Messages of God's Love: 2007

It was March 25, Friday, the end of a long, hard week. Some workers had already collected their paychecks and were preparing to leave. Joseph Zito ran the elevator for the big, ten-story building filled with clothing makers. He stopped the roofless elevator at every floor, and each floor was filled with workers, sewing machines, cutting tables and piles of very flammable cloth scraps. Up on the ninth floor with only fifteen minutes until closing time, Katie Weiner had already gotten her coat on and was chatting in the coatroom with some of the other workers. It was just like every other Friday - time to relax a little before heading home.

Suddenly Joseph’s elevator bell began to ring wildly. He could just make out some shouting from up above, as he sprang into action and got his elevator moving up to the top floors. Then shattered glass from doors on the top floors began to fall on his head and shouts of “FIRE!” rang out.

On the ninth floor, the fire came billowing through an air vent, spreading its heat and smoke rapidly across the room. Little fires started in scattered spots around the room, as workers ran to try to escape through the exits.

Katie heard the first screams and headed across the big room for the stairs on the far side. She frantically worked her way around tables, rolls of fabric and other workers as she rushed for the stairway. Huge clouds of thick smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe and difficult to see. As the panic spread, people around her screamed in fright and rushed over to windows to grab a breath of fresh air. But the drafts of air from the open windows helped to feed the spreading flames.

While Katie searched frantically for an exit, Joseph Zito was still hard at work. He’d take his packed elevator down to dump its load of workers and then start back up for more. As his roofless elevator headed up the shaft again, he could feel the heat and hear the panicked screams. Passing the eighth floor, he could reach out and nearly touch the flames, but it didn’t stop him, as he fearlessly headed for what was at least his fifth trip up into the heart of the burning building.

Joseph’s courage reminds us of a far greater courage. The Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to find lost sinners. He entered straight into the heart of a far greater flame than Joseph Zito - He faced the fire of God’s judgment against sin! Even though He was sinless, 1 Peter 2:24 tells us that He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Joseph showed great courage as he saved people that he barely knew, and he himself survived the fire without injury. Jesus personally experienced the worst suffering anyone will ever endure as He came purposely to die for His enemies. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Back on the ninth floor, Katie Weiner saw the crowd shoving and elbowing to reach the elevator. She had tried to get into the elevator before, but there had been no room. She tried to get on again. Again the doors closed without her, and the elevator started down.

Behind her the fire crackled. Sparks carried on the gusts of superheated air landed on piles of clothing and started new fires around the room. The smoke made it nearly impossible to breathe. Katie saw that her last chance of escape was in that elevator already on its way down. She jumped into the elevator shaft, fell through the roofless opening of the elevator, and landed on the heads of the twenty-four people packed into that tiny space. Her legs banged the sides of the shaft all the way down to safety.

Katie took advantage of her last and only chance to escape from the burning building. You may be sitting comfortably reading or listening to this story, not feeling like you need to escape from anything. But God has warned all of us to “flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7). Time is running out! Christ is your only escape from the judgment for your sins. Will you trust Him as your Saviour right now?

ML-01/07/2007

Four Lashes

“Homework must be completed!”

This command was given by the teacher in the primary school in Dickson Village, Saint Vincent, and the penalty was set -four lashes with the strap if it wasn’t finished by the following day.

The next morning, a small girl by the name of Maureen showed up for class without her homework completed. The teacher was sorry, as Maureen was a sickly girl and usually a good student. But what could he do? He felt that he could not go back on his word in front of the other students. He knew he must carry through with the punishment.

He took the strap out and called Maureen to the front of the room. She came and stood before him, trembling as she waited and trying to be brave. With tears already in her eyes, she held out her hand. . . .

Smack! One of the four lashes was delivered.

Smack! Two of the four lashes were delivered.

Before the third lash, Maureen asked in a shaky voice if it were possible that the other two lashes could wait until lunchtime, as she felt too weak to bear them at that time. The teacher agreed that this was fair. He could see that she could stand no more right then.

The morning proceeded as usual, but both teacher and student knew that the unavoidable two lashes were still ahead.

However, at the noon hour Maureen and her friend Caroline, a rather large girl for her age, came up to the desk where the teacher was marking papers. In a shaky voice but with a smile on her face, Maureen explained that her best friend had said she would take the other two lashes for her. The teacher was rather surprised, but knowing Maureen’s weakness and that both girls truly meant it, he finally agreed to the plan. Caroline held out her hand. . . .

Smack! Three of the four lashes were delivered.

Smack! Four of the four lashes were delivered.

How grateful Maureen was. She thanked her friend again and again as they left the classroom hand in hand.

This story was told by the teacher himself who is a Christian and loves the Lord Jesus. It reminds us of that One who took the punishment for sin on the cross so that He could be our Saviour and Friend.

Maureen had to take half the lashes and her friend the other half. But for boys and girls, and grown-ups too, who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they will never have to bear the penalty for their sins.

If you are saved from the punishment you deserve, you can say, “With His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour, come now as a sinner, accept His offer of salvation, and you will never have to be punished in hell for your sins.

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

ML-01/14/2007

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 he 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 the 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-01/14/2007

An Uninvited Guest

A lady came home to her house after a long day at the office to find an unexpected guest in her kitchen. A young black bear, about two years old and maybe weighing several hundred pounds, had forced open her sliding door on the back porch while she was away. The hungry bear had followed his nose into the kitchen. There he found a large ceramic storage jar full of oatmeal. He knocked off the lid, and what he found inside was very much to his liking.

The lady came home not knowing she had an intruder in her house. When she went into the kitchen, she was startled and frightened! She saw the bear sitting on its haunches, with the jar in his front paws, busily eating the oatmeal. She quickly left the house and called for help on her cell phone. Meanwhile, the bear, contented as could be, continued his feast.

The oatmeal must have been very much to the bear’s liking, because when police Sergeant Paul Skeleton arrived, the big, furry animal was still happily eating. Sergeant Skeleton tried yelling to shoo the bear out of the house. The bear completely ignored him. Since the bear was simply eating oatmeal and not destroying any property, Sergeant Skeleton decided just to wait and see what would happen when the bear was done.

The bear finished the oatmeal, got up and walked out the same door he had opened to come in. From there he lumbered down into a forested ravine behind the house. The ravine was part of a “greenbelt,” which was a long ribbon of trees. Hopefully, the bear traveled through this greenbelt all the way back into the mountains in British Columbia where he belonged.

The bear was an uninvited guest who enjoyed a special feast. He wasn’t invited, but he came anyway. Do you know God invites every boy and girl and grown-up to a feast? The feast to which God invites you begins when you by faith accept the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour. Feasts are generally occasions of great happiness. This feast is no different. There is no greater joy than knowing that your sins are forgiven and you are on your way to heaven, because the Saviour gave His life to save you. Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, made a great feast in Bible times which lasted only one night. However, the feast God invites you and me to will last forever. It will begin here on earth as we daily learn more of the “unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8), and it will continue through all eternity in heaven.

In the Old Testament, there is a verse which reads, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). When a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, it is as if God brings them to His banqueting table where they may feast for the rest of their lives. It is a feast which brings much happiness to our souls. Unless you and I accept God’s invitation, we will have a soul hunger which does not go away.

The bear ate until his hunger was gone and then disappeared into the forest. But he will become hungry again. Those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus will find food and drink for their souls in a never-ending supply. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that [comes] to Me shall never hunger; and he that [believes] on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

In Luke 14 the Lord Jesus told a story about a great feast. In the story the very important invitation went out, “Come; for all things are now ready” (vs. 17). But those who were invited didn’t think the invitation was very important, and they made many excuses not to come. Because they decided not to come, they would never taste of that wonderful supper. God in grace invites you to receive His great salvation offered through His Son Jesus. Don’t make excuses why you can’t come . . . say “yes” to Him and come to the Saviour who loves you. It is the most important decision you will ever make.

The bear wasn’t invited, but he came into the house and ate the oatmeal. You are invited to come to the Lord Jesus and to the Father’s house of plenty. Will you come?

ML-01/21/2007

Burean

A missionary in India hired a young Hindu boy from a mountain village to help him in his home. The boy’s name was Burean, meaning “Evil One.” His mother had given him this name, hoping to keep away the evil spirits.

Every morning Burean was present at the family’s Bible reading in the missionary’s home. He listened to the reading of the Bible and the prayers.

One morning after they had finished reading, Burean exclaimed, “What wonderful things you read out of that Book! I’ve never heard such things before!”

The missionary asked, “Do you believe them, Burean? If you believe them, they will be yours.”

Burean replied, “They are wonderful things, but they are not for me. They are for you. You are a child of the King . . . you have white skin. I am only a poor, dark-skinned Indian.”

The missionary said, “Burean, I am a child of the King because I believe on Jesus Christ. My white skin does not make me a child of God. You can also be a child of God if you will believe on Jesus. Where you live, what you own, and the color of your skin make no difference!”

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world;

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in His sight;

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

ML-01/21/2007

Nighttime Encounter with a Cougar

I had spent the day at the watershed in southeastern Washington state hunting elk. Finally I’d been able to get one. That will mean lots of meat for our freezer, I thought thankfully as I strung up the elk in a tree and began dressing it out.

I hadn’t been working on the elk very long when it began to get dark. I took my little pencil flashlight from my pocket and held it in my mouth. That way I would have both hands free to work. Suddenly a strange feeling came over me; I felt as though I was being watched! I turned around and behind me, only about five feet away, was a big, tan cougar sneaking along the ground toward the elk! I’m sure it was attracted by the smell of the freshly killed animal.

I picked up my gun to shoot the cat, but as I leaned over, my flashlight dropped and went out. I aimed where I thought the cougar would be and shot. I missed, but the noise of the gun so very close sent him scurrying off.

Have you ever been alone in the dark in a strange place? It’s a frightening experience. But just think how you’d feel if you were left in the blackness of darkness forever! The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2:15-17 that such a place is reserved for those who have given up the right way - those who have refused to follow the Lord Jesus.

It was quickly becoming very dark, and I was thankful for what attention I had paid to the trail on the way in as I began to work my way back to my pickup truck, one step at a time. What a relief it was to finally reach out and feel the cold metal of the pickup. But I know it was only the Lord who brought me safely back to the road. I never could have done it myself, because there were more chances to miss the trail than to stay on it. And that’s the way Christians must walk through the darkness of this world too, step by step with Jesus who is the light of the world. He says, “He that [follows] Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The next morning I returned with a friend to carry out the elk. As I looked over that night’s location, I was even more thankful that I’d been able to get back to my truck. And when we are in heaven and see all the way God’s goodness and light has led us through this evil world, how we’ll praise Him and thank Him for His love and protection!

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

ML-01/28/2007

A Close Call

Several sisters were busy washing the dishes and getting the kitchen cleaned up after a large family dinner. Everyone was bustling around with the various chores that needed to be done.

Bradley, who was four years old, decided he and the bunch of grapes he was eating had better get out of the kitchen and go to another room where he wouldn’t be in the way. He stretched out on the sofa to finish his bunch of grapes, popping them in his mouth one at a time.

In the other room, Bradley’s mother suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the living room. Not seeing Bradley in the kitchen where he had been a few minutes ago, she decided she had better find out what he was up to.

She turned the corner into the living room and found Bradley with his face turning purple, clutching his throat and fighting for air! She called to her sister in the kitchen for help as she ran to Bradley.

Hearing the cry for help, Aunt Charlotte came running and quickly realized Bradley was choking on something. Having learned about the “Heimlich maneuver,” she quickly stood behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle and gave one quick, hard squeeze. Out popped the grape that had stuck in Bradley’s throat! Now his airway was open and he could breathe again.

A few minutes later when Bradley felt better, he and his mother knelt down and together thanked the Lord Jesus for His help. Bradley’s life had been saved. As they talked together about his close call, his mother explained to Bradley that what had just happened to him reminded her of the verse in Romans 5:6, “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Bradley was without strength to help himself, just as we as sinners are without strength to do anything about the awfulness of our sins. That grape was enough to keep Bradley from breathing, and our sins are enough to keep us out of heaven. Just as Bradley’s mother had called to her sister to help Bradley, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for us. Aunt Charlotte knew just what to do to help him, and the Lord Jesus did just what was needed for us in our sinful condition.

Aunt Charlotte didn’t wait one second when she was called, and the Lord Jesus is waiting at this very moment for any sinner to cry to Him in their need. “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

Ever since that day, Aunt Charlotte has been very special to Bradley, and the Lord Jesus should be a very special Friend to every sinner, because of His love and what He has done for us on the cross of Calvary. Is He your special Friend? Is He your Saviour?

ML-02/04/2007

The Results of an Ignored Warning

Thursday morning seventeen-year-old John sat in my math class, but he was more excited about the workbench he had been building in his shop class than about math. He knew his grandfather would appreciate the pegboard back and the trouble light he had wired into the bench. It was on wheels and could be moved to wherever his grandfather needed it.

Later that morning, we took a picture of John proudly standing next to the workbench. Then his picture, along with the pictures of his classmates and their woodworking projects, was posted in a display case for a school open house the next day.

Friday morning our school was buzzing with preparations for the open house, but the picture of John had been removed from the display case. The shop teacher said the principal had removed it.

A few minutes later when I was in the office, Mrs. Whiting, the principal, asked me to step into her office and closed the door.

“John is missing,” she began. “He went out onto the ice of Oak Orchard Creek early this morning, and the rescue workers believe that he fell through the ice.”

After lunch Mrs. Whiting received the news that John’s body had been recovered from the icy waters of the creek.

Earlier that morning, John had seen his dog run out onto the frozen creek and fall through the ice. John loved his dog and ran to rescue him. As he frantically ran towards the spot where his dog had disappeared, John’s grandfather shouted to him not to go onto the ice!

John ignored this warning and ran onto the thin crust of ice that was hiding the flowing water underneath. When his grandfather saw John disappear through the ice, he ran to call for help.

Due to the conditions in the creek, rescue workers were unable to search for John until special teams arrived. A team of volunteer rescuers pulled John’s lifeless body from the water around noon.

John chose to ignore his grandfather’s urgent warning not to go onto the ice. God has given warnings to you and me in His Word, the Bible. He warns about the awful result of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ who died to save us from our 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).

We are not promised tomorrow. None of John’s teachers or classmates knew that when John left school on Thursday, he would not walk into school again on Friday morning. He would never show off his workbench or give it to his grandfather. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

That warning applies to each one of us. Listen to God’s warning and accept His free offer of salvation right now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-02/11/2007

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 the Andersen’s house!” said Dad. “That crash was a big branch that just came down from their huge 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).

When our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ, God tells us that He sees our hearts just like the pure, clean, white snow. In fact, David spoke of being whiter than snow: “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). The Lord gives each of us this invitation: “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).

ML-02/11/2007

The Lonely Bird

Mr. and Mrs. Jones love to watch birds in their yard. “I’ve seen a lot of unusual behaviors in birds, but this was really different,” Mr. Jones said.

Their favorite kind of bird to watch is the California Quail. These quails are about as big as small chickens and have unusual plumes on their heads. They have strong legs and can often be seen running around on the ground. Also, they are “monogamous,” which means that once they find a mate, they stay together until one dies. Perhaps you have seen these birds and have enjoyed watching them. It is especially fun to watch a mother and father quail lead a brood of little ones around.

One day when Mr. Jones was bird watching, he saw a quail running back and forth over the same spot in the grass in his backyard. He became curious and went out to investigate. Only when he came near did the male quail run off into some nearby bushes. Sadly, Mr. Jones discovered a female quail’s body dead in the grass. He decided the two birds must have been mates, and when the female died, the male didn’t want to leave her. Mr. Jones thought he would help the male get over his grief by burying the dead quail out of sight. The death of the quail upset Mr. Jones, because he was very fond of all the birds.

Not long after, the quail that lost his mate did something most unusual. Mr. Jones kept a stone statue of a pelican on the front porch by the screen door. He and his wife sometimes used it to prop open the door. The pelican’s long beak was tucked down against its chest, and the statue was just about the same size as a quail. The lonely quail found the pelican and spent all his time on the porch cooing and clucking to the statue. In his heartbreak over losing his mate, the quail chose the stone pelican to be his companion. When other male quails got too close, he would run off the porch and chase them away, just as he would if he had a live mate.

Poor lonely bird! You would think he should have recognized the difference between a statue and a living bird. When God created quails, He designed them in such a way that they need the company of other quails.

When God created people, He gave them a never-dying soul that can only be truly happy when they come to know and love Him. Of all the earthly creatures God made, man is the only one with a heart that is capable of loving God. This makes all mankind very privileged and responsible to their Maker. But how sorrowful it is that instead of loving our Creator, you and I have chosen to leave Him out of our lives, and we’ve filled our hearts and lives with things that can never fully satisfy! There is a cost for giving the first place in our hearts to anything but God. The Bible speaks of men’s foolish hearts being darkened when they love and focus on what this world offers more than they love God. In the darkness that men choose for themselves, they always stumble into the paths of sin and shame.

To bring sinners back to Himself, God sent His Son Jesus into the world: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Lord Jesus came to this earth in love and died for sinners who have wandered far away from Him. He is God’s love gift to the world. When a sinner realizes his lost condition and believes on the Lord Jesus, God gives him the gift of eternal life. This is love beyond what we can understand-love worthy of God whose grace and mercy is far greater than all our sins. The same love that brought the Lord Jesus into the world nearly two thousand years ago is reaching out to sinners today, inviting you and me to turn to the Saviour. If you refuse His loving offer, you will die unsaved and spend eternity in a sinner’s hell, but you will never die unloved. Why not accept God’s love that is greater than any other, and receive the gift of His Son Jesus today?

After spending some days with the stone pelican, the quail left the lifeless statue and scampered off. Mr. Jones thinks he saw the same quail several days later, strutting about with a new mate, but he can’t be quite sure. How long will it be before you realize that God is so worthy of your love and trust and you turn to the Saviour?

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

ML-02/18/2007

A New Van for the Andrews

The Andrews children were excited when they learned that there was going to be an addition to their family. But there was one problem: Dad would have to get a larger vehicle to hold another car seat for the baby.

Word got around that they were going to need a larger vehicle. A friend told them about a used-car lot that had a reasonably priced van for sale, so the whole family went along to look at it. Yes, it was exactly what they needed and had been praying for. They would buy it.

Then the salesman spoke up and gave them his reason for selling it so cheap. IT DIDN’T RUN RIGHT! Several mechanics had looked into it, but they couldn’t seem to figure out what the problem was. The van would hesitate at times, like the motor wanted to stall. That’s why the price was so low. The salesman would sell it to them under one condition only -that this van with its problem would never be brought back to his used-car lot.

The sale was completed. Mother drove the family car home, following her husband driving the van . . . just in case it would stall. They got to their country home safely.

The next evening Mr. Andrews was ready to look for this unusual problem in his new van. He knew he wasn’t as smart as those mechanics, but he did know Someone who was smarter than all of them put together! He would contact Him about the van’s problem.

This was a serious matter, because the family would soon be dependent on this van for their only transportation. As a Christian who knew something about the power of prayer, Mr. Andrews knelt down in the gravel by the front bumper of the van and prayed about the matter. He asked God’s help to get this vehicle running the way it should.

After he was finished praying, he opened his eyes and looked up into the grill . . . and noticed something. It was some sort of a nest hidden in there. That was easy. He removed the nest, and the van ran perfectly after that. Somehow the nest had prevented the engine from getting the air flow that it needed to run right.

Now Mr. Andrews, being an honest Christian man, knew that he hadn’t even spent a nickel on this repair job. What should he do? The salesman really deserved more money than he had asked for the van. Mr. Andrews decided he should go back to the salesman and give him more money, since it wouldn’t be right to cheat a person.

So back he went. However, the salesman refused to take any additional money, saying, “A sale is a sale!”

Mr. Andrews left happy, shaking his head and thanking God for answering his prayer about the van.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

ML-02/25/2007

A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

The 11-year-old cousins finished their homework and then went outside and headed over to the woods. As they passed the trash barrel where Ann’s dad burned trash, Ann looked into it and said, “Hey, look at this can of spray paint my Dad threw away.”

“Let me see it,” said Andy. He pulled off the cap, shook it and began spraying the weeds along the path, but the paint didn’t come out very well. He got tired of trying to make it spray, so he dropped it on the ground. About then their friend Karl came along.

“Hi,” said Karl. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Nothin’ much,” said Ann and Andy.

Karl put his hand into his pocket and pulled out matches. “Look what I’ve got. Wanna light a fire?”

“Sure,” said Andy.

Soon they had a fire burning, and the can with its warning, “DANGER - EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE,” was getting blacker and blacker in the fire.

The Bible carries some warnings in it too, and they are meant for every one of us. Are you paying attention to those warnings? “Flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). “Repent” (Acts 17:30)! You can’t risk ignoring God’s warnings!

Suddenly there was a loud “POP!” and just as suddenly Andy and Ann were covered with flaming paint.

“You’re all black!” cried Ann, as she wildly tried to brush off the flaming paint that was clinging to her face.

“So are you!” a terrified Andy answered.

Karl ran to help them, yelling, “Go home! . . . You better go home!”

“No, I can’t,” wailed Ann. “I’ll get in trouble!”

Do you ever feel too sinful to come to God? Don’t feel that way. He already knows all the bad things you’ve done, but He still loves you and wants you to come to Him for forgiveness. “In whom [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Both Andy and Ann knew they had gotten some burns. Andy grabbed Ann by the arm. “We’ve gotta go home! . . . We gotta get help!” and he started pulling her toward the house.

There’s no other way for you and me, either. We must come to the Lord Jesus Christ, “for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The burns took quite a while to heal, but by the Lord’s kindness, Andy and Ann had no major scars. A few days later Ann said, “At least I learned my lesson -not to play with fire.”

But what about YOU? Are you playing with the fire that never shall be put out? If you are, remember the rich man in Luke 16 who “in hell . . . [lifted] up his eyes, being in torments,” and thank God for the Lord Jesus “who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

ML-02/25/2007

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: The Blue Jay

Dear Children,

Hello again from Gramma and Grampa. As most of you know, Gramma and I get out of bed every morning between 6:00 and 7:00. The first thing I do is take Chelsea, our dog, for her morning walk. Then Chelsea and I open the barn doors and go into the barn to get bird seed to fill up the bird feeders.

One morning we found a blue jay flying around inside the barn. It sure didn’t sound too happy! It was screeching like it was trying to say, “Thief! Thief!” and it was trying to get back outside through the skylight in the roof of the barn.

I knew that the blue jay would never get back outside that way, because those skylights are made out of fiberglass. The only way that jay was going to escape was by coming down out of the rafters and flying out through the open door!

As Chelsea and I stood there watching and listening to the noisy jay, I got to thinking about a man in the Bible who had to come down from where he was sitting. Can you guess who it was?

If you said, “Zaccheus,” you are RIGHT!

Poor Zaccheus, he wanted so hard to see Jesus, but he was a short man. And perhaps he wasn’t strong enough to push his way through the crowds that were following Jesus.

Have you ever had that problem? Sure you have. Remember that last parade you went to and the people were packed together so tightly that you just couldn’t see anything, until your daddy picked you up?

Well, Zaccheus had that very same problem, but he didn’t have a daddy there to pick him up. So he got to thinking about that big sycamore tree that was just down the road.

He ran as fast as he could ahead of the crowd and climbed up into that sycamore tree. He found a big branch to sit on and waited there so he could see Jesus when He came by.

Soon Zaccheus heard the crowd coming, and he probably got excited because he was about to see Jesus! As Jesus passed right under the tree where Zaccheus was sitting, He stopped. Then He looked up right at Zaccheus and called him by name and said, “Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5). Zaccheus was so happy to hear those words that he came down from the tree very quickly and received Jesus into his house joyfully!

What a happy meeting that was, right under the sycamore tree! Jesus told Zaccheus that “the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Zaccheus did not care who saw him or anything else. He was just too happy to know that Jesus had found him!

And now I need to get back to my story about that blue jay sitting up there in the rafters all by himself. I spoke to the blue jay and said, “Mr. Jay, if you don’t come down and save yourself, you are going to die of thirst or hunger. Chelsea and I have opened the doors for you to fly out, but you must come down!”

I know what you’re asking: “Grampa, is this the end of the story?”

No. A little while later we went back out to the barn, and Mr. Blue Jay was gone! He finally came down out of the rafters and flew out the open barn doors to freedom!

Gramma and I hope that all of you children, and grown-ups too, who read this letter will receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour joyfully, just like Zaccheus did.

Lots of love,

Grampa

ML-03/04/2007

A Foolish Chipmunk

What a beautiful day, Faye thought as she looked out the window. Then she saw something that wasn’t so beautiful. It was Tommy, her cat. “That bad cat!” she exclaimed. “He’s caught another chipmunk!”

Feeling sorry for the chipmunk, Faye ran out into the front yard and grabbed Tommy by the scruff of the neck, forcing him to drop the chipmunk.

All of us, from the time we are born, are so much like the chipmunk in the cat’s mouth. God tells us that Satan is the god and prince of this world, and we are under his power until the Lord Jesus sets us free. We know that chipmunk could not have freed itself from Tommy’s jaws, and we cannot free ourselves from Satan’s power either. Only the Lord Jesus can free us, because He broke Satan’s power when He died on the cross. “Through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

The little chipmunk was still very lively and didn’t seem to be hurt. He ran a few feet and then turned to face the cat. Sitting on his little haunches, he scolded the cat, almost as if he was daring the cat to catch him.

You can guess what the cat did. Of course, he soon had the chipmunk in his mouth again.

Faye freed the chipmunk a second time, and then she scolded Tommy. But still the chipmunk didn’t run far away.

Sometimes young people act like that chipmunk - they seem to love dangerous things and to play with sin. They are like those in Proverbs 2:13 “who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.” But God gives the warning, “Go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:14-15).

It wasn’t until Faye took Tommy indoors that the chipmunk ran away. But she couldn’t help wondering how long that chipmunk would live if it kept on daring its enemies.

God gives more warnings about our enemy: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is so dangerous to fool around with Satan. Trust in the Lord Jesus who loves you and died for you and escape from the enemy and the wrath to come.

ML-03/04/2007

She Should Have Waited

Mrs. Price had a little vegetable garden. Everything was growing so well, and she was very happy with it. She had never had a garden before, and she was looking forward to the fresh vegetables she hoped to harvest. Already she had eaten radishes and crisp, tasty lettuce. Now she could see many pods forming on her pea vines, and her mouth was watering at the very thought of delicious, fresh peas.

One morning she went to the garden to check again on the peas. She found the pods were long, firm and rounded out, so she picked every one of them right then and went triumphantly into the house to shell them. But what a disappointment! There wasn’t one large pea in the whole batch.

Mrs. Price didn’t know that peas don’t form until after the firm pods are large enough to give the tiny peas room to fully develop without being crowded. First the Lord forms the pods as a protective cover. Then He forms the peas. How careful our heavenly Father is of all He has created. He has created us too and protects us. Psalm 34:7 tells us “the angel of the Lord [encamps] round about them that fear Him, and [delivers] them.” And He has also promised to supply all our needs: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). But we need patience to wait God’s time.

When Mrs. Price picked her pea pods, she didn’t know that if she had just waited a week or so longer, she would have had many plump peas to enjoy. Have you ever found it hard to wait for something? Children find it hard to wait for their birthdays when they are looking forward to birthday presents. Teenagers find it hard to wait until they graduate from high school to follow the plans they have made. Grown-ups find it hard to wait until the house is paid for so they can buy other things. We all need patience; we all need to learn to wait quietly for God’s time. It’s not easy to wait, but pushing ahead of God’s time leads to disappointment in one way or another.

Children need to learn to use patience, teenagers need to learn to use patience, and grown-ups need to learn to use patience. We are never through learning patience. The Lord sometimes sends circumstances into our lives to teach us the lessons of patience. The Bible gives us some instruction about this: “The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, [lacking] nothing” (James 1:34).

ML-03/11/2007

A Bear's Place of Refuge

Nothing is more terrifying to wild animals living in the woods than a forest fire. A forest fire is never tame. In dry conditions, it can grow to a gigantic size in minutes. Swept along by strong winds, the fire can travel much faster than men or animals can run. And its flames have the power to destroy everything in its path.

A fire like this broke out in the Bitterroot Mountain Range in Montana. A large brown bear, usually afraid of nothing, had to run for his life! Soon his sides were heaving, his mouth was dry, and he was exhausted. Sparks from the fire were falling like rain around him, but his panic made him keep running. The bear seemed to know that if he stopped, he would die.

In his panic, the big bear ran through a logging camp. Usually bears avoid anything having to do with humans, but now with the fire roaring behind him, nothing else mattered as he raced ahead in front of it. The men from the logging camp were running in panic too. The bear bumped into one. Both the bear and the man stumbled . . . then quickly got back on their feet and kept running.

A short distance on the other side of the camp was a shallow mountain stream. In most places it was only ankle deep, but here and there were spots a little deeper. The bear was going to run through the stream, but when he stumbled into one of the deeper places, he decided to stay. Some of the logging men were lying down in the water too. The foreman of the camp, not seeing the bear, jumped into the same spot as the bear. The fire reached the stream, and red, hot flames quickly jumped the stream and burned the tall, dry, evergreen trees on both sides.

When the foreman felt something move behind him, he thought it was another logger. Turning around, he discovered it was a bear! Together they waited in the water until the fire had burnt itself out all around them. Then without a backwards glance, the bear trotted away.

Doubtless many animals perished in the forest fire that day. But the bear found a place of refuge in a pool of water and shared it with a man. It was unusual for a bear in the wild to remain near a human for so long.

Have you found a refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ from the penalty of your sins? He wants every boy and girl to come to Him and trust in Him, that they might receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Nobody deserves to receive these wonderful gifts, because we are all guilty sinners. But in love and mercy towards you and me, the Lord Jesus died on the cross for the sins of every person who will receive Him as Saviour. “We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:35).

Sadly, disobedience, hate, foolishness and envy are found in the heart of every one of us. They are also things that God in His holiness must judge. In love and mercy, the Lord Jesus came and took the punishment for the sins of all those who would afterwards believe on Him. He did this on the cross. Once a sinner is saved, whether he is young or old, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in his heart. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make us more and more like our blessed Saviour.

Won’t you let the Lord Jesus be your refuge by accepting Him as your Saviour right now? “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15).

ML-03/18/2007

Muffin's Warning

Dorothy had a great many errands to do that day. She backed the car out of the garage, turned it around, and started to drive out of the driveway. But suddenly the family’s little dog named Muffin darted in front of her car and began barking. And Muffin barked and barked frantically.

Dorothy was not able to drive out without hitting the dog. She leaned out of the car window and scolded Muffin, yelling, “Get out of the way, Muffin!”

But Muffin wouldn’t stop barking and running back and forth in front of the car. So Dorothy tried driving to one side of the driveway, and then on the other side. Nothing worked. Muffin would run in front of the car, barking. Finally, Dorothy drove right across the lawn and out onto the road.

Just then she heard a terrible, splintering crash behind her. She stopped the car, and turning, she saw that their huge maple tree had fallen right over the driveway where she would have driven if Muffin had not stopped her. Muffin was sitting in the driveway near the tree with a look that seemed to say, “See what I saved you from.”

Muffin somehow sensed the danger of that tree falling and tried his best to keep Dorothy away from it. The Bible clearly warns us of the danger resulting from our sins. The penalty for our sins is death and eternity in the lake of fire. But the Bible also explains that God loves each one of us and offers to save us from that penalty. He is offering eternal life to you and me because He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins on Calvary’s cross. “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). All you need to do is confess to God that you are a sinner and need to be saved from that awful penalty for your sins. Then accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as your very own Saviour by believing that He died on the cross as your substitute for your sins. Another verse simply says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Muffin warned Dorothy of her danger, and God is warning you of your danger too. Have you done anything about it?

ML-03/18/2007

"Bandito"

The little dog had no home, and he wandered the streets of a small town in Spain, always looking for food. Often he waited outside restaurants, hoping someone might throw him a scrap to eat. He was a lonely, hungry little dog, with no owner and no warm place to sleep. We call that kind of dog a stray.

I was a “stray” at one time, even though I had a warm home and parents who loved me very much and made sure I never went hungry. But I was a “stray” because of my sins. I had strayed from the God who loved me and wanted to make me one of His children. It was my sins that made me stray away from Him, so He sent His Son to come looking for me.

But no one was looking for the little stray dog that often hung around a coffee shop in the town. Now and then customers who stopped in for coffee or a bite to eat would throw a little food to the dog when they left.

Mr. and Mrs. Fifield, a couple from the United States, were with a group of visitors taking a bike tour of the countryside near the small town where the little dog was living. The group stopped by the coffee shop and couldn’t help but notice the sad-looking, skinny, shaking, little dog hanging around the door. They noticed how the dog looked up at every customer that came out of the coffee shop, his eyes begging for food. The visitors asked the coffee shop owner about the dog, because they felt sorry for him. The store owner said the dog was a stray, and he called the dog “Bandito,” because he begged for scraps of food from the customers as they left.

Mr. and Mrs. Fifield couldn’t seem to forget about the sad, hungry little stray. The next morning they decided to rescue Bandito and take him home with them, even though they lived in the United States. But first they had to find him again.

They took a taxi back to the small town and walked the streets, looking for Bandito. He wasn’t in front of the coffee shop that morning. But as they came around a corner, there he was sitting by a bakery, begging for something to eat from customers who came out of the bakery.

I was just like Bandito when I was away from God. I was always looking for things to make me happy, but what I found were only scraps that didn’t keep me happy for very long. Those sins of mine were always bothering me and keeping me away from God who loved me. But He was watching me and knew I needed His Son Jesus to take away my sins.

My parents took me to Sunday school, and one of the Bible verses I learned was, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). I also learned that Jesus died on the cross for me and wanted to wash my sins away. I only needed to tell Him that I was very sorry for my sins and that I wanted Him to take them all away. I believed He could do that because another verse in the Bible says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). I came to the Lord Jesus in prayer, telling Him about my sins and that I believed His blood would wash them all away. Then I knew my sins were gone! I was no longer a stray, and I belonged to Him and would someday live in heaven, as He promised. The Lord Jesus had found me and saved me from my sins. What a happy change came into my life!

And now that Mr. and Mrs. Fifield had found Bandito, they gathered up the little dog in their arms. They found an animal doctor who could give him the vaccinations he must have and also a passport for him to enter the United States. Bandito was ready for his plane ride to his new home!

Bandito shares his new home with four children who will love him just like they love their other three dogs. He will never go hungry again, and he will always have a warm place to sleep. What a happy change came into that little dog’s life!

Bandito is no longer a stray and neither am I. What about you? Would you like to have a happy change in your life that only the Lord Jesus can give you?

ML-03/25/2007

Running Alone

The Lord Jesus said some words that every person, young or old, would do well to pay very careful attention to. He said, “Broad is the way, that [leads] to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat . . . and narrow is the way, which [leads] unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Recently, we read of an event which is an example of what the Lord Jesus meant. A group of over 100 runners set out on a 10,000-meter cross-country race. There would be only one winner, but each runner hoped to at least complete the race even if he or she weren’t the winner.

As the race progressed, one runner found himself running alone. Since he was sure he had followed the signs and taken the correct turn, he kept waving to the other runners to follow him. Only four believed he was going the right way and followed him; all the others followed the crowd of runners going in the wrong direction and missed the goal of the race. Later when he was asked what the other runners’ reactions were to his taking the correct turn, the young man said, “They thought it was funny that I went the right way.”

And isn’t that just how it is for any boy or girl who decides to follow Jesus? Following Jesus means to leave the broad way that leads to destruction and to turn onto the narrow way that leads to eternal life. And sometimes it means you will run alone. Friends or family may think it is funny that you are going the right way, but the prize will be awarded to the one who continues on that narrow way, while all the others will miss it. Another Bible verse tells us to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:12). Jesus goes on before us, waving us on and beckoning us to follow Him, and because He knows the way well, we are safe when we follow Him. Don’t be like the crowd who thought it was funny when the runner went the right way. They lost both the race and the prize!

ML-03/25/2007

Embedded in the Rock of Gibraltar

Have you heard of the Rock of Gibraltar? It is a solid mass of limestone on the southern coast of Spain, jutting far out into the Mediterranean Sea. This huge rock is 1400 feet high and covers about two square miles. It is joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of land where an airfield has been built.

A family who had traveled a long way in their boat arrived at Gibraltar. They planned to spend the winter months in a sheltered spot, because violent storms can arise suddenly on the Mediterranean Sea. They knew that strong winds of hurricane force had torn boats from their moorings, while others had been wrecked. So the owner of the boat began to search for the safest spot he could find.

The owner dived under and around the boat and found an enormous chain with several strong chains coming from it. This great chain was embedded in the Rock of Gibraltar at one end, and the other end was buried under the airport runway. He soon attached his small boat to these chains, and, in spite of ten major storms that winter, their boat was unharmed, safe and secure.

There is another great Rock that you may have heard of. This Rock is a person, and this little chorus tells who it is:

This Rock is Jesus, yes He’s the one;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds, and grips

the solid Rock.

As we travel through life, you and I will face many severe storms. These are not the storms of wind and waves; these storms are of trouble, hard times, sickness or sadness. Many lives are wrecked or torn apart when the hard times come and there is nothing firm to hold on to. But Jesus promises that if we are anchored to Him, we will be safe -both for this life and for the life which is to come.

The chain that the boat owner used to anchor his boat was there for whoever came and used it. And Jesus is ready to receive any boy or girl, man or woman, who comes to Him for salvation and safety. He has promised, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out” (John 6:37). And He is not only a strong, solid Rock, but He has a personal interest in and love for each person, young or old. Here is His invitation: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Is your life anchored on Jesus, the Rock?

ML-04/01/2007

"Mommy, Where Are You?"

Today was Mommy’s usual grocery shopping day. Four-year-old Chad looked forward to this trip to town every week. The employees at the store where they shopped liked young children and even had little shopping carts for them to push. Chad had only one thing he wanted to buy - a can of soda pop. Oh how he loved soda pop!

Mommy seemed so slow today. He wondered why he couldn’t go by himself and get his can of pop. He knew right where to find it. So off he went, pushing his little shopping cart to the soda pop section.

There were so many different kinds! Though Chad couldn’t read, he could tell from the colors of the cans what flavors they were. He saw cream soda, orange, root beer, cola, and ginger ale. It was a hard choice for a little boy to make. He finally decided to take the orange.

He put the can in his cart and started off to find Mommy. Down the aisle he went with a pleased look on his face. Mommy should be in the next aisle, he thought. But when he got there, there was no Mommy. Chad began to get worried. Quickly he ran with his cart to the next isle, but Mommy wasn’t there either. Now Chad began to cry out in a very loud, frightened voice, “MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?” His big blue eyes filled with tears and a few slipped down his freckled cheeks.

Are you lost in your sins? Will you cry out for help just as Chad did? “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses” (Psalm 107:6). “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Mommy heard Chad’s frightened call and quickly followed his cries until she found him.

Suddenly, Chad’s orange pop wasn’t important any more. All that mattered to him was seeing his Mommy’s face and being held in her loving arms.

There is a loving Father in heaven whose arms are open wide, just waiting for anyone who realizes he is lost in his sins to run to Him for safety. He longs to forgive you and claim you as one of His children. Once Chad realized he was lost, he knew exactly what to do-He called good and loud for his mommy. And his mommy came on the run. Moments later he felt safe and secure in her arms. The Lord Jesus will wrap you in His loving arms the moment you call for Him. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Wouldn’t you like to have that safe and secure feeling of being held in His loving arms with your sins gone forever? You only need to call.

ML-04/01/2007

"Gotcha Day"

The long wait was finally over. “Gotcha Day” had finally arrived. This was the day the family would add a new member by adopting a little girl. The father, mother and three children walked up the five flights of marble stairs in the Civil Affairs Building and entered a large courtroom. The courtroom was empty except for several rows of chairs.

A few minutes later, the orphanage director and two assistants came into the room, bringing a little, five-year-old Chinese girl with them. The little girl’s name was Ning Kai Lei. She had been given the name by an orphanage worker when she was three months old. “Ning” stood for Ning Bo, the city where she was found as a baby. “Kai Lei” in the Chinese language has the meaning of “beautiful friend.” She had been well taken care of at the orphanage, yet the little girl had never had a family of her own. She had never known the comfort of a mother’s love or the security of having a father to love, protect and provide for her. She had never known what it was like to have brothers and a sister who loved her.

The orphanage director had explained to Ning Kai Lei that she was going to have a new family. The director had shown her pictures of the lady who would be her new mother, the man who would be her new father, the two boys who would be her brothers, and the girl who would be her sister. But she had not met them in person until now.

Ning Kai Lei had a pink backpack strapped to her shoulders. She slipped off the backpack and set it down on one of the chairs. Then, with a little prompting from the orphanage director, she walked over to her new mother and held out her hands the way children all over the world do when they want to be picked up. Her new mother gathered the dear little girl up into her arms and held her close. After a few minutes she was passed around to all the other members of her new family, and each one got to hold her. She repeated the names of all of them in English as they gave her loving hugs.

This is how Ning Kai Lei met her new family. It certainly was a “Gotcha Day.” The parents got a new daughter. The two brothers and sister got a new sister. And Ning Kai Lei got a new family of her very own. Soon she would be brought to her new home.

There will be adjustments and difficult days ahead for Ning Kai Lei and her new family. But there will also be blessings, joy and love too, love that only those who have a family that cares for one another will ever know.

I hope each of you boys and girls has a family who loves you, for nothing else can ever take its place. But I would like to tell you of a love that is even more wonderful. It is the deep, marvelous love that God has for you. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The Lord Jesus is God’s love gift to every person in the world. At Calvary, the Lord Jesus gave up His life so that every person who hears the good news of salvation might believe on Him and be saved from his or her sins. The day a sinner places his trust in the Lord Jesus is a “Gotcha Day” like none other. His sins are removed forever, and he is given the gift of eternal life. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). He is adopted into God’s family. “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). When a person accepts Christ as his Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes into his heart and teaches him to know God as his Father in a wonderful way. “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). He also has the promise of a new home in heaven. “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:23). These are wonderful gifts that a person could never have until they become one of God’s children.

Just as Ning Kai Lei is now a member of her new, loving family, won’t you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become a member of God’s loving family? “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that [repents]” (Luke 15:10).

ML-04/08/2007

What Freckles Doesn't Know

Lightning can be very frightening for some people and also for some animals. Our dog Freckles is one of those animals that is frightened at the first flash of lightning or crack of thunder. We have seen him try to hide under a small stool that is less than half his size, or if the bathroom door is open, we sometimes find him hiding in the bathtub. When this happens, he is also shaking all over.

What Freckles doesn’t know is that he is already safe when he is inside the house during the storm. How foolish it is for him to hide under such a small stool or in the bathtub. The stool does not hide him or protect him, and the pipes to the bathtub might even act as a lightning rod to attract lightning.

Do you think you can hide from God? There is nothing big enough or safe enough to hide you or your sins from God. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). But God has promised that all who will accept His Son, the Lord Jesus, as their Saviour will be safe in His house when He carries out His fierce punishment of sin. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9).

Won’t you come to the Lord Jesus now? He loves you and offers you forgiveness of your sins and a place of safety. “I flee unto Thee to hide me” (Psalm 143:9). “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

ML-04/08/2007

An Inch from Death

Some of the mountains in the beautiful Allegheny range are so steep that they seem almost to crowd against each other. It would have been an endless job to tunnel through them, so when the engineers built the highways, instead of using tunnels, they built bridges that cross from one peak to the next, spanning the lush green valleys and sparkling blue rivers below. On a clear day, the view is spectacular! It was just such a day when Allan, his wife Martha and his cousin Ron were driving from Eagle Rock, Virginia, to visit their family in Anjean, West Virginia.

They had such a pleasant visit that it seemed no time until their vacation was over, and they had to go home and back to work. But the day they left for home was not pleasant. Rain was pouring down out of a dark sky with heavy clouds and making little rivers on the highway. They wound their way up the mountain to the series of high, long bridges they would have to cross before they arrived back at Eagle Rock.

Crossing one bridge, they noticed the valley below was so deep they couldn’t see the tops of the trees. It was scary driving on the slippery bridge.

Suddenly, Allan lost control of the car. Each of their hearts cried out to the Lord for safe keeping as they skidded toward the guardrail, with horrible thoughts of plunging over the edge and hurtling 1900 feet to certain death below. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15). Martha said later that it seemed as though the Lord reached down and put His hand right on their car, stopping it within one inch of the guardrail!

King David told of an even greater deliverance when he said, “Great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee” (Psalm 86:13,5). Often one or another of us needs to be saved from danger, but every one of us needs to be saved from our sins, or we’ll be plunged into a pit far deeper than that Allegheny valley. That pit is called hell. Don’t let that happen to YOU! Call upon the Lord Jesus for salvation. He loves you and died for you, and He promises, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out” (John 6:37).

ML-04/15/2007

Some "Yes" Prayers

Boys and girls, I would like to tell you about times when we were traveling and the Lord Jesus answered our prayers with a “Yes.” Some of these were times of danger, and it was important that the Lord help us. Other times were not very important, and we could have gotten along just as well if the Lord had said, “No.” But the Lord likes us to trust Him and tell Him what we need or would like, just as you ask your parents for things.

In Luke 11:9-10, the Bible tells us what the Lord told His disciples when He was living here on earth: “I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth.”

When our daughter Grace was seven years old, she really liked panda bears. She had a panda bear dress, stuffed panda bears and a book about them. We had traveled to Calgary, Alberta, and the family we were visiting asked, “Would you like to go to the zoo? China has loaned the zoo two panda bears for the summer.”

We were delighted to go to the zoo, but when we got there, we learned that we would have to wait in line for forty-five minutes before it would be our turn to see the pandas. Grace’s daddy said quietly, “Do we want to wait that long?”

Just then Grace said, “I’ve been praying and praying that I might get to see some real live panda bears.”

Then her daddy quietly said, “Yes, we will wait that long.”

The Lord Jesus wants us to call on Him when we are in trouble too. He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15)

The car we used to have was a good car, but it had one fault -about every six months the windshield wipers would break. This was a serious matter, because where we live it rains a lot.

The problem with the wipers was a thin piece of metal. This metal piece was so thin that it couldn’t stand up to all the use it got. After it had broken twice, I ordered five of the pieces so that we would always have one when it was needed. I kept them in the glove compartment.

One day I had to drive over the mountains on a freeway for an appointment. It was raining hard, and just as I got to the top of the mountain pass, the windshield wipers stopped working. I couldn’t see anything! I slowed down, but I was afraid to slow down too much because the freeway traffic was going fast and my slowness could cause an accident. I also didn’t want to stop because I needed to get to the appointment on time. I drove along as best I could for a while, trying to see out the rainy windshield. Then I remembered another time when the Lord had helped us in a bad storm. I’ll tell you what happened that time.

Our family had been traveling in Iowa where it can rain so hard that you have to pull over and stop the car even though the wipers are working well. The rain was pouring down so heavily we could barely see. I said, “If it doesn’t let up a little, we should stop . . . this is dangerous!”

Suddenly, the rain stopped completely. A little voice in the backseat said, “I didn’t know He would answer so soon!” Our little girl had asked the Lord Jesus to stop the rain, and He stopped it right away.

Remembering that incident as I drove over the mountains with the broken windshield wipers, I said to myself, “If the Lord helped us that time, He certainly can do it again.” I prayed, asking that He would stop the rain so I could drive on in safety, and He answered my prayer too - the rain stopped. I drove into the next town where a mechanic removed the broken piece and installed the new one.

Often when we have a problem, we try everything we can and then remember to pray about it. It would be more honoring to the Lord Jesus if we would tell Him about it first. He loves us so much, and He delights to help us.

These stories have told about times when the Lord Jesus gave us what we asked for. But sometimes He doesn’t give us what we ask for, because He has a better plan for us. We should always trust His love and thank Him for His answer, whether it is “Yes,” “No” or perhaps “Later.”

ML-04/22/2007

A Wandering Sheep

Have you ever seen just one stray sheep? Usually all the other sheep follow the leader, no matter where it is heading. I once saw something unusual at the sheep farm near our house.

Two shepherds were following a single sheep and herding it as it ran alongside the fence. They were trying to return it to the corral with the others. The sheep was looking this way and that, watching for a hole in the fence as a way to escape. It was a most unhappy looking animal, with fear and distrust in its face. No doubt it wanted to get through the fence and away from its rescuers. However, on the other side of that fence was a busy highway where it would certainly have been killed.

I don’t know how it had become separated from the other sheep. But the shepherds had found it and were not going to let it go until it was safe in the corral with the other sheep.

Are you like that wandering sheep? Are you heading in every direction to try to get away from the Good Shepherd who gave His life for you? Isaiah 53:6 tells us, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” The Good Shepherd wants to save you, but like that one sheep I saw, you may want to go where only danger is waiting. I could see that those shepherds cared for that one lost sheep, and the Bible tells us how much the Good Shepherd cares for you and me. “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).

Remember, Jesus the Son of God loves you so much that He died for you. He is the greatest Shepherd of all. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd [gives] His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

ML-04/22/2007

A Surprise in Our Grill

We didn’t know it, but something had been living inside our outdoor grill for quite a while. We had stored the grill behind our garage for the winter months. A heavy, black, cloth-lined cover was placed over it to protect it from the snowy, winter weather.

In the early spring, it was time to wheel the grill closer to the house where we would use it during the summer months. It was a bumpy ride over the grass, but we finally reached the spot where it would stay for the summer.

We carefully took off the black cover, and then we lifted the grill’s metal cover. There was a surprise waiting for us under that cover! What do you suppose we found?

A tiny, little field mouse was running from one end of the grill to the other end, and it had such frightened eyes! In one corner of the grill, down at the bottom, was a fluffy little white nest. It was just the size of the mouse. We discovered later that the white fluff the nest was made out of came from the cloth lining of the top cover.

To our surprise, the little mouse did not escape from the grill, even though there were several spaces for him to crawl through to get out. He just didn’t want to leave - he had a safe place to live and a soft, little nest. We decided to let him stay in the grill and closed the cover again. When we peeked in on him later that evening, he was curled up in his soft, little nest.

It seemed that little mouse had fixed up a perfect place to live. The snow couldn’t reach him. He had a warm nest to sleep in. He could easily get in and out when he wanted to go find food. And it was a safe place that protected him from hawks and other enemies. But you and I know that what we think is perfect in this life doesn’t stay that way. This world is full of sin and unhappiness, and it always will be, because man brought sin into the perfect world that God had created for us. And the results of our sin affect even the animals, birds, fish and plant life . . . including the little field mouse.

That night it rained. When we checked on the little mouse the next morning, the nest looked wet and the mouse was gone! Somehow, the rain had gotten the inside of the grill wet, and now his safe, warm spot had become an unhappy and miserable place to live. We did not see that little mouse again.

Most of us know something about unhappiness, and sometimes it is a result of our sins. But we have a loving God who loves us in spite of our sins and offers us a home in heaven where there will be no sin and its unhappy results . . . ever! That presents a problem - you and I could never be accepted into His home in heaven with all our sins, and there’s no way we can get rid of them by ourselves. The Bible plainly tells us our good deeds won’t work: “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).

Now, did you see that the verse mentions a “gift”? God is offering you and me an amazing gift, and another Bible verse tells us what that gift is: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That’s the answer for our sins! There’s nothing that you and I can do - it’s all been done by Jesus!

Jesus shed His blood on Calvary’s cross, and His blood can wash away every single sin that we have committed. All we need to do is tell Him we are truly sorry for our sins and that we believe He took the punishment for them on the cross. Then that promise of eternal life in heaven is ours! The sin problem is solved! What a wonderful gift! But have you accepted it for yourself?

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

ML-04/29/2007

"Whosoevers" and "Whosoever Believes"

We had collected a lot of children from the city streets in the gospel buses that day. Now several hundred poor, needy boys and girls sat listening to the story of how Jesus came into the world to die for our sins and to rise again from the dead. They needed to hear that this is how God has opened the way for us to go to heaven.

At the end of his talk to the children, the speaker held up a shiny silver dollar and said, “Whosoever believes, let him come and take it.” Then he put the silver dollar under a book on the table.

He waited. The children looked at each other. They were all “whosoevers,” but the only “whosoever believes” was one shy little boy. He came up to the speaker’s table, hesitated and then took the silver dollar from under the book and said, “Thank you, sir.”

“What’s your name?” asked the speaker.

“Chuckie.”

“I did not say that Chuckie could have the money.”

“No, sir,” answered the half-frightened little boy. “You said ‘whosoever’ . . . and that means me!”

We are all whosoevers, but are you a whosoever that believes? “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). “Through His [Jesus’] name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

Will you be a whosoever that believes?

ML-04/29/2007

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. Yes, his watch was gone, and his wallet and several other small, valuable items also 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-05/06/2007

Caught by the Enemy

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Do you know what the word vigilant means? If not, you will learn when you read this story, and you will better understand just why God put it in His Word, the Bible.

A beautiful black and white cat lives next door to us. It has a pretty face, but its presence spells death to birds, mice and any other small, living creatures. A little chipmunk, that is almost tame, also lives nearby. It scurries in and out of its underground nest, gathering seeds and nuts and will sometimes eagerly eat from my hand.

As I came out of the house recently, I saw the cat playing with a small animal on the road. The cat would toss it up, let it run a bit, and then pounce on it again.

As I went closer to see what the little animal was, my neighbor also came running, calling his cat and shouting to it to “let that little chipmunk go!”

Every day that little chipmunk must be on guard for his life. He must always be vigilant, because his enemy is continually lurking nearby. We can feel sorry for him, but the Bible tells us that you and I who have taken the Lord Jesus as our Saviour are also in danger from a strong, lurking enemy. Our enemy is the devil, who has power to tempt us to do what is wrong, to lure us into evil, or to deceive or fool us. He comes as an angel of light, so we are warned to “be vigilant,” which means we should be watchful and always on guard.

My neighbor was able to get close and grab the cat, while the little chipmunk fled like an arrow up a spruce tree on our lawn. The cat wriggled and very quickly escaped the clutches of its owner. Then, to my surprise, the cat dashed just as fast up the tree after the chipmunk. But I knew the big cat could not easily follow the little chipmunk through the maze of small branches and twigs on that tree.

When I looked into the tree, I saw the cat sitting on a branch, defeated, while the chipmunk had his choice of escape routes. He had escaped out of the very jaws of death!

Like the little chipmunk, we can be caught completely off guard, unless we pay attention to God’s warning and take it seriously. You and I need to run from the many temptations the devil tries to put in our way. Here is another helpful Bible verse that is good to remember: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). It is only when we take shelter in Christ that Satan cannot come near us and must back off, defeated. But it is up to you and me to call on Jesus and trust Him to save us.

We hope our little chipmunk will be a lot more watchful from now on, because he lives so close to his deadly enemy the cat. And we also hope that every boy and girl will listen to God’s warning and be just as watchful of their enemy, the devil, who is always waiting to trap them. He comes in many disguises.

Just as there was safety for the chipmunk in that nearby tree, boys and girls can find safety in the Lord Jesus Christ when they call on Him. And now that you know what the word means, I will remind you again, “Be vigilant!”

ML-05/13/2007

A Beautiful Playground

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 [cuts] out rivers among the rocks; and His eye [sees] 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-05/13/2007

Pilito's Accident

“Christ is my Saviour,” Pilito, a thirteen-year-old Mexican boy told me. In the few minutes we had together, he went on to speak openly of his love for the Lord Jesus.

I had known of Pilito for a long time and knew he did not always love the Lord. In fact, until recently he cared nothing at all for Him. What Pilito really loved was getting his own way. But hard times had made him realize how much he needed the Saviour.

Pilito’s mother and I were friends growing up in Tampico, Mexico. After I got married, I moved far away, but we kept in touch by telephone. After she married, she wanted a child more than anything she had ever wanted before. She prayed for a child of her own and also asked all her friends to pray. I was one of those friends. Four years later the prayers were answered, and Pilito was born.

I suppose, since Pilito was an only child, it was very easy for his parents to spoil him. His parents seemed to give in to his every wish. You might wonder that a child born into a “slum” - an often violent, rundown, dirty part of a city - could ever be spoiled. It is not where a child lives, but the pride that lives in the hearts of each of us that so easily makes us selfish and spoiled. The human heart is the same whether a person lives in a slum or a palace. Pilito was given his way so many times that he thought he should always get it. He became a difficult child. He didn’t ask for things - he demanded them! And when he didn’t get his way, he would throw a tantrum. His home became a battleground.

When Pilito was nine years old, his father enrolled him in a karate class. Pilito was small for his age, just like his father had been. His father wanted him to be able to fight and defend himself. He didn’t want the neighborhood bullies picking on his son.

One day Pilito was walking down the street on the way to karate class. A truck careened around the corner, and the driver never saw Pilito. “PILITO, LOOKOUT!” someone yelled, but the warning came too late. Before Pilito could get out of the way, the truck hit him. The impact shattered his leg and sent him flying through the air. When he hit the pavement, his head hit the concrete, knocking him unconscious and giving him a dangerous concussion. Men picked him up and carried him to the hospital. The doctor in charge did not think Pilito would live.

Once again Pilito’s mother contacted all her friends and asked them to pray for her son. I remember when she called me and told me with tears choking her voice, “Please pray for my son, that he will live and that the doctor can save his shattered leg.”

I was so upset by the call that for days I prayed for the boy. I prayed not only that he would recover, but far more important, I prayed that his soul might be saved.

At first it was so uncertain - it looked as if Pilito might die at any time. But after many days he improved. Weeks later the doctors sent him home. He would always walk with a limp, but at last he was home again. This was the first of two hardships the Lord used to open young Pilito’s heart to His message of salvation. The second took place a few months later.

Pilito’s mother had always worked outside the home. One day when she was busy at work, she suddenly blacked out and crumpled to the floor. When she came to, she could no longer move her arms or legs, and her speech was so slow and slurred that no one could understand her. Pilito’s mother had suffered a major stroke!

The doctors could only help a little and sent her home from the hospital. At home she lay in bed, barely able to move or speak. Pilito’s father had to work, so the boy was often left alone to care for his mother in their tiny apartment. Pilito had never even taken care of himself before; now he had to take care of himself and his very sick mother. It broke his heart to see her lying in bed helpless. Seeing his mother suffering hurt him and made him realize how much he loved her. In his distress and in what seemed like the darkest moments of his life, he turned to the Saviour of sinners and told the Lord Jesus how much he needed Him. Perhaps there was no other way for the Saviour to find His way into Pilito’s heart, other than the boy passing through these two tragedies.

God had answered many prayers on Pilito’s behalf - about the boy’s birth, his recovery from the accident, and now, at last, about Pilito’s salvation. He was born again!

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), the Saviour said. A person must have the new birth to become part of God’s family. Being “born again,” the Spirit of God gave a new life to Pilito, a life that let him know God and love Him. Many times in Pilito’s young life he had heard God’s Word. It had meant little or nothing to him, but now God’s Word had become important to him. It told him of the Saviour who loved him so much that He gave His life on Calvary’s cross so he could be saved. It also told him that God would always care for him and help him through all his problems.

In the past the old Pilito had made demands on his parents and threw tantrums that made his parents miserable when he didn’t get his way. Now the old Pilito was gone. “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 new Pilito knew he could make requests to God his Father, but he would never think of making demands. Making demands like a spoiled child is not right for someone who loves and trusts God as their Father.

Pilito learned to help around the house and to help his Mom as she slowly recovered from her stroke. Putting the needs of others before his own, he learned one of the things that brings joy in the Christian life:

J stands for putting Jesus first.

O stands for putting Others next.

Y stands for putting Yourself last.

Boys and girls, don’t wait for a tragedy to happen in your life before you turn to the Saviour. Won’t you come to the Lord Jesus so that you might have the new life that only He can give?

ML-05/20/2007

Curiosity Caught the Cat

Phil and Emily’s family had been renting a house where they couldn’t have pets, but now they had moved into their own home. Both of the children liked cats. Previously, when they had them as pets, they usually had two at a time, because it was such fun to watch them play together.

One day two children rang the doorbell. They had a box with two shorthaired kittens inside. The kittens were five weeks old.

“We are giving away these kittens. Our cat had four, and these are the last two,” said the girl.

“Can we have them, Daddy?” asked Emily.

Their daddy was not as fond of cats as the children were, but he said, “Yes, you may have them.”

Phil’s kitten was black with a white front, and he named him Sylvester. Emily’s kitten was light gray with white feet, so she named him Boots.

Phil and Emily took good care of their kittens. The family lived in California where it is warm year-round, so the kittens stayed outside. Sylvester and Boots played together in the yard and slept in the sunshine when they were tired.

Phil was interested in insects, and one day he caught a huge grasshopper. He was probably planning to take it to school to show it to the other students. He wanted something to keep it in, so his mother gave him a short, round, empty jar. However, the lid was missing, so Phil set a piece of cardboard over the top after he put the grasshopper inside. He left it on the patio in the shade.

The next morning Emily heard an odd scraping noise outside. She looked out the door and saw Boots with his head caught in the grasshopper jar. He was backing up trying to pull free, but he couldn’t do it by himself. The sounds Emily had heard were the jar scraping along on the cement patio.

Do boys and girls ever get into trouble like Boots did? Older people certainly do. We often want to do things that aren’t good for us. And in trying to do them, we sometimes get ourselves into trouble that we can’t get out of. However, the Lord Jesus who loves each one of us can help us with any problem. A Bible verse in Psalm 46:1 tells us where to turn: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” You and I have someone who loves us to turn to for help, just as Boots had an owner who loved him and could help him.

When Emily saw Boots with his head caught, she hurried to catch him and was able to take the jar off his head easily.

The family guessed that Boots was fascinated by the grasshopper and maybe wanted to play with it or eat it. But while trying to catch the insect inside the jar, he got his head stuck instead. The family never knew whether Boots ate the grasshopper or whether it hopped away, but the grasshopper was gone. They did have a big laugh over the silly kitten’s difficulty.

Remember, children, first of all, talk to the Lord Jesus and tell Him you need to be saved from your sins, and then ask Him to guide you. He loves you and wants the best for you. He can make you happy. And if you get into trouble, turn to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to help you. He is always there listening for your call.

Boots grew up to be a big cat with a very big head, but he learned his lesson and never again put his head into anything he couldn’t get out of. You and I don’t always learn a lesson that easily, but we always have the Lord Jesus to call to for help.

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me” (Psalm 86:7).

ML-05/27/2007

A Car Without a Driver

Mrs. Williams was crossing the road on a steep hill when she saw a car racing down the hill toward her. She quickly ran toward the other side of the road, but to her alarm the car swerved violently toward that side of the road.

“What is that driver doing?” she screamed.

With a desperate leap she made it to the sidewalk an instant before the car shot by. It only missed her by a few feet. Then to her horror she saw there was no driver at the steering wheel! Faster and faster the car flew down the hill, zigzagging first to one side and then to the other, until it finally reached the bottom and crashed into a wall.

A life without the Lord Jesus Christ “at the wheel” is like a car without a driver - a danger to itself and to everyone else. Have you given the steering wheel of your life to the Lord Jesus? Have you accepted Him as your very own Saviour, and are you letting Him lead you?

“I am the light of the world: he that [follows] Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

ML-05/27/2007

Fluffy the Hamster

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

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

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

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

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

ML-06/03/2007

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: Josh and the Flip-Flopping Fish

Dear Children,

Hello again from Gramma and Grampa. We are happy to write to you again and tell you that we spent a little time up north at our favorite campground. It is named Finlayson Point Park. A North American Indian named Grey Owl was the first person to camp there many years ago.

While we were sitting by the dock one sunny morning, we were watching a young boy catching fish. He was very good at catching fish. He is eight years old, and his name is Joshua. One fish he caught was too small to keep. When he pulled it in, the fish fell off the hook! The fish started flip-flopping all over the dock, trying to get back into the water. This little fish needed help and Josh was trying real hard to help it, but the fish didn’t understand what Josh was trying to do.

Why did that fish bite the hook in the first place? Because there was a fat, juicy worm hiding that hook, but the fish didn’t know it. As soon as the fish bit the worm, he was caught!

Children, Gramma and I would like to warn you about the one who is our deadly enemy. The Holy Bible calls him Satan, and he is the father of lies! Look in your Bible at John 8:44 to see what the Lord Jesus Christ says about him. Satan has many hooks out there, trying to make us do what is wrong. He will whisper in your ear, “Go ahead . . . do it” or “Go ahead . . . try it” or “Come on, nobody will ever see you.” And then there is the terrible temptation to try drugs. And when we listen to Satan and do what he tells us, it is sin.

Satan will not tell you that the Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). No, he will not tell you this, because he hates the Word of God! If you are not sure what to do, ask your parents or your Sunday school teacher, and stay away from strangers! Remember, Satan teaches you how to sin, and sin will keep you out of heaven! The Bible says in Ezekiel 18:4, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” But the Bible also has good news. It says in 1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” And John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Grampa, what about Josh and the flip-flopping fish?”

Well, finally Josh was able to pick up that fish and gently put it back into the water, and in a flash . . . that fish was gone! It was so happy to be free! And all three of us, Josh, Gramma and I, were very happy to see that little fish swim free too!

So, children, beware of Satan’s hidden hooks that will cause you to sin. Every morning when you get up, ask the Lord Jesus to help you do what is right and what will please Him.

Lots of love,

Gramma and Grampa

ML-06/10/2007

Fluffy Gets Lost

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

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

The next afternoon Amy came running into the house sobbing and upset. There was also another unusual kind of cry. Then I saw Amy holding Fluffy in her hands. He was making an unusual sniffling, crying sound. He was cold and wet and in rather sad shape. He must have been outside all night in the wet snow. We could only assume he crept out unnoticed as we had come in the door that evening.

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

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

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

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

This story of Fluffy has a happy ending. But will you have a happy ending? There is joy and safety in the arms of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, if you will come to Him and let Him wash away your sins. He promises you everlasting life with Himself in heaven.

ML-06/10/2007

Easy Prey for a Polar Bear

Hudson Bay in northern Canada is home to many polar bears. In winter they like to hunt seals on the ice that freezes in the bay. Polar bears are fierce predators. Standing upright on their hind feet, they can measure more than seven feet tall and may weigh up to 1500 pounds. They are expert swimmers and are well protected in the icy water by a double coat of fur and a thick layer of blubber. Their white fur blends in perfectly with snow and ice, making them stealthy hunters. They are also one kind of bear that will attack man, so if you are in polar bear country, you must be very careful.

Bill Wolki is an Eskimo who makes his living by working as a guide to tourists who want to see these bears in their natural surroundings. One day Bill and his wife were out with an American tourist. They were bundled up in thick, winter clothing to stay warm in the subzero temperatures. Mr. Wolki carried a rifle for protection.

They were walking the shoreline when Mr. Wolki saw the body of a dead seal on an ice floe about thirty yards from shore. He got into a small aluminum boat, handed his rifle to his wife, and pushed off from shore in the boat. He crossed the gap of open water to the ice floe, carefully got out of the boat and went to get the seal. He planned to use the seal as bait to attract a polar bear.

Mr. Wolki had stretched a rope from shore to the ice floe in order to pull himself back to shore. While he was on the ice floe, a sudden squall blew up. A strong gust of wind hit the ice floe, snapping the rope as if it were a piece of string. Pushed by the wind, the ice floe rapidly drifted out to the open sea.

Mr. Wolki had no paddle in the boat. His wife stood on the shore and helplessly watched as the ice floe drifted away. She understood her husband’s danger. He was drifting on an open sea in freezing temperatures and with night coming on. Without a weapon, he would be easy prey for a polar bear. Mrs. Wolki didn’t know if she would ever see her husband again.

Drifting out to sea, Mr. Wolki was in real danger of losing his life. Floating away from shore into the dark of night is just like the life of a sinner. However, every sinner is in even more serious danger. Sin has opened up a wide gap between a righteous, sin-hating yet loving God and the sinner.

As sinners, you and I cannot cross over this gap in our own strength. And we cannot make ourselves holy by our own labors. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean [thing]?” (Job 14:4). Nor can any kind of good works make a bridge over that fearful gap. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20). Sin has the terrible power to separate us from God. Souls who continue to live apart from God until they die will be separated from Him forever and sent into the darkness of a lost eternity. If help couldn’t be found for Mr. Wolki, he would lose his life. And the very same is true for every sinner.

Standing on shore, Mrs. Wolki had a satellite phone in her pocket. She immediately called for help, but the area where they were located was so remote that it would take hours before help could arrive. A C130 search plane quickly took off from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but it would take six hours to arrive. Two Twin Otter helicopters also took off from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. It would be hours before they would arrive too. Would they find Mr. Wolki still alive?

The aircraft arrived at the scene in the blackness of night. The lighted headlamp of a snowmobile pointed in the direction Mr. Wolki had drifted out to sea. The aircraft flew over many chunks of ice. Finally, they spotted one with the small boat drawn up onto it. Mr. Wolki had turned it over and was using it for a shelter against the wind. The C130 airplane flew over the ice floe, and a crew member dropped a two-way radio out the window. Mr. Wolki now had a way to communicate with the men in the airplane. He told them he was not hurt, but that he was cold and worried about polar bears.

After some discussion, it was decided that two rescue workers would parachute out of the helicopters. The two men were expert parachutists, but they still needed lots of courage. If they missed their target, they would almost certainly drown in the freezing water.

The two men jumped, and by pulling the chords to direct their chutes, they were able to land safely on the ice floe. They had brought a tent, rifles, food and water with them. The aircraft flying overhead were running low on fuel and had to return to their bases. The rescuers stayed with Mr. Wolki on the ice floe until late the next day when another helicopter arrived with a cable and a basket attached to it. This helicopter was able to lift the three men to safety.

Mr. Wolki almost lost his life and was only saved by help that came from above. For a sinner to be saved, he or she must receive help from above too.

To save sinners, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, who left His home in heaven where all was light and love. He came down to this earth where sin, darkness and death ruled. Because He went to the cross and died for sinners, the most beautiful message of love ever heard can go out to the entire world. This message tells sinners of a Saviour who loves them and offers free salvation: “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). This is the saving help that God offers to you and me. Will you receive it and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?

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

ML-06/17/2007

"Keep Looking Up!"

My grandparents had me stay at their house for a week. At the end of the week they gave me a special treat. They took me on a ferryboat ride, then we ate lunch at an A&W, and afterwards we came back on the ferryboat.

When we bought our tickets for the ferryboat that morning, we put the tickets in the little slot and went through the gate to wait in line. Another family of children, eager to get on the ferryboat, were right by the doors, waiting for the red light above the doors to turn green. The older children kept telling the younger children to “keep looking up, keep looking up.” They wanted them to keep watching that red light, because as soon as it turned green, we could get on the ferryboat.

Are you ready to go up to heaven when the Lord Jesus comes? Are you “looking up” for His coming? You’re never too young to be saved from your sins so you can be one of those who keep looking up. Do you know the verse, “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)?

Do you know what that means? If you accept Jesus as your Saviour and have your sins washed away, you will also be among those who are waiting and keep looking up, expecting Him to come any minute. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh” (Matthew 25:13).

ML-06/24/2007

Chased by Dogs

Katie was having so much fun! She, her sister Joy and her parents had moved out to the country only a month before, and she loved it there. She enjoyed watching the baby calves that lived on the farm right next to their house. She and Joy had even been able to watch while one calf was being born.

However, there were dogs that lived nearby too. And they scared Katie! Maybe they didn’t mean any harm, but they liked to chase people, barking wildly as they raced after them. The dogs had gotten into the pasture and chased the calves too, causing one of them to fall and break a leg. Katie and Joy had been so sad when they learned that, because of the broken leg, the calf could not live.

One day Katie was riding her bike out on the country road. She wasn’t thinking about dogs or injured baby calves. She felt safe, because very few cars traveled on the road, and also her mother was watching her. What fun it was to ride on the road.

Suddenly, her bike ride was no longer happy. Those dogs came racing across the grass and were headed straight for her! They were barking loudly and sounded mean! Her mother was a long way off, too far away to help Katie as she faced being attacked by those dogs.

But Katie and her mother have a Friend who loves them and is always with those who belong to Him. His name is Jesus. Both Katie and her mother, who saw what was happening, quickly prayed to Him about the approaching dog problem. Katie is a little afraid of animals anyway, and she knew she was in real trouble. As she prayed to her Friend, the Lord Jesus, she asked Him to protect her from the dogs, and she also prayed that they wouldn’t hurt any more baby calves either!

In answer to her prayer, the Lord Jesus gave her wisdom to stop where she was - not to keep on riding her bike. The dogs liked to chase moving things. So they stopped when she stopped and stood there, waiting for her to move again. She began to pedal away slowly, but then they ran at her, barking fiercely! But the Lord Jesus helped her not to panic, and she stopped again. After a few minutes the dogs’ owner came out and called off the dogs. What a relief !

Katie pedaled quickly to the safety of home. She told her mother how she had prayed about the dogs and how Jesus had answered that prayer and protected her. Just then Joy came running in to announce, “The dogs are chasing the cows again!”

Dogs have only one nature, a dog nature, which is sometimes mean because of sin being in this world. They do what their natures tell them to do, unless they are well trained by a wise master. The Lord Jesus didn’t “cure” those dogs that day of their natural desire to chase cows. But if you have taken the Lord Jesus as your own Saviour, you have two natures - an old one that only knows how to sin, and a new one that is just like our wonderful Lord Jesus.

Dogs are kept alive by the food they eat. And our natures, new or old, are made weak or strong by what we fill our minds with. If you want to be more like the Lord Jesus, you need to fill your heart and mind with His Word, the Bible. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word” (Psalm 119:9).

If you have a certain problem with your old nature that likes to sin, do what Katie did -ask the Lord Jesus for help. Then read His letter to you, the Bible, and memorize verses that have to do with your special problem. Ask Him to help you obey His Word. The One who gave Katie wisdom to deal with those dogs can give you wisdom and strength to live for Him too.

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8).

ML-06/24/2007

"Twice Mine"

Have you ever made a little paper boat and put it in a stream? You watched it swirl in the water and float along, until it got stuck at the side or caught on stones. Or maybe it floated out of sight.

The story is told of a boy who carved a little boat out of wood. He set it afloat in a stream and ran along on the bank beside it, never intending to lose it. But the water flowed fast and carried it away until he couldn’t see it anymore. He was very sad about losing his little boat as he had spent a good deal of time carving it, and it meant a lot to him.

Some time passed. One day in the nearby town, he saw a boat in a store window that looked a lot like the one he had carved. He went inside. When he looked closely at the boat, he found that it was his own boat, but now there was a price tag on it! He would need all the money he had and more to buy it. He really wanted his little boat back, so he asked the storekeeper to put the boat under the counter and keep it until he had enough money to buy it.

How like little lost boats we are! First, God made us. But Satan came with his dishonest and misleading ways and caused us all to be separated from God by sin. We were all lost, swirling in the fast-moving flow of this world of sin. But God, who loves us dearly, saw us in our lost, sinful condition and gave the Lord Jesus, His beloved Son, to die for us and buy us back for Himself. “The Son of Man [Jesus] is come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11).

And that is exactly what the boy intended to do. He wanted to buy back his little boat. As soon as he had the right amount of money, he went very quickly to the store and paid for the boat. On the way home as he held it tightly, he said, “Now you are twice mine. First I made you, then I lost you, then I bought you back, and I won’t let you go again!”

The little, lost boat was safer with the boy the second time, and all who accept and trust the Lord Jesus for salvation are safe and secure in the arms of Jesus forever. “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28). He promises them a home in heaven when their life on earth is over.

The Lord Jesus can say to all who have accepted Him as Saviour and Lord, Now you are twice Mine! First, I made you . . . then you were lost . . . then I bought you back with My blood . . . now you are Mine for eternity. “Ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 7:23).

That is why Jesus is called “The Redeemer.” To redeem something is to buy it back. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

ML-07/08/2007

Eating Crayons

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 to the Lord Jesus that she was a sinner and believed that He washed her sins away. She said that she 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-07/08/2007

Saved by a Gorilla

The Brookfield Zoo in Chicago has a gorilla named Binti Jua. In the Swahili language, Binti Jua means “Daughter of Sunshine.” One day this gorilla lived up to her name when she saved a young boy’s life and brought sunshine to a mother’s heart.

The gorillas are housed in a big building at the zoo. Visitors can walk around the balcony overlooking a large living area where, looking down, they can see a group of gorillas from Africa. This living area has rock formations, trees, vines and running water. Visitors can see these interesting animals living and acting just like they might in the wild. They can see the large, male gorillas, weighing nearly five hundred pounds. The older males don’t move around as much as the other gorillas. Zoo visitors might also see the females caring for their young. The females are usually about half the size of the males. Probably the most fun is watching the young gorillas play. They climb trees, swing on vines and chase each other.

Two visitors, a mother and her three-year-old son, paid a visit to the gorilla house. The boy was so excited to see the gorillas and their activities that he could barely stand still. “Look Mom,” he said, pointing to a young gorilla that was climbing a tree. The mother took her eyes off her son just for a moment to watch the gorilla. In that moment, the boy climbed up the bamboo-like railing, leaned over the edge, lost his balance and fell headlong into the gorilla living area about twenty feet below! When he landed, he bumped his head on the hard floor, which knocked him out.

The startled mother saw her son crumpled on the floor below. Upset that she couldn’t reach her son when he was hurt and terrified of what the gorillas might do to him, she screamed for help. All the visitors in that part of the zoo stopped what they were doing and came running to see what had gone wrong. Some of them began recording on video cameras what was taking place.

Gorillas have much more strength than a person has. If a zookeeper went into the area to rescue the boy, it might make the gorillas angry enough to hurt someone. Since the zookeepers didn’t want to upset the gorillas, they were trying to figure out how to rescue the boy. Suddenly, Binti Jua helped them out. She was a mother gorilla and had a baby of her own. Her baby, named Koola, had its arms wrapped around her neck and was riding on her back. Binti Jua, with her baby, walked over to the boy. It was a tense moment for everyone watching. Would Binti Jua hurt the boy? Nobody knew.

Each one of us has fallen deeply into sin, and only the Lord Jesus can save us from our ruined condition. He is able and willing to save you the moment you put your trust in Him. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Because of His death on the cross, sinners who believe on Him receive the gift of eternal life. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). The moment a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her very own Saviour, the blood He shed on Calvary washes the sinner completely clean. How wonderful it is for any person to come to know God’s love through Jesus Christ. He knew our fallen condition and, because He loves us so much, He came to save us.

Although it is unlikely that Binti Jua loved the little boy, she seemed to understand that he was hurt and needed help. With Koola still clinging to her neck, Binti Jua picked the boy up and cradled him in her arms. Another female gorilla came close, but Binti Jua signaled this other gorilla to keep her distance by growling softly. She stroked the boy’s back gently with the wrinkled, dark fingers of her hand. When the boy didn’t respond, she carried him slowly across the gorilla area to a steel door the veterinarian sometimes used. She carefully laid him down on the ground close to the door, and then walked several steps away.

A zookeeper, seeing the opportunity he had been anxiously waiting for, opened the door, hurried out, and brought the boy to safety. They rushed the injured boy by ambulance to a nearby hospital. He spent three days recovering from the bump on his head before he was well enough to return home.

Only the Lord Jesus can save us from our fallen, sinful condition. He is willing to save you the moment you put your trust in Him. Will you believe on Him, the One who loves you, died for you, and rose again so that you might be saved?

Videotapes of Binti Jua saving the boy were played on news stations all over the United States. Zookeepers rewarded Binti Jua with thirty-five pounds of delicious bananas. Overnight she became a celebrity. Many people made the trip to the zoo just to see this special gorilla.

This is the story of how Binti Jua brought sunshine into a mother’s heart and lived up to her name. Have you believed on the Saviour so that the sunshine of God’s love might shine into your heart? His name “Jesus” means “Jehovah is the Saviour,” and if you believe on Him, He will always live up to His name!

ML-07/15/2007

Smuggled in a Dog Cage

Matthew is a college student, living in the United States. However, his life story is different from most college students in this country. You might wonder where he came from.

Matthew doesn’t know who his real mother and father are. In the land where he was born, children who don’t have fathers to care for them are treated very cruelly. So when Matthew was just a very little boy, his mother left him on the street. With no father to work and earn money to support them, his mother knew she couldn’t take care of him.

Little Matthew was probably crying as she left him on the street, and in time he must have realized that she wasn’t coming back. He became hungry and went looking for food.

Would you like to eat food you found on the street? No, I’m sure you wouldn’t, and you probably will never have to. But no one was caring for this little boy, and not only was he hungry, but soon he was covered with dirt.

But did I say no one was caring for him? There was Someone who cared for that little boy and loved him. He is the same One who loves you and perhaps has given you a good daddy and mommy. His name is Jesus, and He was watching over little Matthew and knew all about his problems.

One day as Matthew sat in the street, Dr. John walked by. He was a doctor from the United States who lived in that foreign land. He saw Matthew and felt sorry for him. Do you know what he did? He picked up that dirty, hungry little boy and took him to his own house. He gave him a bath and food to eat. And best of all, this kind doctor kept Matthew in his house and cared for him as if he were his own son.

In many ways, all of us are Matthews. We are dirty with sin and hungry for love, until our loving God picks us up and washes us clean in the blood of His Son Jesus. And He brings us into His family to be His children forever! Isn’t that wonderful love! “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the [children] of God” (1 John 3:1).

Several years after Dr. John found Matthew, an uprising broke out in the country where they lived, and Dr. John was told to leave the country. When he applied for the papers he would need to travel back to the United States, he was told that he could not take Matthew with him. He tried his best to convince the authorities to let Matthew go with him, but they refused to give him the needed permission.

What could Dr. John do now? He loved Matthew as his own son and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him behind! Then he had an idea.

He went home and gave Matthew some strong medicine that made him go to sleep. Then he put Matthew inside a dog cage and carried it to the airport. Because of all that was happening in that country, there was so much confusion that the ticket agent didn’t notice that it was a child in the cage instead of a dog. Matthew got loaded onto the airplane in a dog cage!

Now, I don’t know if Dr. John was a Christian. Perhaps if he were, he would have asked the Lord Jesus to show him what to do. The Bible says, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). And the way the Lord Jesus would have directed would not have been deceitful. But what we do know is that Dr. John loved Matthew so much that he risked his life to save the boy. If the authorities of that land had discovered what Dr. John was doing, he would have been thrown in jail and killed.

Have you read in the Bible that the Lord Jesus actually gave up His life to save you and me from a future far worse than the one that Matthew had faced? Without the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, each one of us faces a terrible, unending eternity being punished for our sins. But we have an opportunity right now to have that terrible future removed forever! Jesus went to Calvary’s cross on purpose so that He could save us from our sins. He took that punishment in place of each one who accepts Him as his or her Saviour. His arms of love and forgiveness are outstretched to you right now. Will you accept His wonderful love and forgiveness?

ML-07/22/2007

Capsized!

It was early evening with some daylight still left to enjoy. Mr. Phillips told his three children to pile into the motorboat he had built, and they would go out for a ride on the lake right behind their house.

Johnny, Linda and Matthew were excited as their dad started the motor. Since it was a small boat, it didn’t go very fast, so Mr. Phillips gave it some gas, and off they went for a fun cruise around the lake. But good times always come to an end, and soon it was time to go home.

Mr. Phillips tried to turn the boat around to head back to shore, but it didn’t make the turn . . . it tipped and started filling with water. Then the boat quickly capsized, and all four riders were thrown into deep water. They were 150 yards from shore, and neither Linda nor Matthew knew how to swim! All four of them hung on to the overturned boat, but it was so low in the water that they kept slipping off. It was a terribly frightening situation for all of them.

Have you ever been in a frightening situation where you had no one to turn to for help? That can be very scary when you can’t see any way out of the trouble. But if you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, He is always with you to help in any crisis. He has given us many promises in His Word, the Bible: “Lo, I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20); “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5); “call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” (Psalm 50:15). A simple, quick prayer to Him will bring an answer. We don’t know if any of the Phillips family prayed for help, but help did come.

Dutchess, the family’s three-year-old German shepherd, had been lying in the backyard near the shore. Hearing the frantic screams coming from the lake, the dog knew her owners were in trouble. She raced into the water and swam steadily and powerfully toward the overturned boat.

Mr. Phillips happened to look out over the water, and just then he saw Dutchess swimming toward them. He said later that he had never seen a dog swim so fast. She swam right up beside Mr. Phillips as though she were offering help.

Since Linda couldn’t swim, Mr. Phillips told her to grab Dutchess’s collar and hang on. Dutchess seemed to know exactly what to do. She turned and swam for shore, towing ten-year-old Linda behind her. After Linda was safely on shore, the brave, strong dog turned and started swimming back to the boat.

By then a neighbor on the other side of the lake saw that the Phillips family was in danger and headed out with his rowboat. By the time Dutchess reached the overturned boat again, the neighbor had pulled the two boys and Mr. Phillips safely into his rowboat. Dutchess turned and headed back home.

Mr. Phillips is certain that if the neighbor hadn’t showed up with his rowboat, Dutchess wouldn’t have given up until she had towed all of the family safely to shore. What a faithful and loyal dog! She was later named “Dog Hero of the Year” by one of the pet food companies.

We have a faithful, loving God who sees every sinner and their need of rescue from their sins. He sent His own beloved Son, Christ Jesus, into the world for the very purpose of saving sinners. To fulfill that purpose as Saviour, He had to die on a cross, bearing God’s wrath against sin in the place of any sinner who will come to Him for forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness can be yours if you will simply confess to Him that you are a sinner and believe that His Son Jesus paid the price for your sins. The Bible says, “What must I do to be saved? . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).

Dutchess was probably not going to give up until every family member was saved, and God is not willing to give up on saving you either. “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He is offering you salvation once more as you read this story. Linda did not have to be told twice to hang on to Dutchess’s collar. What about you? Will you accept Jesus as your very own Saviour right now? There might not be another opportunity.

ML-07/29/2007

Can You Say This?

In Truro, Nova Scotia, two young girls sat side-by-side in the big gospel tent, listening closely to the message of God’s love to lost sinners. Mary had often come before and had already trusted the Lord Jesus to wash away her sins. Now she wanted others to know Him too, so that day she had brought her friend to the meeting.

When the meeting was over, most of the children ran outside, but the two girls stayed behind to talk to the man who had been speaking earlier. He told them once again how the Father had sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world because He loves us so much and doesn’t want even one of us to perish in our sins. They all knelt down together to ask the Lord for His saving grace for Mary’s friend. She happily accepted the fact that “the blood of Jesus Christ . . . [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

As the girls left the gospel tent walking hand-in-hand, Mary said to her friend, “Now you can say, ‘Jesus died for me.’ ”

Can you say that?

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

ML-07/29/2007

Math Questions the Computer Can't Answer

I think you all know how to count, and some of you know lots more than that. In fact, some of you might even be called a “math whiz.” But even if you are smart, there are some math problems that are way beyond your brains or your computer to find the answer.

First question: How many stars are in the sky? We know that God placed them there with His fingers, but nobody can count them, and nobody ever will.

Second question: Which is greater, a hundred dollars or a penny? Read this story before you try to answer that one. It isn’t as easy as it looks.

Jesus was sitting near the temple in Jerusalem in a place near the treasury, and He saw the people putting in their money offerings. Maybe the coins were wrapped up, but that makes no difference to the eyes of the Son of God. Jesus knew exactly what each person put in, and He also knew how much he or she had left for themselves.

Along comes a rich man. His offering to the treasury is large. I don’t know how much the offering was, but I’m sure Jesus had no trouble with calculations.

Here comes a poor lady whose husband is dead, and she has almost no money. If she gives her two mites to the treasury, then what will she have for dinner? Actually, she will have nothing left, because those two mites are the only money she has to live on. Can you guess what she did? Yes, she let those two mites slip from her fingers into the treasury. And I can tell you only one thing—Jesus saw it all—that she had nothing left for herself.

Are you sure that Jesus sees what you do? Can you let it all go and trust Him for the future? Don’t you think there is a little bit that you might want to keep for yourself ? The Bible does not tell us what happened to that woman or what Jesus did for her. But think about God’s great heart of love in this verse: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). I know God’s great heart of love, and I know He took care of all that poor widow’s needs.

Here is the math question: Which was bigger, the rich man’s large offering or the poor widow’s two mites? Your computer won’t come up with an answer to that question; however, Jesus already gives us the answer: “Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all” (Luke 21:3). The poor widow’s offering was all of her money - 100%!

Did the two mites add up to more than all the other rich offerings put together? Yes, Jesus said so. His values are not the same as ours. The widow’s offering was a secret to everyone but God, and He knew and He valued it rightly.

Do you have secrets with Jesus that nobody else knows? Or maybe other people would not know how to value them if they did know. Can we trust Him for the future even if it looks impossible now?

First: We can trust Jesus to take from us the impossible load of our sins. We can’t measure that load, but He can, because He bore it Himself in those dark hours on the cross. No computer on earth could ever measure that load, but Jesus knows.

Second: We can trust Jesus for our daily cares. He knows how big they are or how small they are . . . even when they seem big to us. He put the stars in the sky, and they are there day and night, whether we see them or not. If His understanding is limitless, surely He can understand our small cares.

Third: We can trust Jesus for our eternity. He will make a new body out of our dust or He will take us up in the clouds without ever dying. He will give each of us a new body to live with Himself forever. Maybe that looks impossible, but we can trust God’s promise and His perfect wisdom, which never changes.

Are you trusting Jesus for your future?

(You may read this story in Mark 12:41-44).

ML-08/05/2007

Nothing to Fear

“Mommy, come quick! There’s a monster in my room!” cried Stevie. When his mother came, she explained to Stevie that there wasn’t any such thing as a monster, even though his little friends seemed to think there was.

When Stevie still seemed a little afraid, she said, “Stevie, Jesus is here with you. He won’t let anything hurt you. He loves you very much.”

“Isn’t Jesus afraid of anything?” asked Stevie.

“Oh, no, Stevie. He doesn’t have to be afraid of anything. Don’t you remember when He told the big wind and the big waves to be still, and they became calm? They had to do what He said, because He is God. So you don’t have to be afraid of monsters or anything else with Jesus here to take care of you.”

“Okay, Mommy, you can go downstairs now,” said Stevie. “Jesus will take care of me.” He snuggled down with his Teddy bear under the covers and went off to sleep.

Do you feel afraid sometimes, especially in the dark? Just remember that Jesus is with you all the time. He has promised to those who love Him, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). And the very next verse says, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:6).

ML-08/05/2007

"Passes Only"

Do you know what a toll is? Maybe you have traveled on a toll road or crossed a toll bridge where you have to stop at a closed gate. You must pay a fee before the gate will open, and then you can drive on through and continue on your journey.

Recently, as we were driving on a toll road with many lanes of traffic, we came to a row of tollgates. Most cars had to stop and pay the fee. However, there was one open gate that had a sign over it that said, “PASSES ONLY,” and we drove right on through that open gate without even slowing down.

What made the difference? Since the authorities had provided a way of easing traffic by paying the toll in advance, it was simply that our driver had contacted them and paid the required fee ahead of time. They had given him a small box to put on his windshield, and this small box was our “pass.” It beeped, and that beep told us that our car was allowed to pass through that open gate. We felt so privileged, and I wanted to announce to all the other cars, “Our toll has already been paid! . . . You can apply for it too.”

The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that [says to] Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that [does] the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What is it that will allow one person to enter heaven while another will be turned away? It is simply the fact that anyone who comes to God by the way He has provided will receive a “pass” to heaven. God knew that we are all sinners. He sent His beloved Son to die in our place, and all who truly accept the Lord Jesus as their very own Saviour will be given the Holy Spirit to live in them - the proof of God’s ownership. They will find an open gate to heaven; they will not be turned away. God’s promise is sure: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no [way] cast out” (John 6:37).

And the best part is that the invitation to “COME” is offered to everyone! You can get this “pass” right now and announce to others that your fee has already been paid by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you want God’s “pass” to enter through the open gate to heaven, you must get it ahead of time - before you leave this world. Take the time right now to come to the Lord Jesus. Tell Him from your heart that you are sorry for your sins, and accept Him as your very own Saviour. He will not turn you away.

ML-08/12/2007

Falling in a Hole

As a boy I grew up in a Christian home where the family read the Bible together. All of us children learned the verse, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). We knew what the verse meant, but we didn’t always do what it said.

One hot July day, the threshing crew came to our farm to thresh out the oats with a big threshing machine. The oat bundles were picked up by a team of horses pulling a hayrack and brought to the machine. Then the bundles were put into the front of the threshing machine. The grains of oats came out of an auger on the side into a wagon, and the straw was blown through a tube into a big pile.

A neighbor boy and I were chasing each other up and down the straw pile, having a good time. All of a sudden I fell into a hole over my head with the straw falling in on top of me! I shouted for help as loud as I could! At once I saw a hand reaching down for me to grab onto. It was as if it was the hand of God!

What do you think I did? There was no time to waste: I quickly grabbed that hand and was pulled out.

Dad had warned me not to play in the straw pile because of holes in it. But I didn’t listen to him and played in it anyway. I had disobeyed my Dad, and disobeying is sin.

God used that lesson to make me understand that I was a sinner and needed to have my sins washed away by the blood of Jesus. As a result of that lesson, I accepted the Lord Jesus as my very own Saviour.

What about you? I hope you don’t have to have a scary lesson like I did to understand that you are a sinner and need the Saviour to wash your sins away. Won’t you come to Jesus with your sin problem today? “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

ML-08/12/2007

Stuck in a Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ML-08/19/2007

Not a Chance

A badly wounded young soldier was brought into the hospital. The doctors and nurses connected him up to several life-saving machines, but still they were not sure that he would live.

When the doctors had left, the soldier turned to the roommate in the next bed and asked, “Do you know anything about religion?”

“Sorry, buddy, I don’t,” was his reply, “but there’s a lady who comes here every Thursday giving out tracts. She’ll be able to tell you what you want to know.”

“I might be dead by then,” said the soldier.

“Come to think of it,” said his roommate, “when I was little, our Sunday school teacher taught us this Bible verse: ‘Suffer little children to come unto Me’ (Luke 18:16).”

“Could I come in on that?” asked the wounded man.

“You can try,” said the roommate encouragingly.

The dying soldier pulled the sheet up over his face and began to pray, and he ended with these words: “Suffer . . . the children . . . to come.”

The sheet did not come down. After repeating these words spoken by the Son of God, he died.

Later, the chaplain told of the incident at an officers’ mess hall. One of the officers asked him privately, “Tell me, chaplain, do you think that dying soldier had a chance?”

“No,” replied the chaplain, “he didn’t have a chance; he had a CERTAINTY! He came by faith to the One who said, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no [way] cast out’ (John 6:37).”

The Lord Jesus said, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no [way] enter therein” (Luke 18:17).

Have you come to Jesus in simple faith, just as a little child would?

ML-08/19/2007

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: The Birthday Party

A few days ago Gramma and I were given an invitation to attend a birthday party at our nephew and niece’s house. Their two boys, Kevin and Dustin, were going to share their big birthday cake with us!

Do you like birthday parties? We sure do. It’s always a time of singing and happiness. And another reason we like to go to Kevin and Dustin’s house is to play with their three pets. They have a golden-colored dog named Biscuit, a black dog named Pepper, and a pretty cat named Cocoa. As soon as we walk in the door, these three pets are right there to greet us. What a welcome!

Does God talk about animals in the Bible? He sure does. Think about David the shepherd boy. We are told in 1 Samuel 17:34 about a lion and a bear that tried to steal lambs out of his father’s flock. David rescued both of the lambs from these wild animals! Then in Matthew 12:40 we read about the whale that swallowed Jonah. God commanded the whale to throw up Jonah on dry land, and the big whale obeyed the voice of God. And then Jonah was able to preach the word of God to that great city of Nineveh. Then in 1 Kings 17:4 God used ravens to feed His servant Elijah. Ravens are big black birds, and every morning and night they brought food to Elijah. And there are other places in God’s Word where He speaks about animals, birds and fish. God created them all, and He takes good care of them.

And I know that Kevin and Dustin take good care of their pets too. As soon as we sit down in their house, Cocoa is right up on my knee, Biscuit sits on one side and Pepper sits on the other side. All three of them want me to rub their ears or shake a paw . . . all at the same time! And if I get too close, I’ll get a big slurpy doggie kiss right up the side of my face! We love it.

Children, do you know what I am thinking about while all this is going on? I’m thinking about Jesus and the many people in the Bible that He brought happiness and joy to.

Think about Zaccheus. When Jesus passed under the tree that he was sitting in, He stopped and looked up and said, “Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5). And Zaccheus came down and received Him joyfully. What a happy meeting that was. Zaccheus was saved that very moment!

And then we read in Mark 5:41 about a young girl, just twelve years old, who had died. The people in the house were all crying and sad. But Jesus took the little girl’s hand in His hand and said, “I say unto thee, arise,” and the girl stood up and walked! All the crying was now turned into joy!

And what about the Ethiopian eunuch that Acts 8 tells us about. That man wanted to be baptized. Philip told him he could be baptized if he believed with all his heart in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the eunuch said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” What joy came into this man’s heart! And so Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. Then the eunuch went on his way rejoicing!

Luke 15:10 tells us that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that [repents].” Boys and girls, will you be that one sinner to trust in the Lord Jesus today? He loves you so very much and wants to wash all your sins away. If you will trust Him today, there will be much joy and happiness in heaven, and you will have much joy and happiness too. “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

We had a very happy time at the birthday party, and as we left we petted Cocoa and shook a couple of paws belonging to Biscuit and Pepper. Now, if any of you who read this story have pets, God expects us to take good care of the pets He has given us. Read what He says in Proverbs 12:10.

Lots of love,
Grampa and Gramma

ML-08/26/2007

Don't Wait

When I was about ten years old and in school, there was another boy in my class I really wanted to speak to about the Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow I could never get up the courage to do it. More than once I prayed and asked the Lord Jesus to give me an opportunity and the courage to speak to Leslie about how important it is to know the Lord Jesus as Saviour. Timidly and shyly I went up to him one day in the schoolyard and gave him a gospel tract. I was really nervous as I told him about Jesus dying for sinners. He promised to read the tract, and I sure hope he did, because that was the very last time I ever saw Leslie alive.

The following day he was standing behind the boards by the ice rink to watch an interclass hockey game. Just as the final whistle blew, one of the players hit the puck at the boards. The puck lifted just high enough to clear the boards, and it struck Leslie in the temple. He fell over backwards—DEAD!

You can never speak to the “wrong” boy or girl about the Lord Jesus and His love for sinners. And no one is ever too young to tell others that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

ML-08/26/2007

"I Want to Finish Coloring"

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

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

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

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

“No,” answered Anne.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anne said, “Yes, He did!”

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

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

ML-09/02/2007

Regan the Runaway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ML-09/09/2007

The Only Way In

I am sure that many of you boys and girls have seen doors that open by themselves as you walk up to them. They open by remote control or when you walk on a special pad that is electronically wired. A while ago we were taken to our friend Jay’s place of business. It was a company where security was tight, and there was a strong, high fence all around the buildings and parking lots. I was wondering just how Jay was going to get his car inside this high fence, because I saw nothing that looked like a normal gate. But as he drove close to the fence, he had a card that he slipped into a special slot. Part of the fence began to slide sideways, making an opening wide enough to let the car through, and then it slid back into place after we passed through. There was no other way in; you had to have a card.

And there is no other way into heaven except by the way the Lord Jesus opened when He gave up His life to pay for our sins. He was the Lamb of God, taking the punishment of our sins upon Himself, so that we could enjoy the wonders of heaven with Him. If we think there are many ways to enter heaven, we go against what Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Another verse says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). There is only one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He offers you Himself as the free “card” that opens the door to heaven to everyone who believes in Him.

“I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9).

ML-09/09/2007

Buried in an Avalanche

Jason Kostner is a young man who enjoys skiing on Mt. Shasta in California. He is somewhat unusual in that he often takes his dog along. His dog is an Australian Shepherd named PJ who loves to run. PJ sometimes even rides the chairlift with Jason up to the top of the mountain.

One day in April when there was still plenty of snow on the mountain, Jason started skiing down the part of the mountain called the “Powder Bowl” with PJ running along behind him. The Powder Bowl is just south of what is called “Avalanche Gully.”

While he was skiing down the slopes, he suddenly felt the snow shifting under his skis. He looked around and saw that the entire snow-covered mountainside was sliding down in an avalanche! Just for a moment he was able to see PJ, and the avalanche of snow was curling over the dog . . . then PJ was out of sight.

The next thing Jason knew was that the bank of snow racing down the slope hit him and sent him flying through the air in a cartwheel. He was able to land in a kneeling position on his skis. He quickly raised himself and was able to ski out of the path of the avalanche, but he knew PJ was trapped somewhere in the snow.

As fast as he could, Jason made his way to the bottom of the slope where the avalanche had finally come to a halt. He anxiously scanned the huge pile of snow, but there was no sign of the dog. He called loudly, “PJ! . . . PJ!” But no PJ came bounding towards him.

Have you ever been buried in snow or somewhere else where you couldn’t escape? What a hopeless feeling that is. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners, and we are buried in our sins: “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23). The good news is that there is saving help for sinners: “The Son of Man [Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And He is searching for sinners buried in their sins right now. He is the help and hope for sinners.

But how could Jason help PJ? He knew that if PJ was buried in the avalanche, there was only a slim chance of finding him alive. Avalanche victims have only a fifty percent chance of surviving if they are found within twenty minutes after they are buried in the snow. But Jason was not willing to give up hope. He called for help on his cell phone.

An Avalanche Search and Rescue team made up of a golden retriever dog named Cider and his trainer happened to be nearby. They raced to the avalanche area, knowing that minutes might make the difference between life and death for PJ. Cider was a little older than a puppy and had been trained in search and rescue procedures. The dog searched for an hour without picking up any scent.

Then another trainer and his dog arrived. Kenai was also a golden retriever and had more experience than Cider. The trainers widened the search area and led the dogs in a crisscross pattern over the snow.

Jason really loved his dog and did everything he could to find him. He didn’t give up hope even when finding the dog alive seemed impossible. And do you know that God really loves you and is searching for you, and He has not given up hope. In order to find you, He sent His very own Son Christ Jesus from heaven to this world of sin where, on Calvary’s cross, He paid the penalty for the sins of every person who would believe on Him as his or her Saviour.

Suddenly Cider picked up a scent and started digging just the way he was trained to do. Soon the men were helping him dig. Four feet down into the snow they found the body of PJ. Carefully they lifted him out of the hole. His body was limp, and there didn’t seem to be any body heat as they laid him on top of the snow. Then to their astonishment, PJ opened his eyes and looked at them! He was still alive!

A sense of relief washed over Jason. They wrapped the dog in blankets and rushed him to a veterinarian who assured Jason that with rest PJ would recover.

You don’t have to remain buried in your sins. If you will truly admit to God from your heart that you are a sinner who needs to be saved and accept Christ Jesus as your Saviour, He will forgive every one of your sins, removing them forever! Will you let Him save you from your sins? He is your only hope.

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

ML-09/16/2007

Frank's Story

A little boy named Frank was a great treasure to his parents. They did everything for him to make him happy, but they would never let him hear the name of God or the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

When Frank was nearly six years old, his parents began looking for a good private school for him. They heard of a special school run by a lady named Miss Wood. At the parents’ request, they had an interview with her. Everything seemed most satisfactory on both sides . . . until they told her that they did not want their son to have any religious instruction.

Now Miss Wood was a faithful Christian, and she told them she could not have Frank attend her school under those conditions. But the parents begged her to accept him anyway. So the arrangement was made for Frank to go to school an hour later than the other students. That way he would miss each morning’s religious instruction.

Frank soon figured out this special arrangement and insisted that he wanted to go to school each morning at the same time as the other students. He wanted to know whom the teacher was telling her students about and whom they sang about.

Miss Wood explained to Frank, “You must ask your parents’ permission if you want to come to school earlier.”

So Frank told his parents what Miss Wood had said. They finally decided he could attend the hour of religious instruction in the morning when the teacher talked about Jesus.

What a joy this was to little Frank. His longing, empty heart was soon filled with the love of Jesus, and he received Him into his heart as his Saviour. “Rejoice with Me; for I have found My sheep which was lost” (Luke 15:6).

Shortly after this, Frank became very sick. His heartbroken parents learned that soon they would have to part with their one great treasure.

Little Frank first turned to his father and asked, “Daddy, do you love me?” Then he asked his mother the same question. Then he said, “If you really loved me, how come you never told me about God and Jesus?” Both parents broke down and cried as Frank told them about his loving Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

How sad it was that it wasn’t until their little Frank became so sick that they would listen to the story of Jesus and His love, and soon both received Him as their own Saviour. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10).

ML-09/23/2007

Who Tapped Him?

They were a happy family on a holiday drive through the scenic Rocky Mountains. Two little children bounced in the back seat, until at last they grew tired and gave in to a quiet sleep.

Presently the winding road brought them to a breathtaking view. An enormous gorge had been cut by a churning, powerful stream of water that was roaring over a waterfall below.

“This we must see!” the father exclaimed to the mother. “I think we can easily drive down there a ways and take a better look.”

Excited and thrilled, they stopped the car and jumped out to enjoy the majestic scene. Leaving the children sleeping in the car, they walked hand-in-hand, spellbound, nearer to the edge.

Tap, tap! He felt it clearly, a distinct tap on his shoulder. Whirling around rather startled, the young father saw to his horror —his own car rapidly gaining speed on its way to the edge of the gorge. The hand brake had not been set! He nearly flew across the ground and . . . yes, thank God, he was able to jump in and stop the car in time! The children were safe and still asleep.

Who tapped that father on the shoulder? When Jesus was here on earth, He spoke once of little children, that “in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Since no other human being was near, we may safely assume that an angel assigned to the care of these children had done the tapping. How very kind of God; it shows His loving care in action.

Little boy or girl, always remember that God loves you. However, you are growing up and perhaps even now have reached the age where you know that you will have to answer to God for all the wrong things you have thought, said and done. You have all those sins mounting up daily. Angels cannot save you from them. Sin will separate you forever from God, and payment must be made for them. Does He stop loving us because of all these naughty sins? No, absolutely not! God’s love was shown at its greatest, finest hour at Calvary’s cross. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Then we read in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John how that God accepted Jesus’ payment for sin and raised Him from the dead, and He is now gone to the right hand of God in heaven above. Have you been saved from the punishment your sins deserve?

ML-09/23/2007

Forgetful Ducks

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

“You ducks, get back in the backyard!” Grandma would order. Then they would turn around and waddle back to the backyard where they belonged.

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

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

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

ML-09/30/2007

A Story from the Philippines

Uncle Alan is a great storyteller! One evening he was telling us about his time in the Navy. There were about fifty men in the platoon that had landed on the island of Panay in the Philippines near the town of Ilollo. They had orders to set up equipment for the transfer of troops and supplies between the ships and the shore.

While the men waited for the equipment they needed to start their work, they collected in small groups, trying to keep a little cool under whatever shade they could find. Alan was chatting with another Christian when they saw someone in the distance passing something out to all the sailors.

“I wonder what he’s doing,” Alan said to his friend.

Soon the young Filipino approached the two men. As he handed each of them a piece of printed paper, he looked up toward heaven with a happy smile and said, “Jesus is the only Saviour!”

On the paper was printed a hymn Alan had often sung in Sunday school at home in the United States, six thousand miles away:

Nothing, either great or small —

Nothing, sinner, no;

Jesus did it, did it all,

Long, long ago.

REFRAIN:

“It is finished!” yes, indeed,

Finished every jot;

Sinner, this is all you need:

Tell me, is it not?

When He, from His lofty throne,

Stooped to do and die,

Everything was fully done:

Hearken to His cry —

Weary, working, burdened one,

Wherefore toil you so?

Cease your doing; all was done

Long, long ago.

Till to Jesus’ work you cling,

By a simple faith,

“Doing” is a deadly thing —

“Doing” ends in death.

Cast your deadly “doing” down —

Down at Jesus’ feet;

Stand “in Him,” “in Him” alone,

Gloriously complete.

“Ye are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10).

Alan was really impressed with the sincerity of sixteen-year-old Camillo and with his heartfelt concern for the American sailors who had come to his land. He didn’t want any of them to go away without knowing the precious Saviour who had brought him from death to eternal life.

I wonder if you know Jesus as your Saviour and Friend. And I also wonder if those of us who do know Jesus as our Saviour and Friend are as eager as Camillo was to tell others of His saving grace and power.

Alan was so thankful to have received such a happy reminder of His loving Saviour in that faraway land, where many of the people were living on the edge of starvation. He asked Camillo, “Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Oh, if only I could have Bible,” Camillo answered.

“I’m afraid the only Bibles we have are in English,” Alan told him.

“That okay . . . I read English little bit,” said Camillo.

The following day when Alan and the others returned to the island from the ship, they were able to take about a dozen Bibles with them. Camillo was overjoyed.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

ML-10/07/2007

Hay for Caribou

During winter when the snow becomes deep, some of the larger animals that do not hibernate (sleep through the winter) often have difficulty finding enough food to eat. In Canada where this occurs with the caribou herds during most winters, the Canadian Air Force will help by hauling hay for the caribou to eat. Once the herds are located, planes loaded with bales of hay will fly near them and drop these bales for them.

A pilot reported that he was hauling hay to a large herd stranded in deep snow in an area four hundred miles north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Many of the caribou were lying down because they were too weak to stand. When the hay was dropped, they could not even get up to eat. As the pilot circled the herd, he saw a strange sight. Several of the stronger caribou walked over to the hay, picked up some in their mouths, and carried it to the weak and dying animals. They laid the hay down close enough so that the caribou that could not get up could reach it.

What a good lesson this is for each of us in being kind to others. He will reward every kind act we do for others, if it is done to please the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus says, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40).

“I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Have you done something kind to please the Lord Jesus?

ML-10/07/2007

"Dirty Wasps"

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had just moved the family into a new home out in the country. They had four very active children, and how happy they were to find a place to live where there was lots of room for the children to play.

One day Mr. and Mrs. Anderson decided to clear out some of the brush that hid part of the small woods on their land. They felt it was important for their children to know just where they could play safely.

As they were working, Mrs. Anderson suddenly felt a sharp pain in her foot. At the same time something flew up and stung her on the arm too. She had accidentally stepped into a yellow jackets’ nest! Those wasps were so angry that they kept flying in circles around both parents. Before they could get away, Mr. Anderson got stung on his face and Mrs. Anderson got stung several more times on her arms and legs. How those stings did hurt!

Yellow jackets are wasps that sometimes make their nests in holes in the ground. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were so glad that they had found the wasps’ nest first and that it was not the children who had found it and gotten stung. When they went back to the house to take care of their wasp stings, they warned the children to stay away from that dangerous place.

Mr. Anderson got a can of insect spray and went back to the nest and sprayed it to kill the wasps. But it is hard to kill all the wasps with one spraying. During the day some of the wasps are out flying around and don’t come back until dark. It would take more than one spraying, perhaps every few days, before all the wasps would be killed and the nest could be cleaned out.

We hope the children paid attention to their parents’ warning! It would still be a dangerous place until all the wasps could be killed. “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 6:20). “Children, obey your parents in all things” (Colossians 3:20).

The next day both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s wasp stings were badly swollen. Mrs. Anderson couldn’t even put on her shoe, so they both went to the doctor to get help. The doctor said that yellow jackets were known as “dirty wasps” because they eat rotten fruit and other garbage.

Soon Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s stings were much better. The next time the family sang this little song, they remembered those “dirty wasps” and how easy it is to step into dangerous places.

Oh, be careful, little feet,

where you go;

Oh, be careful, little feet,

where you go;

There’s a Father up above

looking down in tender love:

Oh, be careful, little feet,

where you go.

The pathways of this world have many hidden traps of sin placed by Satan where danger waits for any passing by. For those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, there is a safe way around those hidden dangers. The Bible is our map that shows us that way; “Thy word [the Bible] is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

But those who have refused to accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour have no map to show them the safe way around the dangerous places. They step right into Satan’s hidden traps and get stung. And Satan’s stings lead to death; “the sting of death is sin” (1 Corinthians 15:56). “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Have you found the safe way? Is the Lord Jesus your Saviour?

ML-10/14/2007

Cut Off from Shore

“Can I walk the beach with Tom?” fourteen-year-old Kyle asked his mom.

His family was camping in a park near La Push, Washington, on the Pacific Coast. Tom had met Kyle, who was about his own age, at the campground.

“Yes, Tom,” his mom answered, “but be careful not to go too deep in the water . . . and be back before dinner,” she added.

The boys walked through the trees lining the campground, climbed over large piles of driftwood, and then strolled out onto the beach. The yellow-brown sand of the beach stretched out in either direction as far as they could see. It was early in the camping season, and there were only a few people out enjoying the rugged beauty of the rocky outcroppings.

To their great interest, the boys discovered the tide was out, and they could hardly wait to explore the exposed beach. They also saw that the tide had gone out far enough that they could now walk to James Island.

James Island is a large rock formation, about three hundred yards from shore when the tide is in. Most of the sides of the island are rocky cliffs that rise straight up out of the water to heights of fifty or sixty feet. The top of the island is covered with evergreen trees. Eagles roost in the tops of the trees where they can spot fish far below swimming near the surface of the ocean and swoop down to catch them in their talons. Large black birds with long necks called cormorants live on the island too. They dive under the water and swim like black streaks of lightning, hunting for fish. Otters often can be seen playing in the nearby kelp beds. But the conditions are too harsh on the island for people to live there.

When Tom and Kyle walked out to the island, they found a path that wound up one side. The path was so steep that at times they had to climb up on hands and knees. By the time they reached the top they were panting for breath. Everywhere they looked on the island, they found something new to capture their attention. Exploring the island was so interesting they lost track of time.

After a while their stomachs told them it was dinnertime. They started to climb down the same steep path they had climbed up earlier, but before they reached the bottom they realized their mistake — the tide had turned. The land between the island and the mainland where they had walked a few hours earlier was now covered with water and crashing waves. The water was so bitterly cold that the boys didn’t give a thought to swimming back.

Tom and Kyle were completely cut off from shore. They realized there was no way to get back before dinner or even nightfall. They were trapped on the island without drinking water, food, shelter or a way to make a fire. The thought of spending a cold night alone on the island was very gloomy!

The boys were separated from shore, and, sadly, sin has separated each one of us from God too. It has opened up a breach between the Creator and man His creature. God had designed man’s heart capable of understanding, obeying and loving Him. But instead of loving Him, each one of us has chosen to go our own way. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We have not loved God with all our hearts; instead, we have loved other things as if they were more important. Darkness has crept into our hearts, and because of that darkness we have turned to hatred and lying and many other sins, all of which God hates. And so we are sinners: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There is nothing sinners can do, apart from Christ, to cross the fearful divide that separates us from God who is light and love.

Many people, in the pride of their hearts, wrongly think that God is willing to pass over their sins as if He didn’t care about them. This is not the case — sin is a terrible thing in the sight of God, and He will hold each person accountable for his or her sins: “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Sinners who never come to Christ will have a steep price to pay. “The wages of sin is death.” When unsaved sinners pass out of this world, they will be cast into hell where they will never again experience God’s goodness. In this life they shunned God and did not accept Jesus as Saviour. After death God will never again show them His mercy or lovingkindness. The light of His love will be withdrawn from them completely, and they will spend eternity in the total darkness of hell. This is why it is so important for people to hear the gospel message, realize their lost condition, and come to the Lord Jesus for salvation. Only by faith in the Saviour can the awful problem of sin be dealt with to God’s satisfaction. When a person believes in Christ, his sins are washed away in Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross, and that soul is fit for heaven. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

When the boys didn’t return to the campsite at dinnertime, Kyle’s mom grew worried and called the Coast Guard. She told them she had a hunch the boys had walked to James Island when the tide was out and were now trapped. The Coast Guard station was nearby, and they immediately sent out two boats to look for the boys. The waves were high and treacherous, so the Coast Guard men had to use expert seamanship so the boats were not swamped by waves or smashed up against the rocky sides of the island. But at last the boys were recovered and eventually reunited with their families. They didn’t have to spend a night alone on the island after all.

Christ Jesus has done everything necessary so that you and I might be saved from our sins and reunited to God. No one needs to perish in his or her sins. On the cross, He paid sin’s awful penalty and made a way that God’s love can lay hold of a person and never let them go. Because of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, sinners who repent and turn to Christ will never be separated from His love again. Won’t you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and end the awful separation caused by your sins?

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

ML-10/21/2007

Hope for Tyler

Sixteen years old is pretty old for a dog, and Tyler had some old-age problems to prove it. He was half blind, partially deaf and wobbled on his feet. He had lived in an animal shelter for fifteen of his sixteen years and had been given good care, but now the animal shelter had to close. The owners of the shelter were trying to find homes for as many of the animals as they could. They knew Tyler would probably have to be put to sleep because nobody would want an old dog with the health problems he had. There wasn’t much hope that anybody would adopt Tyler.

Being hopeless is such a sad condition, and for people it isn’t limited to just old people. We all have a condition that affects every one of us, whether we are young or old or in between. It is called “sin,” and sin is an incurable condition for man. Romans 5:12 tells us, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” That’s pretty hopeless—we are all sinners.

It looked pretty hopeless for Tyler too, until a newspaper reporter learned about the animal shelter closing and wrote a story about the animals needing to be adopted. The story described Tyler and included the dog’s likely fate because of his age and health problems.

When the story came out in the newspaper, a man by the name of Thomas read about Tyler and said, “It just broke my heart.” He contacted the animal shelter and told them he was interested in adopting Tyler. Thomas told them that he had adopted a stray dog ten years earlier when he found him in a railway yard near where he worked. He described the stray’s condition: “He was six months old, he had fleas, his fur was all matted, and his neck was bit up because another dog had attacked him.” Thomas cleaned him up, named him Razor and gave the dog a good home. He also had another dog named Sunshine, and he really wanted to give Tyler a happy home for the rest of his life too.

Things began to look hopeful for Tyler, and there is hope for sinners too. God, who is loving and merciful to sinners, planned a way to remove the sins of every sinner who wants to be saved. He sent Jesus, His sinless, spotless, perfect Son, down to this world to die for us on Calvary’s cross. He became the substitute by taking the punishment for the sins of every person who would repent and believe in Him as his or her very own Saviour. “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). There is no doubting God’s great love for sinners!

And Thomas’s love of dogs became very clear to the lady who ran the animal shelter. When she drove over to Thomas’s house and gently set the old dog on the lawn, Thomas said, “He’s adorable.” She watched as Thomas scratched Tyler behind the ears and then gently pulled the old dog onto his lap. “You’re such a sweetheart,” Thomas told Tyler. “I’ll take good care of you.”

Soon Tyler was exploring the backyard, and Razor and Sunshine gave the newcomer welcoming nuzzles. Tyler seemed to be settling right in, sometimes following Razor or Sunshine and sometimes going off on his own. Thomas turned and said to the lady, “He’s going to have a good life. I promise you.”

Those of us who accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour have an even more wonderful promise than His loving care the rest of our lives. He has promised us a happy home in heaven when life here on earth is over: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:23). What a promise and what a hope we have! . . . And it will last for all eternity!

“The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy [Spirit]” (Romans 15:13).

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

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

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

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

Fathers and mothers, how are you training your children? “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

ML-11/04/2007

The Best Part of the Trip

Jon was eight years old, and he and his father, mother, sister and brothers were going on a little vacation. They were going to visit Uncle Steve and Aunt Linda who loved these children very much and whom these children loved very much also.

On the trip to their house, which was over three hundred miles away, they stopped for other activities to make the trip interesting and fun for the children. They visited a zoo, stayed at a motel where there was a swimming pool and had picnic—all things that boys and girls like to do. While they were at their uncle and aunt’s house, they got to do more special things. They had more picnics, went on hikes, took a trip to a museum, and even had a birthday party for one of the children.

When the family got back home from their trip, Jon was telling his grandmother about the trip and all the wonderful things they had done and seen. She listened as he eagerly told her about each activity. Finally she asked, “Jon, what was the very best part of your whole trip?”

Jon thought for a moment and then answered, “The very best part was just enjoying Uncle Steve and Aunt Linda.”

What thoughtful words from a child. While there will be many, many things in heaven for us to enjoy, the very best part about being in heaven is going to be just enjoying Him — our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Delight thyself also in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). “In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. . . . I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:23).

ML-11/11/2007

How Much for a Cell Phone?

How much money would you be willing to spend for a cell phone? Ten dollars? Twenty dollars? Maybe even a hundred dollars? Would you even risk your life for a cell phone? No, I’m not kidding . . . I said, Your life?

Twice in the Word of God, the holy Bible, we find recorded in Matthew 16:26 and also in Mark 8:36-37 these words: “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The man I am going to tell you about almost lost his life over a cell phone! He was a tourist who was enjoying the winter scenery at Niagara Falls so much that he accidentally dropped his cell phone over the guardrail. He watched it slide down the very steep embankment towards the river. It stopped sliding just yards away from the icy, rushing Niagara River above the falls.

Let me take a moment to explain why these glass-like, icy conditions are so common in the winter at Niagara Falls and why they are so dangerous. The mist that rises from the falls three hundred to four hundred feet into the air causes this glassy ice! And if the wind conditions are right, it will carry this mist as far as two miles. Wherever the mist settles down, it freezes into glassy ice. Even in the city itself there are signs that warn motorists and pedestrians:

BEWARE OF ICY STREETS
AND ROADS
IN WINTER MONTHS!

At times the trees, shrubs and buildings all look like glass —most beautiful — and at the same time most dangerous!

And so our tourist, ignoring all the warning signs, climbed over the guardrail and started out very carefully to retrieve his cell phone. Almost immediately he began to slide down, down, down towards the rushing, open river! Thankfully he stopped sliding before he reached it.

Now then, do you think he was worried about where his cell phone was? No way! He couldn’t even see it! There he was, standing on glassy, slippery ice, only a few yards from the rushing Niagara River and hardly daring to move! If a strong wind came up, it could blow him into the river.

At that point, the man was probably thinking what a fool he was to climb over the guardrail to try to get his cell phone back. This makes me think of the fools the Bible tells us about: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Then Luke 12:16-20 tells us about a man who made lots of money, owned buildings and had everything he needed and more. God said to him, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” God is warning you and me not to be a fool about our sins.

The foolish tourist, stranded on dangerous ice, needed help, and he needed it right away! There wasn’t anything he could do to help himself. His friends ran to get help from the police. And when you and I realize we can’t do anything to rescue ourselves from our sins, we can turn to the living Word of God. Romans 5:6 says, “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

The police and firemen arrived with ropes, ladders, safety harness, and most important of all, they wore boots that would not slip on glare ice. The first thing they told the man was, “DO NOT MOVE! WE ARE COMING TO YOU!”

Were they able to rescue the man? Yes, but at quite a cost to the park officials. Was the cell phone worth it? No! In fact, it slid down the ice and into the river.

Boys and girls and grown-ups too, are you chasing riches, sports, fame or anything else that is useless for eternity? These things will only keep you out of heaven. God is telling you that He has a gift for you — eternal life. What a gift — heaven forever! It is free to everyone and anyone. You can find it in Romans 6:23: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Don’t be a fool — take it!

ML-11/11/2007

Which One?

“Which kitten would you like?”

This was not a hard choice for me. There were six of them — a sleepy one, a sick one, a cross one, a homely one, a frightened one, and then the cutest, friendliest, prettiest one you ever saw. Guess which one I chose?

Perhaps you have been scratched by one or for some other reason you don’t like cats and wouldn’t choose any. But let me tell you something. The great and powerful God who made all things does not choose as I did or as you would. He has good reason to not want any one of us, for it was sinners like you and me who nailed His dear Son to a cruel cross. But instead of not wanting us, He has chosen to love us and invites lost sinners like you and me to accept His Son as our Saviour and to live in His home forever!

He does not choose those who are the prettiest or the friendliest or the smartest. He chooses sinners—just because He loves us!

And more than that, when He saves us He keeps us. My kitten ran away and I never saw it again. But the Saviour is able to keep His chosen ones forever and ever. And no one can take us away from Him either. “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28). We are kept by the power of God.

When you read His invitation, remember that He is not calling good people; He is calling those who need Him most. If you think you don’t need Him, you will go where sinners go who refuse Him — to that place of suffering —the lake of fire. He has chosen to invite you to come to Him to be saved from your sins right now. Is your answer “Yes”?

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

ML-11/18/2007

Wandering Bears

It was the time of year when bears wake up from their long winter’s sleep, and they wake up hungry. They often make their way down the mountains to lower areas, looking for food. The only problem is that homes have been built and communities have been developed on land that was once wild and fit for bears and other wildlife. When bears wander into neighborhoods, they run into trouble.

A black bear wandered down the Olympic Mountains and into the lowlands along the coast of Puget Sound. The bear was seen roaming through a small area of trees near an elementary school. Wildlife authorities were contacted, and they set several traps for the bear. Extra policemen were also on duty to protect the children, but the bear avoided all of them.

For some unknown reason, the bear decided to leave the area. He waded into the salt water of Puget Sound and began swimming. A fishing boat saw a strange object moving through the water, and when they got closer, they saw it was a black bear. Since the bear was swimming towards the Seattle side of Puget Sound, which has far more people living there, they knew the bear was headed towards trouble. Because of the bear’s choosing to travel, the wildlife authorities named him “Columbus.” They knew they had to do something about this bear before someone got hurt.

After the bear reached the distant shore, he continued traveling by land. Averaging two miles a day for several days, he traveled close to towns that form the suburbs of Seattle.

It’s a bear’s nature to wander. That’s how God made them so they can find food. But that isn’t how God made you and me. He has provided us with the intelligence to know our Creator and to be able to read and understand His Word, the Bible. We learn from His Word that we are sinners. But we don’t have to wander here and there trying to find a way to get free from our sins, because in His great love for sinners He has provided a Saviour.

As Columbus the bear traveled in his search for food, the wildlife authorities finally caught up with him when he wandered into the 600-acre Weyerhaeuser Complex. A watchman saw the bear ambling through the parking lot. People inside were told not to leave the buildings, and several traps were set for the bear. At one trap, a dozen muffins were piled in a heap, and the fresh-baked aroma soon caught the attention of Columbus. A forest ranger with a tranquilizer gun hid in nearby bushes. As Columbus was about to devour the muffins, a dart struck the bear, and within seconds he toppled over sound asleep.

One of the forest rangers checked over the bear and decided he was healthy enough to move to another location. He was placed in a cage and carried to the back of a truck. They drove him many miles away into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. He was dropped off in a spot where there was plenty of food that bears like to eat and where very few people live. Columbus should do just fine in his new home.

Not every bear that wanders into areas close to people comes out alive. At nearly the same time, two bears in a nearby county were destroyed. A car traveling down a highway struck one. The bear was killed and the car was damaged beyond repair.

Another bear had climbed a tree close to a neighborhood where many families lived. A police officer was stationed nearby to watch the treed bear. When the bear came down, if he headed in the direction of the neighborhood, the officer had orders to shoot the bear, but if he headed in the direction of the mountains, the officer was to let him go unharmed. However, when the bear climbed down, he headed in the direction of the homes. Because human lives were endangered, the bear had to be destroyed.

That bear turned the wrong way, and whether we spend eternity in heaven or hell depends on which way we turn. People who realize their sinfulness and turn to the Lord Jesus will be saved. They will spend eternity with Him in heaven where the joy will never end. However, people who never see their need of the Saviour will perish in their sins. What does it mean to perish? It means to

Pass
Eternally
Ruined
Into
Satan’s
Hell.

God has given you and me one lifetime to decide for Christ. No one knows for certain how long that lifetime will be. The wise decision is to accept Him right now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). He doesn’t want us to wander endlessly through life without Him, trying what the world offers in an attempt to forget our sins and fill our hearts.

God made us that we might know, love and obey Him. He knows our every need, and our greatest need is to be saved from our sins. This Bible verse tells us how God made this possible: “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). Only through Jesus Christ can sinners return to God the Father and find a home in His love. You can travel the world, but you will never find rest and peace until you come to Jesus Christ. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

ML-11/25/2007

Costly Dishes

Their scientific name means “gray mouse that flies.”

How many boys and girls know that they are on a journey, no matter who they are or where they live? It begins when they are born, and each day takes them a little farther along in life. Some might find the journey hard while others may enjoy it, but the choices we make as we travel along will make all the difference. The following story might help us all to be wise in our choices.

Over 150 years ago Sir John Franklin, an Arctic explorer, and his crew of 128 men set off in two sailing ships to find the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. History records that it was the best-equipped expedition to the Arctic up to that time. The ships were outfitted with fine china, crystal goblets, sterling silverware, and they had a library of 1,200 books. However, they carried only enough coal to fuel the steam engines for twelve days. As they progressed, the ships became trapped in frozen seas, and the men were forced to try to make it to safety over the frozen landscape.

Search parties were sent out, and they eventually found that none of the crew had survived. They also discovered that two officers had filled a sled with the silver tableware, which only slowed their progress and made their chance of survival far more difficult. Captain Franklin and these two officers had made bad decisions, thinking more of their comfort on the expedition than their survival. They lost their lives, along with the entire crew.

The Lord Jesus knew how much all of us like our comforts and having lots of things, and He warned us of it. He said, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The Bible tells us how important it is to lay up treasure in heaven.

Our life’s journey on earth is not very long when compared with eternity, and boys and girls who decide to believe and follow the Lord Jesus Christ will have made the most important and best decision of all. That decision will carry them right through until their journey ends with Jesus in heaven.

ML-12/02/2007

Pet Skunks

One spring day our family drove out to the lake to move some building materials we had left there. Much to the delight of our children, we found a nest of three very young skunks under some of the boards. The children said, “Oh, they are so cute! Can we keep them and raise them for pets?”

We found a box to put the baby skunks in so we could take them back to town. We planned to take them to a vet and hoped he could remove the awful skunk odor so we could keep them as pets.

Though these beautiful little creatures were very young, we quickly discovered that their skunk odor had already developed. This should make each one of us think about the answer to this question: How soon does our sin nature begin to show itself? My wife and I were teachers, and we often saw children who were very much like our little skunks. They were beautiful little children, but their bad behavior showed that their sin nature had already begun to work.

Psalm 51 tells us what King David said: “I acknowledge my [sins]. . . . In sin did my mother conceive me.” He understood that he was born with a sin nature, and you and I were born with one too. Like the young skunks’ odor, our sin nature always shows itself when we are young. When we begin to show our sin nature, we become sinners by practice.

We also learn from Romans 8:3 that God has “condemned sin in the flesh” — the sin nature. It is evil and unacceptable to God. But we can be very thankful that God still loves us so much that He has provided a remedy for both our sin nature and our practice of sin. The Bible says, “Through this man [the Lord Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). Because the Lord Jesus, the only person who never had a sin nature, paid to God full payment for sins, He can forgive our sins. If any person will come to Him, admitting that he or she is a sinner and accept His Son Jesus as their Saviour, that settles the matter forever. God says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). Then our sins are gone and God will never give us up. But it was a different story with our little skunks.

We had not gone far toward home before our little pets’ odor became so bad we had to take them back and return them to the nest. We realized, as pretty as they were and as little as they were, they were still skunks by nature. The skunks could do nothing about their nature, but each one of us can come to the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and have all our sins forgiven and receive a new, God-given nature.

The little skunks could only grow up to be big skunks. Even though some of you, being children, are little sinners, you do not have to grow up to be big sinners and continue in your habits and ways of sin. If you will open your heart to the Lord Jesus and receive Him as your very own Saviour, you become one of God’s children and can look forward to enjoying the Father’s house and the joys of heaven.

Won’t you trust the Lord Jesus today to begin your happy life as one of God’s children?

ML-12/02/2007

A badger and a bird team up against a hive of bees to steal its honey.

Forgea: Forsaken and Alone in the Pacific

Crew members heard a loud “KABOOM!” from an explosion in the engine room of their tanker ship out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Fire ripped through the engine compartment, and the small crew on the ship battled the flames with fire-retardant foam. At last the fire was put out, but the damage was done. A sailor had been killed, and the engine was ruined. The tanker was drifting far out at sea wherever the wind and waves carried it.

Captain Chung Po radioed out the distress signal, “MAYDAY! MAYDAY!” A large cruise ship bound for Hawaii came to their assistance. They arrived a couple of hours later and agreed to take all the men off the tanker. However, they refused to take the ship’s pet, a small black-and-white terrier dog named Forgea. The cruise ship had strict regulations about bringing pets onboard.

The terrier had lived on the tanker for three years. The captain had brought the dog onboard when she was only a two-week-old puppy. He had fed the tiny dog with an eyedropper until she was old enough to eat solid food. The captain thought the dog would be good for the morale of the crew during their long voyages. The entire crew loved and enjoyed playing with Forgea. Now it bothered all of them to leave the dog behind. But if they didn’t leave the damaged ship, their lives would be in danger. They didn’t seem to have any choice.

Captain Chung Po quickly fixed a large bowl of food for the dog, said good-bye to the pet, and climbed aboard the cruise ship with his other men. He didn’t think he would ever see the dog again. Without power to operate the pumps, he suspected the tanker, with the dog onboard, would sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Forgea was forsaken and alone on a doomed ship somewhere out in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. If Forgea would ever be saved, someone would have to come to her assistance. There was no way she could jump into the ocean and swim many hundreds of miles to safety.

Have you ever felt forsaken and alone? If so, you are not the only one. Sin has entered the human race, and things aren’t the way God meant them to be. In our sinfulness and selfishness, we have made the choice to leave God out of our lives.

But God loves us too much to leave us in such misery without doing something about it. He made a way so that you and I could be delivered from our sins—He sent His Son Jesus into the world. “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

If any of us were to be saved from our sins, we would need help from above. The Lord Jesus came from heaven to be that help. He knew that, even if they wanted to, sinners in their own strength could never make it back to God. The distance between themselves and a holy God was just too much. In His great love for us, He willingly came and went to the cross where He gave His life for sinners: “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is good news indeed! There is no better news for sinners, for through faith in Jesus’ name sinners may receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life! He promises to hold securely in His hands all who trust Him for salvation, so that they will never perish. He is the Saviour we all so desperately need! Will you trust him?

There was good news for the forsaken little dog too. She was alone on the drifting ship for thirty-eight days. Then men from a fishing boat discovered the abandoned ship, went aboard and rescued Forgea. Many people admired the pluck and courage of the little dog that enabled her to survive that long. She was brought to Hawaii where, after a long stay at an animal hospital, a loving family adopted her.

Forgea, who had been forsaken and left to die, was given a home where she was loved and cared for. Will you come to Jesus who promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5)? If you will accept Him as your Saviour, you will find much happiness in God’s love for time and eternity, and you will belong to Him forever.

ML-12/09/2007

"Is it the Best Way?"

Tony was looking for an old friend. When he got near where his friend lived, he stopped to ask someone how to get to his friend’s house. The man giving him directions lived in the area. After receiving the directions to his friend’s house, Tony asked, “Is that the best way?” The man who gave him the directions answered, “That is the ONLY way.”

Boys and girls, there is no other way to heaven except through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned,” and “that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). If you and I are going to be in heaven, it must be through faith in one Person, the Lord Jesus, and the blood He shed on Calvary’s cross. We must open our hearts to receive Him as our very own Saviour. The Bible tells us this is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus said, “I am THE way” (John 14:6).

The good news of the gospel must be believed, and God expects us to believe what He says. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. . . . He was buried, and . . . He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Do you believe what God says about the way to heaven? You must if you want to be in that happy place where we all want to go. “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-12/16/2007

Gripped by a Boa

Pablo slowly moved along the tree trunk that stretched out over the river that wound its way through the Colombian jungle. Leaning against a thick, upright branch of the fallen tree trunk, he tossed his machete into the canoe and then reached one foot down to step into the boat. Suddenly a hideous head shot out from the jungle growth, and huge jaws locked onto Pablo’s ankle. With terror, he realized that the gigantic coils of a big boa constrictor were rapidly wrapping around him!

Panic-stricken, Pablo tried desperately to pry the evil jaws loose from his ankle with his hands. When that didn’t work, he dug his fingernails into the eyes of the monster snake, hoping that would loosen its iron grip on him. Instead, he began to suffocate as every muscle in the boa’s thick body tightened around him, squeezing one arm and the rest of his body against the thick, upright branch of the fallen tree where he had been leaning. The tightening coils gripping his chest made each breath more painful than the last.

Suddenly Pablo’s eyes caught sight of his machete lying in the canoe below. As a last resort and using every ounce of strength he could find, he strained forward and grabbed the machete with his free hand. He brought the blade crashing down on the head of the beast. Pain shot through his chest as the boa’s coils tightened even more. With the last of his strength, Pablo slashed again and again at the snake’s head, locked on his ankle.

Maybe you have never been gripped by a huge boa constrictor, but have you ever felt Satan’s sudden hold on you? We aren’t always aware of his presence, but Genesis 3:1 Says, “The serpent [Satan] was more subtile [crafty] than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” We may try to resist his advances by our own efforts and strength, just like Pablo tried at first to fight the boa with his hands. But Pablo wasn’t strong enough to shake off the boa, and you and I have no strength in ourselves to fight off Satan. We find in Romans 5:6, “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” For those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, our real strength lies in God and in His Word, the Bible.

As Pablo slashed again and again at the snake’s head with his machete, he slowly felt the coils of the huge beast begin to loosen. Finally the enormous snake slid quivering into the canoe below, nearly filling it with its enormous bulk. His one free arm and the nearby machete had enabled Pablo to break free from the deadly hold of the huge, hungry boa.

Pablo had just one arm free and a machete within reach. God has made a way to save you and me from Satan’s deadly hold on us. All we need to do is realize that we can’t defeat Satan on our own and turn to the Lord Jesus. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). He is the only one who can save us from our sins and break Satan’s strong grip on us.

Even after we are saved, Satan will still attack us at times to discourage us and cause us to make unwise decisions. But God is always on call. He assures us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15). He also gives us a sword, His Word the Bible, which is the Spirit’s strong weapon in our warfare with Satan. Just as Pablo found that the machete helped him to escape from the attacking boa, we need “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) to escape from Satan’s attacks. We need to read His Word and let His Spirit use it to help us in the battles we may face even today. Will you do that? Then you can claim this verse as your very own: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

ML-12/16/2007

Teddy's Medicine

Teddy is a small dog with fluffy 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 that 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 Teddy 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 a cross where He suffered, bled and died for the sins of all who will believe in Him. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Will you accept the gift of eternal life that He wants to give you?

Teddy needed his medicine. You need Jesus, the only remedy for your sin. Then you will be ready 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-12/23/2007

What the Sticker Meant

Six-year-old Tommy had done very poor work in reading class. The first-grade teacher’s aide, Mrs. Hall, knew Tommy could do better. She had a little talk with him, telling him that she knew he could do much better work if he really wanted to.

When it came time for Tommy to do his math, Mrs. Hall said to his teacher, “I know Tommy is going to do much better in math than he did in reading.”

“I hope so,” his teacher answered, looking very doubtful.

But Tommy had made up his mind that he would do better. When it was time to work on math, he didn’t waste a minute. He settled right down and did four pages without making one mistake!

When math was over, Mrs. Hall said, “Tommy, may I shake your hand? It gives me great pleasure to shake hands with a young man who has chosen to work hard and do well.”

Tommy was very happy to shake hands with Mrs. Hall. Then he said, “May I have a sticker?”

“You certainly may,” she answered, and she went to the sticker drawer. Most children like to have their stickers stuck on the back of their hands rather than on their papers. Tommy held out his right hand for Mrs. Hall to put the sticker on it. But instead, Mrs. Hall said to Tommy, “Today I’m going to put this right on your forehead so everyone can see that you chose to do such a good job.

Tommy’s face wore a “super” grin as he walked back down the hall to his regular classroom with his bright “super” sticker on his forehead. And he didn’t have to tell anybody what that sticker meant. It announced that he had made the choice to do a good job. However, I’m sure that he gladly explained what that sticker meant to anyone who asked, including his mom and dad.

There are other ways of knowing when someone has made a right choice. Have you ever been around someone who doesn’t say bad words like many of the students do? You may also notice that he doesn’t use God’s name in the wrong way. And when his friends want to do something wrong on purpose, he won’t do it. He is different . . . and this announces that he has made a right choice. If you were to ask him why he is different, he would probably gladly explain that he is a Christian. That means that he made the choice to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. And he has chosen to do those things that he knows would be right and would please Jesus. What wise choices!

Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” If you have not chosen Christ as your Saviour, you are a servant of Satan. It’s one or the other —there is no in-between. You need to make the right choice — to come to the Lord Jesus who dearly loves you and let Him wash away your sins in His own precious blood. And you need to make that choice right now! Once Tommy made up his mind to do a good job, he didn’t waste a minute getting started. And if you are still in your sins and serving Satan, you can’t afford to waste a minute either. God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Will you make that wise choice right now?

ML-12/30/2007

Snake on a Pole

It wasn’t a real snake. It was made of brass, twisted around a pole and placed very high for everyone to see. I expect you would like to know why that serpent of shining brass was up there in the sunlight that day. Here is the story:

The people of God were camping in the desert near the end of their long, forty-year journey. They had very many tents, all placed in the order that God had commanded. God had taken good care of His people for all those long years of travel. Now their journey was nearly over, and the shortest route was straight ahead, through the land belonging to their father’s brother.

Can we use your highway? Moses asked.

No! And it was a definite answer.

We won’t spoil anything, and we’ll pay for whatever we use.

The answer was still, No!

God’s people were really discouraged. God would not let them fight about it, and they were all angry inside.

Do you understand their feelings? Do you feel like that too when things are not fair? God cares about your disappointment. In fact, He cared so much about His people’s disappointment that He made their trouble a whole lot worse!

Are you saying, “I don’t understand”? We have a God who is much wiser than we are. He can see that we don’t always need a smooth trail, but we always need Him.

God sent fiery serpents (serpents are snakes) slithering under the tent walls, and their terrible, poisonous bites began killing the people.

If God hates complainers, you and I deserve to die too, and that’s why God tells you this story. He wants to save you, but first of all He wants you to see that you need to be saved.

The people cried out to Moses, Ask God to take away the snakes! They were ready and wanted to be saved now, but they chose the wrong way of salvation. If God only took away the snakes, there were all those people who were already bitten who would certainly die, and that would be a lot of deaths.

Are you ready to be saved now? If you cry out to Him, be sure to let Him choose how to save you. He has already sent His only begotten Son to die for you, because He knew you needed Him. Let Him save you by the blood of Jesus who died for you! God has no other way.

The Bible does not say if God took away the snakes. It does tell us that He told Moses to make a serpent of brass and set it up high on a pole so that everyone could see it. The reason for the brass serpent was this - one look at that serpent on the pole meant instant cure! The bitten person was healed at once . . . it only took one look!

No doctor in the world could ever plan a cure like that, and no arguing could change it. God’s promise was true; all they needed was just to look. And God’s promise is true for you too. Jesus who died on the cross is the only Saviour of sinners. His way is perfect. Why will you die without Him? “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).

I cannot tell you what happened to the snakes on the ground, but I know what happened to the brass serpent on the pole. We’ll tell you about it next week.

If you want to read this story about the snakebites, you’ll find it in Numbers 21.

ML-01/28/2007

Forgea Was Forsaken

Crewmembers heard a loud “KABOOM!” from an explosion in the engine room of their tanker ship out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Fire ripped through the engine compartment, and the small crew on the ship battled the flames with fire-retardant foam. At last the fire was put out, but the damage was done. A sailor had been killed, and the engine was ruined. The tanker was drifting far out at sea wherever the wind and waves carried it.

Have you ever felt forsaken and alone? If so, you are not the only one. Sin has entered the human race, and things aren't the way God meant them to be. In our sinfulness and selfishness, we have made the choice to leave God out of our lives.

MEMORY VERSE: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

The Wonders of God's Creation: An Amazing Combination

“How sweet are Thy words [the words of God] unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

Many unusual birds and animals live in the country of Kenya in Africa. An amazing combination that works together is a seagull-sized bird with dark brown wings and a snow-white body and a four-footed animal with long, dark gray fur having a narrow white border and short black legs. These are the honey-guide bird and the honey badger, also called the ratel. Both of these creatures like wild honey and work together to get it.

When the honey-guide bird is flying through the forests and hears a loud humming of bees, she knows a nest is nearby in the side of a split rock or perhaps in a decaying tree trunk. Immediately she flies to where she knows a honey badger will be found, and she chatters noisily to attract his attention. Then she flies in the direction of the swarm of bees, making sure the badger is following. They may have to go quite a distance, but both know the treat that will be at the end of the trip.

When they get to the swarm of bees, the honey badger starts tearing the honeycomb apart with his sharp claws and teeth. The bees begin buzzing angrily about and swarming over him. But he isn't afraid of them, because their stingers can't get through his long, loose fur.

What about the bird? She waits patiently, for it is not the honey she wants; she's after the waxy honeycomb that stores the honey. But this will not be available until the badger has first licked out the honey. Eventually she gets the honeycomb and enjoys her treat after the badger has finished and gone on his way. Both will be ready to do it again the next time there is an opportunity.

Sometimes when a native hunter sees the bird leading a badger, he knows what's going on and will frighten the animal away. Then the bird accepts him as a substitute worker, with the same results. The man gets the honey and the bird gets her fill of the wax that she can handle with a digestive system that breaks down and welcomes the sweet food, usually accompanied by a number of bees eaten at the same time.

We know that when the Creator first brought bees, birds and animals into the world, they all lived together peacefully. It was the disobedience of Adam and Eve that brought sin into the world with many sorrows for all creatures of the world.

But God has promised a happy life in heaven for those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Heaven is His home where no sin or unhappiness of any kind will ever come. Will you be there too?

Pablo Faces Death

Even after we are saved, Satan will still attack us at times to discourage us and cause us to make unwise decisions. But God is always on call. He assures us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15). He also gives us a sword, His Word the Bible, which is our strong weapon in our warfare with Satan. Just as Pablo found that the machete helped him to escape from the attacking boa, we need “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) to escape from Satan’s attacks. We need to read His Word and let His Spirit use it to help us in the battles we may face even today. Will you do that? Then you can claim this verse as your very own: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

MEMORY VERSE: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21

ML-12/16/2007

Looking for a Friend

Tony was looking for an old friend. When he got near where his friend lived, he stopped to ask someone how to get to his friend's house. The man giving him directions lived in the area. After receiving the directions to his friend's house, Tony asked, “Is that the best way?” The man who gave him the directions answered, “That is the ONLY way.”

Boys and girls, there is no other way to heaven except through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned,” and “that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). If you and I are going to be in heaven, it must be through faith in one Person, the Lord Jesus and the blood He shed on Calvary's cross. We must open our hearts to receive Him as our very own Saviour. The Bible tells us this is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus said, “I am THE way” (John 14:6).

The good news of the gospel must be believed, and God expects us to believe what He says. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...He was buried, and ... He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

ML-12/16/2007

The Wonders of God's Creation: Hidden Outdoor Life

“Yea, the darkness [hides] not from Thee; but the night [shines] as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:12

Most of us don’t give much thought to the living creatures God has formed to fill important but hidden places in the world around us. The very soil we use for gardens and farming and the grassy lawns we walk on are good examples.

Just a teaspoonful of soil may contain countless tiny forms of plant and animal life that can only be seen with a microscope. The most important of these are bacteria, which help keep the soil clean and replace nutrients when they decompose dead insects and vegetation. Of course, we all know there are a variety of worms and millipedes, as well as moles and other creatures beneath the surface, but we can't grasp how many there actually are. All of this life is a part of the Creator's great plan and is important in the process of enriching the soil in which much of our food is grown.

Rocks on a hillside are often covered with moss or other growth, and many living things hide beneath these soft covers, including tiny mites, beetles, ants, centipedes, even mice, toads, moths, snails and innumerable other things. Rainwater trapped in a crevice of a rock is often the home of larvae wriggling their way into becoming mosquitoes. A rotting log is also sure to contain untold numbers of hidden life, including microbes, more bacteria, several kinds of ants, termites, slugs, lizards and others.

Enjoying a salt-water beach, few people are even aware that living creatures are hidden in the sand. Tiny crabs, shellfish, various worms, fleas and numerous other insects are there, and a great amount of unseen life is out in the ocean waters beyond them.

Underwater creatures also hide under rocks or around underwater vegetation in streams, ponds and swamps or in the shelter of an overhanging tree. You would be amazed at all the nymphs, larvae, crawlers, worms and even spiders down there, along with others which become an important source of food for tadpoles and fish.

But there is One from whom nothing can hide—the Creator Himself who made it all. The Bible reminds us, “There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested [made known]” (Mark 4:22).

If any reader is trying to hide from God, it is impossible, “for His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He [sees] all his goings” (Job 34:21). Just stop and consider that He knows all about you, and realize how important it is to say, as the psalmist did, “Show Thy marvelous loving-kindness, O Thou that [saves] by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee.... Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings” (Psalm 17:7-8). Have you put your trust in this loving Saviour?

ML-12/16/2007

The Deaf Man Hears

When Jesus was here, there were many, many people who had illnesses and diseases, just like people today. His power and His willingness to heal were available to anyone who would come to Him. The only sick people who were not healed by Jesus were the ones who did not choose to come to Him. All the people were eager to be healed, but many did not want Jesus, the Son of God. The crowd who cried, “Crucify Him!” was so great that it may have included some of those healed people too. And we know that they all died later on, even the healed ones.

Is Jesus so angry with us that He has gone away forever? Oh, no! He is in heaven now, and His loving promises are far more wonderful than good health in bodies that will finally die anyway. The Lord Jesus promises eternal life, and it doesn’t end here in a world of trouble and sorrow. Eternal life goes on and on in His wonderful home of happiness and love, and it never ends! And best of all, eternal life will be spent with HIM! Is that what you want? If so, then God who cannot lie makes this promise to you today: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15).

When Jesus was here on earth, there was a man who was completely deaf. He not only couldn’t hear any sound at all, but he also had a tongue problem and couldn’t speak clearly. But he had some friends who really wanted to help him, and they brought him to Jesus and begged Jesus to heal the man.

Jesus knows that no two of us are alike and that our needs are not all the same. Jesus took the deaf man by the hand and led him away from the crowd, and looking up to heaven, He groaned. Why would Jesus groan? After all, He had all power to heal—He was the Son of God. We need to remember that our Jesus is a real Saviour. He knows all about you, and He feels and cares about all those problems in your life that you can’t tell to anybody. He loves you so much that He doesn’t save you as if He pressed a button for your salvation. And He loved the deaf man so much that He groaned because of the man’s awful condition. Then Jesus said, “Be opened,” and immediately the deaf man’s ears were healed and he could hear, and his tongue was healed and he could speak clearly!

Jesus told the healed man and his friends, Don’t talk about this to anyone. Perhaps Jesus wanted the man’s good hearing and his clear speaking to show itself to the people. They couldn’t miss seeing how real his healing was.

I wonder if your Christian life is such that people can’t miss seeing that you are a real believer in Jesus. You have ears to listen to Him and a tongue to speak of Him. Do your friends know that Jesus is your Saviour and has cleansed you from all your sins?

But the more Jesus urged the healed man and his friends not to make a public fuss about the man’s healing, the more they told everyone far and wide. Jesus has done all things well, they said. He makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. What they said sounded very good and was true, but they were not obeying Jesus. If you are saved, will you listen to God’s Word and let Him choose for you? If you trusted Him for your salvation, now trust Him for every day as it comes.

You may read this story for yourself in Mark 7:31-37.

MEMORY VERSE: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15

ML-12/23/2007

Teddy

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

ML-12/23/2007

The Wonders of God's Creation: A Cat or a Fish?

“Thy [the Creator's] way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters.” Psalm 77:19

The catfish probably got its name from the whiskers around its mouth, since they are similar to a cat's whiskers. These whiskers give it a warning signal of dangers and are also an important means of finding food.

There are many species of freshwater and saltwater catfish. Freshwater catfish are found in the Great Lakes and other lakes, rivers and streams throughout North America. They aren’t a pretty fish, except that some species have a rainbow of colors on fins, tails and bodies. The most outstanding is called the blue catfish. Fully grown, it may reach five feet in length and weigh up to one hundred pounds. Others vary in size, all the way down to only a pound or less.

Some that live in ocean waters along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico include the white catfish, the sea catfish, and the gaff-topsail. Most like waters with muddy bottoms where they prowl for food and where they can quickly wiggle into the mud when escaping an enemy.

Catfish have no scales, but they have very sensitive skin. This enables any part of their bodies to detect food that may be hidden in the sand or mud, as well as locating bugs on underwater plants, another source of food. The Creator has provided well for them, both in food and in protection from harm in muddy, dark waters.

After the female lays her eggs in the spring, the male gathers them all into his mouth to incubate them. He eats no food while carrying them in his mouth, until well after the young hatch, a period of two months. Then he deposits the little fish in nearby weeds. The parents sometimes find them to be a tempting bit of food. But the young ones, soon aware of the danger, swim far away to live on their own.

Catfish are good to eat. Tremendous quantities are caught in the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. The demand for catfish is so great that huge quantities are raised in fish “farms.” Many of these are kept alive in special tank cars and shipped to restaurants throughout the country.

Isn't it nice to realize that the Lord God, the Creator, watches over all His creation, including these unusual fish? But how much greater is His love and care over boys and girls, as well as men and women. He gives this loving invitation to each one: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

ML-12/23/2007

Tommy's Wise Choice

Six-year-old Tommy had done very poor work in reading class. The first-grade teacher's aide, Mrs. Hall, knew Tommy could do better. She had a little talk with him, telling him that she knew he could do much better work if he really wanted to.

When it came time for Tommy to do his math, Mrs. Hall said to his teacher, “I know Tommy's going to do much better in math than he did in reading.”

“I hope so,” his teacher answered, looking very doubtful.

But Tommy had made up his mind that he would do better. When it was time to work on math, he didn't waste a minute. He settled right down and did four pages without making one mistake!

When math was over, Mrs. Hall said, “Tommy, may I shake your hand? It gives me great pleasure to shake hands with a young man who has chosen to work hard and do well.”

Tommy was very happy to shake hands with Mrs. Hall. Then he said, “May I have a sticker?”

“You certainly may,” she answered, and she went to the sticker drawer. Most children like to have their stickers stuck on the back of their hands rather than on their papers. Tommy held out his right hand for Mrs. Hall to put the sticker on it. But instead, Mrs. Hall said to Tommy, “Today I'm going to put this right on your forehead so everyone can see that you chose to do such a good job.

Tommy's face wore a “super” grin as he walked back down the hall to his regular classroom with his bright “super” sticker on his forehead. And he didn't have to tell anybody what that sticker meant. It announced that he had made the choice to do a good job. However, I'm sure that he gladly explained what that sticker meant to anyone who asked, including his mom and dad.

There are other ways of knowing when someone has made a right choice. Have you ever been around someone who doesn't say bad words like many of the students do? You may also notice that he doesn't use God's name in the wrong way. And when his friends want to do something wrong on purpose, he won't do it. He is different...and this announces that he has made a right choice. If you were to ask him why he is different, he would probably gladly explain that he is a Christian. That means that he made the choice to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. And he has chosen to do those things that he knows would be right and would please Jesus. What wise choices!

Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” If you have not chosen Christ as your Saviour, you are a servant of Satan. It's one or the other—there is no in-between. You need to make the right choice—to come to the Lord Jesus who dearly loves you and let Him wash away your sins in His own precious blood. And you need to make that choice right now! Once Tommy made up his mind to do a good job, he didn't waste a minute getting started. And if you are still in your sins and serving Satan, you can't afford to waste a minute either. God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Will you make that wise choice right now?

MEMORY VERSE: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.” Deuteronomy 30:19

ML-12/30/2007

Hupogrammos

If any of you boys or girls looked at this strange word and thought it was like Greek to you, you were right! It is a Greek word with a simple meaning, and you will easily understand the meaning as I explain it to you. First, however, I will copy two verses from the Bible where the Apostle Peter says, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example (or a hupŏgrammŏs), that [you] should follow His steps: “who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21-22).

When I went to school, printed on the back cover of our workbooks at the top was a line of perfectly formed letters of the alphabet—the hupŏgrammŏs. Underneath the letters were lines all the way down the page. We were to copy these letters, always keeping our eye on the hupŏgrammŏs (the perfect, top-line example) and not on our own letters as we worked down the page. By doing that, our bottom line of letters was a fairly good copy of the perfect top line, because all that practice made us quite good. Our problems came about when we took our eyes off the top line and instead followed what we had already copied. Then the bottom line was very different from the perfect examples at the top.

Now if you think of what Peter is saying in those verses, you will understand that as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, the one, perfect man, and try to follow His example, we will not go too far astray in life. However, if we follow what our friends are doing or our own ideas, thinking they are good enough, the result will be very poor.

But there is one thing that you must not miss in all this. Peter is writing to people who already know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and are part of the family of God. They have come to Jesus to have their sins forgiven, and their names have been written in heaven. Many people try to follow Jesus as a good example without first coming to Him as sinners needing forgiveness. So the first step you must take is to tell Jesus that you know you are a sinner and believe in your heart that He took the punishment for your sins on Calvary’s cross. He will gladly forgive you and wipe your messy page clean, and then you can begin to follow Him as your hupŏgrammŏs.

Now do you understand what that word means?

ML-12/30/2007

The Wonders of God's Creation: Two African Lizards

“These also shall be unclean unto you ... the chameleon, and the lizard.” Leviticus 11:29-30

The above instructions given to God's people in Bible times defined lizards as “unclean.” This meant they were not to be eaten as food by the children of Israel, but it did not mean that God, the Creator of all things, didn't care for lizards. He has always provided well for their every need. We'll look at just two types of lizards.

The aporosaura lives on the hot, sandy Namib Desert near the tip of Africa. This lizard has been given long, husky legs to cope with its hot, sandy environment—far too hot for people to walk on barefoot. In bright sunshine, temperatures reach 150 degrees, but at night it becomes chilly.

Moving about in that heat as it searches for flies and other insects, the aporosaura's long, rubber-like legs carry its body high enough so it doesn't rub against the hot sand. But it stops often to cool one leg at a time, by raising it and waving it in the air.

Each afternoon fog blows in from the ocean, and our lizard friend, not pleased with the cool change, buries itself completely in the sand and stays buried for the night, until the sun shines again the next morning.

If the fog comes in too early for it to stay buried for the night, it will lie flat on its stomach on the still-warm sand, scooping some over itself. If the sun breaks through again, it will lift its tail in the air and raise its legs and head to get what warmth it can from the sun that had been too hot for it earlier.

Another unusual lizard, the leaf-tailed gecko, makes its home on Madagascar Island off the coast of Africa. It is unusual looking, with mottled brown and gray skin from its sharp nose to the end of a long tail, including its long legs and clawed toes. It is about a foot long. This gecko hunts at night, and the Creator has given it large eyes, standing out like yellow balls, far behind its pointed nose. With jaws wide open, it looks like a small dragon. The toes have suction cups enabling it to cling to steep branches and smooth boulders or even climb a wall and cross a ceiling when chasing an insect. If an enemy grabs its tail, the tail breaks away and the lizard escapes. A new tail grows back in a short time.

These are just two of about two thousand kinds of lizards in the world. The Bible assures us that the Lord God, their Creator, watches over them night and day. But He watches more carefully over you and invites you to know Him as your Saviour and give thanks to Him for all His loving-kindness to you. Is He your Saviour? Have you thanked Him today?

ML-12/30/2007

Snake on a Pole: Continued

Do you remember the story from last week about the brass serpent on a pole? The children of Israel had been bitten by poisonous snakes, and God instructed Moses to make a serpent out of brass and mount it on a pole. God’s instructions were that the people only needed to look at the brass serpent to be healed of their snake bites. It was a simple matter of look and live!

Wasn’t that a wonderful brass serpent? No, not really. The wonder was in the God who made the promise. Maybe the serpent had to be polished to keep its shine, but it was only a brass statue on a pole and had no real power of itself. God tells you this story because He wants you to see that the power is all His own. Religion will not save you.

This amazing serpent seemed to be a treasure which the people felt must not be destroyed. Keep it, they decided. It saved our lives!

Do you think that the church can save you? No, that isn’t God’s way. Do you think that some man or woman, whoever they are, could say good prayers for you and make sure that God would listen? No, that isn’t God’s way either. These people made the same mistake about the shiny brass serpent, and it seemed to grow more important to them as the years went by.

They gave the statue lots of honor. They even burned incense to it! That means they took some sweet-smelling dried plants, the best they could find, and burned them to make a cloud of scented smoke around the serpent. This seemed very nice, but they did not search to see what God had commanded, so all their sweet smells had no value at all.

God is not hard to please. He has already provided all you need to be saved: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). He does not ask you to fold your hands and pray to the cross. No, He asks you to pray to Jesus Himself - the Lord Jesus Christ. He will save you from your sins and give you power to choose His ways and to live for Him.

The king at that time was Hezekiah. The brass serpent had been treasured all through the life of David and Solomon and many others, but King Hezekiah knew that making an idol of the serpent was wrong. He didn’t trouble himself about what other great kings had done. He saw that cloud of sweet incense being offered to that ancient statue and he said, No! That’s just a piece of brass! And he broke it to pieces.

We hear no more about it, but I hope the people listened to King Hezekiah. God doesn’t want worthless worship - don’t worship “things,” no matter how valuable they may have been to you in the past.

And I hope you listen to God’s message too. We read in the Bible that our God wants worshippers! . . . He wants you! He will not make you a miserable slave, but He wants to save you from the pain and suffering of eternal punishment and give you eternal joy with Him in heaven forever.

Yes, life is a rough road, and God does not promise to take away your troubles now. But He does promise to stay with you always, until He comes to take you home to heaven.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation [trouble]: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

You may read about King Hezekiah destroying the serpent of brass in 2 Kings 18:4.

ML-02/04/2007

Why Did She Laugh?

There are two kinds of laughing. One is the happy kind that you can share with others, because they are sure to be happy about it too. The other kind is because you don’t believe what somebody says, and you think it is all ridiculous.

Which kind was Sarah’s laugh? Listen to her story and maybe you can tell. It might even be both kinds. Read on and see.

Abraham and Sarah had been married a long time. In fact, he was 99 years old and Sarah was 90. That is old enough to be great grandparents! But they weren’t even parents or grandparents, because they had no children and were too old to have any.

If God is wise and powerful enough to plan that our parents should have children before they are old, then God can work beyond His plans if He chooses, and nobody can stop Him! “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). God told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age, and Abraham believed God.

Do you? Don’t argue about it or try to understand how it could be true. When we don’t understand, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Where is Sarah? God asked. Abraham answered, In the tent. You see, Abraham was a traveler with no land of his own, and so they lived in a tent, and Sarah was at home there.

God gave Abraham and Sarah a promise: I will return to you according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Sarah was listening in the tent door, and she heard God’s promise too. I don’t think she made a sound, but inside her heart she laughed. I’m too old! she thought.

Do you think God doesn’t know how old you are? Maybe you are 5 or 15 or 100. God knows everyone’s age, and nothing can change His promise - even if you laugh at it! In fact, Sarah didn’t laugh out loud, and God still knew she laughed!

Why did Sarah laugh? asked God. Now Sarah was afraid, and she tried to cover it up with a lie. I didn’t laugh, she said. But God answered her, No, but you did laugh.

Laughing at God’s promise can’t change it. He will certainly do as He has said, whether it is heaven or hell for you. Confessing is better than covering up. Tell Him now that you have sinned, and you will find that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Sarah’s precious little baby boy did come to her, just as God had said. So now was the time for happy laughter. In fact, she called his name Isaac, which means “laughter.” And all her friends shared the happy news that a son was born to Abraham and Sarah when it was humanly impossible!

Sarah’s faith was not very strong, but it was faith in the right Person. Where is your faith? Are you trusting in the God who has given His only Son for you? Or is it in your religion or in your own hopes and plans? Maybe your own plans seem right, but the end of that way is eternal death. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The end of God’s promises is everlasting life: “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).

You may read this story in Genesis chapters 18 and 21.

ML-03/11/2007

A Carcass Full of Honey

Samson was a strong man - a very strong man. He did not become strong through exercising and weight lifting; he was strong because it was God’s choice to make him so. The nation where he was born was under the control of Philistine conquerors, and they were afraid to do anything to get free.

Samson found a woman in the land of the Philistines who seemed just right for him to marry, and he went to visit her. It was a difficult trip for a man, even a strong man, to take alone. A loud roar, which was much too close, alerted him that a fierce lion was about to spring on him - teeth, claws and all!

I don’t really think that Samson’s strength was in his muscles, but in the power of God. He faced that hungry, vicious creature with his bare hands and tore it to death! Samson said to himself, I won’t tell anybody about the lion . . . this is my secret.

After a while he passed the same spot again, and there in the dead lion’s carcass was a surprise-bees!-lots of them! In the carcass he found a large amount of sweet honey. (And do you know something? This happened thousands of years ago, but the bees knew then how to store their honey in six-sided cells of beeswax, just as they do today.)

A handful of dripping honey was just as sweet as our honey is today, and I’m sure it left him licking his lips. He shared the honey with his father and mother too, but where the honey came from was still his secret.

God has secrets too. Why does He send troubles into our lives? You and I have troubles which hurt and scare us and make us cry. If God really loves us, why does He send troubles to us?

That is one of God’s secrets. The lion did not run away, but God gave Samson the strength to win the victory. And here’s something else to think about. After a while, he found sweet honey in that lion carcass, and it was good food for others as well as himself.

The biggest trouble that anyone in the world has ever faced was the cross of Calvary where the Saviour Jesus was crucified. Our Jesus could have called for angels to destroy those evil men, but instead of that, He let them nail Him to that cross, and He suffered in the darkness for our sins. Now He is risen and has gone back to heaven. And right now He says to you, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). And the sweetness of knowing Jesus as your Saviour is not just for today . . . it’s forever!

Maybe all you can hear today is the roar of great, big troubles. Maybe you see the teeth and claws of some danger which seems to be ruining your life. Will you remember that our Lord Jesus has already conquered the power of our enemy Satan? Jesus promised there would be troubles in your life. But then He adds, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Someday you will find a blessing hidden inside that trouble. But until then, God keeps His secrets. Can you trust Him? . . . even if you can’t see how any good could come from your trouble? His wisdom is perfect, and His love never fails!

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

You may read this story of Samson and the lion in Judges, chapter 14.

ML-04/15/2007

Samson Sets 300 Foxes on Fire

Do you remember how Samson visited a young woman in the land of the Philistines whom he wished to marry? But when he went back again to marry her, her father said, No! Samson was not at all happy about that and decided to get even.

Perhaps that was all right, but we have a God who loves us far more deeply than Samson ever loved this young woman. God sent His Son into the world, but Jesus, the Son of God, came to His own people, and they would not receive Him. In today’s story this young woman’s father answered for her, but you cannot let anyone else answer for you. You must answer for yourself about receiving God’s Son, the living, loving Saviour. God knew long ago that you are a sinner, and you cannot come to His home in heaven with your sins. So He sent His Son for you and me: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Samson saw that the Philistines’ fields were golden with ripened grain, ready for harvesting, and some of it was already gathered into shocks standing in the fields. He also saw that the olive trees were loaded with ripe olives, ready for picking to make olive oil.

He came up with a plan to get even. He caught three hundred foxes and tied their tails together in pairs. Then he put a torch between each pair of tails and set the torches on fire. Of course, the foxes ran in all directions through the Philistines’ fields of ripened grain, and the burning torches set the fields on fire. The ripened grain and standing shocks burned to ashes, and the ripe olives flared like oil lamps!

Who did this? cried the Philistines. And they were told that Samson had done this to get even, because this young woman’s father refused to let Samson marry her. The Philistines were very angry with her and her father and burned them both with fire.

You see it is dangerous to say “No” to a strong man. But it is more dangerous to say “No” to God. His offer to save you from your sins has cost Him the life-blood of His only Son. He loves sinners with a deeper love than anyone on earth could ever love.

The Bible tells us two wonderful things that no one can change: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

You may read this story of Samson in Judges 15:16.

ML-05/06/2007

Samson Fights with an Unusual Weapon

Maybe you remember our last story of Samson when he set on fire the Philistines’ fields that were ready for harvesting. Of course, the Philistines were angry! Now Samson’s own people were afraid that the Philistines would come against them because of what Samson had done. So they hunted for Samson until they found him in the cleft of a rock where he was staying.

They planned to tie him up and hand him over to the Philistines. But they could not tie up a man who was stronger than they were. First they promised him, We will not kill you, but we will give you to the Philistines. Then Samson allowed them to tie him up. You see, God had given him a secret source of strength against the enemies of God.

All true Christians have a secret source of strength too, so that all the powers of Satan and death can never drag us down to a lost eternity. Are you saved from your sins? Are you born into the family of God? Then you are His forever, and no man or devil can snatch you out of His hand. Jesus said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

The Philistines shouted when they saw their strong enemy tied up, but they did not know the power of God. The ropes on Samson’s arms broke loose like burnt thread, and God gave him mighty power. He picked up the jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand men with it!

We Christians must remember that God never tells us to fight people. Our struggle is with the evil in our own hearts. This is where God will give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is not an easy victory.

Samson saw all those dead men, and he said, Heaps upon heaps. . . . With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men! But did he really? Didn’t God give him the victory? He was taking the praise to himself.

Samson was thirsty, so thirsty that he thought he would die, and then he called on the Lord. “In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me” (Psalm 86:7). It is a good thing to call on the Lord when you are in impossible trouble, but why not call on Him right now? Our breath is always in the hand of God, and our sins were an impossible barrier. Why not praise Him for His wonderful forgiveness and ask Him for daily strength right now.

Yes, God answered Samson’s prayer of distress. He split a hollow place, and from that hollow place came springing water. Samson drank the water and was revived. He had named the place, “The high place of the jawbone” in honor of his victory, but now he changed the name to “The well of him who called.” He was not remembering it as his victory; he was remembering it as his need.

God tells us what our song will be in heaven. All of us will be praising together the One who has redeemed us to God by His blood. Are you redeemed by the blood of Jesus? If not, you can’t join in that song, and you won’t be there. But if you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, you can sing that song with all your heart today. You can find it in Revelation 5:9-10.

You may read this story of Samson in Judges 15:9-19.

ML-06/03/2007

Samson and Delilah

Do you remember Samson, the great, strong man who found himself locked inside a city, with heavy gates locked and bolted to keep him in there? With his great strength, he just picked up those gates, posts and all, and carried them up the hill on his shoulder!

What made Samson so strong? You are not as strong as he was, but you have some power, and it is the same God who gives us every breath we have who gave Samson his great strength. Samson’s extra strength was given because his parents obeyed the command of God to keep Samson’s hair long, and it was never to be cut. Deep in his heart Samson knew this, and he obeyed God’s command too.

Samson was a true believer in God. But he was also a proud and selfish man. He had a lot of disappointments, but he did not learn from them. And as a result, he did not have a happy life or a happy ending. God says that the end of an upright man’s life is peace, but Samson’s end was not peace. Read on and see.

Samson saw a pretty girl named Delilah and decided to marry her. But she was not happy, because she wanted to know the secret of his great strength, and he did not want to tell her.

Hoping to satisfy Delilah’s question about his great strength, he told her lies. But she tested each lie and found each one was not the truth. Her friends promised her lots of money if she would find out the secret to his great strength and tell them. But listen . . . what is having a lot of money or being in first place or anything else, compared with the knowledge of the true and living God? Do you know Him? He is the God who made the world and who sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. Do you want to know Him? Or would you rather have lots of money?

Delilah wanted that money. And Samson, who was a true believer, wanted to please her. Are you a true believer too? Is your first choice to please the God who loves you so much? If your first choice is anything lower than that, you will find pain and sorrow, as Samson did. God loves you too much to let you have your own way.

Samson finally told Delilah the truth - that if his long hair was cut, he would be like other men. Do you want to be like other people, working for the same goals as the world does? It is a long way down for a believer to live for the same goals as the world.

Delilah’s friends sneaked in and cut his hair. God is still with me, thought Samson, but he was wrong. His great strength was gone! They blinded him, put him in prison, and gave him the job of turning the millstone to grind grain all day long. This work was for donkeys, but they thought it was good enough for their prisoner, and all the shouting and victory was given to their false god Dagon.

Samson was in prison a long time, and his hair began to grow again. His enemies seemed to forget that the source of his strength had been in his long hair, but God did not forget. God knows where every one of His dear children is right now, and He is working to give you better than you ask or think.

Those people planned a big party for Dagon their god, and everybody crowded into the temple for the celebration. Nobody wanted to miss the fun. The temple was a big place with an amazing roof, which was supported by two huge pillars. The best view was on the ground floor, but people on the roof could see and share in the fun too. When everyone was celebrating, blind Samson was led in by a young boy and placed between the two pillars so that everyone could see his badly scarred face and ragged hair. We can imagine the cheers and laughing because their big enemy was defeated.

Was he? Yes, but God was not defeated, and His Word shall stand forever.

Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, Let me feel the pillars so that I can lean on them. And then Samson prayed to the God in whom his heart truly believed, O Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may have revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.

Let me die with the Philistines! he said, and then he pushed with all his might! The two great pillars collapsed and the temple fell on all the people! The laughing was changed to screaming . . . and then the silence of death. The world’s fun doesn’t last.

God had seen that precious bit of true faith underneath Samson’s pride, and God valued it and included Samson’s name in Hebrews 11 - the faith chapter. But it was a terribly sad ending for Samson.

If you are a true believer, God wants you to live by faith every day. “Faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). This will lead to a happy life and a happy ending.

You may read this story in Judges chapter 16.

ML-07/01/2007

Two Million Thirsty People with Bitter Water

Have you had a good drink today? No matter what you like best to drink, the main part of it is water. There are dozens of ways to get the water our bodies need, and everyone needs it every day, no matter where you live. Even thousands of years ago, everybody needed water to drink every day.

What is all this water made of? Maybe it’s a surprise to you to learn that it’s made of hydrogen and oxygen, and neither of these is wet to begin with. Hydrogen is a gas that makes balloons go up, and oxygen is a gas that comes from green plants in sunshine. Who ever thought of putting those two together and making clear, wet stuff for us to drink? God did! And you can’t live long without it!

There were about two million people walking across the desert, more than three thousand years ago. They were gloriously happy and free, because God had just brought them through the Red Sea on dry land and had drowned all their enemies when they tried to follow them! They felt as if all their troubles were past, and now the day was a good day.

As they walked, they got very thirsty, but there was nothing to drink that first day, and that made them not quite so happy. There was no water on the second day either. Finally on the third day they saw water sparkling in the distance. Water at last! Stoop down and drink!

Oh, but it was horrible stuff . . . bitter! We can’t drink this water! And then they got angry. Whose idea was it to bring us here? Moses, it’s your fault! What are we going to drink?

I think each of us can understand their unhappiness at this point. Have you wanted something, like right now, and what you found was no good? If you looked around, you could probably find somebody to blame. And you could scowl and make a big fuss about it, and maybe you could find others who shared the disappointment with you.

Does God care about your problem? Oh yes! Remember, He sent His only Son to die for you. Is there any greater proof of His love than this? Tell Him your problem, and let His perfect wisdom, not yours, give you the answer.

Those two million people had a real setback, but they went to the wrong person about it. They should have told God their problem. Remember, He is the God who made hydrogen and oxygen when He created the world, and it was God who put them together to make water for us.

Moses cried to God, and the answer was not what anyone would have expected . . . God showed him a tree! Now how could a tree solve the problem of the undrinkable water?

Are you remembering that God has also shown you and me a tree — the only way to solve our sin problem? The Lord Jesus was nailed to a tree made into the shape of a cross. God has shown us that the wonderful Saviour who died on that cross has taken the sins of every believer on Himself, and those sins are gone forever!

Moses cast that tree into the water of Marah, and the water was made sweet! How wonderful for all of those terribly thirsty travelers. Where did the bitterness go? That is God’s secret. It is enough for us to know that God knows how to deal with every problem, and He loves and cares.

The story does not end there. God has better secrets than you ever thought of asking for. The next place they came to was Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. His blessings are for those who trust Him and wait patiently for Him.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

You may read this story for yourself in Exodus 15:22-27.

ML-09/02/2007

Paul Heals a Crippled Man

He had been crippled his whole life. When other boys could run and kick balls or jump over puddles, he could only watch them. I’m not sure that anybody cared very much about this cripple living in the city of Lystra, but God cared, and God cares about you too.

That crippled boy was a man now. His sandals never wore out, because he never walked on them. I’m sure he had sadness in his heart, but there was something else in his heart too. Maybe your heart is sad or maybe it’s full of fun. But do you have this other secret in your heart too? You’re probably asking, “What is the secret?”

The crippled man had something God values, and that something was “faith.” He didn’t wonder and hope that maybe God could heal him. He KNEW that God could heal him. Faith always knows, and faith was the secret in his heart.

If you have faith, you are not wondering if maybe God can save you and take your sins away and make you one of His very own children. You KNOW you can trust His promise; He has written it in the Bible for us to read and believe: “He that [believes] on Me [has] everlasting life” (John 6:47). Faith always knows, and faith in the Lord Jesus will not only save your soul, it will change your life!

The crippled man heard Paul speak. What do you do when someone is speaking the Word of God? Do you listen? Do you want to hear more? This man did, and this is what he heard: “Stand upright on thy feet” (Acts 14:10). And for the first time in his whole life, that’s exactly what he did —he stood up on his feet! And not only that, but he leaped and walked!

The crowd of people saw what Paul had done, but they really missed seeing what God had done. Paul’s words were good words, but the power of God was behind those words, and they missed that part.

Bible words are always good words, and maybe you can repeat some from memory, but do you know that the power of God is in those words? And do you know those words are for you? The crippled man knew the power of God was in Paul’s words, but the crowd didn’t know that.

The crowd got all excited about this man’s wonderful healing, and they said, The gods have come down to earth in the likeness of men! They are Jupiter and Mercury! Then the religious priests brought garlands of flowers and oxen to sacrifice to Paul and his friend Barnabas.

Oh, no, no, no! The crowd had it all wrong! There was no faith in their hearts. Paul and Barnabas ran in among the people, crying, We are only men, just like you! Turn to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea!

Perhaps in your heart you still believe what others tell you or what you can see. But it is the living God who fills our hearts with truth and gladness. Faith says, “Yes, I know,” even if the crowd does not agree.

Some people came from Antioch and talked the crowd into turning against Paul, and the crowd listened to them. Then they picked up big stones and hurled them at him from all sides, until he fell down unconscious. He’s dead, they said, and they dragged him outside the city. But his friends stood around him, and soon he revived, got up and went back into the city. The next day he was off to preach the same good news in another city.

You would expect that Paul would never go back to Lystra, but he did! There were people there who had believed his message, and he came back to encourage and help them. He told them to continue in the faith. Yes, they would have troubles, but it was worth it all.

We are telling you the same message today. Trust Jesus Himself, read His Word, and don’t be surprised if you have troubles. The living God is the One who cares about you. Jesus has gone to heaven, and He has prepared the place for you. Here is His promise: “I will come again, and receive you unto Myself ” (John 14:3).

You may read this story for yourself in Acts 14:8-22.

ML-09/30/2007

"Cheer Up": Paul in Prison

Has anybody ever said to you, “Cheer up” or “Have a good day”? Does it seem to help? Sometimes we are really, really sad, and we can’t cheer up unless someone takes away the problem, but who could do that?

Paul certainly had a problem. He was in prison and it was totally unfair. Those of his own nationality hated his message and were angry enough to kill him right on the castle steps! Paul stated that he was a Roman by birth, and that saved his life . . . but not his freedom.

The governor did not understand what the uproar was all about or why the people were so angry and ready to pull Paul apart to pieces, so he ordered the guards to bring Paul inside the castle. And there he was, imprisoned and awaiting trial. What would happen next?

Paul may have been sitting with his head in his hands. He wanted to be a true witness for Jesus, but now he was in prison. Had he failed? Was he like a defeated soldier? How does our Lord Jesus treat His defeated soldiers?

Jesus knew all about that lonely man in prison, and He knows all about you too. He knows your problems, big or little. Maybe it was your mistake that landed you where you are, or maybe it wasn’t your fault at all. This is the very moment when you need Jesus.

The next night Jesus stood by Paul and said, Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, you will also testify of Me at Rome. Those were good words, and notice that it was Jesus Himself who came to Paul. He can come to you too, through the book He has written — the Bible.

Morning came and about forty angry men got together and made a plan to kill Paul. We won’t eat or drink until we have killed him, they vowed. That was their secret plan, but who can keep secrets from God? Somehow Paul’s nephew heard of the plan, and he was permitted to go talk to his Uncle Paul in prison.

After hearing his nephew’s message, Paul called the officer and said, Take this young man to the chief captain . . . he has something to tell him. Then the chief captain took the young man by the hand off to a private place and asked, What do you have to tell me?

Paul’s nephew said, The Jews have a plan. They are going to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ask him more questions. But there are more than forty of them waiting for the chance to kill him by surprise. They have sworn not to eat or drink until they have killed him, and they are all ready and waiting for a promise from you.

Forty, thought the chief captain. I’ll command four hundred and seventy soldiers to escort him to the governor at Caesarea before morning!

And that’s just what happened. All those soldiers with their horses and spears left while it was still dark to guard one prisoner on one short journey. We don’t know what happened to the forty furious men, whether they broke their vow or whether they starved to death. But one thing is sure —they didn’t kill Paul!

Who won? God won, and He always does. Jesus Himself had promised Paul that he would be sent to Rome, and that’s where he was sent! It is wonderful to have a God like that; no one can break His promises!

Satan has lots more than forty reasons why you and I should spend eternity in hell. He knows all about God’s promises too, and he wants you to shut your ears to the message of the gospel. But Satan is a liar; his promises are not true.

It is God who will stand by you tonight and say, “Be of good cheer.” He does not just forget about your sins and start you on the road to happiness. Many of us can say, “It was Jesus Himself who took my sins on Himself in the darkness on the cross.” It is God Himself who says, “Whosoever [believes] in Him [shall] not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And not all the power of men and devils can break that promise!

However, God has not promised you an easy life. He did not promise Paul that he would be released from prison, but He did promise Paul that he would “bear witness” of Him, and that’s what every Christian should want to do. The end of the Christian’s life is heaven with Jesus.

Would you like to end up in heaven with Jesus? He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man [comes] unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

You may read this story for yourself in Acts 23.

ML-10/28/2007

The Centurion's Problem

The centurion was an important man in the Roman army. He had one hundred men under him, and every one of them must take orders from him. They had to do exactly as they were told, no matter if it was hard or easy. What the centurion said must be done at once! He understood military obedience, for he was under authority too.

The centurion had a problem. He had a servant at home who was very dear to him, but something had happened and now he was paralyzed. The servant was really miserable, and there was no hope of a cure. Emergency help was the only answer, but they didn’t have the kind of medical help that you and I have available today. What could the centurion do for his servant?

There is one Power that does not change with research or centuries. That one Power is the same One who created the world and who will finally burn up the whole world. Isn’t it wonderful that that very same Power is for us and not against us! “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). That same God who holds our breath in His hand is the same God who sent His only beloved Son into the world that we might live through Him.

The centurion knew that Jesus the Son of God was in Capernaum not far away, and he came to Jesus and told Him his problem.

I will come and heal your servant, said Jesus.

When Jesus was here on earth, anyone could have asked for healing and received it. Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. But this centurion was a man of faith, not just in the healing itself, but faith in Jesus, the Son of God — the One who had all power.

Faith does not trust in people or in things; faith trusts in the one Person — Jesus, the Saviour of sinners. If you have real faith in Him, you can tell Him your problem, and He can hear you just as well as if He were standing beside you.

The centurion said to Jesus, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof. Just speak a word and my servant will be healed. A word from Jesus was enough for him. We don’t have Jesus on earth with us today, but we have His Word — the Word of God — the Bible. Is it enough for you? His Word tells us that He is truly the only One who can save you. “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). Will you trust Him?

I am a man under authority, said the centurion. I command and my soldiers obey. You see, he knew that Jesus was under God’s authority, and so His commands must be obeyed. And like the centurion, you can come to Jesus right now and receive from Him His great gift of forgiveness of sins. He can give this to you because He paid the price Himself. Will you come?

Jesus turned to those who were following Him and told them how He was amazed at the centurion’s faith. The crowds who saw what Jesus could do did not have faith like that. Even if they shared the excitement of being healed, they might still be in their sins and on their way to hell. The centurion was a Roman and from a different religion, but it was in Jesus Himself and His word that he trusted now. Be sure above all things that it is the Lord Jesus and His Word that you are trusting and not in your religion or your country.

Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way. As you have believed, so let it be done for you. And the centurion’s servant was healed at that very moment.

That was no surprise, was it? Jesus always answers those who trust Him and His Word. It may surprise other people, but it will not surprise you . . . it will fill you with joy.

You may read this story for yourself in Matthew 8:5-13.

ML-11/18/2007

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

When Jesus was here on earth, there was a man who was completely deaf. He not only couldn’t hear any sound at all, but he also had a tongue problem and could not speak clearly. But he had some friends who really wanted to help him, and they brought him to Jesus and begged Jesus to heal the man.

Jesus knows that no two of us are alike and that our needs are not all the same. Jesus took the deaf man by the hand and led him away from the crowd, and looking up to heaven, He groaned. Why would Jesus groan? After all, He had all power to heal — He was the Son of God. We need to remember that our Jesus is a real Saviour. He knows all about you, and He feels and cares about all those problems in your life that you can’t tell to anybody. He loves you so much that He doesn’t save you as if He pressed a button for your salvation. And He loved the deaf man so much that He groaned because of the man’s awful condition. Then Jesus said, “Be opened,” and immediately the deaf man’s ears were healed and he could hear, and his tongue was healed and he could speak clearly!

Jesus told the healed man and his friends, Don’t talk about this to anyone. Perhaps Jesus wanted the man’s good hearing and clear speaking to show itself to the people. They couldn’t miss seeing how real his healing was.

You may read this story for yourself in Mark 7:31-37.

ML-12/23/2007

The Wild 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-09/16/2007

Holding Back the Sea

As Peter walked along the dike,

He heard a dreaded sound . . .

The trickle of leaking water,

That caused his heart to pound!

He hurried down the dike’s steep side

And did not hesitate

To use his arm to fill the hole

Before it was too late.

The darkness settled around him;

All night alone he stayed,

Holding back the angry sea,

That his country might be saved.

When no one else could save us,

Nor hold back dark judgment’s tide,

The Son of God stepped in between

When He was crucified.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“He saved others” (Matthew 27:42).

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned” (John 3:18).

ML-07/22/2007

Ten Little Candles

Ten little candles, Jesus bade them shine,

Selfishness snuffed one right out, then there were nine.

Nine little candles, one without a mate,

Bad companions came along, then there were eight.

Eight little candles, doing work for heaven,

Laziness came over one, then there were seven.

Seven little candles, every one alive,

Two got tired of trying hard, then there were five.

Five little candles, once there were far more,

One forgot to read God’s Word, then there were four.

Four little candles, bright as bright could be,

One didn’t have the time, then there were three.

Three little candles: Was one of them you?

One gave up Sunday school, then there were two.

Two little candles, tale is almost done,

“I’m too small, no use,” sighed one, then there was one.

One little candle, left all alone, kept on burning by itself;

Oh, how bright it shone.

Brave and steady burned its light, till the other nine,

Fired by its example, once again began to shine.

ML-02/18/2007

Lovers of the Snow

“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

Most everyone likes the beauty of snow and the way it covers unpleasant spots. Children like to play in it, and older ones on toboggans or skis also enjoy it. Snow-capped hills and mountains are beautiful subjects for photographs. Then, too, deep deposits of snow on mountain peaks and slopes are a wonderful provision of the Creator to replenish fresh water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs during hot summer months.

Most people prefer not to stay outdoors during snowstorms, but there are creatures for whom the Lord God has given snow a special importance. Polar bears in their white coats are well camouflaged on snow and ice and can sneak up on unsuspecting prey without being seen. The same is true of white foxes in the Arctic areas.

In some places where snow becomes very deep, activities go on beneath the surface that are never seen from above. Field mice, ground squirrels, porcupines and even some birds make tunnels along the ground leading to their feeding areas. They can do this without the threat of being caught by their enemies. Working in groups several feet below the surface, they sometimes press down the bottom layer of snow, making a cozy place for warmth and safety.

Then there are animals and birds of various sizes for which the Creator has provided white coats in winter. If they become aware of an enemy nearby, they lie down or curl up in the snow and are never seen. Weasels and Arctic hares are examples of this. Even big snowy owls have been given white feathers for winter. The wide-winged, pure-white snowy petrel, a sea bird of Antarctica, also benefits from its coloring.

Other birds and animals are temporarily provided with special feathers or fur on their feet for winter. These feathers or fur act like snowshoes so they can easily travel over the snow’s surface. Fur and feathers of other creatures do not change in color, but they are given extra-warm winter coats. Ruffed grouse, threatened by an enemy, will plunge into a snowbank and, completely hidden, remain there until danger is past.

Other animals benefitting from snow are deer, elk and moose. Deep, crusty snow enables them to reach higher for tasty tree branches that they could not reach in summer.

In the sight of God, our sins stand out as bright as scarlet, but He invites us to become white as snow in His sight, by admitting that we are sinners and accepting the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. When we do this, we become His children and are assured of a home in heaven. The Bible tells us to do this now! “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

ML-01/07/2007

A Strange Habit

The European cuckoo bird has a strange habit. When the mother bird is ready to lay her eggs, she doesn’t build a nest for them. Instead, she flies to the nest of another bird who is off hunting for food and lays one egg in that nest. Then she finds another nest where the mother bird is gone for a few moments and lays another egg in that nest. She does this until her whole clutch of cuckoo eggs has been laid so each one is in a different nest.

When the other mother birds return to their nests, they don’t seem to notice that they have a strange egg in their nests. They treat it just like one of their own, keeping it warm and protecting it. But when the eggs all finally hatch, the baby cuckoo bird is larger than the other baby birds in the nest. And this cuckoo baby gobbles up far more than its share of the bugs and worms that the mother bird brings to her nest for the babies. The baby cuckoo bird grows big and strong, while the other baby birds in the nest become weak and sickly and many times even die.

Now I’m wondering if those of us who are Christians might have a “baby cuckoo bird in our nests”? Are we allowing anything in our lives to gobble up the time and energy we should be using to read God’s Word, the Bible, and spend time in prayer? If so, we won’t grow strong and healthy in ways that the Lord Jesus wants for us.

This is a good verse to remember to help us get rid of the “baby cuckoo birds” in our lives. “Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion [power] over me” (Psalm 119:133).

ML-01/07/2007

The Round-Tailed Ground Squirrel

“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

2 Chronicles 16:9

There are over eighty varieties of squirrels throughout the world, and most live in trees. But today we will look at one that lives on the ground -the round-tailed ground squirrel.

These are quiet little animals that live in the hot, dry deserts where few other animals can survive. Unlike their bushy-tailed cousins, they are plain looking with long, round tails. Their light-brown fur is soft and smooth and kept clean by frequent licking.

As the Lord God has done for all His creatures, the ground squirrels are well-matched for their surroundings. Their legs are long with feet that have sharp, tough claws. Special hairy soles on their feet help them move over loose sand. Equipped like this, their front feet can rapidly dig tunnels a foot deep, with their back feet kicking out the sand that accumulates.

When a hawk, coyote, fox or snake appears, our little friend scurries into the nearest available hole, even if it belongs to another animal. As it scurries, it lets out sharp squeals, and the whole colony takes shelter.

The young, sometimes a dozen, are born in March or April. Growing rapidly, they soon leave the underground nest to live their own life in the desert.

At the start of winter, this fat, plump squirrel hibernates in its underground home, curling into a ball with its tail curled over its body. If you could see one, you might think it was dead. But this winter sleep of several months, without needing food or water, is the Creator’s way of protecting it when it would otherwise die from the cold and lack of food. In the spring they awaken and soon pop up from their burrows. Now thin and hungry, their main interest is finding food, and they soon fatten up on new plant growth. In fact, they often eat so much that they can barely get back into their burrows.

The Bible tells us we can learn from the animals (see Job 12:7). The lesson we can learn from this squirrel is to get away quickly from danger and into a hiding place. King David said, “Thou [the Lord] art my hiding place” (Psalm 32:7). Yes, He is a secure place of safety from the attacks of Satan, who wants to lead us into danger and trouble by tempting us with things that are not pleasing to God. The wise instruction of the Bible is, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:1415).

The only way we can do this is by knowing the Lord Jesus as our Saviour and looking to Him for help. Is He your hiding place?

ML-01/14/2007

Kestrels and Peregrines: Part 1

“God created . . . every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:21

Kestrels and peregrines are closely related birds of prey; both are falcons and members of the hawk family. The kestrel is often called a sparrow hawk and the peregrine a duck hawk. Today we’ll consider the kestrel, and we’ll look at the peregrine in the next issue.

The kestrel is a pretty bird with a cap of bluish gray, brown and rust colors on its white head and an outstanding display of rust, bluish-gray, black and spotted-white feathers over the rest of its body and wings. It builds its nest in a tree, on the side of a high cliff or even on a ledge of a tall building.

Kestrels make their homes in just about every part of the United States, Mexico and in southern Canada. Where winters are cold, they migrate south in the fall, but in the southern states they remain year-round.

Like all hawks, their food is mainly small animals, such as mice, moles, rats and also fish. They also dispose of many insects, like caterpillars and dragonflies. Being the size of a blue jay, they don’t attack even the smallest birds in the air, for they are not swift enough to catch them. However, if they see one of the smaller birds, like a sparrow or chickadee, hopping or resting on the ground, they will fly silently over it and then drop down and capture it. People are not happy to see them catch birds but are glad when they catch mice, rats and insects.

Kestrels spend much of the daylight hours hovering over open fields or perching on posts or electrical wires near open fields. Their sharp eyes are alert for prey to eat on the spot or to take to a mate or to young birds in the nest. They have a peculiar habit which will help you identify them. When perched on a post, they often pump their tails up and down, as though impatient to spot prey to catch. They also have an unusual call; it sounds like they are repeating, “klee-klee-klee.”

The mother bird lays about five eggs in springtime, and the young hatch in about four weeks. A month later they are ready to fly and are soon on their own.

Kestrels are part of God’s creation, and He has much delight in them. But their lives are for this world only, compared with humans who have a never-dying soul. God gives us a special invitation: “[Let] the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Are you aware of God’s love for you? Do you know His Son, the Lord Jesus, who loves you so very much that He died for you?

(to be continued)

ML-01/21/2007

Kestrels and Peregrines: Part 2

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”
Psalm 50:11

In our last paper we looked at kestrels, and now we will look at their close relative, the peregrine falcon. You may recall that both groups are members of the hawk family and live in the same areas throughout the world, including the United States and Mexico and parts of Canada. Their nesting habits are similar-sometimes in the hole of a tree trunk, on the ledge of a rocky canyon or even on a high ledge on the side of a tall building.

Male peregrines are mostly mottled brown and tan over their bodies and legs, with darker brown on their wings and tops of their heads. Females have lighter grayish feathers over their backs and heads, contrasting with soft white throats and chests.

Compared with the blue jay-sized kestrel, peregrines are about the size of a big crow. One look at their hooked beaks and long, sharp talons would convince you they can be very tough enemies to rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels and other land animals, as well as birds as big as sea gulls.

“Peregrine” means “traveling or wandering.” They will at times fly hundreds of miles searching for a meal. While kestrels don’t have enough speed to catch other birds in the air, peregrines can overtake many birds. They fly as high as one thousand feet, their sharp eyes all the while searching far below for prey.

These birds could not do all this remarkable hunting if the Creator had not provided them with eyes like telescopes. They can spot a squirrel on the ground a thousand feet below or see a flying bird a great distance off and soon overtake it. Sometimes when mates are flying together and the male captures a bird, the female will fly upside down below him and let him drop the captive into her open claws to take to the nest for their young. At other times, flying alone and capturing a bird at a time when he’s not hungry, the peregrine will kill it in the air and then drop it to the ground. When he comes back later to pick it up, he might catch a rat or other animal nibbling on it.

Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. After that many animals and birds, such as these hawks, became meat eaters for the first time. But another time is soon coming when everything will be happy and at peace again.

Before that takes place, those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will be with Him in heaven and will happily look down on a renewed world that will then be in perfect peace. Will you be one of those looking down from heaven on that happy sight? You can be.

ML-01/28/2007

An Exciting Sight

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1

Watching a shooting star streak toward the earth is exciting. Actually there are thousands heading our way most of the time, but they are only visible at night.

Shooting stars are more correctly known as meteors. They begin usually as broken or burned-off particles of comets streaming through space. Countless numbers of them eventually group together in what is called a meteoroid swarm, and when their orbits through space bring them near the earth, some are pulled away from the group by the earth’s gravity. Although invisible until they enter our atmosphere, the friction of passing through air causes them to burn at white heat. This becomes a streak of fire in the sky for just a brief moment. Most break and burn up completely before reaching the ground.

There are regular periods of these displays, usually occurring from midnight to six o’clock in the morning. Late July is one period, as well as early August, late October and early January. Of course it’s necessary to be away from bright lights to see them really well. And it’s no use looking for them on a cloudy, rainy or foggy night, or even when a full moon is high in the sky.

It is estimated that thousands of tons of meteors enter the earth’s atmosphere every year, and in just one of these displays there may be 200,000 or more visible in a six-hour period. It is not unusual to see as many as 150 in an hour.

Larger ones, weighing five pounds or more, produce a much brighter display than the smaller ones. Some of these do land on the earth without completely burning up. These are called meteorites. They rarely result in any damage, as most land in ocean waters, deserts, forests or mountains. Many museums have some on exhibit which were found by hikers.

In a few instances, some have been found that weighed several tons. Near Winslow, Arizona, a historic spot named Meteor Crater is where one of these landed long before America was discovered. The meteor itself is apparently buried deep in the ground but has left behind a huge crater that is well worth seeing.

Many things call our attention to the wonderful creation of the Lord God - so many we can never know them all. But perhaps in heaven He will unveil them, one by one, to those who will be there with Him.

Astronomers admit they don’t have any idea how many stars there are, but the Bible tells us the Lord “[counts] the number of the stars; He [calls] them all by their names” (Psalm 147:4). He has told those who love Him that He is their “Bright and Morning Star” who will soon be coming for them. Will you be one He comes for?

ML-02/04/2007

Coypu - A Problem

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.”
Isaiah 55:8

The coypu is a large rodent that looks similar to a beaver. It has webbed, hind feet, is about three feet long, including its tail, and weighs about twenty pounds.

These animals originally lived only in South America. However, in years past they were introduced into Europe and North America where they have been raised for their valuable fur, which is called nutria, their original name. For several reasons some of them were brought to the swamplands of Louisiana over a hundred years ago and set free, and they have become a serious problem there as the years have gone by.

One of the reasons they were brought to Louisiana was the demand for their beautiful fur. Also, it was hoped that they would destroy troublesome plants that were taking over the Louisiana swamps. Although coypu occasionally eat a snail or small fish, they eat mostly vegetation which they devour while swimming or wading in the shallow swamps. But the people who brought them to Louisiana failed to experiment with the coypu before bringing them to Louisiana, and the result was that they didn’t do what was expected of them.

The lively animals soon discovered that just a short distance from their new homes were rice and sugarcane crops, which they really liked. Farmers naturally complained loudly about the damage they did.

Actually, if they would just leave the rice and sugarcane alone, the wild, tangled vegetation in the swamps not only supplies ample food for them, but also helps hide them from alligators and eagles. Also, the young can be raised in burrows dug into the soft swamp banks where a mother may have eight or nine babies a year. They are born with a full coat of fur, with their eyes open and quite capable of promptly taking care of themselves.

The biggest problem with these water-loving animals is trying to control their ever-increasing numbers. An estimate is that there are more than twenty million. When fur sales used to be good, that kept their numbers in fairly good control. But as people are now buying fewer fur coats, there is a serious question whether the increasing number of these animals will become a problem too great to handle.

This reminds us that often the plans of men and women and boys and girls don’t work out, just as the coypu plans didn’t work out. This is usually because we think our ideas are good and fail to pray to the Lord for His guidance. The very middle verse of the Bible (Psalm 118:8) says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Have you put your trust in the Lord and do you turn to Him for guidance?

ML-02/11/2007

Some Unusual Frogs

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”
Psalm 111:2

There are thousands of kinds of frogs. The tiniest one, a tree-dweller, is less than half an inch long. The largest frog in the world is the giant frog of Queensland, Australia, which is almost twelve inches long. It is so huge that it can swallow a rat! The largest frog in North America is the bull frog, which is more than six inches long. It can stay underwater a long time by absorbing oxygen from the water through its skin.

Tree frogs have suction cups on their toes which are moistened with a sticky substance. One kind of tree frog in the tropics is so well camouflaged that it is almost impossible to distinguish it from the leaves. It lives in the tops of tall trees and never comes to the ground. These frogs are clever builders; they cement leaves together to collect pools of rainwater in which they lay their eggs.

The four-inch, green Bornean flying frog has skin between its toes that stretches out, enabling it to make long, parachute-like leaps.

Most frogs dig with their front feet, but the European spadefoot digs with specially designed back feet. If in danger, it will quickly disappear backwards into a hole it has dug.

The female pouched tree frog has pouches on her back. She lays about a dozen eggs at a time. The male picks up these eggs with his hind feet and places them in these pouches, where they remain until they hatch as tadpoles.

In another species, the male takes on the responsibility of hatching the eggs. As the eggs are laid by the female, he swallows them. The eggs pass into a special pouch in his throat. They incubate there until they hatch and swim out of the father’s mouth.

The male midwife frog takes care of eggs in another way. He takes the eggs from the female, wraps them around his hind legs, then scoops a hole in the mud where he waits while they incubate. After a few weeks, he jumps into the water with the eggs still wrapped around his legs. The force of the water breaks open the eggs, and the tadpoles swim out.

The Lord was pleased to create such an interesting variety of frogs, and we know He takes care of them day by day. But for men, women, boys and girls who know Him as their Saviour, His care is even greater. It was shown in the great love that led Him to die on Calvary to save them from their sins. He tells them, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8).

Have you put your trust in Him? and do you now ask Him to be your guide through life?

ML-02/18/2007

A Spectacular Beauty

“Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.”
Romans 11:36

There are over forty species of birds called quetzals in the tropical parts of the world. The one named mocinno trogon is probably the most beautiful of all. It lives in Mexico and Central America and is the national bird of Guatemala. Here are some interesting facts about this beautiful bird.

Its short body is only about a foot long, but the long tail feathers form a train about three feet long. Head, chest, back and tail feathers are all beautiful emerald green, and the under parts of its body are bright red. The only additional colors are the few white feathers in the tail, a soft-yellow, short, pointed beak, and maroon legs and toes. Seeing one perched on the limb of a tree is quite a display, but seeing one flying or gliding under the trees is a really beautiful sight!

This bird’s food includes insects, which they dart out to catch in the air, and also spiders, berries and fruit, including a small, wild avocado that it devours whole. When its normal food is hard to find, it may substitute small lizards, snails and frogs.

The male puts on a spectacular show when trying to interest a female. He repeatedly flies straight up in the air as much as 150 feet and then swoops gracefully down to display his gorgeous colors.

Nests are usually high in the trunk of a dead tree. Both birds peck out a hole with their sharp beaks and claws. They take turns incubating from two to four bright-blue eggs for two to three weeks. Chicks are born without down or feathers and are totally helpless. Until they grow enough feathers to fly and can hunt for themselves, both parents feed them with predigested food held in their wide-open beaks. The baby birds greedily peck it out.

Sadly, these lovely birds are facing many problems. Besides natural enemies, which include the weasel-like tayra, monkeys and snakes, hunters often kill them for their feathers. But the worst hazard is the fact that loggers have cut down the forests where they live. However, a few national parks have been established for them and other wildlife, and this should protect many of them.

These spectacular birds are certainly one of the wonders of God’s creation and remind us that “He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:37). This includes a Bible promise to those who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour: “It shall be well with them that fear God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12).

He does care for the quetzals out in the tropical forests, but those people who love Him know much more of His love and care over them every moment of their lives. Are you aware of His care?

ML-02/25/2007

Snails With Mobile Homes: Part 1

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things.”
Revelation 4:11

Snails with shells are part of the mollusk family and are related to clams, oysters and mussels. They can be divided into three groups, according to where they live: on land, in freshwater or in saltwater. There are more than eighty thousand kinds, with some as small as a pinhead and others growing to two feet long. They may live from two to twenty years. All have spiral-shaped, hollow shells to which they are attached, although they can extend most of their bodies outside of their shells when hunting for food or moving about.

Most of us are familiar with snails found in gardens. During the night they climb on plant stems and eat leaves and blossoms but hide in daylight. Their brown or blackish round shells provide camouflage against birds or small animals that like to eat them. Many other kinds have rather pretty shells and unusual ways of life.

One of the largest land snails is named giant shell, living in east Africa. It grows more than eight inches long and lays eggs as large as those of some small birds.

Among the saltwater snails are two found in the kelp areas off California shores. One is called calliostoma annulatum and the other calliostoma ligatus. Food for these includes parts of kelp plants and small water insects. Sometimes they’ll even attack a jellyfish.

The calcium in ocean water gives unusual strength to the shells of these and others living in the ocean. Most of the snail shells, when fully grown, look amazingly like long ice cream cones. Their shells’ spirals form a small point at one end and increase in diameter and length to the large white opening at the other end. Many are a pretty light tan, streaked with white and are solid white at the front.

The lignus tree snail, that lives in trees growing near water spots in Florida, is one of the interesting land varieties. These have an extra-long body that stretches out full-length beyond its shell (to which it remains attached) when climbing a tree trunk as it searches for a meal of insects and tender foliage. Its cone-shaped, white shell has gray and blue bands.

The opening Bible verse tells of the Creator’s pleasure in all the things He created and now watches over. After every other living thing was created, then He placed mankind into a world complete and ready for us. He has since shown His great love in giving His life on Calvary’s cross to pay for all the sins of every boy or girl, man or woman, who will confess that they are sinners and put their trust in Him. Have you done this?

(to be continued)

ML-03/04/2007

Snails With Mobile Homes: Part 2

“God made . . . everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind.”
Genesis 1:25

Last week we considered some of the unusual and pretty snails in various parts of the world. Here are a few more.

Let’s look at some that make their homes in Idaho on the shores of the famous Snake River and other streams. These include the Bruneau Hot Springs variety, the Idaho Spring snail, the Bliss Rapids snail and several others. All of them have pretty shells, but unfortunately, a related one, the mud snail, is gradually taking over the limited food supply along most of these streams. Biologists are afraid it may eventually be the only survivor.

Another serious problem is that harmful liquids are being dumped into these waters, and many snails die because of this. Also, many cows and horses graze on the banks of these streams, eating the brush that shaded the snails, and they cannot survive very long in the direct sunshine that results.

People are becoming alarmed by what is happening to these snails and the beautiful streams. They are aware that the change is not only harmful to snails, but to fish, animals and birds, as well as the people themselves. Let’s hope something will be done to keep the waters clean and help our friends the snails and other things, before it is too late.

The little agate snails of Hawaii are considered to be the most beautiful snails on earth. A typical variety has a many-colored shell, deep black over most of the center, behind a pure white disk around the open end and a tapered brown, white and tan pointed end. Another variety in that family has a shell totally green in the front half and followed by tannish-brown sections, out to a pearl-white point at the back.

Still another Hawaiian beauty is the Oahu tree snail. The pointed end of its shell is white, ringed with a pink band and followed by a deep brown section, then a narrow black portion, separated from the front and back by narrow white and pink rings, with the remaining front portion all black.

In New Zealand there is a species referred to as the giant land snail, which has a shell different from the others. It is flat, about an inch wide and spirals around its side to the front opening. Some of this group are agate-colored and others a variety of brown with a dark raised top center. It emerges from this pretty home by an opening on the side, rather than the front or bottom as most others do.

If you find snails interesting, go to your library and you will find this branch of God’s creation is very interesting to study. How amazing to think that God has provided eighty thousand different kinds of just lowly snails. He designed each one in His own wisdom. Let’s thank Him that we have such interesting creatures to enjoy.

ML-03/11/2007

Kangaroo Rats

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:9

Kangaroo rats are fascinating little animals with long, rather flat tails and hind legs about three times the length of their front legs. They are not at all like the rats many of us are familiar with; these are really cute and interesting to watch as they leap about in desert places.

There are about fifty varieties of them, mostly in the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. They are well-named, for they look like miniature kangaroos as they hop about on their long, powerful hind legs, with their long tails trailing behind them.

Large ears are almost flat against their heads and large eyes are prominent on their sloping heads. They have long, black whiskers on either side of their noses. Most are about ten inches long, plus a fur-covered long tail. The tops of their bodies are provided with dark fur to camouflage them from birds of prey, such as hawks, falcons, ravens, owls and vultures, which are always trying to capture and eat them. In contrast to the dark top fur, the undersides of their bodies, legs and tails are white. Perhaps this is the Creator’s way of protecting them from snakes that are crawling over the light-colored desert sands.

One species has a pretty, reddish-tan coloring with a few white stripes. This gives them good protection from the eyes of their enemies, as they gather their food in grassy areas and carry seeds and plant material in their cheek pouches into their burrows. Others have different colorings as well, but all blend with their surroundings, which are mostly hot, open, sandy deserts.

One of these, known as the hammertain, spends its life in hot desert areas and has been provided by the Creator with a digestive system that does not need a drink of water. It uses the water that is produced when food inside it combines with the oxygen it breathes. On days when the heat is too uncomfortable and it wants to get cool, it crawls backwards into its burrow and pulls a pile of sandy soil over the entrance, leaving itself temporarily in total darkness, but at least much cooler than outside.

Kangaroo rats come out at night when it is cooler to search for food. They can see well in the dark with their large eyes.

Do you think the Lord Jesus cares about these little creatures living in such hot places? He surely does, as the Bible verse at the beginning of this article assures us. Here is another verse that tells us how He cares for them: “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their [food] in due season. . . . Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good” (Psalm 104:27-28).

ML-03/18/2007

Likable Sables

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
Genesis 3:21

Although a member of the weasel family, sables look very similar to pine martens, both being about the same size. They have cute, small, pointed faces, with sharp little button noses, dark eyes and large pointed ears, usually held upright.

A typical full-grown sable will be about twenty inches long, including its five-inch-long, bushy tail. They are nimble little beauties. The color of most varieties is a rich-looking, glossy dark brown on the upper parts of their bodies and gray on their heads, with a pretty yellowish shade under their throats and underparts. However, the ones of highest value are those that are almost black on the backs and sides, with an orange or white portion under their chins.

Furriers love to receive these beautiful furs from the trappers. They make warm, snug-fitting hats for both men and women, as well as luxurious, expensive coats and jackets. A choice fur will sometimes bring the trapper enough money to live on for a year, and a well-made lady’s sable fur coat might sell for $100,000!

Sables are found in many places, including Siberia, Mongolia, China, Korea and some of the north Pacific islands. But because of the extremely long, very cold winters where they live, the Siberian sables are the most valuable of all, because their fur is thicker, glossier, softer and more durable than all others. Many refer to them as “soft gold,” and over 100,000 of these are bought yearly by furriers in many parts of the world who pay high prices for them.

Actually, since the entire world is plagued with troubles of many kinds, these high-priced pieces of fur clothing are no longer very popular for several reasons - their high cost and the rarity of these animals. This means that the rare sable may not be in such extreme danger of being wiped out by trappers much longer. Many of us will be happy to see that take place.

How about the sables themselves and their way of life? They do well (as long as trappers leave them alone) with a mixed diet of nuts, berries, insects and an occasional small animal, as well as birds’ eggs and fish available in shallow waters. These nimble little beauties are surprisingly clever at avoiding the many traps that are set out for them by trappers. Hopefully, as the demand for their fur actually decreases, perhaps their numbers will increase.

The Bible verse quoted at the beginning does not mention sables, and it is not likely that Adam and Eve had coats made from them, for the Creator purposed for these nimble animals to live in colder lands than the Garden of Eden. But they were, and still are, part of His creation, in which He delights.

ML-03/25/2007

Fooling the Enemy

“Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies.”
Psalm 17:89

If the Creator hadn’t provided a means of protection, many creatures wouldn’t have a chance of fighting back or escaping from their enemies. Many of their enemies would devour them with one bite if the opportunity presented itself. Here are some examples of the Creator’s protection.

Several small beetles are colored bright red, orange or yellow, others are plain-colored, and still others are a combination of the two. Each of these beetles is either poisonous, has a terrible taste or has a bad smell. As a result, many creatures have learned to avoid them, as well as those with similar color combinations, as they are not able to distinguish one from the other.

A wide variety of caterpillars, wasps, bees, flies and even small birds have been given distinctive markings of various kinds. These creatures are protected from harm because they don’t look like something edible. Some resemble stones, sticks, blades of grass or other non-edible objects. Some caterpillars cover their backs every day with flower buds, leaves or grass. An unusual variety of beetle plasters its back with mud each day. Another, which lives on chalk-white cliffs, powders its entire body with fresh, white dust, making it practically invisible to its enemies.

One of the most amazing insects is an orange and black fly by the name of zonose. Its wings, which are spread out while resting, are transparent but have black, matched markings on each wing that look exactly like a jumping spider’s legs, including other black spots on its body - all contributing to its disguise.

In the oceans in many parts of the world, large fish will gobble down smaller fish. However, one called the cuttlefish can change its color in less than a second to blend perfectly with its surroundings. In fact, there are a great many fish that can do this very same thing. When they see an enemy approaching, they seem to sense that their coloring hides them. They remain perfectly still while the enemy swims by without even being aware of their presence.

These are just a few examples of helpless creatures being protected from cruel enemies by means of fooling them or being invisible, using the remarkable and interesting camouflages the Creator has provided for them. Of course, they are not aware of His care, but He kindly looks after them just the same.

Those who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour are often aware of our enemy, Satan, who never tires of trying to discourage or harm us by evil suggestions and teachings. Our opening Bible verse should be our constant prayer, guide and encouragement. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour? If so, you can ask Him to hide you under the shadow of His wings.

ML-04/01/2007

The Common Gannet

“I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works.”
Psalm 9:1

One of our earlier articles, entitled “Birds of the Cliffs,” mentioned gannets along with petrels, puffins and others and their group-nesting habits. Today we’ll look at the common gannet in more detail. In the summer they live along the north Atlantic coast, as well as the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They migrate as far south as the coast of North Carolina for the winter.

The common gannet is a large bird, about three feet from the tip of its bill to the end of its tail and weighs about six pounds. It is snow-white except for black-tipped wings. It has a long, narrow tail, as well as four-toed webbed feet and a strong, sharp bill for catching and eating fish. Its long, tapered bill is sharply pointed and makes a good weapon. Nostrils that seal keep water from seeping in when it is underwater.

Gannets eat nothing but fish. Sometimes they search for fish in groups or they may search alone. Depending upon the weather, they may look for fish while flying just ten or twelve feet above the water’s surface or as much as fifty or sixty feet high. Spotting a fish of the right size, a gannet will break away from the group in a quick dive, pulling its wings close to its body at the moment it hits the surface. It is such a swift swimmer that the fish rarely gets away.

A gannet can swallow a foot-long fish in one gulp. However, if there is a hungry baby in the nest, the parent will take the catch back to the nest. Then he or she will eat it and bring the digested food back up to a pouch in its throat where the hungry little one can reach it.

Mothers usually lay just one egg on a grass-lined spot of bare rock which is sheltered under an overhanging part of a cliff. It takes about a month to incubate the egg, and the mother does this by placing it under her warm webbed feet. After it is hatched, both parents guard the baby bird from vicious birds until it is able to fly. At that time it boldly leaps off the cliffside, perhaps as much as two hundred feet above the water, and promptly discovers why the Creator has given it such strong wings. Reaching the water, it swims around for a long time, gaining strength in legs and body and never returns to its parents.

Isn’t it nice to know that the Creator is always watching over these interesting birds? A Bible verse tells us this: “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). What does He see as He watches over you?

ML-04/08/2007

Inside a Beehive

“We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.”
1 Thessalonians 2:7

A beehive may have 20,000 to 40,000 or more bees, including the all-important queen, a few male (drone) bees, and many workers. The whole activity of a hive centers around the queen. She often lays 2,000 eggs or more daily. In addition to the queen’s area, the section of the hive set aside as a nursery is also very important. Here the queen deposits the eggs, one to a cell. While she does this, “nurse” bees feed her bee milk from glands in their heads and keep her spotlessly clean.

The nurses also take care of the eggs until they hatch into larvae. Then they prepare “royal jelly” which is fed to the larvae for two days. After this the diet is changed to pollen and honey, called “bee bread.” When a larva grows large enough to fill its cell, it weaves a silken web around itself, and a nurse makes a wax cover for the cell. Twenty-one days later a fully developed bee comes out.

What responsibilities these nurses have! Although they have no leader, each one seems to have its own duties and knows just what to do. Such wonderful instincts were given to honeybees when the Lord God created them.

The hive workers also take nectar and pollen from the outside workers, called “foragers.” They change it into honey, royal jelly or bee bread, as required, using special chemicals in their bodies. Other workers are used as guards at the entrance of the hive. In hot weather they all work to make air conditioning by continually fanning their wings to circulate the air. When it becomes cold, they group together and do activities that raise the temperature just the right amount. Who do you think taught them to do these things?

Some of the eggs produce male bees, called “drones.” Once a year the queen chooses one of them for a mate. The workers then get rid of the remaining drones, killing them or driving them out of the hive.

At the end of two or three weeks, nurses give up their inside work and become foragers. Their life span in this activity is only a month or so. During this time each bee collects enough nectar to make a teaspoon and a half of honey.

The beehive and its busy bees provide an amazing display of God’s creation. It shows His power in preserving His works over the ages of time. The activities of the bees are an example for all of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We see how the bees work together and are never lazy. This is just what the Bible tells us to do: “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, how good it is to work with others in ways that are pleasing to Him.

ML-04/15/2007

The Shepherd and His Sheep: Part 1

“He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.”

Isaiah 40:11

The Lord has called those who love Him His sheep and lambs. This is understandable, because these animals always need someone to look after them. If they see a chance to break away, they quickly get into trouble and usually don’t get back until the shepherd goes out and saves them. The Lord Jesus does this for all who love Him and know Him as their Good Shepherd.

Most of North America’s sheep are raised in Texas, California, Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado, as well as the provinces of Canada. The largest flocks in the world are in New Zealand, where they often cover hillsides.

These woolly animals are called lambs until they are a year old; then the females are called ewes and the males are called rams. The cries of the lambs sound like they are calling “Ma Ma,” and the mother ewe does her best to keep them near her. For the first week, the lambs’ only food is their mothers’ milk, but soon they start eating grass and hay.

Like cows, sheep have a four-part stomach, which the Creator has provided to enable them to digest their food. They eat so rapidly and swallow so fast that they don’t have time to do any chewing. In fact, they can’t chew, because their upper jaw has only a thick pad with no teeth, although the lower jaw does have them. When they close their mouths around a bunch of grass, they clamp down hard on it and give their heads a strong jerk, and then just swallow the bite. Later the sheep bring the grass up to their mouths for “chewing the cud.” Then it passes on to another part of their stomachs.

Large flocks in the western parts of the United States and Canada are watched over by shepherds and their helpful dogs. This is a lonely job with no human visitors for long periods of time. The shepherds live alone in campers in which there may be a refrigerator and a small stove for cooking and warmth when the weather gets chilly.

It would be a poor shepherd who was not kind to his sheep, as well as to the trained dogs that help him. The beginning Bible verse tells us of the Good Shepherd who cares for boys and girls who know Him as their Saviour. He thinks of them as His lambs and the older ones as His sheep. And He wants you to be His lamb or sheep, too, if you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your Good Shepherd and learned how He will protect you when Satan tries to harm you. Are you part of the flock He loves so well?

(to be continued)

ML-04/22/2007

The Shepherd and His Sheep: Part 2

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want [lack anything]. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Psalm 23:12

David, who wrote many of the psalms, could understand how the Lord Jesus is like a shepherd, because he himself had been a shepherd when he was young. He never forgot how dependent he was on the Good Shepherd’s watchful care over him day and night. When he was troubled, he told Him all about it and was led “beside the still waters” for rest and comfort.

You will notice the verse doesn’t say, “He leadeth me beside the swift waters.” No, it is the still waters we need for safety, refreshment and quietness. The Good Shepherd who watches over all who love Him will never lead any into places where the evils of Satan and the world are like wild waters. He leads only into safe and pleasant places.

That’s the way it is with sheep and lambs too. There are times when they need the shepherd to lead them to a quiet place beside a gentle stream or pond to drink, lie down and rest before returning to their grazing.

Have you ever rubbed your hand over the woolly coat of a sheep and noticed how much whiter it is down underneath? This shows how the outer part has been soiled by dust and rubbing against brush and tall grass. This makes it necessary for the wool to be washed thoroughly after it is clipped and before it can be used.

Sheep, of course, don’t realize they are getting dirty and that their wool is going to need to be washed. Sometimes people think that if they are living “good” lives, their sins aren’t serious enough to need washing away before they can enter heaven. But a holy God cannot look on sin, and to reach His lovely, heavenly home, we must first be made clean. But, as the Bible verse says, “Though thou wash thee with nitre [strong cleaner], and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity [sin] is marked before Me, saith the Lord God” (Jeremiah 2:22).

If you have ever tried to “turn over a new leaf” and never again do anything wrong, you know it’s impossible. How wonderful it is that the Lord Jesus while on the cross took away all the sins of everyone who will admit they are a sinner, repent of their sins, and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. There is no other way in which you can enter heaven.

It is important to listen to His invitation: “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). Have you accepted that gracious invitation? If so, now you know Him as your own Good Shepherd!

ML-04/29/2007

Berries for Birds and Beasts

“Blessed is the man that [trusts] in the Lord . . . for he shall be as a tree . . . yielding fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:78

Dogs, cats, birds, fish or whatever kind of pet you may have do not need to worry about getting enough food at the right time, because you make sure they get fed. But wild creatures must find their own food. However, the Creator does not neglect them, and this is particularly shown in the fall months when many birds are getting ready for their migrations. They could not make these flights without first building up their bodies with large quantities of food to provide the needed “fuel” for the long journeys ahead of them.

And that is, no doubt, one reason why the Creator has designed so many bushes and trees with abundant tasty and nourishing berries ripening in the late summer. Let’s take a look at some of these and the creatures that enjoy eating them.

In states along the Mississippi River, a bush called pokeweed produces clusters of deep purple, juicy berries late in the summer. Because of the dark juice, it is sometimes called the inkberry bush. This is a favorite, not only with birds, but with some small animals as well.

A similar bush in Ontario produces quantities of red, purple or black chokeberries - also a favorite treat for squirrels and other small animals, as well as numerous birds. And in Florida mocking birds, which are great fruit eaters, eagerly eat the bright red berries growing in clusters on holly bushes that are at their peak in the fall months.

The juniper is an evergreen shrub that grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere in countries with a cold climate. It produces berries that range in color from blue to red. Robins especially will strip a bush of all its berries in a matter of days.

In some areas of the northeastern United States, wild cranberry bushes are favorites of birds, mice and other animals. Deep snow helps the mice and other small animals reach the tasty deep-pink fruit on taller bushes. In the same area there are another one hundred different kinds of bushes and trees that produce tasty berries and wild fruits all through the winter months. These are favorites not only with birds, but also with all kinds of animals -from the tiny field mouse to big bears.

These are just a few examples of a vast number of plants, bushes and trees arranged by the Creator to provide the necessary nourishing food for His creatures during fall and winter months.

The psalmist, a faithful observer of God’s goodness, expressed it so well in Psalm 107:89 when he declared, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He [satisfies] the longing soul, and [fills] the hungry soul with goodness.”

Have you thanked Him for His goodness to you?

ML-05/06/2007

Two Unusual Fish

“Oh Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea.”
Psalm 104:24-25

The fish named grunt got its name because it makes a grunting noise by rubbing its jaws together when lifted out of the water. It lives mainly in the warm waters of the West Indies and Florida, as well as Europe and the Orient. It is a popular fish to eat.

Varieties include the common, the white, the yellow, the French and the gray, which is sometimes called the open-mouthed. A mature grunt will weigh about ten pounds. It grows about a foot long and four or five inches high.

Its high back gives it a half-circle shape, with a large, pointed mouth and big, round eyes. Its body, regardless of color, is covered with long, pretty stripes that give a speedy look when zipping through the water. A large tail, like a bird’s outstretched wing, provides good speed and quick turning - all provided by a kind Creator to help it not only catch food, but to escape enemies.

Mandarin fish are one of the most unusually colored fish seen anywhere. Tiny creatures-only about two inches long - they have smooth skins without the scales common to most other fish. Most of them live in the South Pacific Ocean, all the way from South America to Australia.

The males have a beautiful combination of colors, including an interweaving of gray, blending into pale green and a background of dark green, with patterns of orange scattered all over it. What they lack in size they make up for with an amazing assortment of these colors and a big, widespread, orange tail that moves them along at great speed.

Searching for small shellfish, which is their main food source, they spend most of their time at the bottom of the ocean and are considered too small for fishermen to bother catching.

There are many fish of all kinds throughout the world’s oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, and it is not uncommon for new varieties to be discovered. It is impossible for man to count them, but they are all known to God, their Creator. We know He took great delight in designing and creating them, as the Bible tells us: “God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. . . . And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas” (Genesis 1:20-22).

You are of much more value to God than these fish in the depths of the ocean, and He wants you to accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as your very own Saviour. Have you accepted His loving offer of forgiveness for your sins?

ML-05/13/2007

Some Birds Like Poison

“The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
James 3:8

The hooded pitouchi (pronounced pito-hooey) is a bird about the size of a blue jay that lives in New Guinea. Its coloring is a brilliant combination of orange and black. An amazing detail about this bird is that it relies on poison to make its enemies leave it alone.

How does the poison work? Actually it is a very fine substance (like talcum powder) that clings to the surface of its feathers. Any enemy that gets its mouth around any part of its body immediately lets go and hurries away from the awful poison flavor.

People who live there call it a “rubbish bird” and carefully remove all feathers when preparing one for dinner - taking the skin off as well-before roasting or stewing the meat. They say it tastes just like chicken. Incidentally, there are two other varieties of the hooded pitouchi that do not have this poison on them.

In the forests of Trinidad, there are long-tailed birds known as violaceous trogons. They are very pretty, with tails black on top and striped like a zebra underneath. The rest of their feathers are a combination of brilliant colors.

These birds often perch on the branch of a tree close to the ground, carefully studying a large, active ant’s nest below them. Suddenly one will fly directly to it, shoving head and shoulders into the nest, disturbing the ants. Soon the bird becomes covered with ants, even spreading its wings out and allowing the ants to crawl on and under the exposed feathers.

This is all done very quickly, and then it flies back to its roost with many ants clinging to its feathers. Why does it do all this? It is thought that when the trogons get mites or other insect pests that irritate them or cause their skin to itch, they sense that the ants, with their poisonous bites, will go after the pests until they are all gone.

It is not known what the trogons do about the ants after they eat all the pests, but perhaps they fly to the ground again and shake them off so most of them can return to their nest.

The opening Bible verse tells us that our tongues can be full of “deadly poison.” Verse 15 also tells us that this does not come from above (from heaven), but it is earthly and comes from Satan. Verse 17 explains that that which comes from God is pure, peaceable, gentle and full of good works. And that’s what He likes to see in each of us.

Is your tongue like verse 15 or like verse 17?

ML-05/20/2007

The Warthog

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”
Psalm 50:11

Several varieties of warthogs are found in East Africa. These unattractive animals are related to Old World pigs, but they have larger bodies and longer legs. Mature warthogs weigh up to two hundred pounds. Their skins are tough and thick so that they are not easily hurt. Their name comes from the large, fleshy warts on their faces between their eyes and the four tusks. These curved tusks, sometimes over two feet long, grow out from the sides of their large snouts. One stroke of these sharp tusks will cut a wild dog in two.

Their general color is dull brown with some black. The front parts of their bodies are covered with long, bristly hair, but the rest is nearly bald. Tiny eyes at the top of their foreheads contrast with their large, hairy ears.

One look at a group of these fierce-looking creatures and most animals are immediately alert and will get away as quickly as possible. A traveler in Africa reported his experience this way: “Suddenly, from behind us, comes a snorting and woofing, as up from a nearby swamp, with flyswatter tails bolt upright, trots a family of warthogs-father, mother and three young - all enameled in mud. We made a hasty exit and were relieved they did not take after us.”

As you can guess, a warthog is one of the fiercest looking of all animals, but actually they prefer to be peaceful. They often turn away from enemies, running at speeds of about thirty miles per hour with tails sticking straight up in the air. The sharp tusks are not just for fighting; they also use them to dig for edible roots and to enlarge empty dens to make a home for an expected family. In the heat of the day, they would much rather be wallowing in a soft, sticky mud bath than fighting.

When a family of these tough-looking beasts arrives at their den, the young ones (sometimes a dozen of them) go in first, and then the mother follows. Last of all the boar (father) backs in, blocking the entrance. If an enemy appears, it is not likely to attack once it gets a look at his menacing tusks and face.

We might wonder why warthogs were created, but the fact is that when God created them they were harmless. Sin, brought into the world by the disobedience of Adam and Eve, affected the animal kingdom, as well as humans.

This is a solemn reminder: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Are your sins forgiven? or are you still facing the wages for your sins?

ML-05/27/2007

Snakes and Their Ways: Part 1

“Every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents . . . hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame.”
James 3:78

Snakes live in every part of the world except icy areas. Of the nearly three thousand varieties, the longest is a python, which may grow over thirty feet long. An interesting contrast is the thread snake, which is only about as long as your hand. The heaviest of all is the anaconda, which may weigh over five hundred pounds.

Snakes never close their eyes, even at night. This is because they have no eyelids. A thin transparent cover protects their eyes. Something else interesting is that they shed their outside skin several times a year. As they grow larger and their skin becomes too tight, they rub their heads back and forth against something hard until the skin splits open. Then they wiggle out of it from head to tail, turning it inside out and leaving it behind in one complete piece. Coming across one of these snakeskins in the woods might startle you, for it looks so lifelike.

Many snakes make their homes underground, but some hide under piles of dead leaves or in deep grass, and a few others prefer living in trees or in the wetness of swampy places. The Creator has given them extremely flexible bodies, composed of strong ribs almost their entire length, enabling them to move amazingly fast by crawling. When a snake moves, it does not raise its body off the ground; it bends it from side to side.

Many snakes are harmless, but others are poisonous, and some, the boa constrictor for one, can wrap itself around a person and squeeze him to death. This is rare since almost all snakes try to hide from an approaching person.

Snakes are referred to in the Bible, usually as an evil thing. Because Satan appeared in the form of a serpent to tempt Adam and Eve, he is later referred to as “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 12:9).

All snakes are a part of God’s creation and exhibit God-given wisdom in making their way through life. It is in that respect that the Bible tells us, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This God-given instruction is important for us to follow if we want to stay out of trouble and please a loving Creator who is always watching us.

Our opening Bible verse reminds us that although mankind tames snakes and other creatures, no one can tame his own tongue. So we should always look to the Lord Jesus for help to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking guile (deceit or dishonesty; see 1 Peter 3:10).

In the next issue we will take a detailed look at a few outstanding snakes.

(to be continued)

ML-06/03/2007

Snakes and Their Ways: Part 2

“God made . . . everything that [creeps] upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:25

Last week we looked at some of the unusual characteristics of snakes; today we will examine a few more closely. Almost all snakes are beautifully patterned in a wide range of colors, stripes and unusual markings. But some, like the eastern green mamba, are just one solid color.

The most common snake in North America is the garter snake. All have plain dark coloring, often with yellow or green stripes down the sides and back, which makes them rather pretty. These are harmless and try to hurry away if a person comes near them. Their main foods include worms, insects, tadpoles, small frogs and fish.

The common boa of South America may grow to fourteen feet long, but most are smaller. They live primarily in trees, and their food is usually birds and rodents. These snakes have narrow white heads and patches of white and dark coloring over the rest of their bodies.

A boa in the southwestern United States is called the rubber boa, because that’s what it looks like. Most of these are solid black, but others are yellow, brown, or rather pretty combinations of color.

The cobra of India and South China is one of the most poisonous. Some are plain black, but most are a speckled orange or brownish olive or often a variety of several mixed colors. Snake charmers in India train cobras to entertain people.

The Western Hemisphere has several varieties of coral snakes. All are poisonous and have beautiful color patterns, including rings of black or dark purple, red and yellow or white circling their entire bodies. They are quite a contrast to copperhead snakes of the eastern United States. These are well named for quick identity since copper is the only color on their heads. The rest of their bodies have a beautiful pattern of copper, brown and beige. They are also poisonous.

There is a great variety of other species, such as vipers, pythons, puff adders, bushmasters and many more. You would find it interesting to study some of these in more detail in a public library.

Because sin has marred much of God’s perfect creation, snakes are now associated with evil, but there is a time coming, called the millennium, when the world will be a happy, peaceful place. The Bible tells us that then “the [small] child shall play on the hole of the asp [poisonous snake] and the [older] child shall put his hand in the cockatrice’ [poisonous snake’s] den” (Isaiah 11:8).

But before that takes place, God will have called to heaven those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and these will have the joy of looking down on that happy millennial scene. Will you be one of those who will be in heaven?

ML-06/10/2007

Are There Really Any Good Bugs?

“Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee . . . or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.”
Job 12:78

The answer to our question about good bugs is a definite YES! There are many kinds of insects that are beneficial. And one way in which they do good is by killing and eating certain other insects that are harmful. Much of this we are not aware of, because it goes on so quietly and in places we are not likely to visit.

One good insect is called the mealybug destroyer. It makes its home in certain plants and trees where mealybugs do lots of damage by boring into plant stems and eating the sap that is as important to the plant as blood is to an animal. The mealybug destroyer does a tremendous amount of good.

Another good one in the garden is the lacewing. This is a pretty little green creature with delicate lace-like wings and a pair of long “feelers” located in front of brilliant eyes. Possibly some of us have killed these with insect spray without realizing they are good helpers. They eat countless destructive aphids and other harmful bugs.

A little wasp by the name of El Formosa has a special appetite for whiteflies. These are harmful insects doing tremendous damage to all kinds of plants and trees. Some garden stores sell these beneficial wasps when whiteflies are particularly troublesome, and gardeners use large quantities of them to help fight these pests.

Ladybugs are probably known by most of us as good helpers in gardens. We should be careful to treat them kindly, and be thankful if you see some on your plants and flowers.

While many snails are harmful in gardens, there are some helpful ones. One of these is the Decollate variety, marked with a pretty corkscrew tail. Its principal food is the harmful common garden snail.

Then there is the praying mantis that feeds on many harmful insects, and a beetle by the name of seven-spot that eats aphids. Many farmers purchase them in large quantities from garden stores every year.

Of course, we all know the value of honey from bees and silk threads from silkworms. Altogether there are more than six hundred “good bugs” that farmers and plant nurseries use to help fight a continual war against harmful bugs.

These harmful insects remind us of what sin has brought into the world. The good insects speak of the Creator’s wisdom in providing ways to overcome the bad. It should make us think of the love and grace of God in providing a way for boys, girls and grown-ups to overcome their sins. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, into the world to bear the sins of all who will trust in Him as their Saviour through His death on Calvary’s cross.

Have you let Him wash away your sins?

ML-06/17/2007

The Snail Kite

“He [sends] the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. . . . By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation.”
Psalm 104:10-12

Although snail kites are found in Cuba and parts of South America, the only place in North America where they are found is in Florida, on the shores of Lake Okeechobee and a few other freshwater marshes. These birds are part of the hawk family and are an endangered species. They were first given the name Everglade kite, but the more descriptive name of snail kite was eventually substituted, as their eating habits were discovered.

These birds look much like crows; all feathers are slate black with their wings having a bluish sheen. Tails have a white band with white underparts. Their only other coloring is orange-red on their legs and feet, facial skin, and orange-red eyes with black pupils.

They usually make very crude nests in driftwood and twigs, where the female lays two or three light-gray eggs, speckled with dark-brown spots. Occasional nests are also made in tall reeds at the water’s edge. Because these birds are rare, in some areas bird watchers have provided nesting spots in large wire containers, a foot or so off the ground, where eggs can be laid. Chicks hatched in these are in less danger from snakes and other creatures that would harm them.

The female’s feathers are lighter in color than her mates, helping her to be more concealed from enemies. This is a kind provision of the Creator, giving her protection when unable to defend herself while sitting on the nest.

The snail kite’s unusual name comes from its main food source - a freshwater snail, with the uncommon name “apple snail,” that is abundant in certain lakes and marshes.

You may wonder if they eat snail shells and all. No. The Creator has provided them with strong hooked beaks. The sharp upper half has just the right curve to reach inside the snail shell. After lifting the snail out of the water, the kite slides its beak inside the shell far enough to cut the muscle that anchors the snail to its home. In just a few seconds, the bird has swallowed a tasty treat or perhaps it will carry it back to its nest.

Adult birds usually eat only snails and may eat fifty in one day. However, if they have a poor snail catch, they may substitute small turtles, snakes, fish or large insects.

These birds, like all others, are a part of the Lord God’s wondrous creation, and He watches over them with loving care. But His love for you and me is much greater, as He has declared: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3). Have you thanked Him for His loving-kindness to you?

ML-06/24/2007

A Glass of Water, Please

“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Proverbs 25:25

Nature requires plenty of water, and God supplies it in abundance. To our bodies it is truly the fountain of life and accounts for about three quarters of a person’s weight. If you weigh 100 pounds, water will make up about 75 pounds of it, mainly in your blood and bones. That’s why it is important to drink lots of it through the day, especially when you are active and perspiring.

Animals, birds and insects need water too, in different amounts. Plants, trees and flowers also need water; some can’t survive unless they are growing directly in it. Others, growing on the bank of a river, stream or lake, may not get much rain, but the Creator has provided them with roots that go deep into the soil and draw up a good supply.

Oceans, lakes and rivers are the largest display of water, but again the wonderful design of the Creator is evident in the great amount of unseen water underground that is available to us through wells and pumps. In addition, the atmosphere contains huge quantities of water that are visible when clouds appear in the sky. Isn’t it amazing how suddenly on a sunshiny day the blue sky can turn into threatening, black clouds that release their moisture as rain. Although we may not be aware of it when the sky is clear, tremendous amounts of water are always overhead - millions of tons of it -ready to moisten thirsty soil.

How does all that water get into the air? This is another example of a wonder in God’s creation. Ecclesiastes 1:7 says, “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.” Lakes and oceans don’t normally get too full, because evaporation from these bodies of water equals the amount that rain, snow and rivers have added to them.

Some of this evaporation is seen when the weather is foggy. More often we are not aware of it, because the moisture rising invisibly eventually forms new rain clouds or perhaps snowstorms on the mountains and valleys, where it will finally be on its way down the rivers again.

Another way that water evaporates into the air is from plants. Plants take up water through their roots and release it through their leaves.

The Lord Jesus declared, “Whosoever [drinks] of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). By this He means that when a person trusts Him as Saviour, that person will be filled with the gift of eternal life and the thirst of their heart is forever satisfied. He invites you to drink of that water right now if you haven’t as yet. This is certainly the “good news from a far country” (heaven) that the opening verse speaks of.

ML-07/01/2007

An Interesting Experiment

Our “Wonders of God’s Creation” article on the back page explains the wonderful cycle God has provided to supply water for the various forms of life on our planet Earth. Here is an interesting experiment for you children to try outside. It demonstrates one form of evaporation that God has provided to replace moisture in the air.

Select a branch of leaves in sunlight. Seal a plastic bag over the end of the branch, enclosing five or six leaves. Check the bag in an hour, and you will see that it has fogged up with moisture. Check it after several more hours, and you will find a teaspoon or more of water has collected in it. Without the plastic bag, this water from the leaves would evaporate into the air. Scientists call this process “transpiration.” Can you imagine how many gallons of water evaporate into the air on a sunny day just from all the leaves on the trees around where you live? Don’t we have an amazing Creator!

ML-07/01/2007

Just How Bad Are Wolverines?

“Who [teaches] us more than the beasts of the earth, and [makes] us wiser than the fowls of heaven?”
Job 35:11

Several years ago we reviewed the life of a wolverine, and from information available then we said, “The wolverine is a wicked destroyer.” We also called it “a bad-tempered beast.” But since that time, scientists have studied this animal more thoroughly. Now many agree that, although it can be vicious and frightening, it does have some good qualities too. We’ll look at some of these.

A member of the weasel family, it is related to badgers, skunks and otters. This dark-brown, lively animal is about three feet long, plus an eight-inch tail. It looks something like a miniature bear, except for its bushy fur and pointed face. It is one of the most powerful animals for its size in the world. Its North American homeland is in many of the wooded areas on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, as well as Alaska. The wolverine is also found in Europe and Asia.

Until a more complete study was made, it had the reputation of being a vicious killer of small- and medium-sized animals and birds. But in their interesting research, it was discovered that this is only true when the wolverine is extremely hungry. It should actually be called a scavenger, which is an animal whose main food is animals or birds already dead or injured.

Following that discovery, it was pointed out by the researchers that it is really a very helpful animal, by clearing forests and fields of dead creatures (much like what crows and vultures do). To really appreciate this, we need to keep in mind that a dead fox, squirrel, coyote, or even a small bird soon decays. These carcasses attract flies and insects that can carry harmful bacteria and diseases to many places, causing sickness and death to other animals, birds and even people.

But there’s no denying that a hungry wolverine, finding a way to break into a trapper’s unoccupied cabin, will gobble up any food it can reach. That, of course, doesn’t make them very popular with the trappers, nor does their making a meal out of animals caught in traps and ruining the valuable furs. So it’s easy to see how these lively animals have gotten a bad reputation.

We might ask, “Will the Creator allow this to go on forever?” The Bible provides the answer, telling us, “By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). But there is a time coming when those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will find that “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death” (Revelation 21:4). This promise is only to those who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Can you claim that promise?

ML-07/08/2007

The Miracle of the Honeybee

“Eat thou honey, because it is good; and . . . sweet to thy taste: so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul.”
Proverbs 24:13-14

The honeybee is much too interesting to describe in one article. Today we will look at its specially designed body structure.

Bees have six legs, and each pair has a special purpose. The front pair is specially adapted to clean off the insect’s antennae or wipe pollen from its face, mouth and large eyes. The hinged middle pair is used to pack pollen into the collecting baskets on the hind legs. In addition to carrying these baskets, the hind pair work with the middle pair to tamp the pollen into pellets, which are used in the hive. Each leg also has sharp tips for walking over rough surfaces, and cushions between the tips give a grip on smooth surfaces.

Two flexible antennae on the front of the bee are covered with thousands of tiny plates. These give the bee sensitivity to touch and also a keen sense of smell. Then there are the two specially designed wings that enable the bee to carry heavy loads of nectar and pollen for long distances. When flying, the front and back wings attach to each other by hooks, which then make one large, strong pair of wings. However, to enter small flowers or the hive cells, these wings separate, fold down and overlap. Incidentally, a bee flies with its wings moving in a figure eight pattern, which allows it to move up or down, backward or forward, or hover like a hummingbird.

A bee has five eyes - three small ones in a triangle on top of its head, and a large compound eye on each side of the head. The compound eyes, with many smaller plates called facets, somehow pick up the sun’s rays and act as a compass wherever the bee may be at any time.

The bee has a wonderful “chemical factory” inside. This changes the nectar it gathers into honey. The same organs produce beeswax too.

No other insect has a tongue designed like a bee’s that penetrates into deep pockets of flowers. The body shape and structure are also designed to carry pollen from one plant to another. The bee is God’s chief pollinator of flowers.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” How happy life would be if we all used pleasant words with as much energy as bees use in gathering their honey. But it is only by knowing the Lord Jesus as our Saviour that we have a new nature, which delights in pleasant words and helpful works. Proverbs 22:17-18 tells us, “Apply thine heart unto My knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.”

ML-07/15/2007

A Look at Vireos: Part 1

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”
Psalm 50:11

Vireo is the name of a family of small birds of the Americas. They are charming birds, four to seven inches long with short, strong legs, medium-length tails, short necks and a variety of wing sizes. Their coloring is not bright, but soft and subdued. Color combinations include olive, greenish or gray upper parts, with white, light gray or yellow and sometimes a touch of light red or blue on their underparts.

A large number of species make their homes in North, Central and South America, migrating back and forth in spring and fall. Often they form colonies, and the air is filled with their pleasant chirpings, songs and whistles. They are helpful to farmers, eating great numbers of caterpillars, flies and other harmful insects, picked off bushes or trees or caught in mid-air. They are also fond of berries and fruit found in the wild.

Building cup-like nests is a big occupation. Before the male has a mate, he picks a suitable spot and begins building the nest. He ties long fiber strands to the forked branches of a tree or shrub. These strands hang down in big loops to support the actual nest, which is made of grasses, fibers and spider webs. The nest is often lined with soft bark, and the bottom inside is lined with soft cottonwood seeds.

By the time he has the framework underway, he has attracted a female bird that adds the finishing touches. She lays three or four white eggs marked with a few dark specks near the large end. Incubating these takes about two weeks. When the little ones hatch, the real work begins, as both parents spend most of their wakeful time bringing them food. When the little birds are ready to fly, the father bird takes over, flying ahead a short distance and calling them to join him. Soon they are on their own.

But something strange has been going on while the mother bird has been incubating the eggs. The father gets busy building another nest nearby, and when the little ones are on their own, the parents move into the new nest where another brood will be raised.

Isn’t it nice to know that the Creator is always watching over these little birds, as the opening Bible verse tells us? And even nicer is knowing that He is always watching over us and loves us in a way the birds could never understand. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, it gives Him great joy to know that soon you and all who trust Him will be together in His heavenly home. Is He your Saviour? You can be sure by following this Bible verse: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

(to be continued)

ML-07/22/2007

A Look at Vireos: Part 2

“[God] sendeth the springs into the valleys . . . [where] the fowls of the heaven . . . sing among the branches.”
Psalm 104:10,12

Last week we learned about vireo birds in general. Now let’s consider a few varieties that make their summer homes in North America.

Least bell’s vireo: What a cute little bird this is, nesting in the willows and cottonwood trees near Santa Barbara, California. Its little, dark-feathered head is accented with large eyes and a little beak. Its gray top feathers, white underparts and large, dark eyes make it a charming little bird with a pretty song.

Red-eyed vireo: This one has a blue cap on its head, contrasting with red eyes that have a white line with a black border above them. It’s difficult to spot this olive-green vireo as it sends its melody through the bushes.

Solitary vireo: Like the red-eyed, this one lives in the eastern United States. It has a light-purple head, white chest and underparts, and big, dark eyes inside a yellow circle. Its back is tan-yellow with two white stripes stretching across its brown wings.

White-eyed vireo: One variety lives in Florida and another in Texas. They are among the smallest of the vireos and are quite pretty. The tops of their heads are bluish, fading out to blend with totally white lower-body feathers. Brown wings with white cross stripes match short tail feathers, but eyes with dark pupils centered in soft yellow (rather than white) help to identify them.

The greenlet, the black-capped, the yellow-throated, the warbling vireo and some others are all residents of the western or central United States.

Vireos are all examples of the wonders of God’s creation and His delight in placing them on the earth. He is always watching over them, even though they are such small creatures and there are so many. We know He really does watch over them, for a Bible verse tells us, “In whose hand is the soul [life] of every living thing” (Job 12:10).

Jesus, talking with His disciples, said to them, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father [knowing it].” Then He added, “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29,31).

At another time He said to them (and to us too), “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap . . . and God [feeds] them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24). Yes, His loving eye is always on you, and He invites you to know Him as your Saviour. He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden [burdened with sins], and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

If you have not yet accepted His loving invitation, will you accept it today?

ML-07/29/2007

Dingoes Are Not Popular

“Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.”
Psalm 22:20

Dingoes are medium-sized dogs, about the size of English setters. They are a breed of wild dogs living in Australia and look much like wolves, especially their heads. Most of them have yellowish-brown fur, short, upright ears and long, bushy tails. Their faces, with large, black noses and eyes, have a rather kind look, but their cunning eyes disclose that they can be fierce fighters. They rarely bark but howl instead.

These animals like to travel in packs and hunt together. Their chief food is the wallaby, a small kangaroo. But the people of Australia dislike them tremendously because another of their favorite foods is sheep.

It is thought that dingoes originated as pet dogs of Australia’s earliest settlers and that over the years they became wild. Often when one is caught it seems friendly enough, but sooner or later it escapes to join a pack of wild dingoes.

Dingoes usually travel in small packs and are amazingly tough. There have been instances where sheep ranchers have found one eating a lamb and have shot it, discovering later that the dingo had not died but recovered and rejoined its pack and continued raiding sheep. In one of the earlier raids, it was reported that ranchers in just one area lost over a thousand sheep in a relatively short time to these vicious dogs.

However, in present times it is not uncommon for a rancher to make a pet of a young dingo he manages to capture. In addition, quite a few are kept in zoos where little ones are born and frequently sold to people as pets. They still often escape when there is opportunity and apparently are accepted into a wild pack.

The damage done to flocks of sheep over the years finally led to the building of the longest fence in the world in an effort to keep dingoes away. The tall fence made of strong wire is almost four thousand miles long and stretches nearly all the way across the southern part of Australia.

But while this helps to keep dingoes away from the sheep, they frequently dig the soil away from the bottom of the fence with their paws and then wriggle under it. Only a small number of them do this, and they are not now the large problem once experienced.

A Bible verse, explaining that we should not get involved in quarrels and matters that are not worthwhile, tells us, “He that [passes] by, and [meddles] with strife belonging not to him, is like one that [takes] a dog by the ears” (Proverbs 26:17). It is better to be occupied with pleasant things that will be pleasing to the Lord. We often need to ask Him to help us to avoid evil things.

ML-08/05/2007

The Barrel Cactus

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”
Psalm 111:2

The full name of the desert plant we’ll consider today is compass barrel cactus. It grows in the low deserts of Arizona and California. Fully grown after about twenty-five years, this barrel-shaped cactus may measure five feet tall and about two feet wide. The “compass” part of its name comes from the fact that it always grows leaning toward the south. Knowing this has helped many a hiker who has been lost without a compass.

Because of the “barrel” part of its name, some think it must be full of water, but it was given this name mostly because of its shape. However, it actually does store water in rainy weather, and the whole plant swells. Then in dry, hot weather it will draw on this supply, as arranged by the Creator. If the top of a barrel cactus is sliced off, several quarts of water can be gotten from mashing the pulp inside. This has saved the lives of thirsty travelers lost in the desert.

In spite of the hot summers in the desert, there is usually some moisture in the air at night that condenses on the plants as dew. The cactus, leaning over, has sharp-pointed spines arranged in rows all over it. These not only provide some shade from the hot sun, but the nighttime moisture forms dewdrops of water on the spines. These drops fall to the ground, seeping in to provide moisture for the roots.

The sharp spines also protect the cactus from the teeth of large desert animals. However, there are others, such as rabbits with their small mouths that can gently nibble on the spines and get a little moisture for their thirst without damaging the plant.

Like its relatives - the giant saguaros, organ-pipe cactus and others - the roots of the barrel cactus have been designed by the Creator to store water when heavy winter rains come. Then in spring the cactus produces very pretty yellow blossoms on the top.

Many people think deserts are dreadful places, but they are actually full of many varieties of plants, trees and flowers, as well as interesting birds and animals that have been placed there by their wise Creator. He took delight in every part of His creation. At the end of the six days detailed in the first chapter of the Bible, we read, “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

When we look closely at the uncountable marvelous things around us, how good it is to remember what God’s Word, the Bible, tells us: “By Him were all things created, that are in heaven [the sky], and that are in earth. . . . All things were created by Him, and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). We can fully trust God’s Word and believe the Bible’s account of creation.

ML-08/12/2007

Vicious Barracuda

“God created great whales, and every living creature . . . which the waters brought forth abundantly.”
Genesis 1:21

There are seven species of barracuda that live in American waters. These saltwater fish range from those about the size of a salmon to some close to six feet in length. All have razor-sharp teeth and strong jaws and are swift, fearless and destructive.

The great barracuda are found in the warm Atlantic waters of the West Indies, Florida and the Bahamas. These are the largest and grow to nearly six feet long and are more dangerous to sea life than a shark. They usually feed on other fish, but they will attack man. Smaller species also make their homes in the Atlantic Ocean off the shores of Cape Cod and south to Brazil. Those in Pacific Ocean waters are active from Canada to Panama and are mostly among the smaller species, rarely attacking people.

One called the California barracuda, which is about three feet long, is black-gray on top with silver or yellow sides and white underneath. Others have dark green or blue backs with dark bars on backs and sides. Actually these colors change somewhat at times, usually to blend in with their surroundings.

These brutal creatures often make a trial bite of a prospective victim before eating it. Even when not hungry, some make sport with a victim and then may leave without attacking it.

Barracuda eat just about anything that moves, but favorites include sardines, anchovies, silversides and mackerels. In spring their small, yellow eggs are laid among underwater plants and left to hatch by themselves.

Some fishermen dislike barracuda because they steal bait from their lines. If caught on a line, they will leap into the air until they break the line. Other fishermen on the Pacific Coast and Florida consider it good sport to fish for the smaller ones in those areas, just for the fun of catching them. Several species are good to eat, although the meat spoils quickly, but some are also poisonous.

The Lord God did not create these fish to be vicious, but when Adam and Eve foolishly brought sin into the world, it affected the life of every living thing. Happily, after those who love the Lord Jesus have been called to heaven and judgment is pronounced on those who have refused Him, there will be a time when all creatures will live together in peace.

How nice it will be for those in heaven to look down and see a world at peace. We hope you will be among those happy ones.

ML-08/19/2007

Looking - but Not Seeing: Part 1

“Oh God, Thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not hid from Thee.”
Psalm 69:5

The Creator has provided interesting ways for many of His creatures to protect themselves from danger while gathering food. He has given them various camouflages so they cannot be easily seen.

One of these is the katydid, an insect that has green wings which match the color of the leaves where it nests. These wings also cover its back, like a strong armor, keeping birds from attacking it.

Leafhoppers are protected in much the same way. They are colored like the plants on which they feed, but the “armor” on their backs comes to a high, sharp-looking point that scares most enemies away.

In South America the false-eyed frog has large imitation eyes on its back. When this little fellow is in danger, he turns his back and bends his head down low to hide his real eyes. Usually the attacker, looking at the fierce imitation eyes, leaves in a hurry.

A bright yellow caterpillar, called synchlora, bites off chunks of flowers of various colors, rolls them into small coils, and attaches them all over its body with sticky threads. Then it’s ready to feed on a variety of flowers, fully disguised and safe from birds that would otherwise quickly eat it.

You may have heard how some ants make friends with little bugs known as wooly alder aphids. The ants gently lick a sweet fluid from the aphids’ bodies; this does not hurt the aphids. To protect this good source of sweets, some of the ants stay by the aphids all day to protect them from intruders. However, aphids of another kind sometimes sneak into a colony of the sweet aphids and kill some. Then they pull off pieces of their sticky wool to attach over their own bodies. This makes them look like the real thing. Unfortunately, the ants are fooled and protect these intruders, just as they do the real wooly alders.

Isn’t it wonderful how the Creator has provided for these and many other little creatures? It is easy to see how they can hide from their enemies and fool them. But we also think of how misbehaving boys and girls (and older people too) try to fool others by pretending to be innocent when guilty of some offence. Our beginning Bible verse tells us there is One from whom we can never hide. Proverbs 15:3 also tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” It is good to ask the Lord Jesus every day, as the psalmist did, “Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments [instructions]. . . . Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity [foolish or evil things]” (Psalm 119:35,37). Our loving Lord delights to hear such a request and will help you.

(to be continued)

ML-08/26/2007

Looking - but Not Seeing: Part 2

“Show Thy marvelous loving-kindness, O Thou that savest . . . them which put their trust in Thee.”
Psalm 17:7

In our last issue we explored some of the living creatures that blend in so exceptionally well with their surroundings that often a person can look directly at one and not even be aware it is there.

Many moths are examples of this. They look so perfectly like part of a tree branch, its foliage, blossoms or bark that even a bird might hop right by without seeing them.

Another interesting insect is called the walking stick. Remaining perfectly still on a bare branch, it attracts no attention. A person passing by would never realize that what looks like a dead twig is actually a living insect.

A gray tree frog is another example. This one can change the colors of its skin to look exactly like part of a log where it rests, even having similar mixed colors.

The green anole is a long-tailed little creature that looks like a lizard and can change color when necessary. Its home is among trees and grass-covered forest floors where it scampers in search of food. It is very difficult to see, even when in motion.

The Creator has provided many birds with colors that hide them. One example is the colorful woodcock and its chicks. Nesting on a low spot of ground, they all have speckled back and side feathers that look just like their surroundings. A person walking through the woods might unintentionally step on one if the bird did not startle him by jumping or flying out of the way.

Another unusual one is a large bird known as the bittern, which lives in swampy areas where tall grasses, cattail plants and similar vegetation grow high above the marsh. When sensing danger, the bittern squats on the ground but raises its head with its long, sharp-pointed beak and long, speckled neck straight up, remaining well concealed among the plants around it. If the plants are swaying in the wind, the bittern does the same with its long neck and head, swaying back and forth in perfect time with the plants.

One of the first things a mother deer teaches her white-spotted little fawn is to lie perfectly still on the forest floor and make no noise if an enemy comes near. This saves the lives of many fawns from hungry animals.

These are just a few more examples of the wonders of God’s care over His creatures. They, of course, can’t be expected to thank Him for providing so wonderfully. But when a boy or girl or grown-up learns of God’s very special love for them — as quoted in our opening Bible verse — how pleasing it must be to Him to hear our thanks for His care and love. Have you ever thanked Him?

ML-09/02/2007

The Fierce Goshawk

“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?”
Job 39:26

There is a wide variety of hawks in several countries of the world. The goshawk (or goose-hawk) got its name because at one time it was noted for killing geese bigger than itself. It is only about two feet long and a bold hunter. Mice are one of its most frequent catches. Its home is often in dense forests, both in Canada and the northern United States.

The eastern goshawk is the most common of the three species in North America and spends most of its time hunting birds and small animals. One feature that helps its hunting is that its short wingspan enables it to fly through dense forests that most other birds avoid.

It has short, rounded wings and a long tail that enable it to twist and dart at lightning speed, changing direction instantly when pursuing small animals or other birds. It likes to nest high in a tree where it may watch for prey or unwelcome creatures approaching. It shows no fear of any bird or animal, or even people.

The goshawk’s appearance gives a clue to its fierceness. Feathers are black, gray and white, and its round, orange eyes with black pupils add terror to those who get a look at them. Legs are heavily feathered with strong claws on the feet. This predator’s face is centered with a short, hooked, black beak, from which small victims it has captured frequently dangle as they are being flown home to feed pure-white chicks. They are always hungry for more.

The mother is a most vicious defender when little ones are in her care and will quickly attack anything approaching that she thinks is a threat to them. The father is more satisfied to make threatening screams that sound cruel enough to send intruders away in a hurry.

The father is good at capturing food for both the mother and chicks. When bringing food, perhaps a pigeon, he makes a clicking signal a short way from the nest. The mother bird hears this and flies out to snatch the food from his beak. Sometimes, while still flying below him, he will drop it, and she always catches the prey as he goes back to find more food for the brood.

Hawks were peaceable birds until Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. Sin resulted in upsetting all living things, as this short account of goshawks has brought to our attention. So hawks are mentioned in the Bible as “unclean” birds, which meant they were not to be eaten by the people of Israel. Also, when God spoke to Job about some of the wonders of creation, He asked Job the question in the Bible verse at the opening of this article. He wanted Job to think about these wonders and remember God’s wisdom and power. And we should remember them too.

ML-09/09/2007

Gemsboks and Springboks

“O Lord . . . Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Revelation 4:11

Living in the hot, dry regions of southern Africa, gemsboks are considered by many to be the prettiest members of the oryx family. They are about the size of a donkey and are related to antelopes. They have a velvety-gray body, black and white face, complemented by black and white legs and a long, bushy tail. Between their large black and white ears is a pair of nearly straight, sharply pointed horns. These grow to four feet long and slant slightly backward. They provide a weapon that any animal would be foolish to challenge. Gemsboks have been known to kill lions with these sharp horns.

Because of their heavy bodies, gemsboks are not particularly fast runners. They are an example of the Creator’s wisdom when He placed them in hot, dry areas, for they can go a long time without water. They live in bands of up to twenty animals and roam the dry, grassy plains and areas of low vegetation.

Although related to the gemsbok and living in the same area, the springbok is a sharp contrast. It is slender and graceful and a little shorter than its relative, but without the long, bushy tail. Its golden-brown hair has a snow-white stripe down the back, as well as a white face, with white on the underside and the inside of its legs.

While groups of gemsboks are relatively small, the springboks are found in big groups by themselves, migrating in great numbers to the oceanside when it gets too hot and dry. At times the whole herd runs swiftly over the open plains for no apparent reason. Because they repeatedly spring from eight to ten feet into the air when frightened and then race off at high speed, they are sometimes called springers.

There are many varieties of horns among them. Some grow higher than others before slanting backward, while others look more like prongs, just rising a short way and then curling forward.

We can often see in the variety of things the Lord God created, as well as in the Bible accounts, that the Creator took much pleasure in variety. “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). More importantly, we learn also the promise to all who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, that when called into heaven we will find “in [His] presence is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Will you be among that happy number in heaven?

ML-09/16/2007

Butterfly and Moth Facts: Part 1

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”
Psalm 111:2

Butterflies and moths are often mistaken for one another, but there are several marked differences between them. One way to tell them apart is that butterflies have a pair of black antennae that look like thin pieces of wire with black balls on the ends, while the antennae of moths are feathery and pretty. Another way to tell them apart is to watch them as they land. A butterfly at rest holds its wings upright over its body, while a moth at rest folds its wings flat against its body. A butterfly has a tapered body, while a moth’s body is usually thick and hairy. Another difference: Butterflies are day fliers, while most moths fly only after dusk.

Butterflies and moths are often extremely pretty. One moth in the eastern United States, called cecropia, is a beautiful blending of deep brown, tan and white over its large wings and oddly checkered body and is one of the largest in North America. Another is the luna. Its wings are a light green, but entirely circled with a dark brown border in front and light tan elsewhere, including its body. The name luna (relating to the moon) tells us that it is active only at night.

One of the most outstanding and best-known butterflies is the monarch. Great colonies of these, hatched during summer months in the United States and Canada, make quite a sight migrating in the fall to several places in California and Mexico, beautiful in their black-bordered, deep-orange wings and black bodies. Their parents had flown in the opposite direction in the spring, but died before the fall. How do you think the young ones know where to migrate or what direction to take without their parents to lead them? This is just another example of the Creator’s care over all things He has created. David wrote in Psalm 145:9, “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Incidentally, these young monarchs, fully grown through the winter, will return to the same northern spots the next spring, hatch new babies there and die. This same pattern continues year after year.

Another lovely butterfly is the swallowtail, common in many North American gardens. Its wings are a delicate yellow, bordered and marked in black when seen from above, but from below the border has a front band of black, then deep blue, followed by more black, with a row of bright-red, curved crescents.

David, who wrote many of the psalms, enjoyed thinking about creation, as the opening Bible verse shows. He knew who made the world and everything in it and that it is only by the Lord God that all living things have been brought into the world and are cared for.

(to be continued)

ML-09/23/2007

Butterfly and Moth Facts: Part 2

“The Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile [corrupt] body, that it may be . . . like . . . His glorious body.”
Philippians 3:20-21

In the last issue we looked at a pair of lovely moths and a pair of beautiful butterflies, but these are only examples of the hundreds of thousands the Creator has made.

What do they look like when they are first born? They actually hatch, for they come from tiny eggs laid by the females. There is a great variety of moth and butterfly egg shapes — some are smooth, others are covered with hair, some are flat, and still others are round or oval.

These usually hatch in just a few days, but instead of a pretty butterfly or moth coming out, it is always a caterpillar (larva) that hatches. This is the part growers of vegetables and flowers don’t like, for the caterpillars immediately start eating leaves, flowers and buds. They can do a lot of damage, but quite often they eat invasive or useless plants too. Some of the caterpillars become food for many birds and other insects. And some caterpillars are camouflaged to protect them from their bird and insect enemies.

As the caterpillars grow, their skins become too tight and split, to be replaced by looser coverings. This may happen several times. They finally attach themselves as cocoons to leaves or plant stems with a silk-like thread drawn from their heads. In Japan, silk moths are raised from cocoons in great numbers for their silk threads, which are used to make silk clothing.

Before very long, the caterpillars reach a changing point in their lives. Some make burrows in the ground, which they crawl into, and others crawl into curled-up leaves. Still others stretch out on a plant stem and spin a silk covering around themselves and the stem. In contrast to this, others do not make this kind of a cocoon but just attach themselves to a twig with a few strands of their silk thread, forming what is called a chrysalis. It may have patterns that make it look like a leaf or some other part of the plant.

Inside the cocoons or chrysalises, these creatures begin to change from a caterpillar to a moth or butterfly. In the spring they come out of their temporary homes —this time having wings, which at first are wet and soft. But before long their wings begin to unfold, and now they are no longer caterpillars but fully developed moths or butterflies. When fully dried, they fly off and are the rest of their lives beautiful specimens of God’s creation — no longer pests.

The beginning Bible verse tells of a wonderful change promised to each of us who knows the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. As we think of lowly caterpillars becoming something beautiful, how much greater will be a Christian’s change in that wonderful time! Will you be included in that change?

ML-09/30/2007

The Black Skimmer

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:9

The black skimmer is one of the world’s most unusual birds. There are five species, and the one called “black” lives on several shorelines in the southern and eastern United States. About eighteen inches long, they have wide, long wings. They are black on top and are quite striking with a white face, neck, breast and underside and red legs, as well as a red bill with a black tip.

A person might think something is wrong with the bill, since the lower part is an inch or more longer than the upper part. However, their sides match perfectly and are as sharp as a pair of scissors, sometimes causing them to be called scissor bills.

Skimmers live almost entirely on fish or other small marine life which are often just below the surface of the water. At times a skimmer may be alone, but more often several fly together, skimming above the water’s surface. They hold their bills open, keeping the lower half just under the surface to scoop up insects, small fish and shrimp.

If a fish is a good size, the skimmer may hold it in the closed bill and carry it to its nest. But if there are no young birds to feed, it will probably cut the fish into small pieces with its sharp bill or may just swallow it whole.

It’s amazing how many little fish are close to the surface, that would probably never be seen by a person in a boat, and are almost always present in bay areas or even in open waters. The skimmers are given instincts by the Creator to know they are there. However, in stormy weather and high waves, they can’t undertake these fishing trips.

Other birds floating on the water will often catch a glimpse of a small fish nearby and grab it with their sharp bills, but no other bird can match the way a skimmer catches fish.

The opening Bible verse expresses how God, the Creator, takes care of all things He has placed on the earth, and the delightful skimmers are just one more example of this.

Another verse in the same chapter tells of His special care of boys and girls, men and women. “The Lord is nigh [near] unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

Have you ever called on Him, confessing that you are a sinner and accepting Him as your Saviour? He loves you and wants you to come just as you are. He will make you one of His children if you do as the verse says: “Call upon Him in truth.”

ML-10/07/2007

Angelfish Are Beauties

“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not known.” Psalm 77:19

The Creator has made homes in the seas for more varieties of fish than we can count, both small and large. Some are very unusual looking, and many of them are beautiful creatures.

Several varieties of small, colorful fishes are named angelfish and are very pretty. They live mainly in the warm waters along the Atlantic Coast from Florida to Brazil. Some from the Amazon River in South America are highly prized in many North American aquariums. There are also varieties of large angelfish that are fished commercially and sold to fish markets, since most are good to eat.

Florida’s blue angelfish, for instance, is one of the outstanding beauties. It is deep blue on its entire back, with two blue ribbons surrounding its head, separated by a dark brown ribbon. The bottom part of its body is an even more brilliant blue, and a blue and amber snout adds a little more to its beauty, as well as a brilliant, fan-shaped, yellow tail. It’s not difficult to see how it got its name.

One of the more striking ones is the clown angelfish. One variety of these has a light-pink head and shoulders, but the rest of its body, all the way to its tail, is a dark orange marked with wide bands and a central, bright-green stripe that turns deep blue toward its tail. In addition to this, a huge fin on its back is deep blue, but a similar fin below is light orange with narrow blue stripes. Getting a close look at one of these would convince you that, with such a combination of colors, it is well-named.

Another very attractive variety is the queen angelfish. A typical one is a soft speckled green all over, except for an outstanding yellow tail and fins. It is also decorated with a thin but bright-red line all along its narrow top and underside. There are about a dozen varieties in this group, most of them living off the shores of Florida, but with some venturing as far north as the New England coastline. When fully grown, they are about two feet long and are a good catch for anyone fishing.

The Bible tells us that on the fifth day of God’s creation He said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. . . . And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters [oceans, lakes and rivers] brought forth abundantly . . . and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:2021). When we see these and other wonders, how good it is to know the One who created it all and who still watches over them. He watches over you and me too.

ML-10/14/2007

Following the Guide

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12

Many of you boys and girls may have learned the Bible verse in Sunday school that says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the way”? Here is a little story to help you understand what He meant.

A missionary told how a local guide was leading him through the African jungle. He asked the guide, “Is this the way?”

The guide answered, “No. I am the way . . . follow me.”

The guide knew that the missionary would become hopelessly lost without his guiding presence leading all the way through the dense jungle to the end of the journey.

And this is just the way it is with you and me. We could never find our way to God without the Lord Jesus. When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He saw that we were lost and far from God. Not only did we need a Guide, but we also needed a Saviour. Jesus hung on the cross to take our place and bear “our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Now all who believe in Him and accept Him as Lord and Saviour will one day arrive safely in heaven at the end of the journey. But until then, as we live day by day, He has promised that the Holy Spirit will live within us and guide us safely until we reach our home in heaven.

Before Jesus was crucified, He told His followers, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:23). He is living in heaven right now, and that is the end of the journey for all who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Guide.

Will heaven be the end of your journey?

ML-10/14/2007

Carbon Dioxide and You

“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”
Psalm 150:6

Some time ago we gave our readers information on the effect of oxygen and nitrogen on our lives and on other living things. Today we’ll consider carbon dioxide — what it is and what it does. The dictionary describes it this way: “a heavy, colorless, non-burning gas.”

Trees and plants need great quantities of carbon dioxide, which they get from the air moving around them. Humans and animals, however, can’t use it. We have to have oxygen every moment to stay alive. The Creator has designed a wonderful arrangement to maintain this balance. Every breath you inhale draws both oxygen and carbon dioxide into your lungs. The lungs give the blood its oxygen supply and also remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The carbon dioxide is discarded when you exhale.

But that’s only part of the story. By a process called photosynthesis, plants and trees use the carbon dioxide out of the air and release oxygen back into it. Thus vegetation, which uses the part humans and animals cannot use, releases the oxygen so necessary to humans and animals. Isn’t that an amazing design!

Of course, we need to be careful about going into unused caves, or hiding inside a big box, or entering a small space where there is no fresh air. Workmen that have to go into dangerous places are wise to wear special masks. And it used to be that miners without ventilating equipment would take caged canary birds into mines with them. These cute little birds would fall off their perches if too much carbon dioxide accumulated. When that happened, the miners grabbed the cages and didn’t waste any time getting outside with them, saving the lives of both the canaries and themselves.

But in spite of some dangers, carbon dioxide has some very good uses. It adds the fizz to soft drinks, and that’s where the name “carbonated soda” comes from. Another important use is in fighting fires with extinguishers loaded with this gas. Blown over a fire quickly enough, the vapor from the carbon dioxide keeps oxygen from reaching the fire and will put it out. And yet another use is found in bakeries, because yeast, which is used in making bread, produces carbon dioxide, which helps the bread to rise.

Surely when we think of this wonderful gas created by the Lord God, we should praise Him for His loving care over us, as the opening Bible verse tells us to. That love was most wonderfully expressed when the Lord Jesus gave Himself on the cross as a sacrifice to God for the sins of each one who comes to Him to be his or her Saviour. Any who do this are assured of a happy home in heaven with Him when life on earth is over. Come to Him today, if you have not yet done so. He will warmly welcome you.

ML-10/21/2007

Wolves Are Tough

“Beware of false prophets [teachers] . . . in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Matthew 7:15

It’s often hard to tell one species of wolf from another, because there may be several colors of fur in one pack. They are rather handsome animals. Those in Europe are mostly gray in color, while the North American wolves may be white, gray, brown or black.

Few dogs match them in size. Some wolves measure as much as six feet from nose to tip of tail and may weigh 150 pounds or more. They also have longer legs and larger feet than dogs. Incidentally, the animals called prairie wolves are actually coyotes, but all are part of the dog family.

Large numbers of wolves live in the middle areas of the North American continent and in smaller numbers in almost every other part of the United States and Canada. There are estimated to be more than six thousand in the state of Alaska, most staying there year-round. A few are in Glacier National Park, Montana, and some are beginning to show up in other national parks.

All wolves have sharp eyesight along with keen senses of smell and hearing, so that it is difficult for hunters to get near them. Wolves can travel for hours at about twenty miles per hour. They are master hunters and experts at hiding, sometimes pressing against a big rock or the side of a bare hill that matches the color of their fur. A person might walk close by and never see a well-hidden wolf.

Wolves have strong family ties and often mate for life. Pups get lots of attention, not only from both parents but also from others in the pack. They soon outgrow that time of life and are assigned a place in the pack when hunting or traveling.

Each wolf, regardless of age, is always in its own position in the pack. The pack leader is never challenged unless seriously injured or getting old, when it’s time for another leader to take over. Packs often travel great distances in their search for an elk, deer, caribou or an occasional bear that is not too big for them to handle. When on its own, a lone wolf is continually looking for smaller prey, including rabbits, weasels, squirrels, birds and even large insects, frogs and fish.

The Bible often warns about false teachers, as in our opening verse. They are like vicious wolves, wanting to capture us with their evil ideas. But the Bible also provides excellent instruction to any who want to turn away from evil: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things [the good and pure things] shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Another verse tells us that “the word of the Lord [endures] forever” (1 Peter 1:25). Are you trusting in the Bible’s pure and sure promises?

ML-10/28/2007

A Forgotten Food

“[The Lord] giveth food to all flesh [living things]: for His mercy endureth forever.”
Psalm 136:25

Early American settlers in the New England area enjoyed a food called groundnuts, or sometimes called Indian potato, that has since been almost completely forgotten. These grow wild, not only in that part of the country, but in other places all the way south to Florida and west to the Mississippi River. The Indians told the Pilgrims about groundnuts, and then they enjoyed them too.

What are groundnuts? They are part of the root system of a vine that is related to peanuts and beans but climbs over bushes. To find the groundnuts, their fragrant, brownish-flowered vines are given a tough pull, which uncovers the long roots growing just a few inches below the surface. Each root may have as many as forty round or oval “nuts.” Some are about the size of a hazelnut and others are more like a golf ball in size. They are attached to the root, a few inches apart from each other.

A man who discovered some of these growing wild just a few years ago took a supply home and cleaned them. His wife cooked them in a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes, until they became soft. After mashing them and adding butter, they found them every bit as good as baked potatoes and went back to the woods for more. In addition to boiling, they discovered they were also good roasted in hot ashes.

The result of this renewed discovery was that there was one berry grower who became so fond of groundnuts that he raised them to sell. If properly cared for, the plants produce tons of groundnuts on just an acre or so of farmland. He hoped that people living in areas where they grow would again include them in their diets.

It would seem that many farmers, hearing about this, would begin growing them. But, like many wild things, there are some problems. For one thing, they are rather hard to cultivate, as they not only prefer wet, marshy soil, but the vines easily get tangled up. To avoid this, they have to be staked. Harvesting is also time consuming, similar to digging up carrots, beets or potatoes.

But perhaps someday this tasty food will be on the market in some places. As a rediscovered part of God’s creation, the nutritious food will once more be helpful in providing a tasty variety on many dinner tables.

Although they have been forgotten for many, many years, groundnuts were included in what God the Creator said as He prepared the earth for every living thing: “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so” (Genesis 1:11). We should never forget to thank Him often for the wonderful way He has provided all necessary things for us.

ML-11/04/2007

Amazing Migrators

“Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done. . . . They are more than can be numbered.”
Psa. 40:5

The more we learn about migrating birds and other creatures, the more amazing it is to wonder how they find their way from one place to another. Scientists can only guess, and if the migrators could talk, they couldn’t tell us either. But those who believe in God as the Creator of all things plainly see that He has given them that ability.

Birds such as geese and storks make flights of more than one thousand miles over land and water, traveling north in the spring and south in the fall. Arctic terns make the longest migrations of all — about twelve thousand miles twice a year between Antarctica and nearby islands to the Aleutian islands, Greenland and the northernmost islands of the Arctic Ocean, where their young are hatched and raised. Leaving the young ones behind, they return late in August by way of Hawaii — a long, long trip over water. The young terns, never having made that flight, nonetheless follow them later on the same route. How can they do this with no guide to help them? Oh, but they do have a Guide — the Creator who directs them all along the way.

Many more birds, such as robins and geese, make long flights in the spring and again in the fall. They stay on the right course through rain, fog, storms and dark nights to reach their destinations. Sometimes their numbers are so great they become spread out for many miles, and none get lost.

The migration of animals is also amazing. Thousands of caribou travel in the spring and fall between the United States and Alaska. In Africa there are also great migrations of wildebeests, gazelles, elephants and other animals that migrate back and forth many miles.

Fish of all sizes, from tiny sardines to huge salmon and tuna, are among others that migrate, as do a great number of insects that find their way over great distances every year. Their true Guide is the One who created them and who is always watching over them.

These long-distance travelers need no maps or signals to tell them where or when to go, but the journeys and food supply along the way are all scheduled by their kind Creator.

Do you know that the very same Creator has prepared a way for those who know Him as their Lord and Saviour when it is time to leave this world? His Word, the Bible, tells us, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How important it is to accept the Lord Jesus now as your Saviour. Then when that important moment comes, He will take you to His wonderful home in heaven.

Did you know?

Arctic terns fly
24,000 miles
each year.

ML-11/11/2007

Whistling Swans

“When I applied mine heart to know wisdom . . . I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out [all] the work that is done under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

There are seven species of swans, all graceful and lovely. Many of us are familiar with the one called trumpeter. The one we will look at today is a close relative, the whistling swan.

This swan nests around the Arctic Ocean and the Hudson Bay region of Canada and flies to southern Canada and the United States for the winter months. It is strictly a water bird, larger than a goose and very graceful when either swimming or flying.

Among the seven species, the whistling swan has the sharpest, most piercing call, which accounts for its nickname whooper. Actually it does not do much whistling, but makes a loud, musical “woo-ho, woo-woo.” It’s the whistling-like calls as it flies that have given it the whistling name.

Although related to ducks and geese, this bird looks a lot different and is much larger. It doesn’t mix with them except when they might, by chance, pick the same wintering home. Migration follows three flyways—one down the Atlantic coast, another along the Pacific coast, and the third over the Midwestern United States. They fly in long lines and at great heights, at speeds up to fifty miles per hour.

Watching swans swimming in a pond or lake is a lovely sight, with their long, straight necks and sharp eyes searching the water for a fish. Beautiful snow-white feathers completely cover this lovely bird except for a yellow spot between the nostrils and eyes. The feet, legs and bill are black.

Full-grown males may weigh twenty-five pounds or more and have wingspreads as much as seven feet across. But in spite of their size, they float gracefully on lakes and ponds and are excellent swimmers. Leaving the water is something to watch. First, they flap their wings vigorously, to raise their bodies. Then, with wings still flapping, they run along the surface with their necks stretched out. Finally, they pull their feet back under their tails and are airborne. When returning to the water they glide down, and when just above the surface they extend their feet to touch the water first, and then glide before coming to rest.

These birds mate for life, showing much attention to each other, as well as their young. Cygnets (baby swans) are raised in huge nests, five or six feet across. It takes almost five months of the parents’ protection and training before they are on their own.

The psalmist certainly enjoyed the creation of the Lord and often wrote about it. “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. . . . He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered” (Psalm 111:24). Do you remember to thank Him for His care over you, and have you accepted Him as your Saviour?

ML-11/18/2007

Delightful Squirrels: Part 1

“O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God!”
Psalm 36:67

Squirrels are interesting little animals, aren’t they? There are over two hundred species throughout the world. People cannot help but be interested in them because their antics are fun to watch. The Creator has made them so nimble in scampering up and around a tree trunk as they chase each other and seem to be playing hide-and-seek. Other times they scamper out on a narrow branch, sometimes jumping from branch to branch, hunting for an acorn or other nut or seedpod.

Squirrels have no difficulty holding a nut between their front paws while sitting upright with their big, bushy tails raised in a big loop over their backs. Their sharp teeth and strong jaws can crack open a nutshell very quickly, and they are soon enjoying the treat.

A brave squirrel in a public park sometimes will come timidly to the outstretched hand of a person squatting on the ground and holding out a peanut or other treat. (This is not recommended because of the danger of being bitten.) The squirrel finally will snatch the food and scamper away, often up a nearby tree to a nest hidden there. When it does this, it is often taking the treat to a mother squirrel that is caring for a nest of baby squirrels or perhaps as a treat for itself.

There are several varieties of these active little creatures in North America, including the fox, ringtail, chicaree, tufted-eared, ground and others. They are all part of the same family, but each a little different from the others. The ringtail, one of the smallest, is distinctive with an extra-long tail, thickly covered with wooly fur which forms wide, black-and-white rings over its entire length. The rest of its body is grayish-brown. It has large, sharp eyes and high-pointed ears atop a head that tapers to a sharp point at the snout.

The smallest of all is the African pygmy, only five inches long, including a short tail. The largest is the Indian giant, about three feet long, with a bright red, black and pale-yellow coat.

Tree squirrels are commonly seen in parks, backyards or in trees along a wooded trail or roadway. Using their powerful hind legs, they easily jump from branch to branch, their bushy tails helping them to keep their balance. They can run amazingly fast headfirst down a tree trunk, sharp claws clinging to the bark. Most of their time is spent in trees, but they also search on the ground for nuts, berries, seeds and mushrooms.

The opening Bible verses remind us that these attractive creatures are never left alone, for there is One in heaven above looking after them, just as He looks after each one of us. Have you ever thanked Him for His loving-kindness to you?

(to be continued)

The Indian giant squirrel, standing upright, is taller than a 5year-old kid!

ML-11/25/2007

Delightful Squirrels: Part 2

“By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth.”
Colossians 1:16

Some time ago we considered the “flying squirrels” of Africa. North America also has flying squirrels. Their scientific name means “gray mouse that flies.” Today we will look at the ones usually referred to as the gray and a close relative called the red. Although referred to as flying squirrels, it would be more appropriate to call them “gliding” squirrels, as the following description of their activities will make clear.

These are most outstanding in their ability to make their way from tree to tree through the air without going to the ground. They have been known to glide more than one hundred feet and always finishing up at a lower point from where they started. They do this by launching themselves from high up in a tree and gliding through the air with legs outstretched. Here’s how it’s possible.

The Creator has provided them with special furry, loose skin (flight membranes) stretched between their front and hind legs. These membranes are very loose when they are not flying, in contrast with other squirrels that have smooth, tight, furry skin. But when gliding through the air with all four legs stretched out, this loose skin becomes a perfect parachute under their full control.

They also have flat tails that act as a rudder when gliding. These flat tails are most important also for stopping their flight. A squirrel suddenly will lift its tail straight up just before landing, which greatly reduces its speed.

They always land upright, with strong claws of the hind feet grabbing the tree trunk before the front feet make contact. Then they immediately scoot around to the opposite side of the tree — a God-given instinct, in case they may have been spotted by an owl or hawk that would like a squirrel supper. When the young squirrels are only five or six weeks old, the mother begins their flight training. She has them make short glides at first, gradually lengthening them until they become experts.

Aside from the ability to glide, which other squirrels would never attempt, their lives are much the same. They make nests in decayed holes in large trees with enough space for food supplies. Their food is mainly nuts and seeds, but at times includes berries, grasshoppers and an occasional bird’s egg.

The Bible tells us that the Lord God took pleasure in all His creation, and nothing came “just by chance.” You are a part of His creation too, and He wants you to know Him personally as your Saviour. Receive Him into your life as your Saviour and then follow the words of His promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

ML-12/02/2007

An Amazing Combination

“How sweet are Thy words [the words of God] unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103

When they get to the swarm of bees, the honey badger starts tearing the honeycomb apart with his sharp claws and teeth. The bees begin buzzing angrily about and swarming over him. But he isn’t afraid of them, because their stingers can’t get through his long, loose fur.

What about the bird? She waits patiently, for it is not the honey she wants; she’s after the waxy honeycomb that stores the honey. But this will not be available until the badger has first licked out the honey. Eventually she gets the honeycomb and enjoys her treat after the badger has finished and gone on his way. Both will be ready to do it again the next time there is an opportunity.

Sometimes when a native hunter sees the bird leading a badger, he knows what’s going on and will frighten the animal away. Then the bird accepts him as a substitute worker, with the same results. The man gets the honey and the bird gets her fill of the wax that she can handle with a digestive system that breaks down and welcomes the sweet food, usually accompanied by a number of bees eaten at the same time.

ML-12/09/2007

Hidden Outdoor Life

“Yea, the darkness [hides] not from Thee; but the night [shines] as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.”
Psalm 139:12

Just a teaspoonful of soil may contain countless tiny forms of plant and animal life that can only be seen with a microscope. The most important of these are bacteria, which help keep the soil clean and replace nutrients when they decompose dead insects and vegetation. Of course, we all know there are a variety of worms and millipedes, as well as moles and other creatures beneath the surface, but we can’t grasp how many there actually are. All of this life is a part of the Creator’s great plan and is important in the process of enriching the soil in which much of our food is grown.

Enjoying a saltwater beach, few people are even aware that living creatures are hidden in the sand. Tiny crabs, shellfish, various worms, fleas and numerous other insects are there, and a great amount of unseen life is out in the ocean waters beyond them.

But there is One from whom nothing can hide — the Creator Himself who made it all. The Bible reminds us, “There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested [made known]” (Mark 4:22).

If any reader is trying to hide from God, it is impossible, “for His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He [sees] all his goings” (Job 34:21). Just stop and consider that He knows all about you, and realize how important it is to say, as the psalmist did, “Show Thy marvelous loving-kindness, O Thou that [saves] by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee. . . . Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings” (Psalm 17:78). Have you put your trust in this loving Saviour?

Did You Know?

Just a teaspoonful of soil may contain countless tiny forms of plant and animal life that can only be seen with a microscope.

ML-12/16/2007

A Cat or a Fish?

“Thy [the Creator’s] way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters.”
Psalm 77:19

The catfish probably got its name from the whiskers around its mouth, since they are similar to a cat’s whiskers. These whiskers give it a warning signal of dangers and are also an important means of finding food.

Isn’t it nice to realize that the Lord God, the Creator, watches over all His creation, including these unusual fish? But how much greater is His love and care over boys and girls, as well as men and women. He gives this loving invitation to each one: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

The blue catfish can weigh 100 pounds!

ML-12/23/2007

Two African Lizards

“These also shall be unclean unto you . . . the chameleon, and the lizard.”
Leviticus 11:29-30

The above instructions given to God’s people in Bible times defined lizards as “unclean.” This meant they were not to be eaten as food by the children of Israel, but it did not mean that God, the Creator of all things, didn’t care for lizards. He has always provided well for their every need. We’ll look at just two types of lizards.

Moving about in that heat as it searches for flies and other insects, the aporosaura’s long, rubber-like legs carry its body high enough so it doesn’t rub against the hot sand. But it stops often to cool one leg at a time, by raising it and waving it in the air.

Each afternoon, fog blows in from the ocean, and our lizard friend, not pleased with the cool change, buries itself completely in the sand and stays buried for the night, until the sun shines again the next morning.

ML-12/30/2007

Hupogrammos

If any of you boys or girls looked at this strange word and thought it was like Greek to you, you were right! It is a Greek word with a simple meaning, and you will easily understand the meaning as I explain it to you. First, however, I will copy two verses from the Bible where the Apostle Peter says, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example (or a hupogrammos), that [you] should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21-22).

When I went to school, printed on the back cover of our workbooks at the top was a line of perfectly formed letters of the alphabet—the hupogrammos. Underneath the letters were lines all the way down the page. We were to copy these letters, always keeping our eye on the hupogrammos (the perfect, top-line example) and not on our own letters as we worked down the page. By doing that, our bottom line of letters was a fairly good copy of the perfect top line, because all that practice made us quite good. Our problems came about when we took our eyes off the top line and instead followed what we had already copied. Then the bottom line was very different from the perfect examples at the top.

Now if you think of what Peter is saying in those verses, you will understand that as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, the one perfect Man, and try to follow His example, we will not go too far astray in life. However, if we follow what our friends are doing or our own ideas, thinking they are good enough, the result will be very poor.

Now do you understand what that word means?

ML-12/30/2007

For Little Folks

If you are between the ages of five and nine years old, there is a hidden message for you in this diagram. Starting at the top row, work from left to right and then go on to the next row. Find all the times that your age is shown, writing down each letter that is shown under your age. This will be your message from the Bible.

ML-04/01/2007

For Little Folks

ML-07/08/2007

For the Little Folks

ML-12/09/2007

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble these names of books in the Old Testament?

O J E L

__ __ __ __

C R A Z I H E H A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

O X S U E D

__ __ __ __ __ __

I M C H A

__ __ __ __ __

ML-08/19/2007

Unscramble Bible Book Names

O J E L

__ __ __ __

C R A Z I H E H A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

O X S U E D

__ __ __ __ __ __

I M C H A

__ __ __ __ __

ML-12/23/2007

Unscramble Bible Book Names

Can you unscramble
these names of books
in the Old Testament?

Z E E K E L I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

H E M E H A N I

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

O H J A N

__ __ __ __ __

B O I D A H A

__ __ __ __ __ __ __

ML-06/24/2007

"R" Names Word Search

This word search uses Bible names which begin with the letter “R.” See how many of the names listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across — every direction.

RABBI RACHEL REBECCA REUBEN ROME RUTH
RABONI RAHAB REHOBOAM RHODA RUFUS

ML-09/09/2007

Scripture Verse Word Search: Isaiah 1:18

Can you find the words of this Scripture verse in this word search? Look in every direction-up, down, diagonally, backwards and across. 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.

“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-08/12/2007

Scripture Verse Word Search: Romans 5:1

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 “we” and then circle the same word in the verse once you have found it.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

ML-05/06/2007

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-09/02/2007

Messages of God's Love: 2007

Table of Contents

Fire!

Four Lashes

Tornado Soup

An Uninvited Guest

Burean

Nighttime Encounter with a Cougar

A Close Call

The Results of an Ignored Warning

Heavy Snow

The Lonely Bird

A New Van for the Andrews

A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: The Blue Jay

A Foolish Chipmunk

She Should Have Waited

A Bear's Place of Refuge

Muffin's Warning

"Bandito"

Running Alone

Embedded in the Rock of Gibraltar

"Mommy, Where Are You?"

"Gotcha Day"

What Freckles Doesn't Know

An Inch from Death

Some "Yes" Prayers

A Wandering Sheep

A Surprise in Our Grill

"Whosoevers" and "Whosoever Believes"

A Trail of Blood

Caught by the Enemy

A Beautiful Playground

Pilito's Accident

Curiosity Caught the Cat

A Car Without a Driver

Fluffy the Hamster

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: Josh and the Flip-Flopping Fish

Fluffy Gets Lost

Easy Prey for a Polar Bear

"Keep Looking Up!"

Chased by Dogs

"Twice Mine"

Eating Crayons

Saved by a Gorilla

Smuggled in a Dog Cage

Capsized!

Can You Say This?

Math Questions the Computer Can't Answer

Nothing to Fear

"Passes Only"

Falling in a Hole

Stuck in a Well

Not a Chance

A Letter from Gramma and Grampa: The Birthday Party

Don't Wait

"I Want to Finish Coloring"

Regan the Runaway

The Only Way In

Buried in an Avalanche

Frank's Story

Who Tapped Him?

Forgetful Ducks

A Story from the Philippines

Hay for Caribou

"Dirty Wasps"

Cut Off from Shore

Hope for Tyler

The Best Part of the Trip

How Much for a Cell Phone?

Which One?

Wandering Bears

Costly Dishes

Pet Skunks

Forgea: Forsaken and Alone in the Pacific

"Is it the Best Way?"

Gripped by a Boa

Teddy's Medicine

What the Sticker Meant

Snake on a Pole