memorized those verses when she had been much younger, and as she heard them read she could still repeat them from memory.

Do you love God’s Word so much that you not only take time to read it but you memorize parts of it? “Thy word have I hid in [my] heart” (Psalm 119:11). We know that no amount of memorizing Bible verses will take away our sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, can cleanse us from all sin. When we love the Lord Jesus, it is important to hide His Word in our hearts, and a good way to do that is to memorize His Word. “I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy word” (Psalm 119:16).

ML-05/30/1999

What Happened to Schatzi?

Grandpa’s farm! What a fun place to visit during summer vacation! The children would feed the chickens; Grandpa would butcher them and Grandma would fry them - yummy! And the children loved to play with Grandpa’s dog. Although she was part German Shepherd and part wolf, Schatzi was so gentle that she would even let the children sit on her. How the children had looked forward to the visit!

Matthew and Nathaniel did not know it yet, but there was also a snow-white cat prowling around Grandpa’s farm. It moved quietly around the yard staying out of sight, so no one had seen it yet. Its fur was so beautiful that it must have been someone’s favorite pet, well-fed and well-loved. Its owner probably petted its pure white fur and said, “Nice kitty.” But no one knew what it was doing late at night when no one was looking.

Then one day Matthew and Nathaniel heard Schatzi whimpering. Schatzi! Beloved Schatzi—what was wrong?

“Grandpa, whatever is the matter with Schatzi?” asked Matthew.

“Oh nothing,” said Grandpa. “She’ll be all right.”

Suddenly everything wasn’t all right. Schatzi grabbed a furry white animal with her teeth and the animal fought back. Everyone thought Schatzi had caught a rabbit. The fight didn’t last long, and then Schatzi brought the furry animal and laid it at Grandpa’s feet. They were all startled to see it wasn’t a rabbit. It was a white cat!

What had happened to Schatzi? Had gentle Schatzi suddenly turned wild? After all, she was part wolf! Everyone started to scold their favorite dog.

“Don’t go too near her,” the boys’ father warned.

But Grandpa wasn’t worried. He knew what had happened. He had not told anyone yet, but something had been hurting his chickens. He always put the ones that Grandma would cook the next day in a crate, but for the past few mornings, Grandpa had found that the chickens’ throats had been scratched and some of the wings had been ripped off. This had happened for three nights in a row. Schatzi must have known it too. And it was no mystery to her what animal was hurting the chickens. Sure enough, the next night the chickens were unharmed. Schatzi had fixed the problem. It had been the white cat.

The cat looked very beautiful on the outside, but at night it had been secretly trying to kill chickens. Have you ever stopped to think that some boys and girls are like that bad cat? Perhaps even you yourself look quite nice on the outside. And maybe most people even think that you are a kind Christian boy or girl. But if you have never had your sins washed away in the precious blood of Christ, you are like that white cat - pretty on the outside but full of sin on the inside.

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). This Bible verse warns that God can see right down into your heart and see what you are on the inside. Even if you carry a Bible in your hand and go to Sunday school, God knows if you are still stained by sins of lying, unkindness and disobedience to your parents. But God also loves you very much, so much that He has provided a way that your sins can be washed away: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

When Schatzi killed the cat, that was the end of it, but God has made you different from a cat. You have a soul that will live forever - in either heaven or hell. The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Matthew and Nathaniel thought that Schatzi was too kind and gentle to ever kill a cat, but when she found a cat trying to kill Grandpa’s chickens, she attacked it. Some people say that God is too loving to put anyone into hell, but God is also holy and He must punish sin. But He also offers a free pardon for all who trust in the Lord Jesus as their substitute for the punishment they deserve. “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).

Be warned, boys and girls, by this story of the beautiful white cat. Even if everyone else thinks you are a nice person, God looks right down into your heart. Come to the Lord Jesus today and He will make your heart as white as snow. “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).

ML-05/30/1999

A Green Mouth

Young Jessica went to Sunday school with her parents each Sunday; then they would stay for the meeting to remember the Lord Jesus in His death. Jessica was sitting quietly between her parents coloring a picture and was about to put a small crayon into her mouth. Her mother saw what she was going to do and told her not to. But when her mother’s head was turned, Jessica popped the crayon into her mouth anyway and started to chew on it.

Now the Bible plainly says, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Jessica had sinned while just sitting quietly, because she had disobeyed her mother.

Later her mother asked, “Jessica, did you put a crayon in your mouth?”

Jessica answered, “No.”

Uh oh, another sin. Now Jessica had told a lie. Perhaps she was too young to understand the verse, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). God gave us that verse as a warning that we will not “get away” with sin. Sometimes our sin is found out right away.

Jessica’s daddy said, “Open your mouth, Jessica.” It was a green color with bits of green crayon inside.

Jessica did not sleep well that night and was crying when it was time to get up the next morning. “Mama, I don’t want to go to hell.” Now Jesus loves Jessica and didn’t want her to go there either. He came to save sinners by taking the punishment on the cross for the sins of any who will believe in Him. He died for us. Just think of that! “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou SHALT be saved” (Romans 10:9).

When I heard this story later, Jessica told me she had confessed and believed just as the verse says and was going to live with Jesus in heaven. That’s a promise He gives those who believe in Him.

Where will you spend eternity? Be sure it’s with Jesus!

ML-06/06/1999

Listen to His Voice

“Who is your best friend, André?”

“Matthew.”

“Well, Matthew has a nice birthday gift for you, but the problem is you must find him.”

Now, this was a challenge because André was blindfolded. His eyes were not going to be of any help in finding his friend. But he believed the promise that Matthew had a gift for him, and so his ears were going to have to lead him to Matthew. His ears were very alert, and that was a good start.

Since you were not part of this game, the gift could not be for you, and the promise was not made to you. But there is another promise and a gift which are especially for you. You will find the promise in the Bible in John 3:16. See if you can find it.

“André, if you want the gift that Matthew has for you, you must listen for his voice. He will call your name, and he will stand still. He will not run away.”

That sounded easy enough, but there was something else that was going to make it hard. There were other boys who also had gifts for André. Their gifts were wrapped in pretty paper too, but they were no good. They were just junk. And these boys were also going to be calling his name.

When the signal was given, about ten voices began to shout, “André, I have a gift for you. Come and get it. This way, André!”

André knew Matthew’s voice very well, but in all the noisy confusion it was hard to hear Matthew’s voice. He paused a minute, and then set out with his hands in front of him.

André could only grope along as he listened for Matthew’s voice. If you want to receive God’s gift, you cannot use your eyes to receive it, but you can believe the promise. You will hear other people telling you how to get it. But be sure you listen to God’s Word only. The voice of the Lord Jesus is the only one to follow. Someday you will see Him, but right now He wants you to listen and believe without seeing.

Tim’s call was the loudest, and although André was not far from Matthew, he followed the wrong voice. He took Tim’s gift and, opening it, found only sticks. He missed the gift.

But then Dad came in, and in loving-kindness he gave André another chance. Will God give you another chance to receive His gift? Maybe not. This could be your last chance. You have probably had more than two already.

André was blindfolded again, and this time he listened more carefully. Nathan tried to offer him a pretty package full of dirty rags! But he followed Matthew’s voice until he found the gift which had been lovingly made especially for him. It was a nice soft pillow for his head, decorated with cows and a big red barn.

Have you found out what God’s gift is? You may also find it in Romans 6:23, which says, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But you will never really know what it is until you receive it. It includes so much more than these verses could ever explain.

ML-06/06/1999

Caught on Video

Often burglars don’t get caught, but a newspaper article reported about a burglar who was caught in quite an unexpected way.

Bill came home from work one evening to find his apartment a total mess! Drawers were dumped out of his dresser, his closet had been ransacked, and most of the things he valued were gone! It must have been an awful feeling to realize, “I’ve been robbed! Someone broke in and has robbed my place and walked away with most of the things I’ve worked so hard for!”

Bill sat down at his kitchen table still shaken. He was trying to figure out what to do when his eyes focused on Sam, his new parrot. Sam was hopping around in his cage squawking. Suddenly Bill remembered something really important about Sam. Bill had set up a video camera to record while he was away at work so that he could see if Sam had been repeating any of the words or phrases that Bill had been teaching him. Was the video camera still in place?

Yes! Bill quickly discovered that the burglar hadn’t found the video camera, but the video camera had found the burglar! Can you imagine Bill’s amazement when he played back the video and watched the burglar break into his place and then start carrying things out, including all of his small appliances. Then the camera recorded the burglar opening Bill’s refrigerator, taking out food, sitting down at the table and eating before he finally left.

Of course, the police detectives were very interested to watch Bill’s video. And needless to say, it wasn’t long before that burglar was caught and sent to jail where he rightfully belonged!

This story, especially the video’s recording, reminded me of the Bible verse that says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Do you believe that the Lord sees us all the time? Just like the video camera? But the Lord knows much, much more about us than just what a 6-hour video can show. He personally tells us, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins [conscience], even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). Do you know that the Lord knows every thought of yours and everything you do, whether it’s right or wrong?

Boys and girls and grown-ups too, the Lord is to be the judge someday soon. We are told, “Fear Him, which . . . hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him” (Luke 12:5). But the Lord Jesus, who said these words, still loves us so much, even though we are sinners, that He died on the cross to take away our sins and to free us from that sentence of hell. Romans 5:8 tells us this: “God [commends] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The Lord Jesus is the only one who can free us from that sentence. Will you come to Him right now with your guilt and let Him take away your sins and give you eternal life instead? “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him [God the Father] that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [that sentence of hell]; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

ML-06/13/1999

"No Talking in Class"

It was exciting to receive an invitation to Mark’s birthday party. In just a few days some of the boys in Mrs. Lopez’s third-grade class were supposed to go to Mark’s house after school for a game of football and some cake and ice cream.

When Mark’s birthday finally came it seemed as if the math, reading, spelling and other lessons would never end. The boys were more interested in whispering about the fun planned for after school.

One of Mrs. Lopez’s schoolroom rules was, “No talking in class.” One penalty for breaking the rule was to be kept after school. This is called a detention.

When the bell rang at 3:30 to dismiss school that day, Jordan couldn’t go with them because he had to stay in school. In his excitement he had disobeyed the “no talking in class” rule and was serving his detention.

God’s penalty for sin is far more severe: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He is coming soon to take all the boys and girls and men and women whose sins have been washed away to be with Himself. If you, a sinner, have never had your sins washed away by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be left behind.

Mrs. Lopez was kind and let Jordan go after about 15 minutes, and he ran all the way to Mark’s house, getting there in time for most of the birthday party. The football game had just started.

Accept the Lord Jesus right now so you won’t be left behind when He comes again. “The Lord . . . is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He is still waiting for you now, but He is coming very soon - maybe even today. After He comes for His own, you will have no more opportunity to be saved. Make sure that the Lord Jesus is your Saviour, so you won’t be left behind. We cannot promise that you will have a second chance to be saved, as Jordan had to go to Mark’s birthday party.

“Now is the accepted time . . . now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-06/13/1999

An Unheeded Warning

“Hey, Jean,” called Faith, “if you’d get this old sewing machine for Lorraine, she’d love you forever!”

The two sisters had just arrived at an antique store, and outside the front of the store was a large bin with a sign on the front of it: ALL ITEMS $1.00. “Wow, only one dollar!” exclaimed Jean. “Sure, I can afford that!” And so Jean picked up the old treadle sewing machine for their sister, Lorraine, knowing she loved antiques, and took it to the cashier and paid the dollar.

The old machine did need some cleaning up, and so Jean took it home and gave it a good wipe- over with a damp cloth. Lorraine was delighted when Jean gave her the machine and decided to borrow some rust remover from her mother to get it cleaned up even nicer.

When Lorraine got the rust remover, she quickly looked at the back of the bottle for directions. She saw something about wearing rubber gloves, but she thought, Oh what a bother, and, grabbing an old rag, set to work. It took some hard rubbing, but she was quite happy with the way the machine was cleaning up. After she finished she decided to rest. Suddenly, she realized her fingers were burning! They did look a little red and were becoming more painful by the minute! She decided to put her hands into ice water, but that didn’t seem to bring much relief. James, her husband, had the day off, and she showed him her hands. He was quite surprised with Lorraine’s answer, when he asked her if she had worn rubber gloves and she told him “no.” Picking up the bottle of rust remover, he said, “But it has a warning right here that says to wear rubber gloves!” They decided it was best to head to the Emergency Room at a nearby hospital.

Yes, Lorraine had not heeded the warning and was suffering much because of it. And, boys and girls, God has placed not only one, but many warnings in His book, the Bible. And if you do not heed His warnings and accept His offer of the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you will suffer for your sins for all eternity.

When James and Lorraine arrived at the Emergency Room, they were thankful that the doctor knew of a special medicine they could put on Lorraine’s hands that brought relief. The doctor told Lorraine that sometimes people lose their fingernails when they use acid that strong without protection. He told her she was very fortunate.

And so there was help for Lorraine, and her hands recovered. But if you should refuse God’s warning and go on in your sinful ways not accepting His free offer of salvation, there will be no second chance for you once this life is over. Now is the time for you to come to the loving Saviour. Tomorrow may be too late! “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

ML-06/20/1999

Safe in the Sanctuary

After Doug arrived in Canada, his uncle Jim took him on a trip to Jasper National Park. This was a real treat for him, and he was excited. He had heard about this wonderful park and how the Canadian government had set aside a huge area, called a sanctuary, where animals could roam about in complete safety.

Uncle Jim knew one of the game wardens who was happy to take the little group on a tour. Nothing pleased the game warden more than to show off the wonders of the reserve. Then began an exciting time for Doug as the game warden pointed out many things of interest as they went along. They saw black and brown bears, buffalo, beavers, sheep with beautiful curved horns, and goats which roamed high up among the rocky peaks. Then Uncle Jim turned to his game-warden friend and said, “I’m sure Doug would like to see a moose.”

The game warden cupped his hands around his mouth and gave a strange call. After repeating it several times, there was a sound of crackling among the brush, and out into the open dashed a great majestic animal with huge antlers.

“It’s all right,” the warden assured them as he tossed some treats to the animal. “What do you think of our moose?”

Doug turned to his uncle in surprise and exclaimed, “I never saw an animal like that before,” and both men chuckled.

Later on their way home, Uncle Jim talked about what all they had seen. “The moose is the largest of the deer family, and hunters attract them within gunshot range in much the same way as what you saw the game warden do. They imitate the call of a moose so well that one of them is sure to think it’s one of his mates, and he rushes to investigate. However, in the sanctuary the moose are safe.

“You know,” Uncle Jim went on, “the same thing is true for anyone who comes to the Lord Jesus and finds safety in Him. Satan will try to attract them to harm them, but in the Lord Jesus they are safe, because He is much stronger than Satan and He protects them. He is their sanctuary. Remember, Doug, that ‘whoso [puts] his trust in the Lord shall be safe’ (Proverbs 29:25). ‘Greater is He [the Lord] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4).”

ML-06/20/1999

A Good Sheep Dog

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”
John 10:11

Alan and Mae’s farm was flooded. Muddy water was surging down not only the creek bed, but their driveway too. A lake several feet deep had formed to the right of the house. Thankfully the house itself, the sheep barn and a small stretch of ground between them were slightly higher. The sheep were huddled together on that higher ground, bewildered. The Corps of Engineers reported that the water was expected to rise another 2 to 4 feet. Those sheep needed to be rescued right away!

Alan and Mae and their children had been told to leave their home early that morning for safety reasons, so they were gone. Seeing the danger to Alan’s sheep, concerned neighbors carried the lambs out one by one. They managed to push and prod one old ram to safety too. The rest of the sheep huddled together on that little strip of higher ground, and they were not going to budge.

Picturing those bewildered sheep reminds us of Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” How often we make up our minds that we know how to take care of ourselves, and we are not at all ready to change. God, however, tells us that “there is a way which [seems] right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Once Alan’s family was safe he returned, and he and his neighbors were not going to give up on those sheep. They got a long extension ladder, and with some of them holding it sideways behind the flock and others guarding the ends so the sheep could not run back, they forced the frightened animals to go into the water. But once they were in the water they panicked and dashed in every direction. When they got one big ewe onto a narrow strip of safe ground, she jumped right over it and disappeared in the rushing water. For a moment they were sure she would drown, but she managed to scramble up on some equipment that was only partly underwater. When the other sheep saw her there, they followed her. But that was no place of safety.

With much prodding and coaxing, the sheep were finally herded to a tiny island of green grass where they grazed fitfully for a while. But the rising, swirling water frightened them so much they all made a dash back toward their pasture that was totally under water. It all looked hopeless. Alan and the neighbors felt they had undertaken something they would never be able to complete.

But with God all things are possible!

A major highway ran along one side of the farm. All day people had been stopping to look at the flood waters, taking pictures or offering their help. Now a pickup truck stopped, and a lady got out and came over to the weary group. “Would you like a sheep dog?” she asked.

“Is it a good one?” Alan questioned.

“Well, we run 10,000 sheep on our ranch in Oregon.”

“Then I know it’s a good one!” said Alan happily.

Alan and three other men each caught a ewe and half dragged and half carried them out into the water in front of the other sheep to lead them. Soon that kind lady and her dog were wading through the muddy water. Sometimes she was waist deep, but she didn’t stop. All along the way she instructed her dog. The lady followed the flock with her dog nipping and guiding the sheep. Each time a sheep tried to turn back, the dog would head it off and make it return to the flock. It wasn’t long until every single sheep was in one of the stock trailers that kind neighbors had brought to move them to higher ground.

Alan could hardly believe that someone who had never seen him before would be so willing to give of her time and her skill with her valuable dog. She and her dog got wet, cold and covered with mud to save his flock. She must really love sheep! But I know someone who loves sheep even more. The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and if we trust Him, “we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). He was willing not just to give an hour, but to give His whole life for His sheep, and not just to get wet and muddy and cold, but to die on Calvary’s cross to save us.

Won’t you trust Him now and let Him lead you to higher ground? “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:46). That’s really higher ground! Wouldn’t you like to be with Him there? His death has made a way for every one of His sheep to be safely led right now and, one day, to share His home in heaven.

Have you trusted Him and become one of His sheep? The Lord 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” (John 10:27-28).

ML-06/27/1999

A Smashed Toe

Tommy was 11 years old, and he knew the verse, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). But Tommy liked to swing on the gate in their basement. Even when he had been told not to, he did it just once more. What a nice ride it was! Then . . . SMASH! . . . the ride ended when Tommy’s toe hit the wall.

How his toe hurt! During the night it hurt so much he couldn’t sleep. His disobedience could not be hidden. The next day his parents had to take him to the hospital where the toenail had to be removed.

Although Tommy is a grown man now, he still has trouble with that toe. It continues to remind him that we don’t get away with it when we disobey.

You boys and girls who know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, do you want to do something that will please Him? Here is something any of you can do that will make the Lord Jesus happy: “Children, obey your parents.” (Can you remember where this verse is found?)

ML-07/04/1999

A Dangerous Encounter

Have you ever seen a lion in a zoo?

If you’ve ever heard one roar, you probably know that he has a very loud voice! It is no wonder the lion is called the king of beasts. He is a very powerful animal, and we enjoy seeing him, but only when he is safely behind bars!

This is a story of a missionary lady named Rachel who went to Africa many years ago. Lions roam freely in certain parts of Africa. Rachel saw them fairly often, but one day she suddenly met up with two lions almost face to face. This dangerous encounter could have turned out very differently if the Lord had not helped her.

Along with about 130 porters, Rachel and her husband and children had been walking for many days. The porters helped them by carrying the many things they needed for the new mission station they were going to set up in Africa. They had started out this day early in the morning. Early in the afternoon, Rachel’s husband had gone ahead with most of the porters to show them where to set up the tents for the night. Now she was walking alone with her oldest child, enjoying the beautiful African birds and flowers.

Suddenly Rachel froze in her tracks with terror! To the right of the path in front of her, a huge lion and lioness had emerged from the bush and were heading for her! Rachel’s heart was pounding as she realized her husband was out of sight and she and her daughter had no one to protect them. Her thoughts quickly darted to her other children who were not far behind, being carried by a few porters. They would soon arrive at the spot, and perhaps all of them would be mauled or killed by these two huge beasts!

What would you have done if you were Rachel? She did the best thing anyone could do when they are in trouble . . . she lifted her heart up to God in prayer. This was not the first time she had turned to God her Father, trusting His promise, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

Have you ever been in danger? Even if you have never faced an African lion, you have an even stronger enemy who is always “[walking] about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This Bible verse is warning us about our great enemy, Satan. He hates everyone and is always trying to find ways to harm us, and especially those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The Bible tells us Satan is a thief and a robber, but he sometimes tries to make himself look like a good friend, just until he has us trapped in sin. Then we find out how true it is that he is our enemy and not the friend he seemed to be. “The thief [comes] not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Satan will steal all your happiness if you listen to him and in the end can destroy your whole life. BUT, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). How good that we have God our Father to turn to for help when our enemy attacks. He is always listening to our prayers. When we face any kind of danger, we can call on Him and He will hear and answer us, just as you will see that He did for Rachel.

Everyone in the caravan carried whistles so they could warn one another of approaching danger. After praying, Rachel quickly reached for the whistle hanging around her neck and blew it as loud as she could. To her great relief the two lions stopped, then turned down into a ravine close by and were soon out of sight. Her husband heard the whistle and rushed back as fast as he could. He got there in time to see the two lions walking in the bushes on the other side of the ravine.

Rachel knew that these lions were not friendly, but very dangerous enemies, just as Satan is a very dangerous enemy. But she also knew the One who is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. She could turn to Him for help when there was no one on earth who could help her, not even her loving husband. Do you know this wonderful Friend? He loves you and longs to be your Saviour and help you through life’s problems. He proved His love by dying on the cross for you. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Won’t you turn to Him today if you haven’t done so already and learn what a mighty Saviour and wonderful Friend He is?

ML-07/04/1999

Bats and Bees

WHAM! The baseball bat sent the golf ball bouncing across the backyard and into the bushes at the edge of the trees. Russ and Lee had decided to play golf, but since they were very young, they had no golf clubs and were using their baseball bats instead. They had set up a three-hole course and had been having fun, until they lost the ball in the bushes.

“I can’t find it,” said Lee, smacking the tall grass and weeds with his bat as he looked for it.

Russ went into the high weeds a little farther to look under some bushes. All of a sudden he let out a yell and came racing back into the yard toward the house with Lee following close behind! He had stepped on a yellow jackets’ nest, and the angry wasps came swarming out, stinging both boys quite badly.

Mom comforted the boys, put medicine on their stings and cautioned them to stay away from the nest.

When the boys were feeling a little better, they were looking over their stings and grumbling about those yellow jackets. Lee had more stings because he was younger and hadn’t been able to run away as fast as Russ. “We ought to get rid of that nest,” said Russ. Lee agreed. They thought they could destroy the nest if they hit it really hard with their bats.

Soon they were back in the bushes and had found the nest again. Lee stooped down to get a better look at it just as Russ swung his metal bat at the nest. He missed the nest, but as the bat swung up it hit Lee just below his eyebrow.

Blood was everywhere! The boys came screaming back to Mom. She cleaned up Lee the best she could and drove him quickly to the medical center. The doctor sewed up the wound with 18 tiny stitches, took x-rays of Lee’s head, and gave him a tetanus shot.

Poor Lee was in sorry shape. He was covered with wasp stings and now had a bandage around his head and everything hurt. He thought he might even die! And what would happen to him then, he wondered. He knew he had not asked the Lord Jesus to save him from his sins as he should have. He felt sure he wouldn’t go to heaven if he died. Even though he was just a little boy, he was very concerned about his soul. God tells us “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). And Lee was afraid he might have to meet God in his sins. He knew he would have to be punished for them in that awful place called hell. And that would be forever. But he also knew the Lord Jesus loved him very much and wanted to wash his sins away and be his Saviour. Then he could live with Jesus in heaven. Lee didn’t wait any longer to accept the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

I hope you will accept Him as your Saviour too.

“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-07/11/1999

An Incurable Disease

When Charlene Woodward first learned in 1996 that she had a serious blood disease, she thought she would be able to overcome her illness without asking for help. She struggled on for a full year, but her condition only grew worse. Finally, she concluded that she would have to turn to the help her doctors had recommended-she would have to have a series of blood transfusions.

The blood for these transfusions comes from a blood bank. And the blood bank gets its supply of blood from volunteers, people whose blood is carefully screened to be sure it is healthy blood. Receiving transfusions of healthy blood is the only help medical science has for Charlene’s blood disease. There is no cure, and Charlene was told that without blood transfusions her disease was a death sentence.

Some of us might think it strange that Charlene waited a whole year before turning to the only aid that could prolong her life. She knew the disease was incurable and eventually would take her life. Why wait? That’s a dangerous way to live. And yet, are you any different? God tells us in the Bible that you and I have an incurable disease. It is the disease of sin, and it also carries a death sentence, an eternal death sentence. “By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for . . . all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). That’s pretty plain. We all have it. But there is something we can do about it.

Unlike Charlene’s disease, our disease of sin does have a cure. We have a God who loves each one of us. He knows all about this disease of sin and loves us too much to let it destroy us. He is the only one who could provide a cure, but it cost Him the death of His Son Jesus. Jesus had to die on Calvary’s cross and shed His blood for our cure. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). His blood can wash us clean from all our sin! Each one of us can have that cure right now by coming to Jesus in prayer, admitting that we are helpless to get rid of our sins and accepting the cleansing power of His blood to wash us clean.

Charlene has received 77 blood transfusions and knows she would not be alive now without them. And God is offering you the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus for your sins, but it will do you no good until you receive it. Why wait? That’s a dangerous way to live when you know there is a cure waiting for you.

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

ML-07/11/1999

A Safe Place

Not long ago my husband was visiting a neighbor. The neighbor’s wife had a number of mother hens with baby chicks. She did not keep them in a pen, so they wandered all around the yard scratching, clucking and looking for food. Most of the baby chicks stayed close to their mothers, but one baby chick wandered around the yard more or less by itself.

Whenever there was danger or a sudden noise in the yard, all the mother hens would cluck to their chicks, and the baby chicks would quickly run under their mothers’ wings. They felt quite safe there.

As my husband chatted with our neighbor, he was surprised when he suddenly felt a baby chick up his pant leg! “Why did the baby chick do that?” he exclaimed.

“That’s an orphan chick; it doesn’t have a mother,” explained the neighbor. So my husband kept his leg very still, and the baby chick nestled close to his leg until it felt warm and safe and then thought it was safe to come out.

Later, when my husband told me this story, he exclaimed, “Imagine that such a tiny chick with such a tiny brain wanted love and security! The chick knew when it had these and missed them when it didn’t.”

Boys and girls, God has made your heart with even a greater need to find love and security. All the entertainments and activities of this world will never satisfy and fill your heart. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Unless you come to the Lord Jesus and receive Him as your Saviour, you will never find the lasting love and true security that your heart searches for.

The little chick found a place of security that day in the leg of my husband’s pants. He felt safe there. You also need a place of safety from God’s judgment that is about to fall upon this world. The Lord Jesus bore God’s anger against sin while He was on the cross so that He could freely offer you the forgiveness of your sins. “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).

The little orphan chick found a safe place. Have you?

ML-07/18/1999

A Little or a Lot

Our two daughters somehow left too late and missed their flight from Tampa to Seattle by almost an hour. Then there was Jim, a friend of ours, who had a flat tire on his way to the airport and arrived just in time to see his plane taxiing down the runway. Though he was only minutes late, he still missed his flight just the same as if he had been much later.

When I was a young girl I took part in a day of sports and races. I was quite proud of myself because I came in second in the younger girls’ race. My friend Nancy came in almost last. But neither of us won the race.

There are children who are often mean to their brothers and sisters and disobey their parents and don’t even care. Being mean and disobedient is sin. But maybe you are a child who really wants to do what’s right and tries hard to be obedient. That’s very good, but if you told me you have never been even a little bit grumpy when you were told to do something you didn’t want to do, I’d have to wonder if you were telling a lie. Lying is also sin. So God tells us that “there is no difference: for all have sinned” (Romans 3:22-23).

Whether we miss the plane or lose the race by just a little or by a whole lot doesn’t really matter too much, does it? Neither Jim nor our daughters caught their flights home, and neither Nancy nor I won the race. And whether we’re naughty just a little bit or a whole lot, we have all sinned and desperately need God’s saving grace, for not one single sin, great or small, will be allowed to enter heaven. But the wonderful news is that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners [like you and me]” (1 Timothy 1:15). Christ died for us, and His precious blood was poured out so you and I could be washed perfectly clean from every stain of sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Don’t miss heaven. The door of salvation is open for you, whether you have sinned a lot or just a little bit. The Lord Jesus loves you and wants to cleanse you from your sins right now. Won’t you come to Him and let Him wash your sins away?

ML-07/25/1999

Treasures

Grandma and Grandpa gave Lori a wonderful surprise for her birthday - a bright red tricycle. How she loved it! She rode it outside in nice weather, and she rode it in the basement in bad weather. However, there was something else Lori liked almost as much as her bike. It was her mother’s old sewing basket. Mother told Lori she could have it for her bike to keep things in, and they asked Daddy to attach it on the front of the bike for her. Lori was so pleased. Now when she found something she wanted to keep, into the basket it would go. Then she would snap down the cover and know it was safe. Sometimes she showed these “treasures” to special friends, but she was always careful to tuck them all safely back into her basket again.

One morning Lori was riding her bike on the sidewalk in front of her house when Mr. Winston, their neighbor, stopped to talk to her. Looking over her new bike and admiring it, he asked her what she carried in the basket. Lori opened it up to show him her “special things.” He could see pieces of ribbon, a doll comb and brush, some pretty stones, a key chain and a few pictures. There were other things too, but he could not tell what they were.

“Well, Lori,” he said, “I see you have lots of treasures in your basket. Have you ever thought of putting treasures in heaven?”

Now “treasures” was a big word for Lori, but she knew it meant something valuable and worth keeping. So she answered, “No, Mr. Winston. How do you do that?”

“It’s this way, Lori,” he explained. “You love your little basket of special things, don’t you?”

“Yes,” answered Lori.

“You would feel very sad if your basket were lost and you never found it again, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh, yes! I don’t ever want to lose my basket of special things!” Lori answered.

“That’s just it, Lori. The Lord Jesus says, ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ You love your basket of precious things. They belong to you, and they are very special. But someday they will be gone.

“In the same way the Lord Jesus loves you and wants to be your Treasure, Lori. He died for your sins, if you will accept Him as your Saviour. He wants you to love Him and trust Him, and He will never leave you. If you come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to save you, He will be your Treasure, and you will be His treasure - He will belong to you forever, and you will belong to Him forever.”

Lori listened to everything Mr. Winston said. She went to Sunday school every week and learned about the Lord Jesus, and she knew that her father and mother loved Him. But she knew she did not have the Treasure that Mr. Winston was talking about.

This little talk with Mr. Winston started Lori thinking. It was not long before she decided that she wanted the Lord Jesus to be her Treasure and asked Him to forgive her sins and be her Saviour.

How many of you boys and girls are so busy with things going on around you that you have forgotten about the Treasure that is in heaven? The Lord Jesus loves you and wants to save you. He died on the cross for sinners. If you will admit that you are a sinner, and accept Him as your Saviour, then you can say, “He died for me.” Will you accept Him as your Saviour right now?

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).

ML-07/25/1999

The Abandoned Dog

Phil, the animal warden, found the little dog wandering down a road. When he gently approached the pup, the dog got scared, ran up an embankment and onto the railroad tracks. Phil saw a freight train barrelling toward them in the distance, so he tried his best to get a leash on the pup. Instead, all he got was bitten fingers, while the little dog scampered away down the middle of the tracks.

Phil couldn’t catch him in time. He stood to the side and watched in horror as the 60-car freight train passed over the little dog. He could only think that what he would find would be a mangled little body. But when the train finally passed, somehow, the little dog was still alive.

An injured, helpless animal is heartbreaking and makes us want to help them in any way we can. Even more heartbreaking is an injured, helpless person. And as the Lord Jesus looked down and saw sinners, injured and helpless in their sins, it broke His heart. He loved us and knew He was the only one who could save us. He said to God His Father, “Here am I; send Me” (Isaiah 6:8).

And Phil was the only one who could save the little dog. As he bent over the pup, he was amazed to find that not only was the little fellow alive, but because of his small size and his huddling down in the center of the tracks, none of the dog’s injuries were life threatening. The little dog had lost his tail, part of an ear, and the fur and skin on his back. When Phil picked him up, he said the dog cuddled right up to him. He took the dog to an animal clinic nearby where doctors treated the dog’s injuries.

A day or so later a kind lady read the story in the newspaper of the little dog that survived after being run over by a train. She called the animal clinic and found that no owner had claimed the dog or even inquired about him. He was an abandoned dog; he had no home and no owner.

When the Lord Jesus saw our abandoned, sinful condition, His love for us would not let Him just turn away. He came down here to earth to show us how much He loves us and to save us. His life of love and kindness led Him to Calvary’s cross where He not only took the punishment for any sinner who will accept His loving offer of forgiveness for their sins, but He died for each one of us. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Kathy, the kind lady, went over to see the little dog with no tail, and to her joy he went right over to her and cuddled up next to her. It was love at first sight for both of them. And now the little dog has a new home and a new name - Joey. But best of all, he has a new owner who loves him just the way he is and is taking good care of him.

Is Joey enjoying Kathy’s love and care? Kathy says Joey wants to be around her all the time and spends a lot of time on her lap.

And one day soon, those of us who have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Saviour will go to our new home in heaven where we will live with our kind and loving Saviour forever. And there is something else very special. The Bible also tells us that He has a new name for each one of us who belongs to Him. He’ll give us those names when we are up there with Him. Meanwhile, we can enjoy His loving care over us right now and spend time learning more about Him from the Bible.

Will you accept the Lord Jesus’ loving offer of forgiveness for your sins and happiness in His home forever? Then you can thankfully say from your heart,

“The Son of
God . . . loved me,
and gave Himself
for me.”

Galatians 2:20

ML-08/01/1999

Do Grandpas Ever Die?

Davy and his mother were looking at old photographs. There was a funny one of his dad when he was only three years old and one of his mother when she was only one year old. Davy saw some pictures of his grandparents and great-grandparents too. He knew his two great-grandpas, “but where are the great-grandmas?” Davy asked. He didn’t know them.

His mother explained that they had died before he could remember them and they were right now in heaven.

Davy thought about this for a while. “Mom,” he finally said, “do grandpas ever die?”

To 5-year-old Davy, his 88-year-old great-grandpas seemed so old he thought they must have always been around! His mother explained to him, “Yes, someday they will also die, unless the Lord Jesus comes first.”

Davy learned this Bible verse: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Then he told his mother that he was ready to die, because he had asked the Lord Jesus Christ to wash his sins away.

So when Davy gets to heaven he will meet his great-grandmas, but best of all, he will see the face of Jesus who loved him and died for him. That day is coming very soon.

What about you? Are you ready if the Lord Jesus comes or if you should die?

“Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

ML-08/01/1999

In Icy Waters

Three teenagers were out riding their snowmobiles one night when they decided to ride on the ice over the pond. Open areas like the frozen pond were always such fun because they could ride so fast! However, the teens did not think about the risk they were taking, following recent mild weather. They just wanted to have fun!

Wanting to have fun is not limited to teenagers. Most people rush on in life having as much fun as they can. But very few are willing to think ahead to when their lives will end. They do not want to think that death may come at any time. They just want to have fun. Still, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

These three teens did not expect their ride would end so quickly! Suddenly, they hit open water! Their snowmobiles quickly sank and disappeared, and they found themselves in icy water and frantically swimming for the edge of the unbroken ice.

Grabbing the edge of the ice, two of the teens managed to climb out and run for help. The third one apparently couldn’t swim, because he didn’t make it.

Did he have time to prepare for eternity? We don’t know what goes through a person’s mind just before they drown. But the Bible warns us not to wait until we are face to face with death: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). And the Bible also warns us not to wait until we grow old: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

How important it is to prepare for eternity right now! “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

ML-08/08/1999

The Tape Recorder

Carol is a grown-up lady now, but she has never forgotten her twelfth birthday, even though it was many years ago. Her mother had said she could have a birthday party with some of her friends.

Finally school was out, and she hurried home to greet her friends as they arrived. Soon everyone was there. They played games in the basement, and everyone had a good time. It was almost time for cake and ice cream when her father came home, bringing a package beautifully wrapped with a big bow. All of the children were anxious to see what was inside. But since it was time to eat, they all sat down quietly at the table while Carol’s father asked God’s blessing on the food.

When they had finished eating, everyone tried to guess what Carol’s present was, but her father kept saying every guess was wrong. All her friends watched her unwrap it.

None of them had ever seen anything quite like this present. It was a black plastic box with levers and buttons. Her father explained that it was a tape recorder. When the buttons were pressed, voices and all sorts of sounds could be recorded. He explained that they would be able to hear what they had recorded when they played the tape back again.

Everyone listened carefully as the tape of their recorded voices was played. There was much laughing and excitement as each voice was heard and recognized. Then each one took a turn recording a message on the recorder in another room. When the last one had finished, they played it back for everyone to hear. Tina was Carol’s best friend, and her message was the last one. Suddenly the room became very quiet as Tina’s voice was heard saying, “I’m glad that I’m Carol’s best friend, because she told me about God and how He loved me so much that He sent His Son Jesus down to earth to die for my sins. I’ve learned the Bible verse that says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin,’ and I believe it. Now I want to tell everyone how happy I am that I’ve taken Jesus as my Saviour.”

For several seconds there was complete silence in the room. Then someone said, “Let’s finish that ping-pong game,” and they soon forgot what Tina had said on the recorder.

Perhaps all the others quickly forgot, but Carol did not forget what Tina had said. Yes, she had told Tina about the Saviour, but she had never really believed it for herself. Her parents were Christians, and she had told everyone that she was too. But she knew it wasn’t really true because she had never told the Lord Jesus that she was a sinner and needed her sins washed away.

But as she went to bed that night she kept remembering what Tina had said. It bothered her so much that she couldn’t sleep, so she got up and wakened her mother and father. She told them that she wasn’t really saved and she wanted to be.

The three of them knelt down beside the bed and prayed. Carol told the Lord Jesus that she knew she was a sinner and thanked Him for dying for her sins. She knew there was nothing she could do to take them away so she could go to heaven. Now she understood that Jesus had died as her substitute, and all she had to do was accept this wonderful gift. Now she had that peace and happiness of knowing that the matter was settled once and for all.

How about you? Are you saved from your sins? Do you realize that your sins will shut you out of heaven forever? It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can forgive your sins. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

Won’t you settle the matter right now?

ML-08/08/1999

Not for Sale

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you”
(Exodus 12:13).

When I was in the seventh grade, I had a classmate named Walter. One day I came to school and saw Walter rubbing something in his hand with sandpaper. I asked what he had, and he showed me a little boat he was carving. It was a round-bottomed dory. I asked, “How did you learn to make such a nice boat?”

Walter answered, “My father showed me.” The next day when he came to school he held the boat out to me and said, “Do you like it?”

The boat was all smooth and finished, and I said, “I love it!”

Then Walter handed me the boat and said, “It is yours.”

I looked at it with admiration and approval. Then I said something I have regretted ever since: “Let me pay for it.”

Walter snatched it out of my hand and put it into his shirt pocket and said, “It is not for sale,” and walked away.

I can remember that day at school clearly. I learned that you can never pay for a gift, because then it isn’t really a gift. As I went home that afternoon, I felt sad with regret.

The next day I went to Walter and said, “Can you tell me how to make a boat like that?”

He said, “Yes,” and told me how to use a gouge and a chisel and sandpaper.

I have been making little boats ever since. I like to show others how to carve little boats and remind them to accept God’s gift. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” That is what we deserve. But the rest of the verse says, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:89). You cannot pay for a gift, and you cannot work for it either; you just accept it, and then say “thank you.” “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Have you accepted God’s gift for you?

ML-08/15/1999

Ersin Wanted to Eat

As he walked through the marketplace, Ersin’s leather sandals slapped the dusty cobblestones. It was getting to be late morning with the bright sun rising higher and hotter, and still he had not tasted a bite of food. He looked into the faces of those he passed, searching for someone kind who might give him something to eat.

He walked by a fruit stand full of crates of brightly colored ripe fruit. The owner eyed him suspiciously.

No handouts here, he thought to himself.

Ersin rubbed his empty stomach. Hunger was twisting it into a knot. Then the wonderful odors of food coming from an outdoor cafe made him turn. He walked over and stood at the edge of the cafe staring. A man and a woman were eating ham and eggs and sipping steaming coffee at a table. He could tell they were Americans. He had no problem begging from the people of his own town, but these people were strangers. Ersin watched them eat. As they finished and were about to pay the bill, Ersin went up to the man and woman, meaning to beg only a coin to buy a piece of fruit. He stood before them, but the shyness he felt did not let him speak.

Seeing the boy standing there, the man asked, “Have you eaten breakfast, boy?”

“A coin, Señor, a coin?” the boy begged, hoping to buy only a piece of fruit.

“A coin, no. I will buy you all you can eat. Sit down. Señora, cook this boy all he can eat and give him something to drink. I will pay the bill.”

Ersin ate a meal like he had not eaten in a long time.

How kind that man was to Ersin. But do you know the kindest man there ever was? The Lord Jesus, like the man who bought the meal, is a kind and generous giver. If we come to Him in our misery and unhappiness, He knows exactly what we need. He knows that sin brings us into misery in this life and will take us into hell after death. He knows that sin is too big a problem for us to handle by ourselves. It is such a big problem that even other men, no matter how wise and kind, cannot free us from the burden of sin. The Lord Jesus, the greatest giver of all time, is the only One who can save us from our sins and from eternal punishment. And He has already made all the arrangements.

To save us from our sins, the Lord Jesus died on Calvary’s cross. The very One who in the beginning created man died for His creature’s sins. Now all who are truly sorry about their sins and believe on Him receive the gift of eternal life. “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).

Will you come to the Lord Jesus and receive the greatest gift of all? “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Come to Him by faith, and you will certainly find out what a giver He is! The Lord Jesus will do more for you than you could ever think: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

ML-08/15/1999

The Lost Voice

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6

Our two little grandsons stood looking at me, not understanding. They were holding out their story books eagerly, but Grandma was saying that she couldn’t read. This is impossible! Grandma always reads when she comes to visit. They just couldn’t believe it, but that’s because they hadn’t learned yet that a person can lose her voice. All afternoon they kept bringing me their favorite books, but I could only shake my head “no.” Their daddy laughed and suggested I put a band-aid on my throat to help them understand.

The next afternoon when I heard them coming to our door, I ran quickly to the first aid kit and picked out a large band-aid and placed it on my neck where they could easily see it. That afternoon each time one of the boys brought me a book, I simply pointed to the band-aid. They were disappointed, but they seemed to understand and went back to their puzzles or building blocks, muttering to each other, “Grandma can’t read stories today.”

It is so much easier for us to believe in something we can see, but believing in something we cannot see is called faith. We use faith all the time. By faith we sit down on chairs, believing they will hold us and not collapse under us. By faith we bury seeds in the ground, believing tiny plants will sprout. By faith we drop an envelope in a mail box, knowing we will never see it again, but believing that it will reach the person it is addressed to. Faith is a part of everyday living. The Bible tells us that “faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). God wants us to have faith in Himself. He says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that [comes] to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

It really doesn’t take very much faith to believe in God. We have proof all around us if we will stop to see how He designed our bodies to heal a paper cut on a finger; if we will look up in the night sky and see that beautiful moon that has been regulating the ocean tides for centuries. And when we believe that He has designed us and our planet, we can also believe that He loves us and designed a wonderful plan for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. He has given us the Bible, something we can hold and read and understand. He carefully explains in the Bible that because of our sins He sent His beloved Son Jesus down here to die for us. Each one who will by faith believe that “Jesus died for my sins” is rewarded with a place in heaven for eternity. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

It doesn’t take very much faith to believe in God. Will you believe what He says? “Though now ye see Him [Jesus] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

ML-08/22/1999

On the Wrong Train

I was seated on a train in the commuter station in Chicago. The car I was in was filling fast with business people anxious to return to their homes after a day of work in the city. It was a regularly scheduled express train which only stopped at certain places. Just before the train started, a young man sat down beside me. As we pulled out of the station he turned to me and said, “This train stops at Morton Grove, doesn’t it? I’m visiting here, and I have friends who are to meet me at the Morton Grove station.”

“No, I’m sorry, it doesn’t,” I answered. “You should have asked before you got on. This is an express train. It goes straight through to Glenview without stopping anywhere else.”

He looked worried for a while, and then he seemed to relax.

After about 20 minutes, I said to him, “Morton Grove is the next town, but I’m sure the train isn’t going to stop.” He got up, walked to the front of the car and waited. As he anxiously looked out the window, the name “Morton Grove” flashed by as the train raced past the station. All he saw was a brief glimpse of the station and platform as we went by.

He was on the wrong train for sure. His friends were waiting for him at Morton Grove. The same train that was taking me to where I wanted to go was each moment taking him farther away from where he wanted to go.

Each one of us is a traveler hurrying on to somewhere. Those who are saved from their sins are hurrying onward and upward to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. Those who are not saved from their sins are hurrying onward and downward to a hopeless, never-ending darkness. If you are a child who is not saved and your parents are, you and your parents are traveling to two different places. Your father and mother are getting nearer and nearer to heaven while you are getting nearer and nearer to that awful place of never-ending darkness.

If you come to the Lord Jesus Christ now and accept Him as your own Saviour, you will be on your way to heaven instead. Will you come to Him now while you still have time?

“There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

ML-08/22/1999

The Snake in the Pool

It was a lovely warm day in late May, and Tom and Ben went outside with their mother to cover their swimming pool. Out behind their home was a woods, so they had to cover the pool at night to keep leaves and other things from falling into it.

Ben helped his mother on one side, while Tom, who was six years old, went to the other side of the pool to help. They began to pull the heavy cover over the pool. Suddenly in one corner of the pool where a few leaves were floating, they saw something strange moving. Into their view swam a big snake! It was about three feet long and swam gracefully through the water. The boys were excited. Since they lived in the country, they had seen snakes many times. They knew that most snakes in Canada were harmless, so they were not afraid of them. Mother decided to help the snake out of the pool, as they did not care to have it as a guest! She took the skimmer net on a long pole, hoping to catch it in the net and take it into the woods to let it go. But a swimming snake is not easy to catch, and this one was surprisingly quick at avoiding the net.

Suddenly the snake swam to the edge and very easily humped itself up onto the cement around the pool. As Mother tried once again to catch it, it turned angrily and began to strike at the pole and net. To the horror of the three watchers, they also heard a sound - the distinctive rattle that told them that they were dealing with a very aggressive and poisonous rattlesnake! And Mother knew that a rattlesnake bite is dangerous and can kill a person.

The Bible mentions snakes (or serpents) many times. In the first book in the Bible, in Genesis 3:1, we are told, “Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” In the last book of the Bible, in Revelation 12:9, it says, “That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” Satan appeared as a snake in the garden of Eden and deceived our first parents, Adam and Eve, into sinning by disobeying God. He has been very successful at deceiving people in this world ever since. Tom and Ben had been interested to see a snake in their pool and wanted to be kind to it. It looked so graceful and nice swimming in the pool, but this one was not harmless. It might do some good but could easily have bitten the boys and their mother. So Satan has been deceiving people for thousands of years by appearing to be good, but then leading them to sin and eventually death. The Bible tells us that “he that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning” (1 John 3:8).

“Run to the deck, boys,” Mother warned, while she tried to fend off the attacking snake. Just then she heard the man next door come out of his house and called for help. As the neighbor approached the fence, the snake darted through the fence and tried to attack him too! There was no thought now of enjoying the snake’s coloring or even of carrying it to the woods. This one was poisonous, and it was attacking people! Quickly the neighbor grabbed a log, and soon the snake was dead at their feet.

Mother was interested to know more about this dangerous visitor who had come for a swim in their pool, so she went inside and called the Wildlife Association. “Yes, it was what is called a Mississauga rattlesnake. But,” the lady went on to say, “you shouldn’t have killed it! They do a lot of good eating bugs and rodents!” That reminds us of many people in this world who do not want to believe that Satan is trying to harm them. Some would even say that he does not exist!

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then Satan will try to convince you to continue on in your sins. He knows very well that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But the same verse tells us that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Why not come to the Lord Jesus today and have your sins forgiven through the precious blood of Christ?

If you are already saved, Satan knows that he cannot take away your salvation, but he can lead you to sin and dishonor the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When Mother resisted the snake, it tried to attack her. But if we remember that Satan is trying to harm us and ask the Lord for strength to resist him, Satan will flee from us.

ML-08/29/1999

"One Thing God Can't See"

Timmy said to his mother, “Guess what my Sunday school teacher told me yesterday.”

“What did she tell you, Timmy?”

“She told us there is one thing God can’t see!”

Mother asked with a surprised voice, “Are you sure your teacher told you that? Why, God sees everything!”

Timmy said with a smile on his face, “She said that God can’t see our sins when they are all covered by the blood of Jesus!”

Mother quickly agreed, “That’s exactly right, Timmy. God tells us that in the Bible.”

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isaiah 44:22). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Are your sins covered by the blood of Jesus?

ML-08/29/1999

Suzy

Suzy is a little Chinese girl who was born blind. Her world was only darkness, because she could not even see light. She had never seen the faces of her own mother and father, and, sadly, she could not remember their voices, for they had not kept her. Perhaps because she was blind, they had taken her as a baby to the door of an orphanage in China and left her there. But our kind Father in heaven loves every boy and girl born into this world, and He did not desert this helpless, blind baby girl. He is the caring and loving “Father of all” (Ephesians 4).

The blind Chinese baby was found where she had been left on the hard steps of the orphanage and picked up by kind arms and given a bed and food. The orphanage named her Suzy, but there were even better things in store for her.

A kind couple in the United States decided that they wanted to adopt Suzy - to take her into their home to raise as their very own daughter. Even before they saw her, they had a lot of love in their hearts for her. And once they saw her cute little face, they loved her even more.

As Suzy grew she brought a lot of sunshine into their lives, even though she lived in a dark world. At least she had parents to love her and take care of her. But these kind parents wanted the very best for their little girl, and soon they were taking her to doctors to learn more about her blind eyes. They found out that she had cataracts - a clouding that blocks out light - that were making it impossible for her to see. The doctors said an operation on each eye could remove the cataracts.

One happy day after the operations, the bandages were removed and Suzy could see for the first time. How happy that made her! By then she was already five years old, and finally she could begin to learn so much more about the world around her that she had never seen. Suzy is one of the oldest children on record to have sight for the first time, and doctors are very interested to see how well she learns with sight.

The Bible tells a story about a blind man. One day the friends of the blind man asked the Lord Jesus to give him his sight. The Lord Jesus did open his eyes, and then He asked the man what he saw. He said, “I see men as trees, walking.” He was not seeing clearly, but that was not a problem to the Lord Jesus! He touched his eyes again, and then he “saw every man clearly.” This is a good example of the “eyes of our hearts” or understanding. Many of you reading this story may have been raised in Christian homes where you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour at an early age, and perhaps you are used to “seeing Him.” But some of you may have accepted Him as your Saviour more recently, and perhaps you feel like you will never “see” or understand things about Him as well as those who have been following Him for a long time. But you can tell the Lord Jesus about the “eyes of your heart” not seeing clearly, and He can make them work just as well as someone who has been following Him much longer than you. He is still interested in helping His children through every difficulty of their lives, and He invites you to “[cast] all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). In another place He says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2).

“If any of you lack wisdom [or understanding], let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (James 1:5).

He wants to give you every good thing. Are you ready to receive them?

ML-09/05/1999

A Bike for Victor

An auction is a sale where items are sold to the highest bidder. In one city, the police were auctioning off about 100 unclaimed bicycles.

“Ten dollars,” said 11-year-old Victor as the bidding opened on the first bike. The bidding, however, went much higher.

“Ten dollars,” Victor repeated hopefully each time another bike came up.

The auctioneer, Mr. West, noticed that the boy’s hopes seemed highest each time a 10-speed bike was being auctioned. There was just one more 10-speed bike left. The bidding went up to $28.

“Sold to that boy over there for $30!” said Mr. West. He took $20 from his own pocket and asked Victor for his $10.

Victor gave Mr. West his money - in single dollars and change - took his bike and started to leave. But suddenly he stopped. Walking his bike back to Mr. West, he thanked him for helping him pay for the bike.

In Luke 17 we read the story of how the Lord Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one of them returned to thank Him. The Lord said, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”

God gave His only Son in love to be the Saviour of sinners, and the Lord Jesus gave Himself upon the cross to die to put away sin and to give everlasting life to all who will believe. Have you believed and received the gift of everlasting life? If so, are you like one of those nine lepers who went on their way, forgetting the One who had healed them? Or are you like Victor in our story who returned with a thankful heart? Surely, the Lord Jesus and the Father who sent Him are worthy of our thanks and praise.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

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

ML-09/05/1999

Proven Guilty

In the United States, a person who has a driver’s license may be called to serve on a jury. On the day that I was selected to be a juror, the young man who was accused of a crime insisted that he was innocent. The State Prosecutor called a witness who had been at the scene of the crime, and not only had she been there, she also had her video camera with her and had taken a video of the whole action. It was very clear to me after watching the video that the man was guilty. He had to watch the video at the same time, and I thought, With this testimony against him, he will admit he is guilty and the trial will be over.

When this first part of the trial was over, the judge excused us to go to lunch. When we returned to the courtroom, it was just as I thought; the judge told us that something had brought the trial to an end, and all the jurors were dismissed. I concluded that the video had proved his guilt.

Have you ever been proven guilty? Do you realize that God knows every word you speak, every thought you think, and everything you do? He doesn’t need a video camera, but He has your life recorded from the moment you were born right up to the present time. Do you think that you can stand before God in His courtroom and insist that you are innocent of all sin?

Here is a test. Truthfully, before God, check the box after each question that is true in your life.

1. I have always loved the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind. Yes no

2. I have always loved my brothers, sisters and neighbors as much as I love myself. yes no

3. I am always happy when other people have things that I want and don’t have. Yes no

4. I have always obeyed my parents. Yes no

5. I have never taken anything that doesn’t belong to me. Yes no

If you answered each question honestly, you will probably have checked “no” to at least one question, which means you are a sinner. But the wonderful news is, “Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS” (1 Timothy 1:15). Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but SINNERS to repentance” (Mark 2:17). Have you admitted to God that you are a sinner?

I thought that the young man who was on trial had admitted to the judge that he was guilty, and that that’s why the trial had ended. However, the next day I learned that in spite of all the evidence, he still insisted that he was innocent and was looking for another lawyer who would be able to convince the judge and jury that he was not guilty.

Are you thinking, What a dishonest and foolish young man! But if you think that you can convince God that you are innocent of all sin, you are just as dishonest and foolish. No, you must confess to God that you are a guilty sinner who deserves the punishment of being cast into the lake of fire, just as the Bible warns. If you believe that you are a sinner and admit to God your guilt, He will forgive all your sins. He doesn’t forgive you because He thinks lightly of sin. He will forgive you because He loves you. He cannot bring us to His home in heaven with our sins, but He commends “His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

But if you refuse to admit your guilt and come to God in repentance, you will find yourself in His courtroom among the guilty, small and great, who stand before God, “and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead [guilty] were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12,15).

Will you admit your guilt to God and be forgiven?

ML-09/12/1999

Wasted Sweetness

A big fire in a chocolate company made a sweet but sticky mess. Chocolate was stored in the area where the fire broke out. During the fire the chocolate melted and formed puddles 3 feet deep and 30 feet wide. Firemen waded through the mess, getting chocolate on their coats, hands and faces. They joked about being “walking chocolate bars.”

For those of us who love chocolate, this picture is one that brings both smiles and sadness: smiles when we think of what those firemen must have looked like, but sadness when we think of all that sweet chocolate going to waste.

There is another picture that brings only sadness to our hearts: all the sweetness of God’s love and grace that is being turned down by men and women and boys and girls. God showed His great love in sending His Son: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus]” (John 3:16). But they have turned down Jesus too: “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). Have you accepted Him as your Saviour? If not, why? God’s love is being offered free “without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). Now is the time to accept Him as your Saviour.

“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

ML-09/19/1999

Six Miles Without a Parachute

Vesna, a 31-year-old airline hostess, fell six miles without a parachute and lived to tell the story.

The plane in which she was a hostess exploded in the air, but she was making coffee in the tail of the aircraft when the explosion took place. “I don’t remember anything - not even boarding the plane,” she says. But one thing she does know is that for some reason she is the only survivor of the strange accident.

What Vesna does not talk about is that for some reason God has spared her life, and we hope she thanks Him as much as she thanked the person that found her in the plane’s wreckage. “The man that pulled me from the wreckage burned his hands from the hot metal,” she says. When Vesna met him later, she said, “I was so happy - I kissed his hands!” But what the Lord Jesus has done for her can save her soul; He died for her! His hands and feet were nailed to Calvary’s cross and His side was pierced from which flowed soul-saving blood. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Have you realized you are completely helpless to save your own soul, and have you accepted Him as your Saviour? Vesna had no choice; she was completely helpless. Her rescuer, a forest worker who was nearby, heard the noise of the airplane metal falling down the mountain, and he heard the screams. The Lord Jesus sees your need of His saving power, and because He loves you so much, He is offering you salvation, full and free. “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).

Vesna accepted the forest worker’s life-saving help. Will you accept the soul-saving offer that cost the Lord Jesus His life?

ML-09/19/1999

What's Your Priority?

A priority is something that you do first, even if other things have to wait. If you are not saved from your sins, this matter should be settled first. You need to take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. This has priority over everything else you plan to do. Here is a story that might help you to understand.

Picture in your mind a little house in Bolivia with a wooden fence around a plain dirt yard. Beside the house there is a mother and several young children, and not far away is a rather fat pig. The mother has a tub in which she is busy washing the children’s clothes, with soapsuds up to her elbows.

The story begins as a tall young man comes into the yard carrying a Spanish Bible. He asked the mother if he could tell the children a Bible story. This request suddenly took top priority. The mother quickly set down her bar of soap on a stone, wiped the suds off her arms, and sat down with her children, ready to listen. They wanted to hear the message from God’s Word, the Bible.

What was the message? Of all messages in the world, the Word of God is the most important. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what color your skin is, or what language you speak, it is just right for you and me. God speaks not only to all of us as a group, but to each one of us individually. He is speaking to you right now. He is telling you in His Word that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He also tells you in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” This message is for everyone. But verse 16 does not end there; it goes on to say that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This message is more personal; He is talking to you as a special person. It must be just you, one person, who makes this most important decision to believe in that only begotten Son of God, in order that you may not perish but have everlasting life. This is your top priority at this moment. Will you settle it right now?

The family listened while the wonderful story of Jesus and His love was told to them. (And whenever you hear about Jesus, whether it is new to you or not, I hope your priority is to listen and to let others around you listen. This is important too.) But there was one there whose priority was to eat, and that one did not listen at all. The missionary suddenly interrupted his message with the cry, “The pig is eating your soap!”

Everyone gave chase. The pig was a good runner, but not very good at turning corners. Instead, she crashed into the fence, dropped the soap, and went off with foam around her mouth from the piece she had bitten off. The mother reclaimed her bar of soap, and then the gospel message was continued. It was too important to be ended by a hungry pig.

Don’t let anyone or anything keep you from listening and receiving God’s message for you today. John 3:16 is God’s wonderful promise of everlasting life for you today, but remember it contains that sad and hopeless word “perish.” This means that there is a lost eternity in outer darkness for those who do not, individually and one by one, believe on the One whom God has sent to die for them. You will never, never make any decision more important than this. Will you then, right now, claim that wonderful verse and believe on the only begotten Son of God, that you may not perish but have everlasting life?

ML-09/19/1999

Something Missing

The sad Lithuanian family stood around the deathbed of their mother. There was Frank, the oldest son, Ursula, the only daughter, and little William John who was only five years old. The mother had one last thing to tell her family.

“I’m dying and I know it,” she said. “I’m going to hell and I’ll meet you all there.” This was the last thing that William John ever heard his mother say.

Fear gripped young William John - a fear that was going to be with him most of his life.

Times were rough, and William John in just a few years began to work for his father to help the family out. His father owned a restaurant where alcohol was served. It became William John’s job after school to clear and wash the tables. One day out of curiosity William John began to sample the drinks left in the bottom of the glasses and soon began to like alcohol.

The years passed on in William John’s life. He grew and became a man. One day he met a young lady in his town and took an interest in her. Before long they were married. William John and his wife had two small children when the news came that World War II had begun. Seeking excitement and a change from his alcoholic lifestyle, William John joined the army and went to fight in the war.

Fear that he could feel followed William John onto the battlefields. He fought in battles only yards away from death. Time after time he watched his buddies die. Over and over he recalled his mother’s last words. Life was very fragile on the battlefields of France.

Back at home his wife wasn’t happy with the life she was living. She knew that something was missing in her life. Then one day she learned that it was Someone who was missing in her life.

As one of her next-door neighbors was chatting with her one morning, she asked, “Do you know Jesus?”

Although William John’s wife had been brought up in a religious home, she had never heard the name Jesus. She had never heard that Jesus, God’s Son, came to this earth to die for her sins, had risen from the dead and had returned to heaven. She realized that she desperately needed this man Jesus in her unhappy life. After a short time she got on her knees, admitted that she was a sinner, believed that Jesus had died for her sins, and then told her neighbor that she was now born again. She had new life in Jesus.

Time passed. William John returned from the war to discover that his wife was now a Christian. He began to attend church services with his wife, but fear kept him from coming to the Saviour. Now he feared that his family would reject him.

To fill his empty life, William John turned to alcohol and was unkind to his family. His wife tried to read the Bible at home, but William John wouldn’t permit it.

At this time, a third child was born into the family. His wife struggled to feed and dress everyone, but all this time she never stopped praying that her husband would see his need of Christ and come without fear to the Saviour.

One day his wife brought a well-known evangelist to their home to speak to him about accepting Christ as his Saviour. But William John refused to listen. He did not want to admit that he was a sinner.

Smoking and drinking finally caught up with William John, and it was discovered that he had cancer of the tongue. There was not much choice but to have an operation to remove his tongue. Now William John could not speak. But that wasn’t all. The doctors had not discovered the cancer soon enough to be able to remove it all, and the cancer spread. William John was dying. Fear had kept him from confessing Christ with his mouth and now he could not speak. Fear of death now gripped him.

One weekend William John’s wife took two of their sons and went to a Bible conference. When she returned home, she made a wonderful discovery. In his silent existence, William John had a habit of listening to the radio. He had been listening to a Christian station where he again heard the story of how Jesus had come to die for his sins and take away all the fear in his life. For the first time William John listened with an open heart, admitted that he was a sinner and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Now William John was born again, but he never had the privilege of confessing with his mouth that Jesus Christ was his Saviour. Although he couldn’t talk, he could still write and say that he knew that his sins were gone - that he had new life in Jesus. A short time later he died.

You don’t need to take as long as William John to admit that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus to take your sins away. If you have done this, be sure that you confess with your mouth -tell someone - that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour.

“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-09/26/1999

Teddy

Teddy is a small dog with fluffy black hair. His nose is very short, and there is not quite enough room in his mouth to store his little red tongue, so some of it sticks out a bit. Teddy has an illness which makes him very sick at times. There is a remedy for this illness, a medicine I give him by squirting it into his mouth. Soon he is feeling frisky again.

Once when I was giving him this medicine he bit me and made my hand bleed. Even though the medicine was for his good, he did not want it!

When Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, He did only good, but men did not want Him either! “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” they cried. Pilate asked, “Why, what evil [has] He done?” But they again demanded that He should be crucified. Shortly after, He was nailed to the cross where He suffered, bled and died for the sins of all who will believe in Him. Accept this gift of eternal life now.

Teddy needed his medicine. You need Jesus, the only remedy for your sin. Then you will be fit for heaven. “Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:38-39).

ML-10/03/1999

The Lord Provides

I wish there was some way I could help out, I thought as I drove home after dropping the children off at school. My husband needed new tires for his truck, and there just didn’t seem to be enough money to go around. I was low on food money too. Still, he was always so kind to me and the children that I wished there was some way I could help him.

Well, I don’t know any way I can help, I said to myself, and I’ve got to attend to that dog.

On Saturday afternoon the children had noticed a strange dog hiding behind our garage. “Come and see her, Mom,” they’d coaxed. “She’s an awfully nice dog, and she has a collar with a tag on it too.”

I hadn’t wanted to see the dog, because in my heart I thought I might want to keep it. I knew we couldn’t afford one, so I told the children, “Just don’t get too attached to her.”

Now it was Monday morning, and I knew I ought to call the animal clinic and tell them we had a lost dog. She really was a nice dog. She looked like a small collie, except she was black where a collie would be honey colored. I’d hardly ever seen a dog that was so well mannered or good tempered. By Sunday afternoon we were all petting and enjoying her. The children would be sorry if she were gone when they came home. But, reluctantly, I went in and called the clinic number on the dog’s tag.

“Oh, those people will be glad to hear you have their dog,” said the worker who answered the phone. “I’ll call them right away.” Within five minutes the phone rang at our house, and arrangements were made with the owners to come and pick up the dog. Her name was Coda.

Coda was as delighted to see Tom, her owner, as Tom was to see his dog. He thanked me warmly for caring for her and then said, “You know there’s a reward for returning Coda, don’t you?”

“No,” I answered. “I wasn’t aware of any reward.”

“Well, Coda’s an Australian shepherd, a very valuable dog,” Tom said as he gave me $250 reward money.

Wow! That’ll be a good start on a new set of tires was my first thought, marveling at the Lord’s goodness and provision for us. And out loud I said, “Thank you, but I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, yes you did,” Tom answered. “You fed and cared for her. You’ve earned your reward. Besides, Coda is like a child to us. We really appreciate your kindness.”

How sweetly God answers our needs. Coda could have wandered into anyone’s backyard, but the Lord directed her to ours. I was reminded of His promise to those who love Him and want to please Him: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Food and tires are real necessities, but every one of us has a far greater need - the forgiveness of our sins. That’s something no amount of money can pay for, but God has supplied that need too. Romans 5:8 tells us that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Won’t you confess yourself a guilty, helpless sinner and let Him fill that need in your life too?

ML-10/10/1999

Some Mathematics

How many of you like math in school? Maybe it is one of your favorite subjects, or maybe it is the one you dislike the most. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are very important skills to learn, as we continue to use them all through life. Now, we would like to ask all of you young students, Can the answer to this little math problem at the beginning ever be zero? Can you think of any way that we could end up with a big “0” at the end? As you read on, you will find out that it can be done!

God has told us that we are ALL very good at adding and multiplying. In the Old Testament He said that the children of Israel had multiplied all kinds of awful transgressions and sins, that they had added sin to sin and iniquity to iniquity. In 1 Samuel 12:19 the Israelites confessed that they had added to their sin by asking for a king.

Don’t you agree that it is very easy to add to our sins, and to multiply them too? For example, most of us have told a lie and then told several more to cover up the first one.

But we cannot subtract them. No matter how sorry we may be for the sin we have done, there it stays. It cannot be undone. But hear the good news! God can subtract! Subtract means “take away,” and the Bible tells us in 1 John 3:5 that Jesus came to take away (subtract) sins. He had to suffer and die for every one of those sins. Jesus became the sin-bearer for all who accept Him as their very own Saviour, and where there is true repentance for sin, God delights to subtract. I can come to the Lord Jesus and tell Him I am a sinner with a great number of sins. What will He do? Let us suppose that those figures at the beginning are the sum of my sins. Because of that tremendous work that the Lord Jesus did on the cross, He will write “minus 430” under my total, and my answer will be ZERO!

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

So that not one spot remains,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

ML-10/10/1999

Lost in a Canyon

When I was a boy I often spent part of the summer with my grandfather at his cottage. I liked to collect butterflies. I would catch them when they landed on one of the many flowers in my grandfather’s yard. Then I would let them loose in Grandfather’s big screened-in porch. I can remember having many beautiful butterflies flying around on the porch.

My grandfather’s cottage was in a large clearing in the woods of central Pennsylvania. Being surrounded by woods kept me from wandering too far away while chasing the fluttering butterflies. This was not the case though with a young boy named Rod who also loved to chase butterflies.

Rod lived on a ranch in the western United States. It was in prairie country, so the homestead was surrounded by open range and canyons. Behind the house was a fenced-in garden area. This is where Rod spent most of his time playing. There were many flowers planted in front of the fence which attracted butterflies. Rod would catch them and keep them in jars for a while and then set them free again.

One summer day the gate was left open a little. Rod had been told many times that he was not to go out of the yard. But the beautiful fluttering butterfly that he was chasing was now sitting on a wildflower on the other side of the fence.

Rod was watching the butterfly when he noticed the gate was open a little. Pushing it open, he crept up on the still-resting butterfly. Just as he reached for its folded-back wings it flew off. Now the chase was on!

No one had told the butterfly to stay close to Rod’s house, so it fluttered from one wildflower to another, with Rod right behind. Each time he would get close, the butterfly would flutter off again. Rod didn’t realize it but the butterfly was leading him farther and farther away from the safety of his home.

Rod finally got tired and gave up on the butterfly and turned to go back home. It was then that he realized there was no sign of a path or road. Actually he wasn’t far from home, but he couldn’t see the house. He was in a canyon. He started walking in what he thought was the right direction, but it wasn’t. The farther he walked the farther it took him away from home. Although he was trying his best to go home, every step was taking him away from it. He was lost.

Meanwhile, back at his house Rod’s mother soon missed him. A quick search of the buildings around the ranch didn’t find him. A frantic call on the 2way radio brought his dad in from the field. They searched all over but could not find Rod.

Returning home, they called the sheriff. Within an hour a large search party was formed at the house. After getting instructions from the sheriff, the searchers moved out in all directions. Neighbors and townsfolk joined in the search for Rod. Some were on horseback, some were on foot, others were in jeeps. Even a helicopter from the army base joined the search.

The search continued through the late afternoon and evening. With sunset coming on, Rod’s parents became more worried. Questions kept crossing their minds: What had happened? . . . Where was Rod? . . . Was he safe? . . . Had he been attacked by a coyote? . . . Would they find him before dark?

Some parents around us may be worried about their sons and daughters. They have raised their children in a Christian home, loved them, and read the Bible and prayed with them. Still they worry because they know their child is “lost.” They are lost the way the Bible describes: “All we like sheep have gone astray [are lost]; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Stop right now and ask yourself the question, Am I lost the way the Bible describes it? If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your very own Saviour, you are lost! Each of us, young or old, has “gone astray” in the eyes of God. We have gone our “own way,” which is away from God. He wants to rescue us, but first we must want to be rescued. We must realize that we are lost in our sins and need help. By turning to the Saviour, admitting that we are sinners and letting Him wash away our sins, we will be saved. His love for us makes this possible. That deep love took Him to the cross where He suffered for the sins of all who would accept Him as their Saviour. Won’t you let Him save you right now?

It was close to midnight and Rod was still lost. It had gotten cool after dark and he was shivering. He sat down; he was so tired. He had called and called for help, but no one heard him. He had cried and cried and now as he sat on a rock in the canyon, he wished he were safe at home with his parents.

The sheriff was still looking for Rod in the canyons west of the house. He stopped his jeep beside a rocky ledge just above a canyon. Slowly he moved the big spotlight mounted on his jeep along the canyon walls.

Suddenly the powerful beam of light shone on a little boy jumping up and down and waving his arms. Rod was soon safe in the sheriff’s jeep.

The sheriff radioed to the others that Rod was safe. After being checked by a doctor, a tired little boy was being held tightly in his parents’ arms. Oh, how happy he was! Oh, how happy they were! He was safe now.

You can also rest “safe” in the arms of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus. He loves you and wants to save you. He is waiting right now for your call. Luke 19:10 tells us, “The Son of Man [the Lord Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Why not accept Him as your Saviour right now?

ML-10/17/1999

Cats and Mice

When Grandma was a young lady she taught in a one-room schoolhouse. Of course she wasn’t called Grandma back then; she was called Miss Smith. The schoolhouse was out in the Canadian countryside. None of us have ever figured out how Grandma, or rather Miss Smith, ever taught all eight grades in one room. How could she teach the alphabet to the first graders and algebra to the eighth graders in the same room on the same day? She also stood beside an old wood stove and stirred hot lunches while she taught!

At another school where Miss Smith taught, the children were very poor and brought their lunches to school in honey pails. There were 42 students and only 36 seats. How did Miss Smith teach that class?

But teaching everyone together in one room and not having enough desks weren’t Miss Smith’s only problems. Another problem was mice. There were a lot of them at the school where the children brought their lunches in honey pails. Often the children left their pails on a shelf at the back of the room. The mice could smell the food in the pails. As Miss Smith taught lessons, she could hear the pails dancing as the mice scurried around them. A stamp of her foot brought silence, but not for long.

One day during class when Miss Smith opened her desk drawer, a mouse jumped right out! The girls jumped on their desks (and yes, Miss Smith squealed), and the boys gave chase as the mouse headed for the cold-air register in the floor. The mouse won. That did it! Something had to be done about the mice in the schoolroom.

“Does anyone have a cat that is good at catching mice?” Miss Smith asked her class. Yes, one girl did. Since she lived close by, as soon as school was over she came back with a sleepy-looking creature in her arms. The cat curled up and dozed in a corner of the room until . . . suddenly she streaked across the room and —POUNCE! The cold-air register was no protection for the mouse this time. She ate it, cleaned her whiskers and waited. Before long there was another streak across the room and . . . POUNCE! The cat got that one too. She ate it and cleaned her whiskers. Before Miss Smith went home that day, the cat had killed and eaten six mice!

Miss Smith left the cat in the schoolhouse for the night. The next morning she came in and found a lot of dead mice! She didn’t know how many more the cat might have eaten, but there were 16 left on the floor!

But wait a minute. You thought this story was about how a cat and a mouse lived happily together. It is. But first I had to tell you how much cats like to hunt mice even when they are not hungry. This will help you understand just how remarkable it was when a cat and a mouse lived together.

This part of the story happened a long, long time before Miss Smith had 22 mice in her schoolroom. This part of the story happened not too long after God made people and animals. The Bible says that the earth was wicked before God, and it was filled with violence (Genesis 6:12). It says that God saw that everything people thought about was only evil all the time, much like it is today. The world was so evil that God decided that He would have to destroy the people on the earth.

One man, Noah, was doing what was pleasing to God, and He wanted to save Noah and his family. He also wanted to save the animals. So God told Noah exactly how to build a large boat. God was going to send a flood to destroy the people on the earth, and Noah and the animals would be safe in the boat.

Noah obeyed God, and before it began to rain, two cats and two mice walked into the boat. Why is it that the cats didn’t eat those mice? If a cat would kill over 22 mice in one day, why were those mice safe? The answer is easy. God wanted to save them, that’s why. And the lions and the lambs lived together in that boat too, and all kinds of other animals that normally wouldn’t live together were there. Animals are more obedient than boys and girls when they hear the voice of their Creator! God told them to go in together and they did. God has told you that you must be saved . . . have you obeyed? “God . . . now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus] whom He hath ordained” (Acts 17:30-31). “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).

Were the mice afraid of the cats even though God did not allow them to be eaten? No, I don’t think so. When God works, He can take care of all the problems that we might think up, and I’m sure those mice were happy in that boat with the cats. Boys and girls sometimes think up “problems” about being saved too. Some are afraid that being a Christian isn’t a happy life or that they wouldn’t be able to keep themselves saved. But the Lord Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). And you don’t have to keep yourself saved, because the Lord Jesus does that. Jesus also said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

The next time you see a cat or a mouse, I hope you’ll remember about the time a cat and a mouse lived happily together. God planned that special time so that there would be more animals in the world after the flood. And God has a wonderful salvation planned for you too. Will you accept it?

ML-10/24/1999

A 20 Mile Message

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.”
Acts 13:38

There were country villages all along the shore of the pretty river, and for those who shopped or worked in town, the best and cheapest way to get there was by boat. The service was frequent and relaxing, and there were many passengers.

Stanley was a Christian man with too much good news to keep to himself. What about all those boat travelers, hurrying on in life and not thinking about their unforgiven sins? The boat trip might be the only time they have to listen, he had thought.

Stanley watched the boat pull up to shore. There was not really a dock at this point, but just a spot where they threw down a plank for boarding. It took some balancing to walk the plank to get on the boat. Just as Stanley was within grabbing distance of the boat, the plank flipped into the river and left him clinging by his fingertips to the side of the boat. Willing hands pulled him up and over, and he sat down on a bench, feeling rather shaky.

At this point he felt the need of a little encouragement and was glad when a Christian friend on the boat saw him and asked if he could help. Stanley told him he had come to tell the passengers about the Lord Jesus, but the friend quickly disappeared and left him alone. He was disappointed.

Then suddenly the friend returned. “The captain has given his permission. He said there is a room below you may use to talk to the passengers.”

Very good. Gospel talks usually begin with singing, because it is a happy way for Christians to announce the good news. Other passengers heard the singing and came, and Stanley preached the message: “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [the risen Saviour] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

Some of the travelers had a short trip on the boat, but as they left new ones took their places, so there were many who heard the wonderful news: forgiven and justified — just by believing in the risen Saviour whose precious blood cleanses from all sin.

We have the same good news for you today. But you will notice that there is a negative in that verse. There are some who are NOT justified. There are some who will NOT believe, and there are some who are trying to be justified by keeping the law of Moses, including the ten commandments. It doesn’t work. It can’t be done. Being forgiven and justified depends upon believing in Christ Jesus whom God raised from the dead.

Stanley’s message was 20 miles long, as the boat made its entire trip down the river. Many who heard the good news that day received it by faith and shared it with others in their area.

Forgiven and justified! Are you? Find Acts 13 in your Bible and read verses 4041 if you wish to find out what happens to those who do not receive this message. Is it important to you?

ML-10/31/1999

What Time?

When I was a little boy, an older boy came to my house to keep an eye on me while my family was away for a few hours.

We went outside so I could show this boy our tall maple trees, our apple and plum trees, and our swing set. All these things were special to me.

“Big deal” was all he said.

Then I showed him our cats, my dog and my sisters’ pony.

He wasn’t interested.

I remember slowly coming to understand that this boy didn’t like me.

We went into the kitchen. He stood looking at the clock. Turning to me he said, “You don’t even know how to tell time, do you?”

“Of course I do,” I lied.

“I don’t believe you,” he answered.

“It’s easy; anyone can do it,” I said.

Then he said, “If it’s so easy, tell me what time it is.”

I looked at the clock. There were three hands of different sizes. I saw the little one moving fast and the other two not moving at all. I heard a steady tick, tick, tick. What it all meant, I didn’t have a clue.

“Three-thirty,” I guessed.

“Three-thirty I wish! It’s only two o’clock. I knew you didn’t know how to tell time.”

I don’t remember anything else about that afternoon. I only remember that I was ashamed that I got caught lying. That was one of the sins that was washed away when I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour many years later.

That older boy asked me if I knew how to tell time. I didn’t know how. Now I have a question for you about time. What time does God want you to receive His Son, the Lord Jesus, as your Saviour?

If you don’t know, I can tell you. It’s right NOW! Not at two-thirty or eleven-thirty, but right NOW. Now is the time to receive the Lord Jesus and have your sins forgiven. The Bible tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

If you already are saved from your sins, that is wonderful. I have another question for you. When is the best time to live to please the Lord Jesus?

When I am finished playing with my friends? No. Maybe tomorrow? No. Now? Yes.

Now is the time to be saved from your sins if you have not already done so. Now is also the time to please the Lord Jesus if you are saved. Now is the most important time in God’s thoughts for us! Tomorrow could be too late.

Do you know what is going to happen tomorrow?

ML-10/31/1999

Ripe Watermelons - 35¢/Lb.

Ruthie had just been given 35¢. This was a lot of money for a 7-year-old, and she wanted to buy something very special. As she walked down the street, she saw a fruit stand with a sign that read:

RIPE WATERMELONS

35¢/LB.

Yum, yum! . . . just right on a hot day, she thought. “I’ll take that one,” she told the owner, pointing to a big one. He placed it on the scale — 8½ lbs. “That will be $2.97,” he told her.

Ruthie held out her 35¢. “This is all I have . . . I didn’t know it cost so much,” and she was about to cry.

The owner showed her a very small one growing in his field behind the fruit stand. “I’ll take 35¢ for that one,” he told her. Ruthie said, “Okay, I’ll take it.”

Buying that watermelon was going to cost Ruthie every penny she had. And Jesus knew that redeeming sinners from their sins was going to cost Him everything He had. He paid for our salvation with His own blood — He gave up His life for you and me.

Ruthie paid her 35¢ and started home. The owner called to her, “Wait! You didn’t take your watermelon.”

Ruthie replied, “It’s not ripe yet. It must grow some more. I’ll come back again and take it home.” So off she went while her watermelon remained attached to the vine, growing — through day and night, sunshine and rain.

Ruthie came to check it often. Soon it was ready to take home to enjoy.

“I am the true vine,” Jesus said. “Abide in Me” (John 15:1,4). A little song many of you sing in Sunday school explains what that means:

Read your Bible, pray every day,

And you’ll grow, grow, grow.

When the time is exactly right, Jesus will come again and take home to heaven all those He has bought with His blood. Will that include you?

“Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:1819). “Ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

ML-11/07/1999

Chickens and Weasels

I never knew much about weasels, but when I visited Mr. Thomas out in the country in southern Maine, I found out why they aren’t liked very much by farmers.

Mr. Thomas had recently gotten four laying hens, which were just enough to supply eggs for his family. The chicken coop was built with thin slits to let air in and with windows to let the light in. The chickens seemed safe and happy and were each laying an egg a day.

One day, Bobby and Richard were asked to go feed the chickens, which they did. However they forgot to close the door when they left. Later that day someone found the chickens out, roaming around near the barn . . . all but one, that is. She apparently had wandered away and was never found again.

The next day when Mr. Thomas went to the coop to check on his hens, everything looked all right, until he opened the door. It had been closed tightly and fastened, but to his surprise one of the hens was lying on the floor dead.

He picked her up and noticed that she seemed lighter in weight than normal. Very strange! Looking over the hen, he found the feathers had been plucked from her neck and there were slits where an animal had sucked out the chicken’s blood, which, of course, killed it. This was a new and sad experience for Mr. Thomas. Now he knew what had happened to the chicken which had wandered away. He had lost two chickens in 24 hours to the little animal known as the weasel. The weasel is able to squeeze through even a very small opening, as small as slits in a chicken coop, to catch its victim. It is a destroyer that looks for easy victims.

After that Mr. Thomas let his dog out at night instead of keeping it in the house. He also got himself a barnyard cat. Since then, there have been no more lost chickens. He often wondered what happened to that sneaky weasel.

You and I also have an enemy that is just as sneaky and dangerous as the weasel. His name is Satan, and the Bible calls him “the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:10), the one who walks around “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is also called “that old serpent” (Revelation 12:9) because he sneaks around, using trickery to catch his victims.

But what a wonderful thing it is that the Lord Jesus came into the world to defeat Satan. Though we have all strayed and wandered away, the Lord Jesus loves us and can save us. “The Son of Man [the Lord Jesus] is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56). He died on Calvary’s cross to bear our sins and to bring us to God. God tells us in the Bible that Jesus is the victor over Satan. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). What a wonderful Saviour the Lord Jesus is. How good it is to trust in Him and stay in safety near His side each day. “But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil” (Proverbs 1:33).

ML-11/07/1999

Wise People Wear Orange

When hunting season arrives there are lots of people who are eager to get their deer. Some are hunters who hunt every year, and some have never been hunting before. But all of them collect their guns, ammunition and other equipment and set off in various groups, or by themselves, to go where deer are plentiful.

Central Maine has many deer and draws lots of hunters, but it is also a dangerous place to be during hunting season. Most hunters wear orange hats or vests. Our friends who live there braid orange ribbons into their horses’ manes and tails, tie orange bandannas around their dogs’ necks, and tie orange streamers on their fences around the fields where their animals are kept. These orange hats, ribbons, bandannas and streamers are protection. They clearly identify to hunters what is not a deer. Some inexperienced hunters think anything that moves is a deer, and they have very active trigger fingers. Horses and other animals without orange identification are sometimes shot. And even more serious, almost every year a person is mistaken for a deer and shot, and sometimes killed.

People who live in hunting areas know about the dangers when outside in wooded areas during hunting season. Wise people wear something orange and attach something orange on their animals, but there are always those who just don’t bother with that protection for themselves or their animals. Do you think they are unwise? The Bible calls them fools, because they are ignoring the advice, or counsel, to wear orange as protection: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that [pays attention] unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).

Have you been warned of the danger of your sins and have you paid attention to God’s counsel? God warns us in the Bible that He will not permit one sin to enter heaven, so anyone who dies with his heart still stained with sin cannot go there. But God also has lovingly provided a Saviour, His Son Christ Jesus, who died on Calvary’s cross for you. His blood can cleanse your heart from every sin if you will accept Him as your Saviour. You only need to come to Him in prayer, admitting that you are a sinner and telling Him that you believe His death covers your sins. Here is His promise to you: “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:22).

“O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29). Are you wise? or a fool?

ML-11/14/1999

Water Like a Rock

A missionary was in Africa for many years, telling the natives the wonderful story of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners. One day he was trying to explain to a group of them the meaning of faith. He said, “Do you see that pool of water over there? Have you ever seen that water get as hard as rock?”

“Oh, no!” they answered in surprise, since they had never seen ice.

“Believe me,” the missionary continued, “in the country where I come from the water gets so hard that you can stand on top of it!”

The natives did not understand this. One boy was heard whispering to another that the missionary was telling lies.

The missionary went on to explain that even though they had never seen ice and did not understand how it could occur, the fact was still true. To believe it they needed faith. First, they needed faith in the missionary himself that he would tell them only the truth. Second, they needed faith to believe that water could turn to ice, even though they had never seen it happen.

It is the same way with God. He tells only the truth. He has spoken to us in His Word, the Bible. Have you read it and believed it? He has told you that you are a sinner and that there is nothing that you can do to save yourself from your sins. He has also told you that He loves you, and to show His love He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in your place. If you will accept Him as your Saviour, you will be saved from the punishment your sins require. Faith is believing God, because He says it.

Some months later the missionary returned to his northern homeland for a short visit. He brought back with him the native boy who thought he was lying when he told them about ice. It was winter, so the two of them went for a walk to a pond that was being used as a hockey rink by some boys.

Remembering what he had said in Africa, the missionary asked the boy if he would like to walk on the “hard water.”

The boy was afraid to at first, but the missionary took his hand, and together they went out on the frozen pond. Then, jumping hard on the ice, the missionary asked him, “Now do you believe what I said about water getting hard as a rock?”

“Yes,” he answered, “I believe it now.”

That native boy did not have faith. He would not believe the missionary until he saw the ice. If he had believed what the missionary had told him in Africa, that would have been faith . . . even though it sounded impossible to him. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Do you have faith in God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?

ML-11/14/1999

What's so Special About This Book?

He was a young man with a few hours to spare. He walked along Freedom Road with one thing in mind; he wanted something really interesting to do. He had just enough money for a movie.

But the young man was early, and although most of the stores were closed, the bookstore at #8 was open for business. The books might help him pass a few extra minutes. No harm in trying.

The featured display was a Bible. He had never held one in his hand before. Strange how this book - this Jesus Christ - has such an influence on people everywhere, he thought. This bookstore was in Taiwan, and the saleslady was from America. He knew the book itself was two- or three-thousand years old, and yet, somehow, it seemed to have a strange power in world history.

Why? What’s so special about this book, the Bible, more than any other? Why is it that there are people in every country in the world who seem to want to read it every day?

The saleslady did not say much. She was secretly praying, but she let the book speak for itself.

Time slipped by, until he suddenly looked at his watch. I am just in time for the late movie, he thought, but I don’t have enough money for the book and the movie too. What should I do?

Now that’s a hard question to answer, in Taiwan or in your own life, wherever you are right now. Perhaps it will help you to decide if I tell you what settled his choice. He looked up at a motto on the wall, which said, “In Thy presence is fullness of joy.”

“Are those words from this book?” he asked.

“Yes, Psalm 16:11.” The saleslady showed him the place and let him read it for himself: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

“I will buy the book,” he said.

He left no name or address, and it was years before they saw him again since he lived far away. But, you guessed it, they found him a happy, rejoicing Christian, telling others of the Saviour he had found.

A good choice, wasn’t it? Are you choosing today’s fun? or choosing the Lord Jesus’ forgiveness and His pleasures forevermore? You can’t have both.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

ML-11/21/1999

Tornado Soup

The large can of tomato soup had been pushed to the back of the cupboard shelf for the last time. It was the end of the week, and there were no other groceries left in the house that would make a quick lunch for Joseph before he ran back to school.

Even though Joseph loved food, somewhere in his six years of life he had firmly decided that he did not like tomatoes! However, today there was no choice. Joseph’s mother opened the can, heated the soup, but not too hot, and poured it into a soup bowl. Joseph watched with keen interest.

“What is that?” Joseph asked, as he got a whiff of the good smell.

Joseph’s mother had hoped that he would not ask any questions. There was no extra time today to discuss what he did and did not like for lunch. But suddenly she realized that she had to make a quick decision. If she told him the truth, that it was tomato soup . . . but, of course, all mothers must tell their children the truth, so the decision was easily made.

“It’s tomato soup,” she said softly, trying to be casual about it.

“TORNADO SOUP!” Joseph exclaimed. He misunderstood what his mother had said, and excitedly swooped his spoon into this new lunch food. His mother had barely realized what had happened when she saw that the soup was already gone!

Then Joseph’s mother had another decision to make. This time it was easier.

“That was tomato soup, Joseph,” she said calmly.

“I don’t care what it was!” Joseph exclaimed, “I love it!”

You know, it is not always easy to tell the truth, but it is always wise. Even when we do not have good results as quickly as in this story, God always blesses the truth, because He is Truth, and telling the truth always pleases God. Lies, however, do just the opposite. God’s Word of Truth, the Bible, warns us in John 8:44 that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. This means that when we lie we put ourselves on the devil’s side, and he is not a good father. He knows telling one lie calls for telling another to cover up the first one. Besides training us in a very bad habit, telling lies is sin and hardens our consciences so that all too soon we begin to think a lie is not really so bad.

Have you told even a small lie to your parents or teacher or friend? It is very hard to confess that we told a lie, but when we do, it clears our conscience, makes us happy and opens the door to God’s mercy. God says, “He that covereth [hides] his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Along with this story are prayers that you will be helped to always tell the truth. The Lord Jesus and His holy angels and your parents will all rejoice for this great victory in your life.

ML-11/21/1999

An Ordinary-Looking Stick

Arnold, who is from New Brunswick, Canada, was recently visiting his son’s family in Texas. He enjoyed the warm climate and being outside doing yard work. Little did he expect when he was raking that an object looking like a stick would turn into something very different!

However, no sooner had his rake struck this ordinary-looking stick when it suddenly came to life and quickly went into action, viciously biting Arnold’s hand. This ordinary-looking stick was a deadly copperhead snake! Arnold was wearing gloves, but still the snake’s bite went through the glove and was serious. He would become very sick shortly or even die if he didn’t quickly get to a hospital.

The hospital was at least a half-hour drive, but it was still in time to save his life. However, he had to be hospitalized for several days.

This ordinary-looking stick reminds us of sin which sometimes looks very harmless, but when touched it suddenly becomes deadly. Often it strikes by leading a person to form a bad habit or by leaving the person feeling guilty and miserable in their conscience. But there is a remedy for any person who is feeling guilty about his or her sins. The Bible tells us, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and He did hear my voice” (2 Samuel 22:7). He will hear your distress call and will save you, cleansing you from all your sins and guilt.

“[Jesus Christ] . . . loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). Have you come to Him to have your sins washed away?

ML-11/28/1999

Timber!

“If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be”
(Ecclesiastes 11:3).

Did you know that verse was in the Bible? Have you ever stopped to think about why God put it there? Is it just a lesson in chopping down trees? No, it’s much more. This verse has an important lesson for us to understand. It’s a warning that a tree cannot move itself after it falls, even if it has fallen in a bad place.

My friend Arnie was in northern Canada doing some survey work for the Canadian government. One day it was very cold, so the men working with Arnie made a campfire and sat around it to warm themselves. They asked Arnie to cut down a tree for more firewood, but he was not careful as he cut it down.

Suddenly, the men around the campfire heard Arnie shout, “TIMBER!!!” They looked up to see the tree coming right toward the campfire! The men jumped into the bushes to escape, and the tree landed right on the fire, sending a shower of sparks in every direction. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but they stared in surprise at the tree that landed right where they had been warming themselves.

It was certainly not a good place for the tree to fall. If Arnie had read the verse at the beginning of this story, maybe he would have picked a tree farther away. He also could have chopped on the other side of the tree so that it would fall in the opposite direction. Or he could have even tied a rope to the tree and asked someone to pull it away from the men as he chopped. But Arnie’s tree stayed right where it fell because the tree could not move itself . . . just as the Bible verse tells us.

God has told us about the tree that falls in order to warn us of another place that is also firmly fixed and cannot be changed. The place where you “fall” after you leave this world can never be changed once you are there. Jesus Himself told us about the rich man who woke up in hell. When he cried for a drop of water to cool his tongue, he was told, “Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from [here] to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from [there]” (Luke 16:26).

This is why it is so important that you think now about where you will go when you leave this world. If you are still stained with your sins, you will be thrown (not just sent, but thrown) into hell. If your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, you will be forever in God’s home in heaven. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Once you are in either place, you can never change it. The Bible says that once we stand before God, “he that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).

Right now you can still change. You do not need to continue on your way to that awful place called hell. You can change that direction right now and follow the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Remember that Arnie’s tree did not fall in a good place. Where will you “fall” when you leave this world? Will it be in the good place? Or will it be in the bad place?

ML-11/28/1999

Avoiding Skunks

Lynn and her family enjoyed the birds and animals that lived in the woods near their home. The deer came close enough that the children, Marie and James, could watch them from their kitchen window. Many kinds of birds flew in and out of the trees. It was fun learning to identify God’s creatures.

One summer night, a scratching sound outside the bedroom window awakened Lynn. When the scratching continued for several minutes, she got out of bed and went to the back door. How thankful she was that she had switched on the light and looked out rather than opening the door. There on the back porch was a skunk! Since skunks do their food hunting in the dark, he didn’t like the porch light and slowly wandered off into the woods.

The next morning as Lynn thought of the night visitor she decided she had better warn Marie and James about the “danger” of skunks. Skunks are rather pretty furry animals with black and white markings. But they are well-known for the awful-smelling liquid they spray when frightened or in danger. The awful smell remains for days on anything the spray has touched. So Lynn explained this to the children and told them if they ever came close to a skunk to slowly, quietly walk away.

Most of us have been warned about the “danger” of sin. Have we taken it seriously? If the first time Marie or James see a skunk they go running and shouting after it, that would be both foolish and disobedient. “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not” (Proverbs 8:33). So when we are warned of the “dangers” of being disobedient or doing other things that are wrong, we should listen and be wise and obey it. Just as Lynn warned her children to walk away from a skunk, Proverbs 4:15 gives the same warning about sin: “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

If Marie or James ever got sprayed by a skunk, they would be miserable for quite a while. They would have to throw their clothes away, take many baths, perhaps even bathe in tomato juice which is supposed to remove skunk smell, but eventually the problem would clear up. But sin is different. It would not matter how many baths you had or how many good deeds you did to outweigh the bad, the sin would not go away. “Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord God” (Jeremiah 2:22). There is only one remedy for sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Have you come to the Lord Jesus Christ to have Him wash your sins away? If you haven’t, do it now, and then He will be with you to help you avoid those “dangers” of sin. He loves you very much, and He’s waiting for you to come.

ML-12/05/1999

The Story of Moses' Birth

Long ago the children of Israel were slaves in the land of Egypt. Their numbers grew so large that the Egyptians were afraid they might become stronger than themselves and refuse to be their slaves. So Pharaoh, the cruel Egyptian king, gave orders that every baby boy born to the Israelites should be thrown into the Nile River.

All the parents of baby boys were terribly sad when their babies were taken from them and drowned in the river.

One mother who loved and obeyed God believed that He would help her. Her name was Jochebed. When her baby boy was born, she just couldn’t let him be taken away from her. She hid him in her house for three months. But as he grew older he cried louder. She knew she couldn’t hide him much longer.

What could she do? She and her husband, Amram, probably prayed much to God about it. Finally, Jochebed decided to make an ark (a small floating bed) out of bulrushes. She smeared the outside of the little ark with slime and pitch to make it waterproof. Then she gently laid her baby in it and carried it to the river. She set it in among the reeds that grew in the shallow water. Leaving the baby’s older sister Miriam hidden to watch the baby, she sadly went home.

A little later Pharaoh’s daughter came down to wash herself in the river. She saw the little ark and told one of her maids to get it and bring it to her. How surprised she must have been to find a baby inside. The baby was crying, and this may have been used by God to make her feel sorry for the baby and want to save it. Just then Miriam came out of hiding and volunteered to get a nurse to take care of the baby. When Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, Miriam brought her own mother to Pharaoh’s daughter as a nurse for the baby. Now Jochebed could continue caring for her baby boy without being afraid. She could love him as much as she wanted and even be paid by Pharaoh’s daughter for taking care of him. How she and Amram must have thanked God for the way He arranged things. But is there anything that is too hard for God?

Pharaoh’s daughter named the little boy Moses, which means “drawn out,” because she drew him out of the river. He became her adopted son. The Bible tells us that when Moses grew up he was the man chosen by God to bring His people out of Egypt and to lead them toward the land that had been promised to them. So that is how God honored a mother who trusted Him for the care of her son. Are you trusting in Him?

“Them that honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).

ML-12/05/1999

Foolish Fish

Uncle Bob loved his boat. He loved to be out on the water, and he loved to fish. One day he was out fishing with a friend and he exclaimed, “This is like a dream come true . . . the whole bottom of the boat is full of fish! They are so plentiful today, I think they’d bite at anything.” To prove his point, he ripped up a paper plate, baited his hook with a piece of it, and, you guessed it, in a few minutes he’d caught a fish. The two friends had a good laugh over the foolish fish.

Now, have you ever been like that fish that got caught with a piece of a paper plate? Sometimes when we are with a crowd, we do what the others are doing just because everybody’s doing it. As a Christian, you and I should stop to think for ourselves and to ask ourselves the question, “Will this thing that I’m doing please the Lord Jesus, who paid such a tremendous price to save me from sin and to deliver me from this present evil world?” Exodus 23:2 plainly instructs, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.”

Don’t be like the fish that took that useless bait. Feed on the Bible, the Word of God. It has only good food for you, and there aren’t any hooks in it either.

“Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness [loyalty]. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

ML-12/12/1999

Colombe

Way back in pioneer days, Rose played by the door of her log cabin. The dark pine forest seemed to fence her in, and she was wishing for the hundredth time that she had someone to play with. Suddenly, a little Indian girl came out from among the trees, walking all by herself, right toward her.

Rose was delighted. Smiles were better than words. Everything was new and wonderful for both of them, now that they could share things together. Her new friend’s name was Colombe, a gentle Indian child, and every moment they were together was golden.

The afternoon passed quickly, and as the shadows grew long, Colombe turned to the forest path to leave. But Rose’s father would not let her go alone. The evening forest was full of hidden dangers, but the child walked ahead without a trace of fear. He followed along behind her to the edge of the forest, but he stopped there. He felt, rather than saw, that the path was lined with the brown bodies and watchful eyes of Indian braves who would guard her the rest of the way. She must be a chief’s daughter, he thought. There was no need to follow her any farther.

Colombe returned day after day, and Rose talked of nothing else. They were very best friends and they shared everything, and that is why Rose eagerly shared with her friend her Saviour - Jesus! The One dearest to her heart must be shared with her friend, and Colombe understood. Her heart opened to the love of Jesus and she learned to pray to Him.

But there came a day when Rose watched and waited, and her little Indian friend did not come. Day after day she waited and then asked her father to please follow the forest path and see what had happened. He returned with the news that the wigwams were gone and the fires were cold. They had moved on.

There were many tears and prayers in the log cabin in the months that followed. It seemed a long, long time until finally the smoke of the campfires rose into the sky again. The Indians had returned, but still Colombe did not come to Rose’s log cabin.

And then one day a tall Indian came from the dark forest to the cabin of the white settler. Clearly, he was the chief of the tribe. Both men knew a little French, enough to be understood. The white man stood silent, waiting for the chief to raise his downcast eyes and tell his sad story. He had three sons who had died of fever, one by one. One little treasure was left to them, his little gentle daughter, the light of her parents’ eyes and the princess of the tribe. But recently she also had died of fever.

“But this was different,” he told Rose’s father. “She was very, very sick, but she was not afraid. She talked of Jesus who is alive and who was so real to her. She said she was going to Jesus, and she died with joy. I have come,” said the chief, “to learn of Jesus.”

If someone came to you and asked to learn of Jesus, could you tell them? You might be able to tell something about Him, but if Jesus is really your living, loving, coming Saviour, you will be able to tell who He is. Do you know Him? It is only Jesus who can give you joy when you die.

Everybody ought to know

who Jesus is.

On the cross He died for sinners

And His blood makes white

as snow;

Living, loving, coming Saviour,

He’s the One you ought to know.

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

ML-12/12/1999

Tire Trouble

My wife and I were driving home from our son’s house in our pickup truck, a drive of about five hours. It was necessary for us to take a different route home because of highway construction. The road we were traveling had recently been resurfaced, and this made the pavement very smooth. The good road made it possible for me to hear a very faint click, click, click, made by one of the tires. I recognized the noise as uneven wear on the tire tread. I remember thinking, I must have the tires on this truck checked as soon as we get home. Because there was no place along the route we were taking to have the tires checked on a Saturday afternoon, I ignored what I recognized as a possible problem.

As things turned out, the problem was, in fact, more serious than uneven wear on the surface of the tire. Looking back on the event, I was reminded of a verse in the Bible that says, “God [speaks] once, yea twice, yet man [perceives] it not” (Job 33:14). It is true that God speaks again and again to those who have not trusted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. He permits things to happen in their lives that are meant to speak to their conscience and heart. It is also true that God speaks to those who have believed in their heart and have had all their sins washed away in the precious blood of Christ. God speaks once, and sometimes twice, to His children, when they are doing things that do not please Him. “God is faithful” and “His mercy [endures] forever.” In all that happens, the mercy of God is shown to us to draw us closer to Himself. He often raises red flags of warning or stop signs in our pathway when His children are not walking pleasing to Him. If we ignore these red flags or stop signs, our lives may end up with major problems like our tire problem that I ignored.

The clicking sound of the tire soon became a bang, bang, bang! We thought we had a flat tire. We pulled over and found all the rubber tread had been thrown off the tire and the steel belt of the tire was on the ground, but the tire was not flat. This permitted us to drive slowly a few miles until we came to a café with gas pumps. Stopping under the canopy in the shade, we went inside to get help.

Angie, a 19-year-old young lady, cheerfully asked if she could help us. I replied, “I doubt it, because we have tire trouble,” and I asked if there were a phone I could use to call a tow truck or someone to come change the tire. Angie very quickly said, “I’ll change that tire for you.”

With that encouragement, I lay down on the concrete driveway and began to take the spare tire off its carrier underneath the truck. Together we did get the spare on the ground and the bad tire off. But then we discovered that we had another problem. The spare, not having been used in some time, was not fully pumped up. The café did not have an air hose, and since Angie was new to the area, she did not know how far it might be to another station. We thought by driving slowly and carefully we could make it to a station where we could completely pump up the tire.

Just as God speaks to us to get our attention when we are doing what does not please Him, His help comes in many ways and just at the right time. Because we knew we would have to buy gas before we got home, we decided to fill up the truck at the café where we had been treated so nicely.

As we were filling the gas tank, another customer pulled into the station. He was a rancher and asked if he could be of help. As God often does, He provided us just the help we needed again. The rancher had a portable air compressor in his truck. In just a few minutes he had the tire fully pumped up, and we were able to go on our way, thankful for what God had done for us.

This story has a very happy ending. As we were paying for the gas, we asked Angie whether or not she had settled the matter of where she would spend eternity. She happily said she would be in heaven. We then asked her, “How can you be sure?” She answered, “Because I believe in God in my heart and have accepted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour.” What a thrill it was for us to hear this helpful young lady clearly confess that Christ was her Saviour.

Now the question comes to you boys and girls (and grown-ups too), “Have you settled where you will spend eternity?” Can you say, like Angie, that you have believed on the Lord Jesus in your heart and accepted Him as your Saviour? There is nothing you have to do to settle that question but believe, and all your sins will be washed away in the blood of the Lord Jesus shed on the cross. We hope that every one of you will do as Angie has done: “Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and . . . believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). You will then have settled the very important issue of spending eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus “who loved [you], and gave Himself for [you]” (Galatians 2:20).

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

ML-12/19/1999

Left Behind

I loved my bike! It was really neat. And I liked to show off on it a little bit too.

One summer evening I’d been at Bible Study with my family. When it was over I thought, I’m gonna take a short cut and get home before my dad does. So I hopped on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could. Sure enough, I beat him home!

I proudly stood my bike up in front of the porch where everyone would be sure to see it when they drove up. Then I sat down and waited. And I waited some more. I began to get worried. I knew I wasn’t that much faster than my dad. I got on my bike and rode back to where we’d had the Bible Study. No one was there!

Now I was really worried. On my bike again, I hurried home. They weren’t there either. I threw myself and my bike down on the grass and cried my heart out. I thought Jesus must have come back and taken all my family with Him to heaven, and I was left behind. I kept telling myself I knew I should have asked Jesus to save me. Why didn’t I do it long ago like Mom and Dad had said?

My family still didn’t come home, and I couldn’t stop crying. I was sure it was too late for me to be saved now, but I didn’t know what else to do, so I began to pray really hard. I said, “Dear, Lord Jesus, I know You love me and died for me. If it’s not too late,” I sobbed, “and if You haven’t come yet to take all the saved people to heaven, please save me now. I know I’ve often been bad, but please, please forgive me.” Then I just laid on the grass and cried and cried.

I can’t tell you how happy I was when our van drove into our driveway and the other kids came tumbling out, shouting, “Hey, Danny, you missed a trip to the ice cream store, and we all got big cones!”

But I didn’t care. The Lord Jesus hadn’t come yet after all, and now I was SAVED! I felt so clean inside and so happy! I couldn’t thank the Lord Jesus enough. And I’ve been thanking Him ever since, because I know He loves me and died for me and keeps me and provides for me every day of my life. What a Saviour I have!

Is He your Saviour? Are you ready? Or will you be left behind? “Except ye repent, ye shall . . . perish” (Luke 13:3). “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

ML-12/26/1999

Lions and Leopards

The leopard is a member of the “big cat” family. Some others are the lion, panther and jaguar. A full-grown leopard is a beautiful animal, tawny-white in color with black circular spots shaped like roses all over its body. Both its teeth and claws are long and sharp. It weighs up to 180 pounds and can be more than seven feet long from its nose to the end of its tail.

The leopard’s strength is unbelievable! When cornered it can fight well beyond its weight and size. This was seen in an incident in one of the zoos in Chicago.

At this zoo in the “lion house” a pair of large leopards had a cage with both an inside and outside area. Beside the leopard cage was a cage with three young lions in it.

One day while the leopards and lions were outside, the keeper was cleaning the inside cages. When he finished he forgot to close the door between the two inside cages.

When the animals went back in, the lions found the door open into the leopards’ cage and attacked the leopards. A terrible fight began!

The three lions charged the two leopards. The attack was met by the male leopard. Keeping his body between his mate and the lions, he fought savagely. The snarling and growling of the leopards mixed with the roars of the lions increased as they sparred and tore at each other until the building almost shook with the noise of the battle.

The keepers tried to stop the fight by spraying water from fire hoses directly at the fighting animals. Finally, with the help of the hoses the keepers forced the lions back and into their own cage. The door was closed and locked.

The noise ended, the battle was over, but it was too late for the male leopard. His back was broken during the fight, and he died shortly after. Yet he had fought so strongly, defending his mate, that the keepers found she was almost unharmed.

In a far more wonderful way the Lord Jesus Christ died to save all who would believe in Him. There on the cross He endured Satan’s power, but more important, He endured God’s punishment against sin - our sins. The Lord Jesus did not sin and could not sin. He died for sinners like you and me. How great His love is! “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

We did not love Him - He loved us. For those of us who know Him, that love came to where we were and saved us. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Will you accept His love and let Him be your Saviour?

ML-12/26/1999

Bible Stories

Twelve Spies

“What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
1 Peter 4:17

JANUARY 24, 1999

This is one of God’s stories, so we know that it is true. You may read it in the book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14.

Since the work of spies is important and dangerous, they must be people of courage and skill. They must be able to observe, listen and bring back accurate information to those who sent them.

Twelve men of Israel were handpicked to be spies while they and their families were in the wilderness on their way to the promised land of Canaan. The spies were given directions and a list of the information they must bring back to those who sent them. Their instructions were to go southward and up into the mountain to see the land. Here is the list of what they were to find out on their spying mission:

Are the people strong or weak?

Are there few or many?

Is the land good or bad?

Do the people live in cities or do they live in tents?

Do they have strongholds?

Is the soil fertile or poor?

Are there trees?

Bring back samples of the fruit growing there.

The instructions did not include anything about methods of attack or fighting, but only sight information. It looked like an interesting assignment, and they probably set off eagerly. Imagine the excitement as Moses and their families and friends watched them leave and disappear across the sands of the desert, full of hope and strength.

They were gone 40 days. We can imagine the welcome when all twelve arrived safely home again. They brought back good news of the fertile and wooded land which God had promised to give to them and were loaded with pomegranates and figs and grapes. In fact, one big cluster of juicy grapes was so heavy that it took two men to carry it between them on a pole!

But why did their faces look so gloomy and dark when they brought back such good news and wonderful fruit? Ten of the spies looked hopeless and defeated, and the crowds soon learned the reason. “It’s no use,” those ten spies said. “No hope. Their cities have great walls, and the people living there are as big as giants! They looked down at us like we were grasshoppers, and we felt like grasshoppers too.”

This message was greeted by cries of despair and disappointment. “Here we are in the wilderness, and there’s no hope of taking the land! Let’s elect a captain and go back to Egypt where we used to be slaves. It’s better than dying out here in the wilderness!” And their cries of despair turned to anger.

But there were two of the spies who did not agree with this unbelief and rebellion. Caleb quieted the people and told them, “We are well able to go up.” But no one listened. Joshua and Caleb stood up again and answered them with confidence that came straight from God. Just the two of them stood alone in front of all that angry, shouting crowd, but they had the word of God to trust in, and nothing changes God’s word!

“If the Lord delight in us, then HE will bring us into this land, and give it [to] us.” These good words rang out above the crowd, and they heard it. But their angry answer was, “Stone them! Kill them!”

Rebellion can lead people a long way into sin. But whether you are very young, very old or in between, you can share the brave words of those two men, and be sure, very sure, that if you belong to God, He is going to take you to His home. Because He promised. And because God keeps His promises. He knows how, no matter what you have done.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared, and all the people saw it. That silenced them, but it did not change their hearts. God sent a plague which immediately destroyed the ten spies who had rebelled against Him.

Being a spy may be dangerous, but it is more than dangerous to rebel against God: It is sure destruction. It was nearly 40 years later that God brought that huge crowd of over a million people into the land that the spies had visited. But during that time, all the rebellious adults died and were buried in the wilderness. Did God hate them? No, not at all. He loved them and took good care of them on that 40-year journey. But the children were the ones who lived to enter and enjoy the wonderful land which the spies had explored.

By this time, Joshua and Caleb were about 80 years old, strong and vigorous, and they received the place of their choice in the good land which God had promised to them. Why? Because they simply believed God. When God said, “This land is for you,” they said, “Yes.”

Can you do that too? God says that salvation is for you, because His Son, the Lord Jesus, died to take away your sins. His gift of eternal life is for you, right now. Will you believe Him and say, “Yes”? Eternal death will come to you if your answer is “No.” What will your answer be?

“I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass” (Ezekiel 12:25). “What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

ML-01/24/1999

Mordecai Saves the King's Life

King Ahasuerus, king of Persia, had two guards named Bigthan and Teresh. They kept watch at the door of his palace. When the king went in and out, these two men guarded him carefully and watched to see that no enemy approached to do the king harm. The king trusted these two men and was sure they would keep careful guard over him and his property.

However, while Bigthan and Teresh seemed to be dependable guards, for some reason they hated the king. They even plotted together how they might kill King Ahasuerus and not be found out.

A man named Mordecai was a servant in the palace at the same time. He was a Jew who had been taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon along with many other Jewish captives many years before. Mordecai heard about the plot to murder King Ahasuerus and got word to Esther the queen. Esther told the king of his danger.

The king ordered an investigation to be made and found that Mordecai’s report was true. The two guards, Bigthan and Teresh, were hanged on a tree. Mordecai’s saving the king’s life was written down in the book of events that was kept for the king.

The king’s life was saved because Mordecai, his servant, heard of the plot of the two palace guards and warned him in time. But what if Mordecai had kept quiet and let the king find out for himself? It would probably have been too late.

What if King Ahasuerus had said, “What does that Jewish captive know about what’s going on around here?” It probably would have been the greatest mistake of his life to have ignored Mordecai’s report.

Has a Christian friend or servant of the Lord faithfully told you, boys and girls (and grown-ups too), that you are in danger of being lost forever if you go on without accepting Christ as your Saviour? Have you ignored the warning or put off the matter of your soul’s salvation until some other time? It may be the greatest mistake of your life. How sad it will be if it is written down in God’s book that you refused the offer of salvation or put it off until it was too late.

“All have sinned” (Romans 3:23), but God in mercy waits to forgive all who come to Him through the work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Time is running out. The day of grace may end at any moment, and there is judgment ahead for all who are left in their sins.

“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).

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10

ML-02/14/1999

A Wild Little Donkey

People seldom consider the miracle which took place the moment Jesus sat upon the donkey colt. Although it is customary for a king to choose a stallion to ride on, it would be considered unwise for anyone to choose an unbroken animal that had never been ridden. But this is exactly what Jesus chose — on purpose. He told two of His disciples, “Ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither” (Luke 19:30).

This colt was probably about two years of age because a donkey’s frame cannot carry human weight without damage to his structure if he is any younger. The importance of this age has great meaning, for this is the age when a male colt is most dangerous. He is at his prime with strong muscles and bones, and his “flight or fight” instincts have not yet been balanced with the wisdom of age and experience. He is unpredictable and flighty. His hooves have the power to smash a hole in a one-inch-thick hardwood board, and his teeth can bite off a human’s fingers. Not exactly the perfect choice for a ride through a crowded street in a major city, we conclude.

Why would Jesus choose to ride such an animal?

What better way to convince the people around Him that in all things He was, and is, in control! Like the people of that day, I work regularly with the various ages of animals in the horse family. Knowing a colt’s temperament, as those people would have, I would have been filled with wonder as I saw a wild and uncontrollable donkey colt meekly submit to Jesus. Truly, He had to be the King of all creation!

There once was a wild little

donkey;

He had to be tied to a tree,

And Jesus was thinking

about him;

He said, “Go and bring him

to Me.”

And when they had brought him

to Jesus

As quickly as ever they could,

That restless, that wild little

donkey

Was quiet, obedient and good.

And Jesus is able to make you

Whatever He wants you to be;

He loves you and longs to

forgive you

And make you both happy

and free.

Have you let Jesus work a miracle in your life? He loves you and wants you to be done with that willful, sinful nature that you were born with. If you will come to Him for forgiveness of your sins, He will give you a new life and nature that loves Him and happily submits to His leading. “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-07/18/1999

Two Men in Jail

Long ago in the city of Philippi, two men, Paul and Silas, had charges brought against them that were not true. They had been telling the people of Philippi about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there were those who were against the work of God, and they brought Paul and Silas to the officials. Many of the people spoke against Paul and Silas and made the officials believe that the two men were guilty.

After beating them with whips, the two men were turned over to the jail keeper who chained them in the inner prison and locked their feet in wooden stocks. Knowing there was no way they could escape, the jail keeper went off to bed.

Poor Paul and Silas! They were in bad shape. Their backs were cut and bleeding from the beating, and they were locked in a cold, dark prison cell. They were probably hungry too, since it does not say in the story in the Bible that they were given anything to eat.

There were other prisoners in the same jail who probably had been beaten with whips too. They expected to hear the usual groans and swearing from the two new prisoners. But the evening hours passed, and they did not hear them complaining. Instead, at about midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. Imagine the surprise of the other prisoners. These two new prisoners who had to be feeling miserable were actually singing and thanking God!

The difference was that Paul and Silas served a wonderful God. They found such joy in serving Him that even prison bars and beatings could not upset them. They knew that God must have a special reason for their being thrown into prison.

God had not forgotten His faithful servants. He had His own plan for that prison and its jail keeper.

Suddenly the ground all around them began to shake violently. It was an earthquake! The prison walls trembled and the gates flew open. All of the prisoners’ chains fell off, and the stocks came apart that locked their feet. But Paul and Silas did not run out of the prison, and the other prisoners were probably too frightened to escape.

When the jail keeper saw the prison gates open, he thought that the prisoners had all escaped. He knew that the penalty for allowing a prisoner to escape was death. So he pulled out his sword to kill himself.

Paul realized what the jail keeper was going to do, and he shouted, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.”

The jail keeper more than likely knew about Paul and Silas and what they preached. Perhaps he had even heard Paul preach. He knew that he was a sinner and that he needed a Saviour. After helping Paul and Silas out of the wrecked jail, he asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Their answer was plain and simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

The jail keeper must have done just that, because the next thing we read about is the remarkable change which took place in him. This same change takes place by the power of Jesus Christ in the lives of children and grown-ups too. It changes them - it makes them new creatures: “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).

The story goes on to tell of the change in this jail keeper who accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. This once cold-hearted cruel man took the two prisoners to his own home. There he washed and treated their bleeding backs and then gave them dinner.

Then Paul and Silas talked more to the jail keeper and his family, and during that night all of them were saved - all became Christians by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

What a wonderful change takes place in those who accept Christ as their Saviour. This jail keeper was shown God’s power through an earthquake which made him feel his own weakness and see his need of a Saviour. Sometimes God uses earthquakes or hurricanes or floods to get our attention so we will listen to His message. The message that was given to the jail keeper almost 2000 years ago is the same message for us today. Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins and trust Him to forgive and save you, and He will!

ML-10/03/1999

A Little Donkey

There once was a wild little donkey;

He had to be tied to a tree;

But Jesus was thinking about him;

He said, “Go and bring him to Me.”

And when they had brought him to Jesus

As quickly as ever they could,

That restless, that wild little donkey

Was quiet, obedient and good.

When Jesus was riding upon him,

He went just the way that he should,

A patient, submissive wee donkey

Made so by the blest Son of God.

And Jesus is able to make you

Whatever He wants you to be;

He loves you and longs to forgive you

And make you both happy and free.

ML-01/03/1999

Lessons from Nature

North America's Flying Squirrels: Part 2

“This also cometh forth from the Lord . . . wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.”
Isaiah 28:29

The outstanding feature that makes flying squirrels different from their more common relatives is their amazing ability to travel considerable distances through the air. Although they appear to be flying, they are actually gliding, which in itself is outstanding.

On the underpart of their bodies is a loose flap of furry skin on each side, not easily seen when they are scampering up a tree trunk or along a branch. Each flap is attached to the front leg and stretches back to where it is attached to the hind leg. This forms a “kite” that enables the squirrel to glide from one tree to another or safely parachute to the ground from a high point.

How do they do this? A flight begins high in a tree with the squirrel first bobbing its head in every direction, apparently sizing things up before taking off. Then it makes the leap with all four legs spread out as far apart as possible, stretching the loose skin into a tight kite. Its target will usually be a lower point on the trunk of another tree, sometimes as far as 100 feet away, but usually closer. Gliding through the air, its flat tail acts like a rudder to keep it on course and then is lifted straight up to act as a brake just as it lands.

It always lands in an upright position with the claws of all four feet gripping the tree’s surface tightly. It immediately scoots around to the other side of the tree before venturing further, an instinct the Creator has given it to preserve it from an owl or other enemy that might have seen it land.

Nests are usually a hole in a dead tree trunk, sometimes one abandoned by a former owner and freshened up with leaves, moss or feathers. There the mother will raise up to half a dozen little ones, caring tenderly for them for a few weeks before introducing them to the pleasures of gliding. Her first task is to take them gliding, one by one. She grasps a baby’s loose skin in her mouth while it holds on upside down with its legs wrapped around her neck. Don’t you imagine that’s quite a thrill for the little one? It is not long before they venture forth on their own, without need of gliding lessons, for they have been given a natural instinct for it by the Creator.

In the coming happy time when those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour will be in heaven with Him, they will exclaim: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). Will you be there?

JANUARY 3, 1999

“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-01/03/1999

A Monster Fish

“Take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money.”
Matthew 17:27

Across the Pacific Ocean the Mekong River flows through fields and hills of northern Thailand, and it is here that a huge fish, called plaa buk, provides the natives with some fishing thrills each year.

A fully grown plaa buk is 6 to 9 feet long and may weigh 600 to 700 pounds. Though it looks like a small whale, it is a member of the catfish family, and its grayish-pink smooth skin has no scales. Much of its weight is in its massive wide-mouthed head, from which its body tapers down to a big upright tail.

To catch one, native fishermen travel together in a group of large dugout canoes. They spread a huge net between two canoes starting at one shore, with another net between two more next to them and one or two more nets and canoes if needed, until they spread across to the opposite side. The canoes drift slowly downstream. A net is the only way to catch one of these monsters, since fishing lines would immediately break.

After a plaa buk has been caught in one of the nets, the crews are busy making sure it doesn’t escape. The net is drawn to the shore, then floated to a riverside dock where there usually are some excited men, women and children waiting to see the action. They hope they may be given a piece to take home, for this fish is considered a very tasty treat.

Ropes are attached to the net, and strong men pull the fish from the water onto dry land, where the audience gets a good look at it before it is killed and cut up for carrying away.

Sometimes these fish are divided among the people, with the fishermen rewarded with the largest portions. But not always. Restaurants in nearby cities will pay a good price for this meat, which they serve to customers who will pay high prices for it. Some restaurants will pay as much as $1000 for just one fish -giving a native more money than he could otherwise earn in a whole year’s time. It is easy to see why these fish are usually sold rather than eaten in native huts!

The Lord God who arranged for a fish to bring a piece of money to Peter (see the opening verse) is the One who knows all the fish of the world. He is their Creator and has placed them in the waters to serve His purposes. He knows all about you too: “Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?” (Job 31:4). David also wrote, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (Psalm 95:6). Have you ever knelt down before your Maker and worshipped Him?

ML-01/17/1999

The Great Blue Heron

“And God created . . . every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:21

When the Lord God created the world, He designed it with oceans, mountains, deserts, forests and everything else that made it a wonderful and beautiful globe. Then in each region He placed birds, animals and other creatures suited to that area’s vegetation and weather conditions. His wisdom becomes evident as we observe how each creature fits into the area where He has placed it.

One example is the great blue heron - a bird that is part of a variety known as waders. It makes its home in marshes, lakes, streams and other watery places. The great blue is the world’s largest heron, standing four feet tall and having a six-foot wingspread. It is a splendid sight to see one standing motionless in the shallow water of a pond with its long, spindly, red legs holding it like a statue.

Its name comes from the generally bluish-black feathers on its back and wings, but it is hard to make a general description because its coloring does not set a definite pattern. Each one is beautiful. As examples, one is bluish-black over its back, but has reddish wings and red patches elsewhere. Another has the top of its head a deep blue with back and wing feathers a somewhat lighter shade, a rusty-red throat and neck, and a pinkish breast and lower body parts.

But the color varieties make great blues more interesting and do not affect traits common to them all. All have long, spindly legs, long, narrow, flexible necks and strong, sharp-pointed beaks used to catch food. Their food includes fish, insects, frogs, mice or other tiny animals. They are very patient when hunting, standing statue-still in water with yellow eyes alert for any motion. Then when a fish or other small creature approaches, they thrust their strong beaks down, quick as a flash, and rarely fail to catch it.

It is a delight to see this bird fly across the sky. When first taking to the air, its long neck is stretched straight forward, but as it rises high above the ground its neck is gradually drawn back to a graceful, double curve. With its long legs straight behind it, it makes a wonderful picture.

Herons live in large colonies high in trees alongside a marsh or stream. One tree may hold a dozen roughly built nests, so loosely woven that their eggs can be seen from below. Both parents care for the little ones for over two months before they mature enough to fly away to make it on their own.

Psalm 33:5 tells us, “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” And Psalm 150:6 tells us, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Have you ever praised the Lord?

ML-01/24/1999

The Cute Cottontails

“All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
Hebrews 4:13

“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

Have you wondered why certain animals are called hares and others are called rabbits when they look so much alike? Although they are closely related, there are differences. Hares have nests above ground; their babies are fully covered with fur; their eyes are already open when they are born; they can hop around within just a few minutes.

Most rabbits have underground nests; their babies have no fur at all; their eyes are closed when they are born; they don’t venture outside for about three weeks. Both rabbits and hares are silent animals, but in serious danger they can let out loud screams.

There are about 80 species of rabbits, but today we will just consider a few of the cottontails. It is natural for us to see all cottontails as lovable as they are so inoffensive and quietly go about their business, eating inner bark of saplings and shrubs, as well as clover and various grasses, fruit and other foods. This is one of God’s creatures that has no desire to harm any living thing and just takes care of its own needs. Incidentally, the cottony underpart of their tails, which is almost always showing, accounts for their name.

All cottontails are timid, with short bodies, small roundish faces, large ears (but nowhere as big as a jackrabbit’s), large, placid eyes and most have soft, tannish fur. But two kinds, both referred to as swamp marsh rabbits, don’t have underground nests. These live above ground and at times build large nests among the low branches of bushy trees.

Many rabbits live on marshy land, but others prefer arid deserts. Two of these are the pygmy and the nuttall - both cottontails. The nuttall is considerably larger than the pygmy and not as shy. The pygmy is really tiny, weighing less than a pound and goes about its business mostly at night. A resident of the desert close to the mountains of California and Oregon, it cares for itself and raises its young where food and water are scarce, summers are very hot and winters are extremely cold.

A shrub which grows only in those areas has the name “rabbit brush.” The pygmy particularly likes to make its home under this shrub, where it is not exposed to some enemies that are numerous in the more lush desert sagebrush.

These little animals are clever at hiding themselves, but they are always under the watchful care of God, their Creator. As the beginning Bible verse says, we are never out of His watchful care either. Have you thanked Him for this love and care and accepted the invitation to become one of His own children by accepting His Son, the Lord Jesus, as your Saviour?

ML-01/31/1999

Beauty in a Snowflake

“Great things doeth He [God], which we cannot comprehend. For He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth.”
Job 37:56

People in warm climates are often thankful they do not have to experience winter. But one lovely thing they miss out on is the beauty of a snow-covered landscape when much of the grime and unattractiveness of the earth is covered over with the beauty of a soft white blanket of snow.

Millions of tons of snow fall over large areas each year. We are filled with wonder when we stop to realize that all of the snow is entirely made up of delicate, beautifully designed snowflakes, so small that one would scarcely cover your little fingernail. And such beautiful designs! People who study and photograph them continually prove, to their amazement, that no two snowflakes are alike.

With few exceptions, snowflakes are always six-sided. Sometimes the six sides are flat and straight, but more often they have six beautifully designed arms coming out from a circle, forming a common center which has its own design. Each spear-like arm matches the others on the same flake, but, as mentioned above, no two flakes have been found that are exactly alike. A scientist who made photographs of more than 400,000 snowflakes verified in his pictures that this was truly so. Isn’t that amazing! No one but the Lord God could create so many different designs.

Snowflakes form in the clouds. They begin as tiny specks of dust surrounded by little droplets of water that change into flakes as freezing air blows on them. As they fall, many collide, changing the shapes from which they started and landing on earth with sometimes less than six sides, or becoming long and narrow. But each snowflake has its part in forming the snowy landscapes that attract skiers, tobogganers and photographers.

Even more important, the snow on mountains, that becomes deeper with each snowfall, is held in the cold temperatures of these high altitudes until hot summer months. Then a gradual melting releases snow in the form of water into streams and rivers to supply necessary moisture to forests, meadows and farms in the lower areas - wise planning by the Creator of all things.

In the Bible there is a lovely verse which says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). By “reasoning together” we understand that the Lord Jesus died on the cross to wash away our sins, and any who will confess to God that they are sinners and accept His offer to be their Saviour are saved.

If He is not your Saviour, He invites you to come to Him right now and He will accept you as one of His own, making your sins “as white as snow” in His sight.

“These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” John 20:31

ML-02/07/1999

Unusual Sea Creatures

“Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea.”
Isaiah 42:10

There are over 20,000 species of fish in the world, and all have been designed by the Creator for the particular body of water where they live. Let’s look at a few that live in the Red Sea.

The foot-long stargazer fish hides itself completely in the sea’s sandy bottom, with only its unusual mouth showing with teeth that look like broken pieces of spaghetti. Small fish, curious about this display, are immediately snapped up by the stargazer’s vicious mouth.

Garden eels anchor their tails in burrows at the sea bottom. The rest of their yard-long bodies are held vertical and sway with the current, making them look like stalks of seaweed. They never leave this position (except when frightened), but sway toward one another—sometimes in a friendly way - sometimes to fight. If something frightens them, they sink into their burrows, completely hidden, and remain there until the danger is past. Small bits of marine life drifting by are their food supply.

The jet-black razor fish is very timid. When frightened, it drops to the bottom and lies there unmoving, like a flat stone, until the intruder leaves the area. Like the stargazer, sometimes it will bury itself in the sand.

Another Red Sea native is a 6-inch-wide, red sea urchin. It is related to the starfish and looks something like one. But this sea urchin has hundreds of black prickly spines all over its body to protect it.

The dark brown sea moth is another unusual sea creature. It has a long, narrow snout and a heavy, armor-like coat that matches the color of the sandy sea floor. As it slowly glides along with its nearly transparent “wings,” it is almost invisible. But when pursued it can put on a burst of speed to escape all but the swiftest fish. Its armor becomes too tight as it grows and drops off from time to time, but it is soon replaced by new armor.

The snapping shrimp and the little goby fish are friendly companions and make their home together in a burrow in the sea bottom. The shrimp uses its claws to keep the burrow entrance open while making sure one of its feelers is always touching the goby. If the goby senses danger, it wiggles its body in warning, and the shrimp immediately scoots down the burrow, with the goby quickly following.

These are just a few of the millions of fish watched over by the Creator. His eyes never leave them, just as He watches over every person in the world. We are told, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). What does He see when He looks at you?

ML-02/14/1999

Is It Really Sunrise?

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
Psalm 33:6

We say the sun is rising and setting, but is this really correct? It wasn’t so far back in history when people thought the world was flat, and they were afraid to go in boats on the ocean for fear they would fall off the edge! Many thought the earth was the center of the universe and that all the stars, including the sun, traveled around it.

Now we know the earth is round, and by its revolving every 24 hours the sun comes into view in the morning and disappears at night. So, actually, it isn’t sunrise and sunset after all, but what might be more accurate would be “earthrise” and “earthset.” We also now know the earth is not the center of everything, but just a speck in God’s universe.

Perhaps you have thought that the stars only “come out” at night. Actually they are there day and night and don’t actually “come out.” Of course, we only see them at night when the brightness of the sun and city lights are gone and when there are no clouds to block the view.

When looking into a starry sky, you might think that they are very close together. Yet, astronomers know that most of them are trillions of miles apart. No one but the Creator knows the actual number of stars, but it is estimated there are more than 100 billion, billion (100,000,000,000,000,000,000)! Man’s mind cannot begin to understand such numbers, but the Bible tells us “He [the Lord] telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names” (Psalm 147:4). Compared to the billions of stars, our earth is very small. The diameter of the sun is 100 times greater than the earth, and yet one of the really great stars, Antares, is 330 times larger than the sun! It is so huge that, if it were hollow, most of our solar system could orbit inside Antares! The sun is the nearest star to us - 93 million miles away. The next nearest is Proxima Centauri, 25 trillion miles away. If you could travel 1000 miles per second, it would take 790 years to reach Proxima Centauri.

Yet, in spite of our smallness in God’s vast universe, it was on this planet that we call Earth, and in no other place, that He placed man and other forms of life. And it was to this world, when men rebelled against their Creator, that God sent His beloved Son to die on Calvary’s cross. There He was punished for the sins of those who would accept Him as their Saviour. Now, because of what He has done, those who know Him as their Saviour have forgiveness for their sins and the wonderful gift of everlasting life in the splendor of heaven.

ML-02/21/1999

The Ungainly Hyena

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest [visible] in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
Hebrews 4:13

There are many hyenas throughout Africa. The largest is the one with the fiendish howl which resembles a hysterical human laugh. It is known as the spotted or laughing hyena. It is about six feet long and weighs around 150 pounds.

The hyena is an unattractive animal having yellowish-brown, coarse hair with black spots. Its short head with big, erect ears is large in proportion to its body. Its long, thick neck, muscular shoulders and long, muscular front legs make the front of its body larger and much stronger than the back, which tapers down on shorter hind legs to a stubby tail.

Other species of hyenas include the brown and the striped hyenas. Both are somewhat smaller than the spotted. Aside from their differences in appearance, they all have much in common. No other animal on earth has such powerful jaws and strong teeth that can quickly tear flesh and crush bones. Bones as thick as baseball bats are crushed by them as easily as you would break a stick of peppermint candy. They are all scavengers, and their food preference is a dead animal which has started to decay. If they find jackals, cheetahs or other small predators eating an animal they have killed, the hyenas will chase them away and steal the carcass. However, they will not attempt to chase away lions, because the lions would kill them instead.

In the hottest season, which often reaches 120° in the shade, most of the big game migrate elsewhere, so the hyenas have to be satisfied with catching hares, rodents, snakes and birds. During such dry spells with no water around, the only moisture they usually get is from their freshly killed prey. Sometimes, however, they find a patch of wild melons to quench their thirst.

Some may question what purpose hyenas serve in God’s creation. Like the vultures that often quarrel with them over a dead animal, they perform an important service in disposing of decaying flesh that spreads disease. This is part of God’s way in having His creation take care of a serious problem.

However, the services of hyenas will not always be needed. Speaking of a future time, the Bible says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). This refers to the coming time after those who are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have been taken to heaven, and judgment later falls on the rest of the world. Following those events, Christ will reign over a peaceful world. Will you be among those in heaven looking down on this lovely and peaceful scene?

ML-02/28/1999

The Clever Road Runner

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”
Psalm 50:11

The road runner is a strange North American bird full of comical manners and mischief. Belonging to the cuckoo family, it is nearly two feet long and has long legs with two toes in front and two in back. It blends into the desert countryside in its drab white and olive feathers. Year after year it lives in the same nest made of sticks and often lined with snake skins.

When chased, the male allows its pursuer almost to catch it, then leaps into the brush and disappears. If an intruder approaches the nest, the female remains quietly on her nest until the intruder is almost upon her before flying away. If she has chicks, she hops away from the nest and pretends to have a broken leg, limping along just beyond reach of her enemy. This leads the intruder away from her chicks a safe distance where finally she flies off. How did she learn to do this? The Creator gave her this instinct when He placed the first road runner on the earth.

This swift-footed bird prefers to walk, but will fly occasionally. It is interesting to watch one strutting through the desert with its neck and head stretched out, stopping often with its tail feathers and bristly topknot bobbing up and down. Its black eyes are always alert for its next meal - insect, mouse, lizard, snail or young snake - which it catches in its long beak.

This bird’s life seems to be full of fun. If a horse and rider appear, it is quite ready to run in front of them, challenging them to a race. After tiring of the game, it disappears off the side of the road.

It frightens cats by rushing toward them with its wings spread, head stretched out and beak open, making odd noises. Most cats will make a quick getaway, but some cats will hold their ground and even swipe at the bird with their paws.

The road runner is not afraid of rattlesnakes. It will circle the snake and tease it to strike. When the snake strikes, the road runner jumps into the air or hops aside where the snake cannot reach it. The moment the snake’s body is straightened out the bird quickly pecks it with its sharp beak. The angry snake coils and strikes again and again, but always with the same result. Finally, tired out, the snake cannot continue the fight, and the bird finishes it off.

God has given special abilities to each of His creatures, and He takes pleasure in caring for them. He cares for you too, but more than that, He loves you and invites you to be His child. The Bible explains how: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). Are you part of His happy family?

ML-03/07/1999

The Kangaroo Rat: Part 1

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring.”
Joel 2:21-22

This verse reminds us of the wonderful care of the Lord God for creatures everywhere and especially in the wilderness or desert areas where it would seem nothing could survive. But He has placed a variety of creatures in such places, and if they could read the above Bible verse it certainly would make them happy.

Today we will go to the warm western portion of the United States and Mexico where the tiny kangaroo rat makes its home. Although not related to kangaroos, it does jump around like a miniature kangaroo on long, powerful hind feet.

Over a dozen species of these little fellows, about 15 inches long, including its 8-inch tail, live in the hot deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico. An interesting one is called the bannertail, because of the white, hairy brush on the end of its tail.

Kangaroo rats can be detected by the large mounds of sun-baked earth which are present after they have finished digging a burrow. On the surface of these mounds many holes appear which are all entrances to their underground nests. These mounds are often several feet in diameter and two feet or more in height, full of twisting tunnels that confuse an enemy trying to reach them. It is really amazing that so small an animal can construct such a big project.

The main feature of the kangaroo rat is that both its front and hind feet are almost identical miniatures of the true Australian kangaroo. The long feet in back are used (just like those of the kangaroo) for sitting upright when resting or eating food they have picked, as well as moving about in long hops. The much shorter front feet are used mostly for digging and for stuffing food into cheek pouches. This food includes seeds and certain plants which they bring into special rooms in their burrows and store for winter use.

The above-ground tunnels eventually twist and turn as much as two feet below ground level until they all meet at the nest and storage chambers. The dozen or more entrances and twisting tunnels very effectively confuse snakes or coyotes. If an enemy does persist in following one underground, the kangaroo rat can quickly escape by using a different tunnel.

The Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, has provided the instincts and activities by which kangaroo rats survive in their harsh areas. In next week’s issue we will consider some of His special provisions for them.

ML-03/14/1999

The Kangaroo Rat: Part 2

“In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also . . . and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
Psalm 95:4-6

Last week we had an introduction to the interesting kangaroo rats of the western United States and Mexico, particularly one known as the bannertail. Today let’s take a look at the amazing special provisions the Creator gave them.

In these desert areas scorpions are all over, and their sting can kill little animals like kangaroo rats, but the Creator has made them immune to the poison. We all know that water is scarce in desert conditions, but He has enabled them to survive without drinking water. Instead, their water supply is produced when food inside them combines with the oxygen they breathe. In addition, they have been given special noses so that very little moisture from their lungs passes out into the air when they breathe (as it does with other animals), but returns into their bodies. To further keep moisture from escaping, these little creatures close the entrances to their tunnels when underground in the daytime. This not only keeps cool air in, but retains the moisture that does escape in their breathing.

Their long, bare tails are not only useful in maintaining balance as they hop about, but they also act as an efficient air conditioner. You see, they do not perspire from any parts of their bodies except their tails. As they swing their tails rapidly from side to side, the perspiration evaporates and cools them.

In late summer our little friends are busy picking a variety of seeds, using their short front feet to stuff them into cheek pouches to be carried into the burrow for winter storage. The Creator has given them the ability to store this food so that it keeps without spoiling until eaten.

Bannertails are certainly an interesting example of the wonders of God’s creation. However, a desert visitor might be disappointed by not seeing one, because they come out only at night to gather food. However, a visitor might be rewarded on a bright moonlight night. They put on a lively show at such times, but the visitor must remain perfectly still, for one movement or noise will send them scurrying back to their burrows.

Not many of us will have an opportunity to watch these desert animals, but as we look around us and remember that all things have come from a divine Creator, we will easily see His wisdom and loving care in providing for all His creation.

King David was often thinking about the Lord God’s wonderful ways with all His creation and wrote, “I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works” (Psalm 9:1). And we can do the same!

“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-03/21/1999

Birds on Schedule

“Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.”
Psalm 84:3

It’s springtime, and let’s watch for those pretty, graceful cliff swallows returning again in their colorful feathers of brown, red, yellow and white. Through the winter they have been in South America, but their God-given instinct brings them back, thousands of miles, to many parts of North America for nest building, raising of young and an active life in the northern climate.

Cliff swallows look like their relatives, the barn swallows, but cliff swallows have square tails instead of forked tails. Their legs are short and they use them mostly for perching, since they catch nearly all of their food while flying.

The reliability of the swallows’ annual return on certain calendar days is a signal to farmers when to plant certain crops. They know swallows are among their best friends, because they help destroy harmful crop insects and mosquitoes.

Cliff swallows like to live near people, either on nearby cliffs, under bridges, or under the eaves of houses and barns. These birds are sociable, and they build their interesting nests in colonies. Muddy clay is the building material mixed with gluey saliva and straw. A beakful at a time is daubed on the surface they have chosen. Then one beakful after another is added until the jar-shaped nests extend out five or six inches, with open entrances on the tapered ends. The insides are lined with feathers and grass, providing a soft, safe place for females to lay 3 to 9 eggs.

The nests in a colony actually touch each other. Watching a swallow swiftly flying in and out, it is amazing how it avoids entering a neighbor’s nest. But no mistakes are made. The Lord God who first placed them on the earth has given them remarkable instincts and abilities in their swift flight patterns.

The mouth of the cliff swallow is an example of how every bird in God’s creation is well equipped for its manner of life. The swallow has been given a short, broad beak which opens wide to scoop up insects in flight and to dig and carry mud for nest building. Its wings show the Creator’s wisdom too. They are long and flexible and enable the swallow to make its graceful diving-and-turning flight as it pursues its food.

But God has not only shown His care over animals and birds. In addition to His care and provisions for wildlife, He extends His love to all mankind. This was most wondrously shown when He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on Calvary’s cross to provide forgiveness of sins to all who will accept Him as their Saviour. Have you thanked Him for His love to you?

ML-03/28/1999

The Beautiful Leopard

“Can [a person] change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”
Jeremiah 13:23

Leopards live in parts of Africa and in Asia from Israel to China, Malaya and Sumatra. They are the third largest member of the cat family. Only the lion and tiger are larger. Besides being a beautiful animal, a leopard is graceful, alert and cunning. It is also a good climber and spends part of its time in trees.

The leopard is fierce and prefers to hunt alone. Its tawny color and spotted pattern blend with the grasses and leaf shadows, enabling it to crawl through brush or lie on a tree branch undetected by its prey. Unbelievably strong, it can carry prey weighing 80 to 150 pounds up into a tree 10 to 25 feet above the ground before it settles down to eat.

The Creator has given the leopard excellent sight, smell and hearing. It is extremely patient in hunting impalas, antelopes, jackals, monkeys, sheep, goats and dogs. It may watch its victim for an hour or more before beginning its stalk. Then it creeps toward it and makes a swift, final dash with a great leap onto its catch. At other times it may stretch out on a tree branch over a game trail. It lies entirely motionless until something comes along, then it drops down onto its prey.

Two, three or four kittens to a litter are born in a cave, hollow tree or den underneath a big rock. The mother has the responsibility of feeding and raising them. After four months, she teaches them to hunt and to take care of themselves. About two months later they leave and are on their own, probably never having seen their father.

The questions in our opening Bible verse have only one answer: A person cannot change the color of his skin, and a leopard cannot change the spots on its coat. The rest of the verse draws a parallel: If we could change our skin or the leopard change his spots, then we could also change from being sinful to being good. But the Bible states the facts: “There is none that doeth good,” and, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:12, 23).

How then can we ever hope that God will accept us, since we are sinners? This is a most important question, and the answer is again found in the Bible: “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Believing that Christ died for your sins and accepting Him as your Saviour is called being “born again,” and everyone with this new life belongs to God as His child and is assured of spending eternity in heaven. Do you have this assurance?

ML-04/04/1999

Sturgeons Grow Big

“O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”
Psalm 104:24

Unlike the huge fish in South America’s warm waters, sturgeons prefer the colder northern waters. The best-known common sturgeon is found mostly in European waters and along the North American coast from Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico.

Olive-green or bluish-gray in their top covering, they are not very attractive, but they are certainly unusual. Twelve rows of bony knobs, looking like the teeth of a big saw, cover their bodies. They also have armor of bony plates protecting their heads which taper down to pointed snouts. Beneath the long snouts they have small, toothless mouths with thick, sucking lips. When feeding, they push their snouts into the mush of the ocean floor and suck fish, crabs and other shellfish into their mouths.

Only a few varieties become greater than 100 pounds, and some of these are the giants of the fish world. The white sturgeon of the American Pacific Coast is usually found in freshwater rivers, such as the Fraser, the Columbia and the Sacramento. The all-time-record catch weighed almost a ton (2000 pounds) and was 18 feet long! However, that was some years ago. Because of overfishing and pollution, it is unusual to find one weighing more than 1000 pounds now, but even that is twice as heavy as a large gorilla! How would you like to have one of these huge fish on your fishing line?

In springtime the adults migrate from the ocean into rivers. The females, heavy with thousands of eggs, swim upstream until they find a place to lay them. These masses of eggs stick to rocks and plants until they hatch in about two weeks. At the end of summer when the young fish have grown almost a foot long, they migrate downstream and out into the ocean. Only a small number actually make it, since other fish eat many of the eggs as well as all the little fish they can catch.

There is always a good market for sturgeon meat, but even more so for the tasty eggs which are called caviar - a pound of which sells for as much as $800. At that price most people cannot afford them, so they are served mostly in fancy restaurants or on the tables of the wealthy.

It was on the fifth day of creation that God formed the creatures of the sea - from the tiniest to the largest -and the sea creatures of today are just like those He placed in the waters thousands of years ago.

We can be confident that the world’s interesting creatures didn’t just happen to form themselves. God created these creatures for our use and enjoyment. He says, “Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create” (Isaiah 65:18).

ML-04/11/1999

No Love for Fire Ants

“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

We have looked at many kinds of ants in past articles, discovering the interesting ways the Creator has ordered their lives. However, as we look at fire ants we will understand why many people wish they could be wiped off the earth. They only spell trouble wherever they choose to live.

This large, bright-red ant was originally a resident of South America, living in its forests and fields. However, in 1918 a few arrived in the southern United States. Unfortunately, people didn’t pay much attention to them at that time. The fire ants multiplied rapidly, and before long they spread to many places in great numbers. Today these invaders are a serious pest. Millions of them live in the area from Florida and Georgia west into Texas and are becoming more numerous every day.

If you ever get one on you, you will soon know why they are so unpopular. Their sting is painful and raises a red welt that hurts for several days. It makes some people ill and can even kill a small animal. But for farmers fire ants are even more serious. They infest their fields, building nests that soon become a mound one foot or more above the soil. The ants coat these mounds with a sticky material that dries as hard as cement. These become hidden among the crops, and farm equipment passing over the mounds gets damaged, requiring expensive repair, only to have it happen all over again if another mound is run over. Sometimes the farmer gets so discouraged that he leaves his crop unharvested, which of course means no income from it.

Not only is farm machinery damaged: The ants damage corn, beans and other crops as well as killing young orchard trees. Their ferocious appetites also harm much wildlife -birds, insects, small animals and even snakes. Of course, great and expensive efforts are made to find a means of killing them off, but the ants are so tough that this has not been successful. People now realize they just waited too long.

The carelessness of people who first experienced fire ants years ago and did nothing about them until it was too late is a lesson for us about every sin (even sins that seem very small) that we commit. If we ignore them, they get worse and worse until they have real control over our lives.

How important it is to confess our sins to the Lord Jesus just as soon as they happen. If we ask sincerely, He will guide us in a right way so they will not be repeated. His promise is, “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). Don’t put off doing this!

ML-04/18/1999

Four Unusual Frogs

“There is a time . . . for every purpose and for every work.”
Ecclesiastes 3:17

One of the first signs of spring throughout North America is a nighttime sound of high-pitched peeps from ponds and marshes, announcing that the little peeper frogs (less than an inch to 4 or 5 inches long) are coming out of their winter mud-hibernations. Peepers appear the first day temperatures rise to about 50° F. The males appear first, soon followed by the females which have been attracted by their pretty chorus. Tiny tadpoles soon hatch from sticky eggs laid in great numbers in shallow water. It takes these tadpoles most of the summer to change into mature frogs.

The Coqui frog of Puerto Rico is also small - less than 2 inches long. Only the males “sing,” but their croaks are about as loud as a noisy motorboat. These noisy little creatures usually sleep in the daytime and come out only at night, but after a heavy rain they all come out and sing together, day or night, making a terrible racket.

Ecuador is the home of the pouched frog. They have this name because the female has a pouch on her back where her male companion tucks in the dozen or more eggs she has laid. When the eggs are ready to hatch out as miniature frogs, the mother goes to a nearby pool under the trees and releases them out of her pouch by using a long toe on one of her hind feet to pull open a slit on her back. The tiny froglets, happy to leave their crowded home, hop into the pool and start life on their own. Soon they climb to the high tops of tropical trees where their bright-green bodies are well-hidden among the leaves. Some of the leaves hold little puddles of rainwater, providing the moisture all frogs must have.

Another South American species is called the poison dart because natives use a poison found in them to make their arrows and other weapons more effective. The eggs of these frogs are laid on watery ground, and when these little frogs hatch out they are carried piggyback by the parents to plants growing high among the treetops. Here they find necessary water, just as their cousins the pouched frogs do.

Frogs are not liked by everyone, except perhaps young boys and animal-lovers, but they are God’s creatures and serve His purpose in our interesting world and are under His watchful care. We may not understand His purposes for all creatures, but we can understand a wonderful purpose He has for all boys and girls and grown-ups who love Him. He says in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

Does this verse apply to you? If you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, it surely does.

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
Hebrews 9:27-28

ML-04/25/1999

The Black-Footed Ferret

“Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways.”
Revelation 15:3

When western prairies of the United States were being settled many years ago, millions of prairie dog homes dotted the plains. Because these animals were considered pests, they were hunted and poisoned, so that today hardly any are left.

That poisoning also meant the death of a smaller animal - the black-footed ferret. Not only were they also poisoned, but their main food supply was also gone - the prairie dogs. Now there are only a few of these ferrets left also - mostly in the state of Wyoming where efforts are being made to protect them.

The pretty black-footed ferret is closely related to the weasel, as shown by its slim body, short legs, alert expression and sharp eyes. Only about 2 feet long from nose to tip of tail, it weighs a mere pound and a half. Its fur is mostly brown, but its raccoon-like face is white with a black streak across its eyes like a bandit’s mask. It has a black streak all along its back, and the tip of its tail and its feet are also black, the reason for its name. Being close to the ground, its agile body is well-hidden in the grass as it skims along at high speed.

The ferret is a fierce nighttime hunter, often attacking animals larger than itself. For instance, prairie dogs often weigh more than twice as much, but although the ferret may get badly wounded, it is rare for it to lose the battle. When it is over, the ferret drags the heavier creature to its burrow for eating. Ground squirrels, mice, rabbits and other small animals are also their victims.

Ferrets sometimes use prairie dog burrows as nests where their kits are born in early summer and raised by the mother. Sometime before fall each young ferret moves to a solitary burrow where it makes its home and carries back whatever it captures for its own consumption.

In the Lord God’s original creation all things lived peacefully together, but when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, that perfection was ruined, affecting all living things. And today lions, tigers, ferrets, hawks, falcons, sharks and many other creatures still attack and kill one another.

But the Bible gives us cheerful news about a coming day when “the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy . . . for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:79).

Before that takes place, all who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Saviour will have been called to heaven and will look down on this peaceful scene with thankful praise to God for restoring His creation so wonderfully. Will you be in heaven with them?

ML-05/02/1999

That Strange Bird, the Hornbill: Part 1

“And God created . . . every living creature . . . and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:21

There are about 44 varieties of hornbills living in the jungles of Africa and Asia. This strange, colorful bird is the size of a goose with a large yellow or red saw-toothed, curved bill. On top of this bill is a reddish bony headpiece which looks like a helmet. Each variety of hornbill has its own special headpiece lying flat on top of the bill. One species, the rhino hornbill, has a growth pointing forward like the horn on a rhinoceros.

These unusual bills and headpieces result in the death of many hornbills since people kill them for these bony pieces. Many kinds of knickknacks are carved from them, including handles for knives and daggers, buckles and even small idols and tourist souvenirs. We cannot say that the hornbills are proud of their attractive bills, but we are reminded that the Bible says, “Woe to the crown of pride . . . whose glorious beauty is a fading flower. . . . The Lord of hosts [shall] be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty” (Isaiah 28:1,5). Pride and the beauty of everything on earth will fade and pass away, but the Lord and His Word will endure forever.

Hornbills have black and white feathers on their backs and orange feathers on their breasts, throats and heads. To support their heavy bodies they have strong legs with tough, claw-like toes on their feet for gripping the branches of trees.

These birds have loud calls that carry long distances through the jungles. The calls sound like a combination of a racing car, a human scream and crazy laughter. Their wings also produce loud booms as they fly slowly through the trees. Orangutans and other apes are attracted by these noises and will swing through the trees, following the birds. They seem to know that the hornbills like wild fruits and berries to eat, and they do too.

Strange as the hornbill may seem to us, it is part of God’s creation, and He carefully watches over every one of them. We are told, “All things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [continue to exist]” (Colossians 1:1617). Each person is also part of His creation, but, sad to say, all have sinned (disobeyed God), and God cannot accept us in our sins. We must each first come to the Lord Jesus to be cleansed from our sins. Then we are told, “If any man be in Christ [saved by faith in Him], he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Have you come to the Lord Jesus for cleansing from your sins?

“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-05/09/1999

Life-Saving Instincts: Part 1

“Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.”
Isaiah 65:18

Every creature has God-given instincts, enabling it to survive and prosper even in hazardous conditions. What’s more, the instincts are already present when the creature is born and are not something that have to be developed, although they do grow keener as they are used. Evidence of this is perhaps more noticeable in birds, fish, animals and insects than in other living things, but all have been well supplied with instincts by the Creator, according to their particular conditions of life.

One of the most outstanding examples of instincts is the migration of birds (which we have looked at in past issues). The more we learn of their long migratory flights so precisely taken over prairies, mountains and oceans and in all kinds of weather, the more we are amazed at the instincts provided by the Creator, enabling them to complete these flights. Or, consider the lovely monarch butterflies. The adults fly each summer from Mexico and California up into Canada and Alaska, lay their eggs and then die. But as the following winter approaches, the young butterflies that have never been beyond the place of their birth migrate south in huge numbers to the very trees that their parents left many months earlier.

We could also look at the great distances whales migrate, or the long travels each year of caribou, antelope, yaks, gnu, salmon, eels and other creatures throughout the world. All these migrations, and many, many others, are guided by God-given instincts and repeated faithfully by each new generation. The most intensive study of researchers cannot explain how these migrations can take place so accurately, but all we need to know is that they are part of God’s creation, and He has provided the instincts that bring about their travels.

Instincts work in other ways as well. The blinking of your eye as something suddenly approaches it and the immediate raising of your arm to fend off an unexpected threat, when there is not time to do anything else, are both instincts we use day after day.

Wild animals have been given an instinct to avoid poisonous things, such as certain mushrooms, berries and roots. A deer, for instance, will eat leaves from bushes all around an oleander bush, but instinct tells it to leave that poisonous bush alone. Humans do not need this instinct, since we can be taught what is poisonous, because God has given us an intelligence for this. His careful provisions for all His creatures, including humans, remind us that “He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom” (Jeremiah 10:12).

(to be continued)

ML-12/05/1999

Life-Saving Instincts: Part 2

“Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all.”
Nehemiah 9:6

A friend wrote to us of his experiences with chickens when he was a boy. On one occasion he brought home a rather large freshwater crab from a fishing trip and was curious to see what a rooster in the barnyard would do with it. So he set the crab down in front of it, and immediately, with a couple of jabs of its strong beak, it pecked off the large claws, then pecked a hole in the crab’s back and proceeded to eat the meat inside. The rooster, of course, had never seen a crab before, but the Creator had given it an instinct to know what to do.

Another time one of the hens with baby chicks was allowed outside her coop for some exercise when a strange small dog suddenly appeared. Immediately the hen flew onto the dog’s head and, almost smothering it with her wings, began to peck its head with her beak. The frightened dog tried to run away, but the hen stayed with it and would have continued her attack if she had not been pulled off. Here was another instance of instinct, enabling the hen to know what to do, although she had never before had such an experience.

The letter went on to tell of some chicks hatched in an incubator, not yet exposed to living outside the brooder. Like chicks everywhere, when awake they seemed to be always chirping noisily, but when a strange sound was heard every chick immediately became silent. Now, they didn’t have a mother there to teach them, but through a God-given instinct they knew what to do when something threatened.

Our friend also commented that boys and girls have to be taught to obey, and some do not learn very well, whereas the chicks were instinctively obedient to the instincts given them by the Creator. And he pointed out that, although we are sinful by nature, the Lord Jesus offers eternal life to all who will come to Him in faith, admitting their sin. His promise states, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise [in no way] cast out” (John 6:37). With the new eternal life He gives comes a new nature that delights to obey Him.

We thought you would find the stories of this man’s experiences with chickens interesting examples of how God-given instincts help so many of His creatures. We hope that every one of you has come to the Lord Jesus, confessing you are a sinner, and accepting Him as your very own Saviour. If you have not yet done this, why not accept His invitation this very day.

ML-12/12/1999

Nature's Janitors: Part 1

“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:89

All kinds of natural litter collects on the ground in forests day and night. If it weren’t for busy crews of “janitors,” which the Creator provided long ago, this litter would have piled up so deeply that life on earth could not be possible. Trees, plants and other vegetation could not withstand the pileup of tons of waste material smothering their roots. Animals, birds, fish and even humans dependent on plants and trees for food would starve, with their dead bodies adding just that much more waste material.

What is this crew of “janitors”? and what part do they play in the Creator’s plan? One of them, quite visible to us, is the common earthworm (also called night crawler, fishworm or angleworm). Uncountable millions of them are constantly at work, eating their way through soil and returning to the surface again and again for leaves, grass and other litter they take into their burrows for disposal.

Earthworms are just part of the visible crew. Lizards, mice, squirrels and other small animals do their part, as well as beetles and limitless other insects, some visible and some invisible, all taking part in the endless job of breaking down the litter of fallen leaves, dead trees and decaying material. As they eat this, it passes through their digestive systems, becoming rich fertilizer which feeds the roots of existing vegetation as well as seeds just sprouting. Mushrooms and toadstools also have part in the process.

If we could weigh all the leaves that drop on one acre in one year, they would weigh over a ton. Interestingly, in tropical rain forests the leaves which fall to the ground would weigh three times that much. What becomes of all these when it’s time for new leaves to appear? Through the effects of sunshine, rain and snow, combined with the work of the “janitors,” it takes about two years for these to be changed into rich, soft soil. In evergreen forests of pine, fir and cedar it takes nearly twice as long, but these become new soil in the same way.

When the Creator placed trees and vegetation on the earth on the third day of His new creation, He knew exactly what it would need, and in His wisdom all this “janitorial” force was created to handle it. This brings to mind the Bible verse, “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all” (Nehemiah 9:6).

Because of all these silent helpers, nothing is ever wasted in the wonderland of God’s creation, our marvelous earth. How wonderful that we can know Him not only as our Creator, but also as our loving Saviour. Do you know Him both ways?

ML-10/31/1999

Nature's Janitors: Part 2

“Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.”
Psalm 139:12

Many industries produce what is called “toxic waste.” This material is harmful to any soil and water it comes in contact with. Many parts of nature also produce waste products, but they are helpful rather than harmful. In fact, the Creator’s design in what we call “nature” is that nothing is ever actually wasted. As trees, grass and other vegetation die, their very death is the first step in renewing life in the forest.

Last week we learned of some of the visible things — weather and creatures — that help dispose of the forest’s litter and convert it to good soil to nourish old and new growth. But even more important are the invisible ones which work along with them. These are the bacteria that take over when the work of the others is completed. Many billions of bacteria, too small to be seen without a microscope, are always present to do their part in the process of breaking down the waste products of field and forest.

These organisms not only eat and secrete the material already partly decomposed by the great “janitorial” armies of insects and animals, but in some instances they work ahead of these, preparing the material for them. We see the effect of these organisms in a piece of fruit with a brown, soft spot. Bacteria are already working here, and insects, birds or animals may finish it off.

Almost all of these “janitors” in the soil are too tiny to be seen by the naked eye, and no one but the Creator knows for sure how many different kinds there are. We do know there are countless billions of them, and all are a part of God’s wonderful design of creation.

All this activity is going on night and day, and few people are even aware of it. But God is not only aware of it, He is the One who has made them and given them their important place in this vast world-wide system, and He sees them as they do their work.

As we think of this amazing activity and how that which has died becomes new life again, we see a remarkable picture of the person who has trusted in the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, and how the Bible says this person has “passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Another Bible verse explains more about this person: “If any man [or woman or boy or girl] be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

These happy people enjoy entirely new lives in the sight of God, a life that will be theirs for eternity. Are you one of these changed people who has new life?

ML-11/07/1999

Gazelles and Gerenuks

“God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.”
Hebrews 1:12

Two of Africa’s closely related animals are the gazelle and the gerenuk. You have probably seen tranquil pictures of these pretty, graceful animals in their light tan and pure white hair grazing on the open plains. While they retain separate herds, they frequently graze side by side. Both animals get enough moisture from their food that they can go longer without drinking water in that dry land than most animals.

The two are similar in many ways, and the Lord God created them well suited to their surroundings. Both have long legs and are swift runners. Both have large, soft, black eyes with good vision as well as large, pointed ears for keen hearing. And both have long, round horns and long, slender necks, the gerenuk’s being the longer. In fact, its native name means “giraffe necked.”

Their food is primarily lush grasses but includes leaves of many trees and shrubs. One distinction of the gerenuk is its appetite for the leaves of the African thornbush which is covered with sharp thorns. It is amazing how it avoids the thorns and manages, sometimes standing upright on its hind feet, to get at the high branches. Other animals avoid that thorny bush.

A difference between them is the way they respond to the threat of vicious predators. Gazelles, aware of approaching wild dogs, lions or leopards, immediately jump high in the air, bouncing up and down to signal the rest of the herd. Then they all run off at speeds up to 40 miles an hour.

Gerenuks react differently. When their keen senses tell of a nearby threat, they pass the message around, then freeze like statues, at times standing still for several minutes. The threatening enemy, realizing it has been spotted, usually leaves. But if it seems evident that the enemy is going to attack, the gerenuks dash off in strong leaps and bounds at great speed, usually escaping.

These animals are always in the care of the One who created them, as the Bible tells us: “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:9). He does not expect animals to know this, and they cannot thank Him for it. But He has done something even greater for humans in providing Himself as the Saviour of sinners. He invites you and me to personally accept His death on the cross to put away our sins forever. Will you come to Him as a sinner and accept His loving gift of forgiveness and eternal life with Him in heaven? Each one of us should accept His invitation and thank Him for such love.

ML-12/26/1999

A Scarlet Beauty

“And God created . . . every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying . . . let fowl multiply in the earth.”
Genesis 1:21-22

In the rain forests of South and Central America and Mexico, there are many brightly colored macaws, sharing the forests with closely related parrots. One macaw is named the red and blue. Its upper and lower plumage is a bright red with patches of yellow, and its red tail is tipped with blue.

A somewhat similar one is the blue and yellow. A flock of these in flight is a beautiful sight. Among the larger ones is the Hyacinthine which is a solid deep blue. It can be identified by its unusually strong beak which has a sharp point on the upper half, extending beyond the lower half.

There are many more interesting macaws as well. But the one considered most outstanding has the name of scarlet. It is one of the largest, measuring up to three feet from its beak to the tip of its tail. This one is a brilliant ruby red with blue trimming on its wings and tail feathers. On some the trimming includes green and yellow. Looking down on several scarlets in flight with wings outstretched and tails straight out, they almost look like pieces from a rainbow in their bright contrasting colors - a beautiful sight!

Macaws resemble parrots in appearance and habits and, also like parrots, are inclined to be noisy. They all have big appetites and have been provided by the Creator with powerful beaks that can crack open the hardest seeds and nuts easily. Most of them hold their food with their feet while breaking it into pieces with these strong beaks. Like chickens and most other birds they have no teeth, but from time to time swallow grit or tiny pebbles into their gizzards, which break down the solid food into needed nourishment.

All macaws and parrots have strong, short, flat tongues which along with their strong beaks are used to grasp branches to pull themselves up or sideways to move around. However, when one of them is tamed it will never bite its owner, but may just give a playful nip to his ear or cheek.

Macaws do make nice pets and can be taught to say a few words, but we do not expect them to know about their Creator who is always watching over them. Thanks to God’s Word, the Bible, His many kindnesses are known to us, and we should always be grateful for His care over us. It is important that we be especially thankful for the Saviour’s love in giving His life on the cross so that we may have our sins forgiven. He loves you and will forgive your sins and be your Saviour, if you will only come to Him.

Is He your Saviour?

ML-12/19/1999

The African Aardwolf

“O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God!” Psalm 36:67

The aardwolf, sometimes called earth wolf, lives in the dry, open parts of Southern Africa. It is an unusual type of hyena, though smaller, and looks like a dog with extra-large ears and pointed muzzle. It is about three feet long, plus a bushy, black-tipped tail of the same length. Like other hyenas, it has a sloping back and hind legs shorter than those in front. Its fur is rough, coarse and yellowish striped, with a crest down its back that rises in angry bristles when it is attacked.

In spite of fierce looks, loud barks and roaring, the aardwolf is harmless and shy around people. Although it has strong claws and sharp teeth, it uses them only for defense or for getting food. When available, it prefers to eat dead animals (carrion), large insects, white ants and termites. It finds these last two by breaking into nests and mounds with the sharp claws on its five-toed, strong front feet. Since these insects are its main food, the Creator has provided it with a sticky tongue to help catch and dispose of thousands of them in a single meal.

Because of the aardwolf’s sharp claws and teeth, plus the fact that it can spray enemies with a foul-smelling fluid, this animal is left pretty much alone. The claws are important for digging deep burrows where it lies and sleeps in the daytime, doing its hunting at night. These burrows are cleverly designed. Three or four pairs of aardwolves each have their own burrow, and each burrow is extended farther into a central chamber where, on occasion, the aardwolves come together. In bad weather they stay underground for days at a time, but when the weather is clear, some will interrupt their daytime sleep to enjoy an outdoor sunbath.

If an empty burrow is available, they use it and avoid digging their own. However, they still have to make changes to provide a room where little ones, usually triplets, are born. Like dogs, their babies are blind and helpless at birth, but in less than a year they are fully grown.

It is not likely anyone would want to make pets of aardwolves. But in spite of their unusual characteristics, they are part of God’s creation, and He takes care of them even though they are unaware of it. The Bible tells us of His love and care, and each of us should respond as the psalmist did when he wrote: “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord” (Psalm 145:9-10). Do you give Him praise and thanksgiving for His care of you?

ML-11/28/1999

The Mussels

“Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” Acts 4:24

Like other bivalves, mussels are animals that live in water. They live inside two protective shells hinged at the back so they can be opened and closed. Mussels are often found on offshore rocks at ocean beaches where they are alternately covered with water and exposed to air. Food from the waves is sucked in through a long siphon and passed on to their gills, where thousands of microscopic hairs trap the food and force it on to their mouths.

Living in groups, the edible blue mussel attaches itself to ocean rocks, using an adhesive from a gland in its “foot.” Thousands of tons of water beat against it from tides and waves, yet it clings tightly to its home. Isn’t it amazing that such a small form of life can resist such great power?

Another amazing fact is that mussels do not die when the tide goes out and leaves them exposed to air. They stay alive during this temporary dry spell by keeping water inside their shells and by moist seaweed and moss draped over them by receding water - all a planned part of God’s protective care.

Freshwater mussels are like their ocean cousins but live on the bottom of a stream or lake. There the female lays thousands of eggs, carrying them in a mantle (a fold in the body wall) attached to her shell until they hatch. After hatching, each little mussel, which is equipped with numerous tiny hooks, attaches itself to a passing fish. It remains there for several weeks, feeding on the fish’s blood. This does not kill the fish. After the mussel has grown to a good size, it drops to the bottom of the stream to live as an adult.

One of the mussel’s greatest enemies is the muskrat. Knowing its teeth cannot break the hard shell, the muskrat takes them out of the water one by one, spreads them on the ground and occasionally turns them over. Uncomfortable in the heat of the sun, the mussels open their shells. This is what the muskrat has been waiting for, and he quickly eats them.

Everything about these small creatures reminds us of the wonders of God’s creation and His delight in making such great varieties of all things. The Bible tells us, “By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible. . . . All things were created by Him, and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

While they all act by God-given instincts, they do not know anything about their Creator who takes care of them. But God has given you and me an intelligence so that we can know Him and His great love for us. Have you taken the opportunity to know Him and His Son, Christ Jesus, who died for us?

ML-11/21/1999

A Lesson From Bluebirds

“Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.”
Job 12:7

Bluebirds are a real favorite with many people. They are a beautiful blue, have a musical song and like to live near people. There are only three varieties of true bluebirds, all of which live in North America or Mexico. The eastern lives between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, the western lives in the area from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and the mountain lives from northern Mexico to Alaska in the western third of the continent.

In early winter, most bluebirds migrate south where food is plentiful, such as insects, seeds, berries and other fruits. Those that bravely stay in the cold areas through wintertime live in large flocks. At night several crowd into a nest, snuggling together to keep warm.

In early spring as the migrators return, they all select mates and build grassy cup-shaped nests, unless they find a nesting box provided by someone who loves bluebirds. Eggs are laid and soon hatch out. Raising the chicks is a real chore, since they have tremendous appetites, keeping both parents busy. One birdwatcher reported that during daylight hours food was brought to a nest by one or the other of the parents about every three minutes! What caring and conscientious parents they are! Here is another example of the way the Creator has provided faithful instincts so the babies will be well taken care of.

The chicks grow quickly and fly from the nest within two or three weeks. They perch in nearby trees where the father continues to feed them and teaches them to care for themselves. Meanwhile, the mother has cleaned up the nest and laid more eggs. When the new family hatches, the parents get busy feeding them, just as they did the older ones. But here is where the lesson mentioned in our title may be learned. When the birds that are already raised and living in nearby trees see how busy the parents are and how hungry their new brothers and sisters are, they often help in bringing food to the new hatchlings. Isn’t that a kind thing to do? Only a very few other young birds are known to do this.

Here is a good example of how boys and girls can be helpful to their parents. This doesn’t necessarily mean feeding babies, since there are other ways to show love. This can be done by voluntarily setting or clearing the table, making beds, weeding the garden, keeping the yard clean and other things that show your parents your love in a helpful way.

When helpful tasks like these are done in a happy spirit, they are always pleasing to the Lord. The Bible tells us, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Proverbs 20:11).

ML-11/14/1999

The American Black Bear

“Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places. Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.”
Job 37:89

The black bear, often seen by hikers and campers in forests and mountainous country, is the smallest species of bear in North America. It measures from five to seven feet long and weighs around 300 pounds. It has short legs with powerful claws and just a stub of a tail. The muzzle is usually tan, and there may be a patch of white on its chest. While technically known as the black bear, it is sometimes light brown or cinnamon in color, but it should not be confused with the true brown bear of Alaska, which is the largest.

Timid by nature, these bears avoid people, and it is rare for them to attack a person unless a mother feels her cubs are in danger. Then she can be vicious with her teeth and claws. This is one reason forest rangers warn people not to feed or approach any wild animals.

The bear’s diet includes grass, roots, berries, corn and other vegetation, as well as fish, small animals, birds and their eggs, ants, bees and honey. Tearing the hives open, a bear is protected from the bees’ stings by its thick fur.

Southern black bears are active throughout the year, but those in the north hibernate (males and females separately) in caves or dens in the fall, remaining until early spring. During this period two, three or four little ones are born. They are about the size of a rat and are hairless and blind for a month or so. Their mother’s milk is their only food until springtime, when they are about the size of a tomcat.

Coming out of the den, the mother teaches her cubs how to find food and care for themselves. They follow her about like little toy teddy bears. The mother keeps them close by until they are full-grown, which sometimes means sharing her den for another winter.

The cubs, like so many young wild animals, are full of energy, wrestling, annoying their mother, climbing small trees and swaying it back and forth before jumping off. If a tree is not strong enough for this, they enjoy riding it down to the ground, doing this over and over again.

The hibernating of animals is referred to in the opening Bible verse and assures us that God provided for all creatures of earth when He created them. No one has ever known a bear or other animal to show anger at the discomfort of cold weather, but all just quietly accept it.

In this they are wiser than people, who complain about discomforts. How much better to turn over every trial to God, remembering that He says, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).

ML-10/24/1999

Birds That Eat Bees

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:9

There are many varieties of bee-eater birds, ranging in size from 6 to 14 inches. All have pretty feathers in various combinations of bright red, yellow, blue, brown and purple. All of them have a black mask over the eyes. These unusual birds live in Mediterranean countries, Africa, Australia, India and other tropical areas. The European bee-eaters migrate south in the winter.

Bees, wasps and hornets make up 80% of the bee-eater’s diet, along with a few other insects. These are captured in the air. Even the young birds can do this without any lessons from their parents. Their food being caught this way explains why the Creator gave them long, pointed wings and swallow-like tails. These enable them to fly swiftly and make quick turns in their flights, so that they rarely fail to capture their prey.

Another special feature about these birds is their long, pointed beaks. What purpose do they serve? If they only ate flying ants and termites, a short, wide beak like a swallow’s would do very well. But catching bees and wasps is another matter, since a sting in the mouth or throat would not only be painful with swelling, but would probably mean death to the bird. So God gave it a specially designed beak.

Overtaking a bee in mid-air, this bird skillfully catches the bee across its middle, holding it just tightly enough until the bird returns to its perch where it beats its captive against something solid to kill it. Then the pointed beak is carefully used to remove and discard the stinger and to squeeze out any remaining poison from the stinger end of the bee. Not until all this has been taken care of does it eat the bee or give it to its babies. Isn’t that an amazing feature of this bird!

We can easily believe that when God Himself created these pretty birds, He gave them their knowledge of how to capture and eat these poisonous insects safely. This instinct and skill has been inherited by each generation ever since. If they had had to learn on their own how to safely catch the bees, carefully kill them, and skillfully remove the stingers and remaining poison, their mistakes would have caused their deaths, and the species would have died out.

The Bible tells us, “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). It also tells us, “The Lord searcheth all hearts. . . . If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee” (1 Chronicles 28:9). What does He see when He searches your heart?

ML-10/17/1999

The Quarrelsome Stickleback

“Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made . . . the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all.”
Nehemiah 9:6

Sticklebacks are a family of small fish found in both fresh and salt waters across the Northern Hemisphere. They get their name from the sharp spines on top of their bodies. The most common is the 3spined variety, a very lively little fellow about 2 inches long. There is also a 4spined, a 10spined and a 15spined. The fresh-water ones reach lengths of 1 to 3 inches, while salt-water ones reach lengths up to 7 inches.

The one we will look at is the 3spined, which is rather pretty in its grayish-golden color with patches of red in the springtime. In spite of its small size it is a tough fighter, especially in nesting season. Two of them in combat will dart and snap at each other. If one gets his teeth in, he will hang on like a bulldog, whirling round and round until the other admits defeat and escapes. When this happens the winner’s shining green sides, golden and scarlet head and silvery-white stomach become brighter, but the loser’s colors fade in defeat. However, if he wins a battle later, the bright colors come out again. Sometimes after the winner has chased the loser away, the loser gets bold and chases the winner back home. Then they go at it again, never actually fighting, but chasing back and forth until they get tired of the game.

Fights are usually in defense of a muff-shaped nest made of all kinds of fibers found in the water and fastened together with a sticky material given off by the male. In defending his nest, this little fellow’s fierceness is great enough to scare away fish much larger than itself.

The male nest builder convinces several females to use it as a place to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in ten days and then the nest he has worked so hard to build is destroyed. Most of his time is then spent guarding the young ones until they are able to care for themselves.

Contrary to the usual pattern of parents, the mother fish has no interest in her young ones, and if the father didn’t care for them they would not survive. But it is another example of the Creator’s interest in making a wide variety of creatures, and we know from the verse at the beginning of this article that He cares for even such tiny creatures as these. We also need God’s care and protection, and He tells us to “seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually. Remember His marvelous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” (1 Chronicles 16:1112). Have you thanked Him for such loving care?

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19

ML-10/10/1999

Fingernails, Toenails and Hair

“Now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.”
1 Corinthians 12:18

Did you ever think how amazing it is that when people reach 20 (or near that age), their bodies stop growing? The Creator has wisely arranged this, for if our spines, legs and arms kept growing, what a strange assortment of giant people there would be!

However, three parts of our body don’t stop growing - hair, fingernails and toenails. Why is that? It is actually a kind provision of our Creator. Think about our hair. It keeps falling out and in time would also be worn off if new hair didn’t push up through our scalp a little bit every day, which it does at the rate of five or more inches every year. This means that every 20 years more than eight feet of new hair replaces what has fallen out.

But why should our fingernails and toenails keep growing? We can be thankful they do. Our nails do get broken or damaged, and if a new supply didn’t grow, the ends of our fingers and toes would soon be exposed to all the painful bumps and accidents now absorbed by the nails. They are really wonderful pieces of armor.

Also, think how useful our fingernails are in picking up a coin dropped on the floor or a needle on a flat table top or many other small things. And without them, how would you untie a knot in a thread, piece of string or fish line? How would you relieve an itch if you had no fingernail to scratch with?

Some may think fingernails and toenails are bone, but that is not true. They, like our hair, are made of a material called keratin which our bodies produce from the food we eat. How does it get to these specific parts of the body? Our brains are constantly giving instructions to every part, including our stomachs: “As soon as that food is digested, send some keratin up for the hair, send another part to the ten fingernails and still another part to the ten toenails.” This isn’t just imagination; it’s actually the way our bodies respond to our brains’ commands! When these instructions are carried out and the new hair or nail forms behind the old hair or nail, it pushes it out a little, until finally it’s so noticeable that you may find it necessary to trim your hair, as well as those nails on your fingers and toes.

This is all part of the Creator’s wonderful arrangements for us, as our opening verse tells us.

Each member of the body responds just as He has established. Let us not forget to thank Him daily for providing every little, but important, detail of our bodies. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Ephesians 5:20).

ML-10/03/1999

Rhinos - Ugly and Mean!

“Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib [stable]? . . . Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?”
Job 39:9,11

The unicorn is mentioned several times in the Bible. While no one knows for sure, some think it refers to the rhino, perhaps because the word “rhinoceros” means “nose-horned.” All rhinos have horns - some have two; others have just one. These horns actually are not made of bone but are made of hair-like fibers growing tightly together and are very tough and strong.

The rhinoceros is the third largest land animal. The white rhino of Africa (the largest) can be 15 feet long, over 6 feet tall and weigh 3½ tons. Its massive head has large, trumpet-like ears and huge nostrils on an ugly wrinkled snout with two horns. Its hide is thick, tough and warty.

The Indian rhino (the one we see in most of our zoos) weighs two to three tons. Its loose skin hangs in folds and is the home of many parasites which attract birds known as oxpeckers. These birds may spend all day on a rhino’s back and sides, providing considerable relief as they dig out and eat the troublesome parasites. The birds also give warning calls when other animals or people approach. This is another example of the Creator providing benefits between two creatures that are nothing alike.

These beasts are truly vicious and short-tempered. They will charge anything crossing their path, be it an animal, person or even a car or train. Although they look clumsy on their short legs, they run as fast as a horse. It is a terrifying experience to be charged by one galloping at top speed, its feet pounding the ground while it snorts loudly through flared nostrils.

The African black rhino is the fiercest of all. Its front horn, with which it defends itself, is two to three feet long. Its eyesight is poor, but a strong sense of smell and extra-sharp hearing make up for that problem. They are lightning fast when charging and extremely dangerous when wounded.

Rhinos are often hunted for their horns, which sell for high prices on the black market. They are also hunted by natives who like to carry daggers with handles made from the horns. Although protected by the governments of Africa and southeast Asia, poachers kill great numbers illegally just to get the horns. It is feared these animals may someday become extinct unless the poaching can be stopped.

When those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour are with Him in heaven, we will learn and understand why such creatures as rhinos have been given a place in His creation. Meanwhile we can say, “Thou art worthy . . . for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

“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-09/26/1999

The Seldom-Seen Grouse: Part 1

“By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth. . . . All things were created by Him, and for Him.”
Colossians 1:16

The grouse is mainly a North American bird, although there are many of them in Europe and Asia also. For the most part they are forest birds, but some prefer the open plains and sagebrush country. In the United States and Canada there are ten species which include the prairie, blue, sage, sharp-tailed, Canadian spruce and ruffed, which we will talk about in our next issue.

While there is quite a difference in sizes, they are all similar in appearance, and most of them build well-hidden nests on the ground, in low bushes or concealed places under logs. Their food is also much the same, including seeds, berries, insects and land snails in summer. In winter they live on leaves, catkins and buds.

Camera-carrying hikers or hunters discover that the grouse is hard to find. When the bird is aware of a person approaching, it immediately dashes behind a tree or into the brush where it is well hidden with the color of its feathers blending so well with the ground or brush. Sometimes if a grouse is aware of a person approaching too close, it will fly from the ground with such a rush that a hunter is usually too startled to take a shot. Although unable to fly any great distance in this rushed flight, a grouse will land where it is well hidden, and the hiker or hunter doesn’t have a chance of seeing it a second time.

When a fox or coyote approaches, a mother grouse will signal her brood of 10 to 15 chicks with a sharp call to scatter to safe hiding places and lie perfectly still. Then she attracts the animal’s attention to herself by flying up to a tree branch where she waits out of reach until it gives up and leaves the area. Only then will the mother hen drop to the ground and call her little ones out of hiding.

Although they are shy and clever birds, the males all follow amazing patterns of “drumming,” strutting and dancing when trying to attract a mate. This will be described in detail in a following issue.

The grouse, so well equipped for its life in the wild, is another example of the care our Creator took in providing for the needs of each creature. But His greatest care and love is shown to people. He has written to each person who will listen: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3). Have you accepted that love by receiving Him as your Saviour?

(to be continued)

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

ML-09/05/1999

The Seldom-Seen Grouse: Part 2

“O Lord, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.”
Psalm 92:5

We have outlined the differences between some of the grouse species of North America.

The prairie grouse is a resident of the Sierra Mountains of California. It is speckled brown over most of its body, but with a cottony-white underlayer showing when it ruffles its feathers. It has a blue-black color behind its neck and down both sides. In the summer months it lives on the lower slopes of the mountains where a variety of food is available. In winter it moves into the forests at higher elevations where its diet is limited mostly to the needles of fir trees.

As its name implies, the sage grouse prefers living in sagebrush country. It is one of the largest of the grouse species and appears even larger during mating dances when males puff out their pretty white body feathers while standing. At the same time their huge tail feathers, brown with white cross stripes and shaped like arrows, are raised skyward-a fascinating sight. The hens are more plain in their brown and white feathers.

The sharp-tailed grouse live in the Midwest plains as well as in the foothills of mountains in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington and on up into Canada. The state of Montana has set aside an area called “Dancing Prairie” to protect and feed these pretty birds, so their numbers will increase. Their food is mainly grain, buds and flowers.

In the clothing industry, the collars of jackets and coats are referred to as the “ruff,” and that is how the ruffed grouse got its name. When males get into the excitement of their courting dances, the black feathers surrounding their necks billow out like an over-sized collar. This clever and shrewd grouse, with its square tail, is one of the smaller species, but it displays the biggest courting dance and makes the most noise. It lives on western mountain slopes during summer months but comes down to lower elevations in winter where it feasts on leaves, fruits, oak buds and acorns. We will look at more details of the ruffed grouse in the next issue.

As we consider these unusual birds, let us think of what King David said in Psalm 105:45: “Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore. Remember His marvelous works that He hath done.” Looking closely at creation helps us to see a little of the wisdom and majesty of the One who created it all.

(to be continued)

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Mark 2:17

ML-09/12/1999

The Seldom-Seen Grouse: Part 3

“Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.”
Isaiah 65:18

When male grouse court the hens during mating season, they put on one of the most amazing shows of any wild creature. They put on a kind of dance, usually beginning before sunrise, and sometimes they will fight each other fiercely. One male stands on a stump or log where he fans his tail out and digs his claws into the wood, and then he begins “drumming.” He makes this loud drumming noise by beating his wings vigorously, while his body feathers are puffed out.

The woods echo with this noise that almost sounds like thunder, repeated time after time. Soon other males come to investigate, and they also begin “drumming.” It is not long before this commotion attracts the hens to come observe these handsome males with their grand display of feathers, the drumming of their wings, and the stamping of their feet.

For the next part, the males put on a lively dance, some circling to the right and some to the left, while others just run around in any direction. As the dance gets livelier, the frenzied birds start leaping into the air, bodies and feathers puffed out, and occasionally jumping overtop one another.

The hens, excited by this grand display, get into the dance as well, leaping into the air with the males, then lowering their heads and stretching their wings to the ground. They all make quite a display, stamping their feet, rattling tail feathers, running and jumping, something like an exaggerated war dance.

One by one, the males eventually leave the dance arena, bowing gracefully to a female which has been attracted to him. When the show is over and choices of mates have been made, these otherwise-normal birds begin building nests to raise families.

In the world of wildlife, there are many ways in which a male and female are attracted to one another, but perhaps this extraordinary performance of grouse outdoes all others. Actually it is another reminder of the pleasure God the Creator had in making a world with so many interesting things in it. His voice in the opening Bible verse is a message that we should be glad to observe when we see how wondrous His ways are.

Have you heard His loving voice inviting you to come to Him and accept Him as your Saviour? That invitation is given many times in the Bible. One invitation says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“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-09/19/1999

The Lovely Lacewing

“The glory of the Lord shall endure forever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works.”
Psalm 104:31

The lacewing is only about one-half inch long. It has two pairs of pretty, light-green wings that are so thin and delicate they look like spun glass. This insect is a real friend to farmers.

When laying eggs, the female first deposits a spot of “glue” on a branch or stem. Before this hardens she flips her tail upward, producing a long thread-like stalk. This stalk quickly hardens, and then she deposits one egg on the end of the stalk. She repeats this time after time, but spacing them far enough apart so they will not eat one another when they hatch, since they are very hungry little creatures.

In about a week, the yellow or grayish larvae hatch. The mother lacewing has deposited her eggs close to aphids, scales, mites, leafhoppers or thrips. These become food for the larvae for about two weeks; then they are ready for a change. Attaching themselves to the underside of leaves, they spin threads of white silk, wrapping themselves in cocoons for a 12-day change.

While in the cocoon, each larva develops specially designed cutting jaws. Using these, it slices around the top of its cocoon, leaving a small section as a hinge and anchor post. Pushing the lid open, it crawls out and spins another thread on which it dangles from the anchor. Soon its wings dry and it has become an adult lacewing. Now it returns to what it enjoys best - eating aphids for the rest of its life. As it does this, it becomes a friend to farmers by helping protect their crops from these harmful pests.

Isn’t it interesting to see how the female lacewing makes such careful preparations for her young, first by making the eggs look like part of a plant, and then placing them where they will immediately find food when they hatch. It is another example of how God has given instincts to His creatures so they may fill their part in His total plan of creation.

God’s ways with us are far more important than with these insects. He has given us superior intelligence, so that we may see and know about Him and His wonders. He has also given us a conscience to remind us that we are sinners and need a Saviour. He has also given us hearts and minds capable of receiving this Saviour, and it is through Him and His death on the cross that we can go to heaven. He tells us, “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?

ML-08/29/1999

Is It an Anteater or a Porcupine?

“Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul [life] of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:9-10

An unusual animal called an echidna or spiny anteater lives in the high, rocky areas of Australia and New Guinea. Its roly-poly body is about 18 inches long and is covered with sharp quills which almost hide its black fur. Because of the quills, it is sometimes mistaken for a porcupine.

Its eyes are small, and it apparently has no ears. Its long, bare snout has a narrow mouth, but instead of teeth, a long tongue with ridges on it crushes its prey. It is a slow animal that hunts at night and hides in the daytime. The only time it hurries is when escaping enemies. Then its sharp claws rapidly dig a hole deep enough to bury its head and legs. The rest of its body is protected with its needle-like quills, which make any animal back off. If there is not time to dig a hole, it curls up in a ball, tucking its bare spots safely under the quills, or it will fight with its sharp claws if it has to. Because of these instincts and safeguards provided by the Creator, an echidna is seldom captured.

There are two kinds: the long-nosed and the short-nosed. Except for this difference they are much the same, searching through the soil, in rotten logs or inside termite mounds for food. The short-nosed echidna hunts mostly termites, ants and other insects, but the long-nosed prefers worms of various kinds. Its longer tongue has tiny hooks on it that firmly hold onto its prey.

The mother echidna has a kangaroo-like pouch on her stomach in which an egg is laid once a year. When the baby hatches, the pouch becomes its home. But when only a few weeks old its quills begin to grow, then the mother puts it outside where it learns the ways of anteater living.

These animals are part of the wonderful creation of Him of whom our opening verse speaks. King David often wrote of the wonders of God’s creation and gave Him praise: “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember Thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary [place of worship]: who is so great a God as our God?” (Psalm 77:11-13).

How good it is for each of us to thank and praise the Lord God for all His care and love for us. We should especially thank Him for the love that has provided a Saviour for all who will place their trust in Him. Have you done this?

ML-08/22/1999

Iguanas Love the Heat: Part 1

“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee. . . . Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul [life] of every living thing.”
Job 12:7-10

Many varieties of lizards, iguanas, chameleons and geckos live in warm areas of the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Let’s take a look at a few closely related ones, including the iguana which makes its home where sunshine is abundant, particularly in desert areas.

While lizards are rather drab and plain looking, iguanas are often colorful. One is the Fijian crested, a resident of the Fiji islands. It is large, about three feet long with its tail taking up more than half of that length. It is colored in shades of green, usually banded, with white stripes around its body and tail. It has amber eyes and a yellow snout. It has long, spidery “fingers” on the ends of each leg. The two center fingers are about twice as long as the other three, but all are equipped with sharp claws to help in climbing trees where it makes its home. Like many other iguanas, this one eats mostly leaves and flowers, but it is also fond of crickets and other insects.

Another, the desert iguana, is much smaller and is a native of the American deserts. It can stand hotter temperatures than most others, partly because it is a night worker and it is seldom outside during the day. It nests under fallen branches of Joshua trees and yucca plants. Desert country is, of course, usually barren except for the Joshuas, yuccas, cacti, sagebrush and creosote bushes. It is from the creosote bush that this little fellow gets most of his food, climbing into the bush to eat its flowers and foliage. This iguana also eats insects. The Creator has given it a digestive system that takes the moisture from this food to satisfy its thirst in a land where no water may be found.

As we see how these obscure animals are provided for, we recall how the psalmist was impressed with God’s care over all His creatures: “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat [food] in due season” (Psalm 104:27). “He giveth to the beast his food” (Psalm 147:9).

Iguanas and lizards have no way of knowing their Creator is watching over them, but in the Bible we learn how much He loves and cares for every boy and girl and grown-up. One verse says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Have you ever thanked Him for His many gifts and especially the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be your Saviour?

(to be continued)

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

ML-08/08/1999

Iguanas Love the Heat: Part 2

“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

Last week we mentioned the color contrasts of iguanas compared with lizards, to which they are related. But while many of them are colorful and appeal to some people as pets, some iguanas look like miniature dragons and scare those who do not know they are harmless.

The 20-pound sea iguana is frightening in appearance. A good swimmer, it lives near ocean water, and its food is almost entirely limited to seaweed. Another that prefers the dry desert country of Costa Rica is just as fierce looking, carrying a spiked crest of scales all along the top of its back and neck. It lacks the pretty coloring of so many others and has a speckled-gray, armor-like skin.

Then there is the horned iguana of Haiti, with three horn-like scales erect on its head and a row of comb-like, high bristles along its back and part of its tail. A bag of loose skin hangs below its neck, and with other strange features it has a frightening appearance. Yet it would never harm you.

The best-known iguana has the awkward name of tuberculate and lives in South and Central America and the West Indies. This one looks like a fierce dragon, growing to five or six feet long. Greenish with black speckles over most of its body, it carries a saw-like crest over its neck and back. It also is harmless and lives entirely on vegetation.

Others live in trees near rivers and lakes. Their usual diet consists of vegetation, but some also include insects and small birds.

We may wonder what part these unusual creatures have in God’s creation, but we know He has placed them in each region to fill out His purposes. Among other things, we can see that in eating flowers and fruit, they carry seeds to areas where they eventually develop into additional plants. In eating insects they help control the damage the insects do to plant and animal life in those areas.

Though we may not understand, we know the Creator has adapted each to live comfortably in its surroundings, and they are part of His marvelous creation in which He takes pleasure. A Bible verse tells us, “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all” (Nehemiah 9:6).

Those who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour can enjoy the Bible verses that tell us, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. O fear [reverence] the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want [nothing lacking] to them that fear Him” (Psalm 34:89). Are you one who trusts in Him?

“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

ML-08/15/1999

Orchids in Action

“Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet . . . Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Luke 12:27

Orchids usually make us think of special occasions when a lady may carry a bouquet with orchids in it or may wear an orchid corsage. Most of us think of orchids as being grown in a greenhouse or other protected environment, but in many countries they thrive outdoors in the wild. There are over 400 varieties.

Orchids sold by florists are definitely lovely. For the most part, they have a trumpet-like main flower, backed by broad, smooth petals. A wide variety in different colors is available, but the most common is a deep lavender. Orchid plants are tough, and great numbers grow in rain forests and other tropical areas and even in the swamps of colder lands. Here are a few of the more unusual varieties.

The fly orchid’s petals look like and have an odor similar to that of a female fly. This attracts a male fly. Although he is disappointed in what he finds, the plant benefits from his visit as he unknowingly transfers pollen from one plant to another. This produces seeds to grow more plants.

Another, known as the ophrys, makes a variety of images with its foliage and flowers that look like spiders and other insects. These, attracting investigators, are pollinated the same way as the fly orchid.

One of the most interesting is the bucket orchid. This one benefits from red ants that live among its roots and crawl into the flowers for nectar. Again, the pollen is transferred from one flower to another. If it were not for the ants this orchid would soon die out, and if it were not for the orchid the ants would do the same. They need each other.

However, some orchids have been purposely designed by the Creator to be unattractive to insects, for they are best pollinated by hummingbirds. The hummers’ long beaks help the pollination process when the birds dip them deep into the flowers to reach the sweet nectar.

There are many other features of the lovely orchids, but these examples help remind us of how wonderful the Lord God’s ways are with all His creation. He often uses two living things of entirely different types to benefit one another in ways which only He can arrange.

He is your Creator too, and He can do far more than take care of your lifetime needs on earth. His wonderful invitation stands open for you to have eternal life in heaven by coming to the Lord Jesus who died on Calvary’s cross. He gives eternal life and forgives the sins of all who admit they are sinners and accept Him as their Saviour. That is the pathway to true happiness now and forever. Is it your pathway?

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

ML-08/01/1999

America's Lion, the Cougar

“The wild beasts of the field are Mine . . . for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”
Psalm 50:11-12

African lions do not live in America except in zoos. The American lion is the cougar, which looks similar to an African female lion. The cougar lives in South, Central and North America. It is often called by other names: mountain lion, puma, catamount and panther.

A full-grown cougar is about 4 to 5 feet long, plus its heavy tail which is 2 to 3 feet long. It is an example of the Creator’s handiwork in its handsome appearance and ability to adapt to a great variety of environments. They live in mountains, forests, swamps, jungles and even in deserts.

In some ways the cougar is like the domestic cats that many of us have as pets. It purrs when contented and has soft, dense fur, usually a tawny color but sometimes reddish, silver-gray or even almost black. It has a pretty head with cat-like whiskers, sharp teeth, clear yellow eyes and upright ears. Its lithe, flexible body is supported by strong legs with large padded paws equipped with hidden claws that can be extended as needle-sharp weapons when fighting. The cougar is lord of its surroundings, fearing nothing but hunting dogs.

The Creator has given cougars excellent sight and hearing. Their food includes deer, mountain sheep, rabbits, coyotes, birds, rodents and an occasional fish. They avoid humans but have been known to kill people. Males and females live solitary lives and do not hunt together. Wandering over vast areas, they use rocky ledges for lookouts or crouch in the branches of a tree over a game trail, leaping down on a passing victim.

From 1 to 5 cubs are born in the spring and are blind for 10 days. Only a few inches long at birth, they soon are as cute and playful as domestic kittens. Their tawny fur has black spots which later disappear. The mother trains them for about a year before they are on their own.

It is sad that the food supply of such a beautiful creature requires the death of others. When the Lord God created the animals to live with Adam, all were at peace with each other, and He “saw that it was good.” But Adam’s sin brought death with it, as the Bible states: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). Death came not only to man, but also to every creature in the world.

The Bible tells about a time that is coming when all animals will again live peacefully with each other. However, before that time all who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will be taken to heaven and God’s judgment will fall on those who have refused Him. How important it is to accept Him as your Saviour and Lord now, before it is too late.

“There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:22-23

ML-07/25/1999

The Fantastic Flamingo: Part 1

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Acts 15:18

There are six species of flamingos, some of the most beautiful and outstanding birds throughout the world. Three species live in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Chile and Bolivia and on the Galapagos Islands west of South America. The others live in Central America, Mexico, parts of Africa and the Bahama Islands. Because plume hunters killed so many, flamingos no longer live wild in the southern United States. On one of the Bahama Islands, a colony of a species known as the Caribbean, consisting of over a thousand beautiful, orange-red birds, is protected by the government.

It is a beautiful sight to see a flock in flight. Their colors range from pale pink to deep scarlet, or combinations of the two with white accents. During nesting season most of the South American group, as well as those in Central America and Mexico, are exceptionally beautiful. Their plumage turns a brilliant red over their entire bodies, except for their beaks which are a combination of light pink, white and jet black.

One species known as the greater flamingo is the largest and most numerous. It can be as tall as 6 feet with a wingspan of 5 or 6 feet and can fly 35 miles an hour. Another species, called the lesser flamingo, is the smallest.

Each flamingo (regardless of species) has a long, graceful, snake-like neck and heavy body held high on long legs with webbed feet. During resting periods it stands on just one leg with the other lifted up and bent, and its head is snugly tucked under a wing. Its box-like beak is distinct from that of any other bird; the lower part is like a scoop and the upper part forms a lid.

When feeding, its bill is thrust upside down with scoop open into the ooze at the bottom of a marsh, and its flexible neck swivels this around in circles to collect food of various kinds. Then it lifts its head out of the water, pressing the two beak halves tightly together to squeeze mud and water through the sieve-like center edges. The food that remains (algae, small shellfish and other creatures) is passed into its throat by its long, oily tongue.

While the opening verse assures us of God’s watchful eye over these birds, they, of course, are not aware of their Creator nor of His care. But He has given us His Word, the Bible, to tell us this is so, and more importantly to tell us of His special, loving thoughts toward us. It is a very rewarding book to read. Do you read it every day?

(to be continued)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10

ML-07/11/1999

The Fantastic Flamingo: Part 2

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:9

Flamingos live in great colonies on lakeshores, river mouths, or shallow ponds and marshy places, preferring water that is slightly salty. A nest is made by rolling mud (sometimes mixed with pebbles) into little balls with their beaks to a selected spot and tamping the balls in place until the nest is six inches to three feet high above the water. It looks like a miniature mountain with a large crater on top, designed to hold a single egg. In the hot sun this nest dries almost as hard as cement. And that’s all they do to it; they do not line it with soft material as most birds do.

There may be thousands of nests in one colony. Each one looks identical, but every bird knows which is its own. Just one egg is laid each year in late winter or early spring. The parent flamingos share in incubating it for about a month and feeding the young bird after it hatches.

The gray, fluffy chicks are covered with soft down. Their bills at first are straight and legs are short, but these grow quickly. At two-and-a-half months they can fly and are nearly fully grown in a year’s time. However, they do not turn pink until four years old. Then, with great displays of their pretty wings, necks, heads and legs, mates are chosen, and soon a new pair is building another nest and raising their own little one.

Shrimp are their favorite food, and these along with small crabs help account for their brilliant red plumage. They also eat great quantities of algae, plankton, insects and fish. In Kenya where food is plentiful, it is not unusual to see these lovely birds feeding in groups of thousands, turning a large water hole into a beautiful pink area in the otherwise dry desert. Visitors sometimes ride in airplanes to get the best view of them.

For many years these birds were cruelly killed for their beautiful feathers as well as for their very tasty meat. But we are thankful that in most places they are now protected.

It is not difficult to think of the Creator’s pleasure in creating such lovely birds, and He gives us the assurance in the Bible that He is good and kind to them. And it is He who provides for our needs too. But He has done more than that, as we read in Hebrews 11:40, “God [has] provided some better thing for us.” This promise is, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is only through faith in the Lord Jesus that this wonderful gift can become ours. Have you accepted Him as your own Saviour? Is the gift of eternal life yours?

“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-07/18/1999

Bristletails, Silverfish and Firebrats

“God created great whales. . . . and God made . . . everything that creepeth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:21,25

In those marvelous days of creation, God made everything from great whales to the smallest creeping insects. Everything was perfect, until one day sin came into the world through Adam’s disobedience. Since then all creation has suffered, including the insects living today, and God had to tell His people that “every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination [unpleasant]” (Leviticus 11:41).

This did not mean that God would not still care for these insects, for He does every moment, but they would be types of Satan’s unpleasant, hidden and evil ways.

Throughout the world there are billions of insects, such as termites, ants, mosquitoes and flies, that for various reasons we naturally don’t like. There are also some that God has made helpful to mankind, such as honeybees, ladybugs, the praying mantis and others. These He has made an exception, and they are not called “an abomination.”

However, the three in our title do much harm and are very clever at hiding themselves while they do their destructive work. They are good examples of Satan and his unpleasant, sinful ways. The bristletail is one of these, another is the silverfish, and the third is called the firebrat, because it hides in warm places behind a stove or furnace. These three are so similar in appearance they are hard to tell apart. They have no wings, but their scaly, one-half-inch-long bodies have six legs and two bristle-like extensions in front. All of them have unusual appetites.

For instance, the bristletail eats the paste used to stick wallpaper to a wall. Finding a loose spot, it crawls inside and, if not discovered soon enough, over a period of time gobbles up so much paste that the wallpaper just hangs loosely or may even fall to the floor.

The silverfish (not related to a fish in any way) likes to eat the glue used in binding books. Oh, how they love chewing up the glue, until the book falls apart! Because starch is also a special treat to them, clothing with starch can be damaged.

But none of them is choosy and each kind seems to find its way to shelves, drawers or closets where clothes and books are soon damaged.

All three of these pests are reminders that the evil things which Satan tempts us with are seldom out in the open and cause much harm when we do not guard against them. Psalm 16:1 tells us our best protection from Satan’s evil ways: “Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust.” When you make this a truly honest prayer, God will always help you.

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

ML-07/04/1999

The Gentle Tapir

“I have made the earth, the man and the beast . . . by My great power and by My outstretched arm.”
Jeremiah 27:5

If you were in the wilds of Central or South America and found yourself face-to-face with a strange brown animal known as the tapir, the first thing you probably would notice would be that it looks much like an overgrown pig. It has a short, heavy body with a short tail, a thick neck and a nose that serves as a short, movable trunk.

It would be a special treat if a baby tapir were there too. They are really cute, weighing only about 15 pounds when born and having white stripes all along their backs and sides. When resting in the grass one might be mistaken for a big watermelon.

If you didn’t show any sign of wanting to hurt the tapir, you would find it wouldn’t hurt you either. The Creator has given it a shy and gentle nature, and they would rather run than fight. Their food includes twigs and leaves of trees and shrubs, water plants, grass and fruit, and they never kill another animal unless in self-defense.

These animals stay close to their homes but make paths through the thick jungle. Some lead to water holes which they visit morning and evening, enjoying a swim and wallowing in the mud to get rid of ticks and other pests. They sometimes walk along the bottom of these ponds completely submerged.

Their only enemy is the fearsome jaguar. However, when a jaguar springs on a tapir, it is taken on an unexpected, rough ride through low brush where it will usually be knocked off. But if it hangs on, the tapir will jump into deep water, submerging beneath the surface. At that point the jaguar gives up.

Tapirs remind us of the great variety of animals placed on earth by the Creator and His untiring care and provisions for all. We know, however, that the lives of animals are for this world only, but God has given to each of us a never-dying soul and provided a way in which that life can be spent happily in heaven with Him.

A few verses from the Bible explain this. First, we need to understand clearly that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That is a tragic statement, but thankfully we are told, “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We also read this wonderful statement: “Therefore being justified by faith [in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

If you want that peace and everlasting life in heaven, believe these important Bible verses.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Proverbs 14:12

ML-06/27/1999

Solitary Wasps

“O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”
Psalm 104:24

You may have seen a wasps’ nest made of paper, attached to a protected part of the outside of your house. The wasps that live in these colonies and cooperate with one another are called social wasps. There are other wasps who make nests for their young in an entirely different way. They do not live in colonies and are called solitary wasps. Some are potters, stoneworkers, carpenters, excavators or diggers. And their young must have food that is alive-caterpillars, spiders, beetles, flies, ants or other insects.

In one species the female makes a nest in which to lay her eggs and provide for her young by digging a hole several inches deep in well-packed sand. At the bottom of this hole she lays her eggs. Then she hunts for a caterpillar which she paralyzes with her stinger and drops in the hole beside them. The caterpillar is still alive but cannot move, and when the eggs hatch out, the caterpillar becomes a fresh food supply for them.

It is common for various species to build similar nests, some of them dropping insects, spiders or caterpillars beside the eggs as a food supply for when the larvae hatch. Not one of all these wasps needs to be taught these things, nor experiment until it is done right, for these instincts are the Creator’s gift to them, passed on from generation to generation.

One of the other varieties is known as the bembix wasp. Several of them make holes side by side in the ground to form colonies, digging with front feet specially designed by the Creator for this purpose. Each female wasp, after placing her eggs at the bottom of her nest, drops paralyzed flies down the hole. After the eggs have hatched into larvae and eaten the food left for them, they cover themselves all over with a hard coating of fine sand held close to their bodies with sticky saliva. After being wrapped up that way through the winter months, they come out of this hard cocoon and crawl up into the outdoors as full-fledged wasps.

Carpenter wasps follow habits similar to those of the bembix, but sometimes drill their holes in old posts or wood of trees. These particular wasps use paralyzed spiders and a few other insects for their food.

As we think of how wonderfully the ways of the Lord God, the Creator of all things, are displayed, we can easily understand the psalmist who, after writing our opening verse, continued, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. . . . I will be glad in the Lord” (Psalm 104:33-34). Do you sing to the Lord?

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

ML-06/20/1999

The Delightful Plovers

“Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually. Remember His marvelous works that He hath done.”
1 Chronicles 16:11-12

The 65 species of long-winged plovers, in a wide variety of colors and sizes, live throughout the world. Most of these birds are found near lakes or oceans where they find food along the beaches. It is interesting to watch them. They run fast and then abruptly stop for a bit of food, or they follow an outgoing wave, looking for bits of sea life left behind, but then scoot rapidly back before the next wave catches them.

Plovers build their nests on beaches, scraping out saucer-shaped hollows in the sand or gravel. The spotted eggs, the nests and even the birds themselves blend in with their surroundings so well a person could pass close by without seeing them. This protection is just one of the benefits provided by their Creator.

An interesting species is the Egyptian plover. In the oppressive heat of summer, the mother bird carries water in her beak, trip after trip, to dampen the young ones and keep them cool. This is the same plover that hops into a crocodile’s open mouth to pick food particles from its teeth, and the crocodile never harms the bird. Who do you think taught them these things?

But it is the golden plover that is one of the world’s greatest travelers. In spring it nests and raises its young in the far north on the shores of the Aleutians and the Bering Sea. When the little ones are able to care for themselves, the parents leave them, taking off on a nonstop 2500-mile flight to Hawaii without the help of a map or compass. They also fly that great distance without eating, drinking or stopping to rest. What amazing strength the Creator has given them!

But even more amazing, their young ones, left behind to mature, take off a few weeks later on the same trip with no parents to show them the way. Their Guide, who was the same One who guided their parents, is the very God who created them and provides strength and guidance for them to make it safely to their journey’s end. Like their parents, after resting a few weeks in Hawaii they then fly southeast to South America and other places in the South Pacific to spend the winter. The following spring they fly north along the eastern shores of the Pacific Ocean to their former nesting grounds, completing a round trip of about 8000 miles!

The opening Bible verse informs us that the Lord Jesus wants to be your Guide and strength too. Psalm 32:8 also says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” Are you asking Him to guide you through your life? Following His directions is the only safe and happy way.

JUNE 13, 1999

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

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The Crab That Is Not a Crab

“O Lord, how manifold are Thy works. . . . The earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable.”
Psalm 104:24-25

The horseshoe or king crab is not a true crab but is a large sea animal more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Because it looks like a crab and lives in salt water, most people think of it as one of the crab species, failing to notice that it doesn’t have the visible claws of true crabs.

Its name comes from the fact that from the top its shell looks like a horse’s hoof, and from the bottom it looks like a horseshoe. Every year its shell is discarded and a new one grows in its place. A large shell can be more than a foot across. The whole body is covered by this shell, with its two pairs of eyes and six pairs of legs up front and other parts narrowing down to a sharp spine about six inches long. This spine is a weapon of defense and also a help in moving along the ocean bottom and in turning right-side up when a wave turns the crab upside down.

The back pair of legs push the “crab” along the sand or mud, and there are stiff flaps at the back to keep the crab from sinking into the sand. It moves rather quickly along the bottom in search of food, scooping with its legs and pushing with its long spine.

Its food includes sea snails, worms, mussels, oysters and clams. It is understandable that oyster and clam fishermen kill these crabs whenever they can, but there are always millions more to replace them.

Horseshoe crabs leave their winter homes in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in early summer, migrating north to islands off the Atlantic coast of North America. They crawl up on the beaches to the high tide mark to scoop shallow, basin-like holes in the sand or mud. They lay from two to three hundred eggs in these holes, covering them over before returning to the sea. In a little over a month’s time these eggs hatch out in great quantities, that is, any eggs that are not eaten. Hordes of birds have an instinct given by the Creator to know each year just when the migrating crabs have laid their eggs and are on hand to enjoy a big feast.

What a contrast was the response of King David who wrote our opening verse when he thought about the wonders of God’s creation, compared to those referred to in Romans 1:21: “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful.” How wonderful it is to know the love of God and thank Him for His Son, the Saviour of sinners. Are you a thankful or unthankful one?

JUNE 6, 1999

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.”
Colossians 3:20

ML-05/06/1999

The Huge Banyan Tree

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass . . . and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind . . . and it was so.”
Genesis 1:11

It was on the fifth day of creation that trees appeared at the command of the Creator, some no larger than a bush and others huge like the giant redwood of California. Included in these were the interesting banyan trees. They always amaze visitors who see them for the first time in India, Hawaii and some tropical islands.

This tree has a most unusual way of growing. Its branches grow extremely long, and supports for the branches grow down and take root as soon as they touch the soil. This provides a new source of food and soon enlarges the support into another trunk. New branches grow from these trunks and are soon growing more supports down to the soil. The result is that a single old tree can look like a small forest.

People or animals can easily walk through these small forests, but, inch by inch, over a period of time, these enlarging trunks press against each other and the mother tree, continually adding to its size. Because of this, the trees eventually become larger in circumference than in height, and some have been found to be more than a third of a mile around. The largest known banyan tree has 350 large trunks and over 3000 smaller ones.

These trees not only provide welcome shade, but they also produce pretty flowers that attract insects to pollinate them. If undisturbed, a bright red fig-like fruit develops. This fruit is not suitable for man to eat, but birds and bats find it a welcome food supply. A bird carrying one of these fruits to a palm or other tree may let some of the seeds drop into the top branches. With the benefit of mist or occasional showers, the seeds will sprout and send roots down to the ground. Branches soon develop and grow just like the other banyans, sending supports down and starting the process that eventually will turn into another huge banyan tree. Eventually the young banyan tree kills the tree that is supporting it.

It is certain that no one person, no matter how far he may have traveled, has ever seen all forms of creation placed on the earth by the Creator. But they are all known to Him, as a Bible verse tells us: “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

Even more important is the fact that God knows all about each of us and wants us to trust in His love. Another verse assures us that “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He [knows] them that trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7). Are you trusting in Him?

ML-05/30/1999

The Friendly Llama

“In whose hand [the Lord’s] is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:10

The llama is the largest member of the camel family in South America, though it has no hump, and is a native of Bolivia, Argentina, Peru and the mountains and plains of some other South American countries. It is difficult for a stranger to easily tell the difference between llamas and gentler but smaller alpacas and guanacos.

These nimble animals measure about four feet high at the shoulders and have bodies about four or five feet long. Their backs, sides and tails are usually covered with long dark-brown hair, nicely set off with necks, heads and legs of a buff or gray color. But there are several variations; some are an attractive light tan all over and others are mostly black. They have large, alert ears, and their pretty, dark eyes are shaded with long eyelashes. The Creator has provided them with thick, long hair to keep them warm in the chilly mountains.

Because they are exceptionally clean and their feet are well-padded, some llamas become real favorites with an owner’s family. Sometimes they are allowed to come inside the house to be petted, and baby llamas are picked up and cuddled like a baby and given a sweet treat. Incidentally, their mouths have a smiling appearance which makes them seem very good natured.

Llamas are most useful as pack animals, but they are useful to their owners in other ways too. They can be sheared like sheep for their woolly fur, which is prized because it contains no oil and has a sweet smell even after being spun into yarn. Sometimes their meat is used for food. As pack animals they can carry loads of 100 pounds or more and can travel 15 to 20 miles a day. They are particularly valued over high, dry mountain trails, because, like a camel, they can get along without water for four or five days and are sure-footed with their padded hoofs.

But llamas can be very stubborn, and owners have learned that it only makes matters worse to punish them when they lie down and refuse to get up until some of the load is taken off or refuse to move at all because they are tired. They also set their own walking pace on the trails and will not increase their speed even if the drivers try to make them go faster. But aside from these stubborn streaks, they are valuable and lovable animals.

The Bible verse at the beginning refers to the Lord’s goodness to every living thing and reminds us that every person, young or old, depends on His goodness and care. Have you followed the instruction of this verse, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34)?

ML-05/23/1999

That Strange Bird, the Hornbill: Part 2

“And [Solomon] spake . . . of beasts and of fowl.”
1 Kings 4:33

The hornbill’s head with its big bill and helmet (which we talked about last week) looks far too heavy to be held upright. But actually, it is quite light, because the bill and helmet have very lightweight bones. The bill is covered with a thin sheath, and the inside is filled with air cells.

In addition to its unusual head structures, the hornbill also has a strange way of building its nest. The female finds a hollow tree trunk with a hole in it. She stuffs the hole with sticks and other objects, filling it up until its depth is just right. Then she makes a nest, lining it with feathers which she plucks from herself. She and her mate plaster mud around the hole until it is just large enough for her to climb through. After she climbs inside they continue plastering the hole until only a slit remains which is large enough for her bill to get through.

Remaining in her “house,” the female lays several eggs and incubates them. Her mate faithfully brings food to her, placing it into her bill which she sticks out through the slit. When the chicks hatch, the mother stays with them for several weeks (the father feeding them all) until the nest is too crowded. Meanwhile, new feathers have grown back on the mother. She and her mate peck at the hardened mud plaster until the hole is large enough for her to climb out. However, the chicks are not yet ready to come out, so the hole is closed up again for a few more weeks, leaving a slit for the parents to feed them. The young birds eventually break out and fly away.

The building of the nest reminds us of the words of Jesus when He was here on earth. “The birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). How good of the Lord of all creation to provide homes for the birds and other creatures while He Himself did not have a place to lay His head!

The hornbills provide everything for the care of their young. It is good to think of God’s care and kindness to us too. “The living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein . . . did good . . . filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:1517).

Have you ever thanked Him for all the good things you enjoy? Have you accepted that most wonderful of all gifts, His beloved Son as your Saviour? It was the Lord Jesus Christ “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). If you have not done this, won’t you accept Him as your own Saviour now?

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15

ML-05/16/1999

The Jakfruit, Tasty but Smelly

“And God said, Behold, I have given you . . . every tree, in the which is the fruit . . . to you it shall be for meat [food].”
Genesis 1:29

The Lord God, as Creator, has placed a great variety of fruit trees throughout the world. Most of us, of course, only see those growing near us, and it is left for people born elsewhere to see other kinds of fruit trees. This was the case many years ago in the rain forests of India and parts of Asia where the wild jakfruit tree was first discovered.

The fruit from this tree is the largest fruit grown on any tree in the world. Some pieces weigh up to 80 pounds. Its rough, knobby, pale-green skin makes it look like a huge cantaloupe, and natives find it very good to eat. But there is a dangerous problem in picking this fruit. It does not grow on branches, but each fruit is on its own short stem attached right to the tree trunk. If one were to fall on a picker, it could injure him severely or even kill him. So they either knock the fruit off with long poles or, where possible, use machinery to get them down.

Many of the wild trees grow in spots difficult to reach, so the natives wait until the fruit eventually drops to the ground. However, those that drop are often so ripe that they smash into useless pieces. Besides that, many wild animals also like them and eat them before the natives can get to them.

The edible part inside the hard, tough skin, is in sections and about the color of an orange. It tastes like a blend of pineapple, pears and artichokes. But there is one objection to this tasty fruit (which can either be cooked or eaten raw): It takes a long time to get used to its bad smell. Natives have become used to its smell, but when the fruit is offered to visitors, they either turn away from it or have to hold their noses while they eat!

This fruit with its challenges is another example of the wonders of God’s creation. It is a reminder that while He does allow us to experience some trials and difficulties, these will bring good if we ask His help and guidance through them.

No doubt the first natives to discover jakfruit had many problems in learning how to pick it safely and to overcome its strong odor. But in the end the delicious fruit was worth it all. And each of us needs to learn that the Lord has something good in every problem we may experience. King David wrote this encouraging verse in the Bible: “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).

Do you hope and trust in the Lord Jesus?

JANUARY 10, 1999

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

ML-01/10/1999

A Monster Fish

“Take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money.”
Matthew 17:27

Ropes are attached to the net, and strong men pull the fish from the water onto dry land, where the audience gets a good look at it before it is killed and cut up for carrying away.

ML-01/17/1999

Bible Word Puzzles

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.

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For Little Folks

ML-01/03/1999

For Little Folks

ML-10/03/1999

For Little Folks

ML-10/17/1999

For Little Folks

ML-10/24/1999

For Little Folks

“Flee from the wrath to come”
(Matthew 3:7).

ML-07/18/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the
Old Testament?

R O N L E S C H I C

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S U M B E R N

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

C U S I T I V E L

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-12/05/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the
Old Testament?

N A J O H

__ __ __ __ __

M A A L I C H

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

D O X E U S

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-11/28/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the
New Testament?

I T T S U

__ __ __ __ __

E K L U

__ __ __ __

W H E A T M T

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

H I M T O T Y

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

R P T E E

__ __ __ __ __

ML-07/04/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books
in the Old Testament?

K A H B U K K A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S H O A J U

__ __ __ __ __ __

M Y N O D E T O U R E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

O S H A E

__ __ __ __ __

ML-06/06/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the
Old Testament?

Z E A R

__ __ __ __

F O O L S M O N S O O N G

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

S L A M P S

__ __ __ __ __ __

B E R M U N S

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-04/25/1999

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

G I N K S

__ __ __ __ __

L E N D I A

__ __ __ __ __ __

C A L M A H I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

M A S U L E

__ __ __ __ __ __

ML-01/31/1999

"J" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “J.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

JACOB JOHN

JAMES JONAH

JEHU JONATHAN

JERICHO JORDAN

JOANNA JOSEPH

JOASH JOSHUA

ML-11/21/1999

"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-04/11/1999

"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 CARMEL

CAIN CEPHAS

CALEB CLAUDIA

CALVARY CORINTH

CANA CORNELIUS

CANAAN

ML-03/21/1999

"A" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “A.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, across, backwards-every direction.

AARON ABIGAIL ABSALOM AMOS ANNA ASHER

ABEL ABRAHAM ADAM ANDREW ANTIOCH ASSYRIA

ML-09/26/1999

"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 ELI ELISABETH EMMANUEL ESAU EUNICE

EGYPT ELIJAH ELISHA ENOCH ESTHER EVE

ML-06/13/1999

Books of the New Testament Word Search

This word search uses the names of the books of the New Testament. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across -every direction.

ACTS JOHN

COLOSSIANS JUDE

CORINTHIANS LUKE

EPHESIANS MARK

GALATIANS MATTHEW PHILIPPIANS THESSALONIANS

HEBREWS PETER REVELATION TIMOTHY

JAMES PHILEMON ROMANS TITUS

ML-05/16/1999

"D" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “D.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

DAMASCUS DELILAH

DAN DEMAS

DANIEL DEUTERONOMY

DAVID DIDYMUS

DEBORAH DORCAS

DECAPOLIS DOTHAN

ML-05/09/1999

Rich Man and Lazarus Word Search

This word search uses words from the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Read Luke 16 in your Bible. Then see if you can find the words listed below among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

ABRAHAMS BOSOM

ANGELS

BEGGAR

BURIED

COMFORTED

CRUMBS GREAT GULF MERCY SORES

DIED HELL PURPLE SUMPTUOUSLY

DOGS LAID REMEMBER TESTIFY

FIXED LAZARUS REPENT TORMENTS

FLAME LINEN RICH MAN WATER

ML-02/28/1999

"K" Names 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 KISH

KENITES KOHATH

KIDRON KORAH

KIRJATH KORE

ML-02/14/1999

"A" Names Word Search

JANUARY 17, 1999

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “A.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

AARON ABSALOM ANNA

ABEL ADAM ANTIOCH

ABIGAIL AMOS ASHER

ABRAHAM ANDREW ASSYRIA

ML-01/17/1999

"Z" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “Z.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction.

ZACHARIAH ZIKLAG

ZARED ZION

ZEBULUN ZIPPORAH

ZEPHANIAH

ML-12/12/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Hebrews 4:13

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “but” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”
(Hebrews 4:13).|{}|

ML-01/24/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: John 14:6

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “the” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”
(John 14:6).|{}|

ML-02/07/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Matthew 7:26

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “the” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand”
(Matthew 7:26).

ML-03/07/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Psalm 119:105

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “my” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”
(Psalm 119:105).|{}|

ML-03/28/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Isaiah 45:22

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22).

ML-06/20/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: John 5:24

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

ML-06/27/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Ephesians 1:7

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “of” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

ML-07/11/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: 2 Corinthians 9:15

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “for” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Scripture Verse Word Search: Joshua 24:15

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across—every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “for” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

ML-09/05/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: 1 John 1:7

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across — every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “of” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

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

ML-10/31/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Psalm 119:11

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across — every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “not” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11).

ML-11/07/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Proverbs 18:10

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

ML-11/14/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: Isaiah 53:5

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “and” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

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

ML-12/19/1999

Scripture Verse Word Search: John 3:18

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across - every direction. Use a ruler if necessary.

Circle each word in the diagram as we did with “the” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

ML-12/26/1999

Messages of God's Love: 1999

Table of Contents

Water for a Million

God Cares for Baby Sparrows

Hide and Seek

The Biggest Truck in the World

Heavy Snow

Mike and the Coyotes

A Bag Full of Mud

A Single Grape

Weird and Wonderful Animals

An Unwelcome Caller

A Letter From Grandpa

A Trail of Blood

The Most Common Pie

Love Your Enemies

Mery vs. Mary

Jiggles

What Happened to Jim?

The Cost to Get There

A Little Girl for the Browns

Jim, Holly, and the Woodchuck

No Sign of a Storm

A Letter From Grandpa: the Coyote and the Cat

God Doesn't Want Me

In a North Korean Hospital

The Elephant's Offer

"May God Strike Me Down With Lightning!"

Failing Fourth Grade

Not in the Book

The Bite of Death

What's in Your Heart?

The Wrinkled Dress

Learning to Fly

Caught in a Trap

Have I Done My Best?

Careless About Death

The Volcano Will Erupt!

Aunt Rose

What Happened to Schatzi?

A Green Mouth

Listen to His Voice

Caught on Video

"No Talking in Class"

An Unheeded Warning

Safe in the Sanctuary

A Good Sheep Dog

A Smashed Toe

A Dangerous Encounter

Bats and Bees

An Incurable Disease

A Safe Place

A Little or a Lot

Treasures

The Abandoned Dog

Do Grandpas Ever Die?

In Icy Waters

The Tape Recorder

Not for Sale

Ersin Wanted to Eat

The Lost Voice

On the Wrong Train

The Snake in the Pool

"One Thing God Can't See"

Suzy

A Bike for Victor

Proven Guilty

Wasted Sweetness

Six Miles Without a Parachute

What's Your Priority?

Something Missing

Teddy

The Lord Provides

Some Mathematics

Lost in a Canyon

Cats and Mice

A 20 Mile Message

What Time?

Ripe Watermelons - 35¢/Lb.

Chickens and Weasels