Messages of God's Love: 2024

Merle, his shaggy golden retriever, was all ready to go. He pranced around, slapping his big front paws against the floor as if to say, “Hurry up, Sam!”

The two slipped out the door. The snow came up to Sam’s boot tops. Merle ran and dove and twisted and turned in the deep snow like a happy puppy.

“Wait up, Merle!” Sam called out to his dog. “You go a lot faster than I with your four legs!”

They headed through the backyard and on through a clump of willow trees with their long, hanging branches, then on to the edge of a frozen lake.

Merle found a stick and brought it to his master’s feet.

“You want to play fetch, Merle?” Sam said as he picked up the stick and hurled it onto the lake. It hit the ice and slid.

Merle got to the spot where the stick landed almost before the stick hit. When he tried to stop to pick it up, his feet slid out from underneath him and his husky body slammed against the ice.

Sam heard a “CRACK,” like the snap of a big whip, as a large patch of ice broke up underneath his dog. Merle was plunged into the icy water.

“Merle, Merle, don’t drown, boy!” Sam shouted excitedly.

“Can somebody help us?” Sam yelled as loudly as he could. The nearest row of houses was so far away that Sam didn’t think anyone heard him.

As Sam watched Merle struggle in the icy water, he couldn’t hold back the sobs. He loved Merle, and his dog was in danger of freezing to death or drowning.

Finally, not knowing if any help was coming, Sam bravely decided to go to the edge of the broken ice to try to pull Merle out by himself.

“Merle, I’m coming to get you out!” Sam tried to reassure his dog.

Merle was swimming in circles in the small patch of water. The hole in the ice was round and only about five feet wide. Sam could see Merle’s big eyes looking at him as if he were asking for help.

With every step he took toward his dog, Sam could hear the ice cracking beneath him. He walked slowly and stepped carefully, pausing after every step and holding his breath to see if the ice were breaking. Wishing someone would come outside who could help him, Sam kept checking the houses on the other side of the lake, but the only signs of life were spirals of smoke coming from the chimneys. He wished he and Merle were safely back in their warm house.

When Sam was almost to the edge of the broken ice, scared that the ice was going to break again, he lay down and crawled on his belly the last few feet. He stretched one arm out over the cold water. Merle swam over to it. Sam dug his fingers into his dog’s long hair at the scruff of his neck. Merle’s skin was loose and easy to grab, but his fur was soaked and heavy. Sam got a good grip and pulled. Merle got his two front paws onto the ice as Sam tugged. Merle had just scrambled out of the water onto the ice when ... “CRACK!” The ice broke away beneath them, and both boy and dog were plunged into the icy water!

Sam yelled in fright. He swallowed a mouthful of water and choked. Water was filling his boots and making his feet feel like lead weights. His winter jacket soaked up the water and felt so heavy. All this extra weight was pulling him down under the icy water. He didn’t want to drown, so he fought with all his strength to stay afloat. It was harder than anything he had ever done. He was quickly growing numb in the frigid water and his arms and legs were getting tired. They didn’t want to move; they wanted to give up.

Then Sam felt a nudge at his back. It was Merle pushing him with his nose. Sam turned around in the water and put his arm around his big dog’s neck. The dog was strong enough to keep them both afloat for a while.

Minutes passed that seemed like hours.

Suddenly, a fire engine pulled up to the edge of the lake. A neighbor had called the fire department when he heard Sam’s call for help.

The crew worked quickly. The firemen pulled a long ladder off the side of their bright-red engine. They opened it to its full length and laid it down on the ice. One of them walked carefully on the ladder rungs across the ice to the open water where the two were struggling. He pulled Sam out. His face had turned blue from the cold water. He couldn’t move his fingers. Through lips that would hardly move he kept saying, “Get my dog out; get my dog out,” as the fireman carried him to the fire engine and he was rushed to the hospital.

Later, at the hospital, Sam’s father was able to reassure him that Merle was safe at home, drying out on a warm rug by the heater.

It had been a close call, but both Sam and Merle were safe.

Sam loved Merle and risked his life to save him. Did you know that God loves you? He does, because we read in the Bible, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God loves you, no matter who you are and no matter what you have done. Notice this verse doesn’t say, “God so loved the good people of the world,” nor does it say, “the worthy people of the world.” If it did, no one could be sure God loved them. It says, “God so loved the world,” so we can be certain He loves each one of us.

We also learn from this verse that we are in danger of perishing, which means ending up in hell. If you haven’t put your faith in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save you, then it cannot be said that you will not perish, because if you die without the Savior you will perish. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. To make a way of escape possible, He sent the Lord Jesus to die on the cross. Now, anyone who believes on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Won’t you believe in Him and then tell someone what you have done?

Memory Verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Messages of God’s Love 1/7/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Is It a Frog or a Toad, Part 2

“My son, give Me [your] heart, and let [your] eyes observe My ways.” Proverbs 23:26

In the last issue we looked at some interesting toads in various parts of the world. Let’s look at a few more.

A very cute toad and one of the smallest is the tiny Rose’s toad of South Africa. The male of this species is only about an inch long.

Another small one is the spadefoot. It has this name because of a sharp spade (shovel) on the inside of each back foot, something like the toenail on your big toe. It uses these to dig backward into the ground. It tends to live in dry regions, but survives by living in wet areas, like under ponds or streams.

One spadefoot that lives in particularly dry places is the Couch’s spadefoot. It may stay underground up to two years, waiting for rain. When there is enough rainfall to fill a pond, they come up quickly and gather in the ponds. They must produce their offspring quickly, since the water isn’t likely to last long. Their eggs hatch into tadpoles in about 24 hours and become tiny little toads in as little as seven days. Spadefoot toads are not truly toads because they don’t have the poisonous glands of true toads.

The Fowler’s toad can puff up its body with air to appear larger as one method of defending itself from its enemies. The smallest North American toad, the oak toad, also reacts in this way to danger, while it also reveals colors not normally seen that warn an enemy that it is poisonous.

The yellow natterjack of England is also interesting. Because it has very short hind legs, it doesn’t hop; it walks or runs over the ground.

One species that does not have the normal drab colors of toads is the 7½-inch olive-green Colorado River Toad. It lives in the deserts of the United States and Mexico and is one of only two toads in the United States that produce stronger poisons than most toads, called bufotoxins. It has several places on its body that produce these poisons. Smart raccoons have learned to pull them out of the water by a hind leg and turn them onto their back to begin eating them at their belly. This keeps them safe from the poisonous glands that could kill them.

I hope you are as careful as a raccoon eating a poisonous toad with what you put in your mind. Are you “feeding” on things that are good with your eyes and ears, or are you taking in things that will poison your mind and heart and lead you away from the God who loves you? Our lead verse shows us how much God wants our hearts and eyes to be on Him.

Did You Know?

The yellow natterjack of England doesn’t hop but walks or runs over the ground.

Messages of God’s Love 1/7/2024

God's Love to Jose

“José! José! Wake up!” Mama was calling. “José, wake up and come.”

José woke up and went to his Mama’s bed. He hadn’t been sleeping very well because he knew that she was very ill.

“José,” she gasped, “you must go for Grandma! I’m very sick. Go get Grandma to help.”

José lived in a small village high in the Andes Mountains. José was only a boy, but he knew the way to Grandma’s house, although it seemed awfully long in the middle of the night. He hurried along the shorter path by the riverside because he knew that he must get help for Mama quickly.

Mama was the only one José had. He had no brothers or sisters, and Papa had left them. Yes, Grandma must come quickly and help Mama. Mama was the only one who belonged to José.

He arrived at Grandma’s hut and called, “Grandma! Wake up! Wake up and come now, because Mama’s sick!”

Grandma got up and soon they were both hurrying along the path back to Mama.

Grandma did all she could to help, but it was too late. Early that morning José stood unbelieving as Grandma told him that his dear Mama was dead. How could this happen? Who would be his very own now?

Grandma took José home to her little hut, but even Grandma could not ease the ache in the small boy’s heart. There was no one who loved him like Mama.

Sad to say, José did not know about the kind Savior who loves all little children. He had never heard that God is a loving Father to those who trust in the Lord Jesus. He had never read or even seen God’s precious Word, the Bible, that tells us that the Lord Jesus “took them [children] up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). No one had ever told José these things, and his heart was sad and lonely.

Some time later, Papa came to find José. Because Papa had been gone so long, he seemed like a stranger. His message to Grandma was hard for José to hear. “I want José to come with me. I have married again, and I need José to work in the fields. He’s coming with me.” There was no use for José to fight against it. What could a small boy do?

So José left with Papa to go to a new home ... only it did not seem like his home. His new stepmother thought he should work hard. Sometimes he had to work with Papa in the fields, and sometimes he had to care for his stepbrothers and stepsisters.

It was not long before another trouble came into the life of José. Papa was working as a witch doctor. Sometimes he was able to cure sick people, and he demanded to be paid in
strong drink.

It was a very sad life for José. But God was tenderly watching José and planned to show him how great and how tender God’s love really is. But before José was to learn of the greatness of God’s love, he had another very
sad day.

Papa was having success as a witch doctor. But since his pay was strong drink, Papa was often drunk. Finally, one day Papa had a hard time contacting the evil spirits. He drank more and more, but still he could not contact the evil spirits. Papa found that the devil was a very hard master, and he died that day from too
much drink.

What a sad day for José! He was a real orphan now, and his life began to be even more difficult. He was the oldest child in the house, and he had to help his stepmother with all the hard work that Papa used to do. His stepmother did not love him, and she often beat him.

José endured many long, hard days until finally he could stand it no longer. He decided to run away. He would go back to Grandma’s house.

José watched for a chance to escape, and he left. He headed for Grandma’s village. He knew he must get away fast before anyone came to look for him. He went quickly over the dusty trails. But then José heard the clip-clop of a horse. They were coming for him! Where could he hide?

There was no place to hide! The horse was coming closer, so José just ran as fast as he could! Then the horse was beside him, and strong arms swept him up into the saddle.

His stepmother had sent the neighbor to get him. He was taken back against his will for more beatings and more unhappy days.

José felt very forsaken. No one loved him and there was no one for him to love.

José did not know that God had a loving plan for him. God is a loving Father and He wants to have children. He chooses sinners to be washed from their sins and adopted into His family. God sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world to shed His precious blood for sinners so that we can be welcomed into God’s family.

José lived with his stepmother for several more years, waiting until he was older and stronger to run away. This time he made it. Now he was old enough that José found work in a mining town. It wasn’t long before he was invited to some Bible meetings in that town. For the first time in his life, he heard God’s good news, that God loved him and that the Lord Jesus had died for his sins. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). José’s aching heart accepted God’s gift, and he was saved. Suddenly, José found that he had a huge family! There were hundreds of believers who told him that they were all his brothers and sisters in Christ.

“We have the same loving God as our Father,” they explained to him. José had joy in his heart that he never thought was possible.

If you were to visit José today, he would tell you that God has done wonderful things for him that he had never dreamed of when he was a sad orphan boy. He knows he has a wonderful home prepared for him in heaven, but God in His love also gave José a home here in this world. He has a lovely young wife and three small children. Recently José said, “I never expected to have a house or a family, but God has given me both.”

God wants to be a Father to you, just as He is for José. He has a wonderful plan for your life, and it all begins with the same good news that brought joy to José. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Have you received God’s gift? He is waiting to take you into His family. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

Memory Verse: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12

Messages of God’s Love 1/14/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Houses Under the Sea, Part 1

“O Lord ... the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” Psalm 104:24-25

Clams, scallops and oysters are included in the family known as bivalve mollusks. This name comes from the fact that they live in shells with two parts, called valves. These have a hinge, a strong ligament, which they use to open and close their shell.

Most clams live in soft sand or mud where they disappear quickly when danger threatens. The razor clam, an especially tasty treat, can dig its way to safety faster than most people can dig to catch it. But some clams, such as the quahog, do not dig quickly at all. These live only a few inches under the sand, near the water’s edge when the tide is out, and in shallow ocean water.

Boring clams are named for their ability to bore into rocks and other hard surfaces. Most of them do this using abrasive edges on their valves to twist away at the rock and make a hole to live in.

However, one giant boring clam, the crocea, burrows into coral reefs without having a sharp shell. Amazingly, it uses its soft foot to do this, and scientists have only recently discovered how this happens. The crocea has a chemical in its foot that lowers the acidity of the water under it. This softens the rock and makes a hole for the clam to live in. As it grows, it enlarges this hole, remaining safely inside its rocky home. It spends its life embedded in the coral reef, only letting its colorful “mantle” show on the surface to harvest energy from sunlight. Its food source is algae which live inside the clam, and the algae use the sunlight to grow and give food to the clam.

This creature gives us quite a few good lessons. First of all, it lives safely by living in a rock. The Lord is often called a Rock in Scripture. I hope you know how to go to the Lord when you have hard things in your life and how to live safely in a dangerous world by living in communion with Him all of the time.

Second, the crocea uses something in its soft foot to soften a hard surface. Proverbs 25:15 says, “A soft tongue [breaks] the bone.” Proverbs 15:1 Says, “A soft answer [turns] away wrath.” If you face an angry person with kind words, it can help them stop being angry. Even bullies run out of mean things to say if you reply with loving words.

Third, the only food the crocea eats comes from taking in sunlight, which feeds the algae living in it. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). We feed on Him by reading the Bible. Have you enjoyed that light today?

Next week we will look at scallops and oysters.

Did You Know?

Boring clams are named for their ability to bore into rocks and other hard surfaces.

Messages of God’s Love 1/14/2024

Lost Above the Clouds

It was a cold day in January when Al taxied his small plane toward the runway at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, airfield, in the northern part of the United States. Al was going to fly alone that day. It was not his first time to fly alone, but he had not done it very many times. He was still a student pilot.

His plan was to fly to another city in Wisconsin and return, for a round trip flight of only about 250 miles.

“This looks like a great day for flying,” he thought as he waited for permission from the control tower to take off. “A few clouds to the north, but they don’t look too bad.”

Having gotten clearance to take off, Al flew smoothly into the cold, still air. Heading northeast, he climbed until reaching his flying altitude, and then he leveled off. Then he had a chance to look down, and what he saw was frightening. He saw that the “few clouds” had become a solid blanket of clouds under him. He could not see the ground at all. Al was worried! He had never flown when he couldn’t see the ground before, and he was not fully trained to fly using only the plane’s instruments.

Al realized that he was in danger. He made the right decision — he radioed for help.

Al’s call was heard by the air traffic controllers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two controllers, Ron and Dick, found Al’s plane on the radar screen. Then it was their job to come up with a plan to bring him safely back to the ground. They told Al to turn until he was headed back toward Eau Claire where there were some breaks in the clouds.

Meanwhile, an experienced pilot named John, who was taking off nearby, volunteered to help guide Al to a break in the clouds. With the help of the controllers, John found Al and started leading him back to safety.

During the flight back toward Eau Claire, the engine of Al’s plane stopped two times! John told him how to start it again each time. But then, just as a large opening appeared in the clouds, the engine quit again ... and this time he was out of gas! There was no way to start his plane now, so Al had no choice. He headed toward the ground, knowing of no place to land, having no fuel and no power.

Could it be that Al was “almost saved” but now would crash so close to the safety of an airport?

One of the controllers said to the other, “He will be killed ... that’s hilly country with power lines, trees, and snow on the ground!”

As Al started down, he was sure he would never be able to land the plane safely. The only things he could hear were the rush of the air outside his plane and the quick instructions on how to land his powerless plane, being given by John, who was still circling above him.

“Nothing but hills, trees, and snow,” thought Al as he tried to pick out a spot to land. Then he spotted an empty road near a lake. He decided that would be where he would try to land his plane. Following directions from John, he made it! Soon John radioed the two controllers the good news that Al was safely down, out of the plane and walking.

Al Hansen was relieved, happy and thankful to be safely on the ground again. He wrote to John and the controllers thanking them for their help, knowing that without them he would have been killed.

Al was wise enough to call for help when he was lost and in danger, and he got the help he needed. He couldn’t see his way to safety, but others knew the way and were willing to help him. Did you know that, in a way, all of us are like Al? None of us can see with our eyes what lies beyond this life. We know that everyone dies. Where do they go? The Bible, which is God’s book, gives us the answer to this important question. It clearly tells us that there is one of two places where everyone will go ... heaven or hell. It also teaches us that no sin can enter heaven, and it teaches us that all of us have sinned. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So ... what can
we do?

The good news is that God made the way for us to go to heaven. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Then, Jesus rose again from the dead and went back to heaven. This shows us clearly that God was satisfied with the work Jesus did to put away the sins of those who will believe and receive God’s salvation as a free gift. If you simply believe on the Lord Jesus, you can go to heaven. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:31). Isn’t that simple? I hope you will be wise, like Al, and call to Him for salvation.

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

Messages of God’s Love 1/21/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Houses Under the Sea, Part 2

“Who, when He had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that He had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:46

Last week we learned about a few clams, which along with scallops and oysters, are in the family known as bivalve mollusks. They are all water creatures which live in shells with two parts, called valves.

One unusual feature about a scallop is its ability to swim by jet propulsion. It takes water in through the large, curved opening of its shell and shoots it out the back, propelling itself rapidly through the water. To do this rapid movement, it uses a large muscle called an adductor muscle to open and shut its shell. That large muscle is what we know as the “scallop” that is such a favorite with seafood lovers. It is the only part of the scallop that is eaten in the United States, though other countries also eat the mantle of the scallop.

Around the edge of its mantle, the scallop has about 200 eyes. These are not as developed as our eyes, but are mostly for detecting light and darkness. This helps it to detect predators and also to judge the quality of the water. The scallop’s food is mostly plankton, which it filters out of the water.

Oysters, found in most of the world’s oceans, have their own way of life. Like scallops, they do not burrow as clams do, but remain on the bottom or cling to some solid object. They obtain microscopic food particles from the water passing over them.

Beautiful pearls, found in oysters, are the result of something that bothers the oyster, like sand, getting inside the shell. The oyster relieves this irritation by covering the grain of sand with nacre (a substance called mother-of-pearl). As the layers of nacre build up, they eventually produce a lovely pearl. Pearls come in many different colors, depending on the oyster, the quality of the water and a few other things. The exact reasons for all the pearl colors are still not known, however. Some of the pearl colors are white, cream, pink, yellow, green, chocolate, blue, gold, silver, lavender, black and gray.

Huge pearls make up the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, as we see in Revelation 21:21, which says, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls.” Can you imagine a pearl big enough to walk through? There they are a picture of the beauty that the Lord Jesus sees in His people and will show to the whole world. As you look at another Christian, try to see the beauty of Christ in them! We may only see something that bothers us, like the grain of sand bothers an oyster. But God sees them perfect in Christ, and He wants us to see that in them too.

Did You Know?

Around the edge of its mantle, the scallop has about 200 eyes.

Messages of God’s Love 1/21/2024

Mickey

As I came home one afternoon, there in his usual spot in the picture window standing on a footstool was my dog, Mickey. Mickey was about a year old and he still hadn’t lost his puppy playfulness. When he saw me, he got so excited he spun around in the air a few times.

When I opened the back door, Mickey could hardly wait to get out and greet me. Like a jackrabbit with springs in his legs, he jumped three feet into the air and three feet out the door into the backyard. Then I caught the happy, squirming fellow and gave him a big hug.

I knew he needed some exercise after being cooped up all morning by himself, so I decided to take him out for a walk. I also had to get some studying done, so I brought along a textbook.

We walked down the sidewalk to the end of our block, across a street, over a parkway, across train tracks, through some bushes, and into a large field next to a school. Mickey was walking by my side without his leash.

If I sat down on the grass, I knew Mickey would never let me study because he never had any use for books. So I climbed up to the top of a set of monkey bars where I perched myself, as comfortably as possible, to read my book in peace.

As soon as Mickey saw I meant to sit still, he gleefully kicked his legs like a frisky colt and started running. Around the outskirts of the whole field he ran at full speed. Then he sat down in front of the monkey bars and looked up at me with his bright eyes. He seemed to be expecting something. I thought he wanted me to praise him, so I said, “Mickey, you run beautifully; you run just beautifully.” Then he caught sight of a train that was speeding down the tracks a block away. He looked back at me again. Then he started to run.

I thought he was running around the field again. I never expected what he did next. Instead of rounding the corner and coming back to me, he kept running, straight for the train.

I jumped off the monkey bars and shouted as loudly as I could, “Mickey, stop! Mickey, stop!” He must have heard me, but he chose to keep going.

I ran as fast as I could to the tracks. People in their cars waiting at the crossing saw what was happening and waved frantically, pointing down the tracks. I looked to where they were pointing, and there was Mickey ... way down the tracks running alongside the train, dashing dangerously close to the train and snapping furiously at the wheels!

I couldn’t believe it! My 25-pound dog was challenging a huge and speedy coal train. My heart sank as I saw him snap at the wheels, and I couldn’t bear to think what would happen if he got too close. Frantically I shouted, “Mickey, no! Mickey, come back!” But the noise of the train was too loud for Mickey to hear me.

I ran down the tracks, stumbling over the railroad ties. Running as fast as I could, I was still rapidly losing in the race to keep up with the train and Mickey. They got so far in front of me that finally I lost sight of Mickey. Then I lost sight of the train.

All I could do was to continue walking down the tracks, hoping Mickey would stop his mad chase and come back looking for me. Every few minutes I would stop and call, “Mickey!” in case he had wandered into the surrounding neighborhoods. Whenever I would see an object in the distance beside the tracks, I would think, “Could that be Mickey hit by the train and lying there?” As I got closer I discovered that they were only pieces of trash.

As I walked down the tracks, the story of the prodigal son and his father came to my mind. I felt in my heart a little of what the father must have felt like when the son he loved took his things and left his father’s house to go into a far country. In my mind’s eye I saw the father standing in his doorway watching his boy leaving home, walking down the road which led away from his father’s house. How the words must have welled up in the father’s heart, “My son, I love you! Come back to me. Come back,” but he did not call them out to his son because he knew his son had made up his mind to leave him.

After walking half an hour down the tracks without seeing any sign of Mickey, I turned around and headed home. Mickey whom I loved was lost, and I didn’t know if I would ever see him again.

God dearly loves you, too. He loves you infinitely more than I loved Mickey. When I called Mickey at first, he chose not to listen and kept chasing the train. God calls us, too, through what we read in the Bible and gospel papers, what we hear in Sunday school, and in many other ways. God calls us to believe on His Son and receive everlasting life and the forgiveness of sins. It is His love for you that brought the Lord Jesus down to die for sins.

Sadly, I walked home. I looked into the picture window, but there was no Mickey. I opened the back door, but no happy puppy came prancing to welcome me. I sat down in the kitchen
and sighed.

Then, who do you think poked his head around the corner? Yes, Mickey! A lady in her car had found him and brought him home. I looked down at him and I got angry with him for disobeying me, and I felt like punishing him. But I was also terribly glad he was safely home, and I wanted to hug the little dog. I couldn’t make up my mind whether to punish him or hug him, so I did both.

My story had a happy ending, and the story of the prodigal son had a happy ending, too. The son went far away and spent all his money having a good time until his money was gone. Then no one would give to him, and he finally got a job feeding pigs. He was so hungry he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating.

Then he thought about his father’s house and how the servants there had plenty of food. He decided to return home and ask his father if he could be one of his servants.

When his father saw him a long way off, he wasn’t angry with him. He ran to meet him, and he hugged and kissed him. Then he ordered the best robe and shoes and a ring to be brought for his son. He had a feast prepared, and they all began to celebrate.

This story is a picture of how God feels when a sinner returns to Him. You don’t need to be afraid God will punish you for your sins, if you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. The Bible tells us that on the cross Jesus took the punishment for all the sins of every person who would believe on Him. God is just, and He does not punish twice for the same sin.

Memory Verse: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:7

Messages of God’s Love 1/28/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Great Blue Heron

“God created ... every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:21

When the Lord God created the world, He designed it with oceans, mountains, deserts, forests and everything else that made it a wonderful and beautiful globe. Then in each region He placed birds, animals and other creatures suitable for that area. His wisdom is so clear as we see how each creature fits into the area where He has placed it.

One example is the great blue heron — a bird that is part of a variety known as waders. It lives by marshes, lakes, streams and other watery places, including the ocean. The great blue is North America’s largest heron, standing four feet six inches tall and having up to a six-and-a-half-foot wingspread.

Its name comes from the generally bluish-gray feathers on its back and wings. Adults have a distinctive black “crown” surrounding a white central part to their heads. Their long, sharp beaks are dull yellow, but become orange briefly when breeding season starts. Their lower legs also change from gray to more orange at that time. Their upper legs are red-brown.

Their food is mainly fish, but they also eat many other creatures found near water, including fairly large water snakes. Rabbits, rats, moles and voles, muskrats and ground squirrels can also be part of their diet. They are accomplished fishers, sometimes standing still in the water, other times wading, other times hovering over the water and picking up prey, and sometimes flying and then diving headfirst into the water, among other fishing skills.

Although they don’t weigh more than eight pounds, adult herons have few natural predators because they are so large and use their large, strong beaks like weapons to protect themselves.

Herons breed in large colonies, with nests high in trees, if available, and usually within three miles of good feeding spots. The Creator has given them the wisdom to build their nests in places hard for predators to reach, if at all possible. They return to the same sites each year, the males returning first. A male adds more sticks to whatever nest he chooses to use for that year. Males usually choose new mates each year, but the pair stays together to incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

As we see the wisdom and the tools the Creator has given to animals to help them live their lives, it’s encouraging to know that He promises to give us the wisdom we need as we go through life, too. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that [gives] to all men liberally, and [upbraids] not [or, does not scold], and it shall be given to him.” Do you ask Him for wisdom for your life?

Did You Know?

Great blue herons mainly eat fish and other creatures including water snakes.

Messages of God’s Love 1/28/2024

The Roar of a Tiger

Christy read the sign out loud. It was written in big letters in the window of the pet store: “LIVE BENGAL TIGER HERE. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. COME AND SEE.”

“Dad,” Christy asked as her father backed their green van into a parking place outside the store, “why do they have a tiger at a pet store? Nobody is going to buy it.”

“They have it here for advertisement. It’s to get people to come into the store. While the people are in the store looking at the tiger, they’ll also look at the puppies, kittens, birds and fish and maybe decide to buy something. This is one way to get new customers,” Mr. Whittier explained.

They got out of the van and walked into the pet store. A man at the counter asked, “May I help you?”

“Yes,” Mr. Whittier answered, “we would like to see the tiger.”

“Of course,” the man said, pointing down a long aisle. “He’s back there.”

Christy put her hand in her father’s hand, and together they walked down the aisle. On the right side were shelves full of fish tanks with brightly colored fish swimming in them. On the left side were dog leashes, collars, feeding bowls and pet shampoos, all neatly arranged.

Near the back of the store was a room where puppies were sometimes allowed to run loose. Christy and her dad walked up to the counter which separated this room from the rest of the store. Looking into this room, they could see the tiger chained to a post.

Even lying down, he looked huge! He was dark orange with black stripes. His tail was long and switched back and forth.

Mr. Whittier gave a low whistle as he admired the huge beast.

The tiger drew back his whiskers, opened his mouth and lazily yawned.

“Look at those teeth, Dad! They’re huge! Some of them are bigger than my finger. Wow, with a throat that size I think he could swallow me without chewing!”

“And I think he could get me down in only two bites,” her dad added.

The tiger’s trainer heard the two talking and came out to greet them. It was a young lady. She surprised them because she was a small person.

“That is some kitty you have there,” Mr. Whittier remarked to her.

“He sure is. His name is Bernard.”

“How big is Bernard?” Christy asked.

“He’s about 10 feet long and weighs 425 pounds.”

“I sure wouldn’t want to tangle with him,” Mr. Whittier admitted.

The tiger paced back and forth, as far as his chain would let him. Then all at once he lifted one of his giant front paws and stepped into his water bucket. Water spilled out onto the floor.

“Bad!” shouted the trainer at the giant creature.

Christy and her dad jumped a little at the trainer’s loud shout.

A funny look crossed the tiger’s face as he took his foot out of the bucket.

“Sorry to startle you.” The trainer explained, “I have to let Bernard know he is doing wrong right away or pretty soon he thinks he can do anything.”

“Aren’t you afraid of him?” Christy asked in amazement.

“No, he is big, but he is afraid of me. I have trained him since he was a cub, and he knows I am the boss. I don’t ever let him forget that either.”

“Look! He’s doing it again!” Christy told the trainer as the tiger put his foot back into his water bucket.

This time the trainer grabbed a nearby buggy whip and lashed him several times. “Stop it!” she commanded as the whip cracked!

Both Christy and her dad fearfully stepped back from the counter. They expected at any second that the tiger would lash out with his powerful legs and sharp claws and shred the trainer to ribbons! Instead, the tiger obediently lifted his foot out of the bucket again.

“I don’t know what has gotten into him today,” the trainer stated. “He usually behaves better than this.”

“Aren’t you afraid he might make a meal out of you?” Mr. Whittier asked the trainer.

“No, we feed him every day, so he is never hungry.”

“What do you feed him?” asked Christy.

“Oh, about 15 pounds of raw meat a day,” the trainer replied. “He would eat more if he got more exercise, but he doesn’t always get the exercise he ne ... ” Before she finished the sentence, the tiger slapped the water bucket with his foot and sent water flying all over the room. Now his trainer was furious! She ran into the room, up to the tiger and gave him one hard kick. The tiger let out an explosive roar!

At this point, Christy and her dad had the same idea at the same time — they ran out of the store as fast as they could.

They waited outside a few minutes until trainer and tiger settled down before they went back in.

The trainer was sitting at the back of the store in a chair looking comfortable and relaxed. “He won’t do that again,” she informed them.

Together Christy and her dad took one last look at the tiger and left for home.

Tigers are magnificent animals! They are stronger and faster than we are. Yet, like all animals, they are not able to understand about God. This is why men, women and children mean so much to God.

Bernard the tiger was yelled at and punished by his trainer in order to make him obey. He was afraid of his trainer. God wants us to obey Him, too, but He doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him. He wants us to obey Him because He loves us, and we love Him. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world as a baby so we may know how much He loves us. When He was a man, the Lord Jesus did wonderful miracles which no other man had done, healing all who came to Him, for three and a half years. In this way He showed us how kind God, His Father, is.

But then God allowed His Son to be crucified so that we now have a way of escaping the punishment for our sins. The Lord Jesus died and shed His blood so that all who believe on Him would never have to be punished for their sins.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He loved us so much. Do you love Him? He said, “If [you] love Me, keep My commandments”
(John 14:15).

Memory Verse: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

Messages of God’s Love 2/4/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: An Unusual Fish Hatchery

“Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.”
Acts 4:24

Hidden in the streams of Thailand, and in other places, there are some unusual and pretty little fish called the mouthbrooding bettas. Only three to six inches long, they are interesting little fish with a most unusual way of hatching their young.

Most fish prepare a place to spawn (deposit their eggs) and then, after spawning, swim away and forget them. But not the faithful mouthbrooding betta. Somehow the female fish lets the male know when she is ready to spawn. She lays the eggs on the back of his fins. Then she picks them up in her mouth, and in a bit of a process, she is able to toss the eggs through the water into his mouth. If he doesn’t catch them quickly enough, she sucks them back in and gives him another chance. They also have to protect themselves during this whole process from other fish, who would like a little snack of yummy fish eggs.

Then, what a mouthful the male has! But, surprisingly, he doesn’t swallow the eggs, normally. He casually swims around with his precious mouthful, usually for about two weeks, although a larger species goes up to 40 days. During all of this time, he carefully washes the eggs by rolling them around in his mouth. The female protects him from other fish during this time. Finally, the eggs hatch and the baby fish are released from his mouth. Now he can begin to eat again!

Then the father may continue to protect the little fish, called fry, sometimes even feeding them, until they are ready to live on their own. He will even take some back in his mouth if needed, to protect them from danger.

If the bettas live in a fish tank, the mother betta sometimes wants to have more babies right away. She doesn’t think about the fact that the father hasn’t eaten for two to six weeks! And the father is so devoted that he will do it all again.

It’s nice to see how devoted these father betta fish are to their babies! It gives us a little picture of how much God loves and cares for us, His children.

The greatest way He showed His love was in giving His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross of Calvary. There Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of all who know they need to have their sins forgiven and accept His work in faith. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:31). Are you saved?

Did You Know?

Some mouthbrooding bettas may not eat for two to six weeks.

Messages of God’s Love 2/4/2024

Almost Buried Alive!

It had been a long, hot day for the crew installing pipe for a new sewer main. (A sewer main connects the plumbing inside your house to the city plumbing.) They had worked hard and connected many lengths of pipe. The crew needed to connect just two more pipes and then they could leave for the night.

Johnny had been doing this job for many years, so this was a normal day for him. However, as the day progressed, the trench needed to be dug deeper and deeper to get the right slope for the pipe. Johnny was a little worried about how well the sides of the bank would hold.

Bill, the excavator operator, was good at spotting danger, so he was watching the walls of the trench closely as he was digging. As the hole grew deeper, he made the trench wider than normal to make sure it would not cave in. As he wiped the sweat from his brow and continued digging, a layer of dry sand appeared on the sides of the bank, which concerned him. Layers of sand within the wall of a trench can be very unstable, as any sudden movement can make the trench walls cave in, burying anyone inside.

The foreman, Bobby, had arranged to have the two pieces of pipe all ready, close to the excavator arm, so the crane wouldn’t have to move much and hopefully not shake the ground too much. As Bill carefully scraped away the bottom of the trench for those last two pieces of pipe to be set, everyone was watching that layer of dry sand. All of them knew that even a small shudder from the machine could destabilize that vein of sand and then the heavy layers of clay above the sand would cave in and crush Johnny to death.

But Bill was cautious and skilled, and he had dug the trench extra wide, so all the workers thought it was safe. Johnny was satisfied that he was ready for the new pipe, so he signaled the foreman with a thumbs up, giving him the go-ahead to connect the excavator to the pipe and have Bill lower the pipe into the trench.

Even though Bill was very careful, the excavator’s large, heavy body sent dangerous vibrations through the ground. Everyone watched in horror as the trench started caving in, sending many thousands of pounds of sand into the trench and quickly burying Johnny up to his chest.

Frantically, Johnny tried to escape, but he was no match for the falling sand. The sandy sides of the trench continued to buckle as the heavy clay above the sand also began to shift.

Bill, the crane operator, looked down into the trench and saw Johnny in this extremely dangerous situation. He knew exactly what to do to save him.

With great compassion in his heart, a clear head, and amazing skill, his large hands moved the levers just right to gently place the big, strong excavator bucket over the top of Johnny’s head. Seconds after he did this, hundreds of tons of clay collapsed onto the excavator bucket, burying it completely. Johnny was totally at the mercy of Bill and his big, strong crane.

The foreman radioed for a second excavator to move over to the trench. Many people gathered around to watch as the second excavator slowly removed the clay and sand from around the bucket sheltering Johnny. Finally, big cheers erupted as Bill raised the boom and the bucket that covered Johnny’s head lifted, revealing a smiling and thankful man.

Children, Johnny’s story is a picture of all of us. If you haven’t accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you are in danger like Johnny was — except that it is sin that is piling up around you and eternal death that is coming. Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to escape that death.

Just as Johnny couldn’t do anything to save himself, but Bill was willing and able to save him, so there is Someone who is willing and able to save each of us. God sent the Lord Jesus to die for our sins, so that He could save us from the judgment our sins will bring to us if they aren’t forgiven. The Bible tells us that “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

When Johnny was finally free, the same bucket that had saved him from being crushed lifted him up out of the hole and set him on firm ground. The Lord Jesus does this for us, too. He brings us into a whole new life. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2).

Johnny was thankful for Bill’s help. What if he had screamed at Bill to stop? Rejecting the help Bill and his crane bucket offered would have meant certain death for Johnny. How about you? Are you covered by the plan of salvation God offers you? “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

Memory Verse: “How shall we escape, if we neglect sogreat salvation?” Hebrews 2:3

Messages of God’s Love 2/11/2024

What Train?

It was 2 a.m. A freight train thundered through the railroad crossing in the countryside as Sergeant Bosak brought his police car to a stop at the flashing signal. He waited on the dark road for the train to pass.

Then a flash of light in his rearview mirror caught his eyes. He watched the car coming up behind him. Too fast. Not stopping. Swerving around the police car, the car smashed into the train! It hit between two railroad cars, and it was dragged down the tracks with the train.

Two miles down the track Sergeant Bosak looked into the wrecked car. Michael, the 25-year-old driver, unhurt, was still pushing on the gas pedal. The wheels were spinning, but they had no tires now.

“Train? ... What train?” Michael said.

The policeman said, “I have never seen anything like this in my life!” One headlight was still on, smoke was everywhere, and the car was a total wreck. The car had ended up on an embankment, and the driver thought he was still driving.

Yes, of course, you guessed it. The young man had been drinking and still didn’t know that he had hit a train. Sergeant Bosak said, “He is very, very lucky. Somebody up there protected him.”

Yes indeed, Someone was taking care of him, and it wasn’t luck! God watches over each one of us. In spite of all our sin, He still loves us, and He sent His Son to save us.

Perhaps your life has been rough and you’ve said to yourself, “I’m getting nowhere and something is very wrong in my life.” Listen. It is God who is speaking to you. He wants to get your attention. He is calling you to the Savior who loves you so much that He died for you. Don’t race on! Listen to His Word. “Come unto Me, all [you] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Messages of God’s Love 2/11/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Your Skin Holds You Together

“I will praise Thee; for I am ... wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works.” Psalm 139:14

Most of us rarely think about our skin unless it gets hurt, but it is a very necessary and amazing part of our body. Our skin has seven layers, found in two major parts. The epidermis is the part you see, and it has five layers. The dermis lies under those layers, and it has two layers.

Our skin is soft enough to let us move easily, yet strong enough to resist damage. The skin’s surface, the first of its seven layers, is actually dead, partly made of keratin like our fingernails. However, the cells under the surface are alive, and new ones are continually being made.

Our skin is like armor, giving us protection from outside harm and a barrier to germs that make us sick and to other foreign matter. Healthy skin can help us endure extreme temperatures of hot and cold that would otherwise damage our internal organs. It also plays an important part in controlling body temperature. When we are too hot, our body gives off heat by sweating, which helps us cool down. But in cold weather the pores close up, and body heat is kept inside. Isn’t it interesting that skin permits moisture (sweat) to come out, but allows no water to go in, even if it’s held underwater? It also keeps too much moisture from getting out, to protect us from dehydration. What a marvelous organ!

The sixth layer of our skin gives us the lines and whorls that are like tiny ridges, to give us our fingerprints and footprints. On our hands, these help us grip things. Those on the feet give a barefooted person sure contact wherever he walks. Perfectly smooth hands and feet would not work well at all, so a wise Creator provided the little ridges. Fingerprints and footprints also give a clear way to identify people — no two are alike, not even on identical twins.

Why do we need fingernails? They make our fingertips stiff and protect them from injury as well. Without them it would be impossible for our fingers to pick up most small objects.

Skin has an amazing ability to heal. Even when seriously hurt, healthy skin can almost always heal itself.

Just like God has given our skin like an armor to protect us, if we believe in the Lord Jesus, we have armor that protects us against Satan’s attacks. Two important parts of this armor are the “Word of God” (the Bible) and “the shield of faith.” When we use these with God’s help, we can resist Satan and keep finding joy in the Lord Jesus. This armor is given in Ephesians 6:10-18. It is good to read these scriptures often.

Did You Know?

Fingerprints and footprints give a clear way to identify people.

Messages of God’s Love 2/11/2024

Is That a Treasure?

The children settled into their seats and looked expectantly at Mr. Knight. He was going to give a Sunday school lesson, and he had a bag with something in it. They wanted to know what was in that bag because he had called it a treasure. Excitement grew as he began to tell the story about the treasure in his bag.

Mr. Knight said that he had been walking down the street when he noticed a big commotion ahead of him. There were several children up ahead and they were fighting. He rushed up to them to see if he could help out with the problem, because he did not want anyone to get hurt. He found out that they were fighting over an object and no one was giving in. The treasure was what he now had in his bag.

Mr. Knight reached into his bag and pulled out what those children had been fighting over. How surprised everyone was when he pulled out a filthy, dirty, torn up rag! What? Is that a treasure? Could that be what the children were fighting over? Yes, that was what the children were fighting over, but it certainly is not what we would call a treasure!

Children, if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have a true treasure in heaven. I think that when we get to heaven, we will look back at a lot of things that seem like treasures now and think that they are like dirty rags. Many children, and adults too, are afraid to let go of things they enjoy on this earth so that they can be saved or follow the Lord Jesus. But, think about heaven. Think about being with the Lord Jesus who loves you so much that He died for you. Think about the perfect happiness that will be there ... there will be no more trouble, sickness, sorrow, or death — only love, joy, peace and perfect happiness. Do you call that a treasure? I do!

How silly that those children were fighting over a dirty, torn up rag. Maybe they were ashamed when they thought about it later. Maybe they went home with some scrapes and bruises and had a hard time explaining to their parents why they fought over a dirty rag. Don’t be like those children.

The Bible tells us to “seek ... first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness,” and all the things we need will be given to us (see Matthew 6:33). We can let go of a lot of fake treasures in order to have the true treasures that God gives us in His love. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Is your heart, and your treasure, in heaven, where it will last forever?

Memory Verse: “Where your treasure is, there will your heartbe also.” Matthew 6:21

Messages of God’s Love 2/18/2024

Are You Safe?

My family lives in an unusual home; we live on a houseboat. We keep it moored at a dock not far from where my husband John works. He can walk to work in only 20 minutes. The boat is not very big, but it is comfortable. This is the only home our son Joel has ever known. We have lived on this boat since before he was born, and he is now six years old and going to school nearby.

Because he has lived on a boat all his life, Joel knows all about the dangers of water. From the time he learned to walk, he was trained to be careful and aware of the dangers all around him.

When Joel was old enough to play off the boat, we got him special “personal protection devices” to help keep him safe. He wears a life vest in the summer and a special coat, called a “floater coat,” in the winter. Each of these will keep him floating with his head above water if he falls in. He was taught never to leave the boat without wearing one of these.

One day when he was six, this very likely saved his life. Like most six-year-old children, Joel was usually busy and could get into trouble rather easily. In fact, because of the dangers of living among boats, docks, ladders and water, he probably got into more trouble than most children
his age.

This day Joel and his eight-year-old friend Meg were playing a game of tag. Suddenly, Joel lost his footing on a narrow walkway and SPLASH — he fell into the water. I was about 25 feet away, and I couldn’t see him when I heard him cry out. I dropped what I was doing and ran toward the sound of his calls. I could also hear Meg calling encouragingly to him. As I ran around the corner of the boathouse, I saw him in the water, and the tide was carrying him away from
the dock!

Thankfully, Meg, who also grew up around water, was handling the emergency just the way she had been taught by her parents. She hadn’t even waited to call for help. When she realized that Joel was floating away, she quickly threw him a life ring that was nearby which had a rope attached to it. Joel had caught it and Meg was pulling him in as I arrived. The training they both had received and the protective life vest that Joel was wearing had probably saved his life.

Although we don’t like to think about this, none of us knows when something might happen and we could be killed. We have all heard of water accidents, car accidents, fires, earthquakes and other things. Usually there is no time to get ready for such things, because they happen suddenly. This was the case when Joel was playing tag. One second, he was safe on the plank ... and the next second, he was in the water, and he easily could have drowned if he hadn’t been wearing his personal protection device to keep him safe.

Each of us needs to prepare right now to be sure that we are safe for eternity by being saved by the Lord Jesus. Besides the dangers that we don’t know and can’t prepare for, we do know from the Bible that the Lord Jesus is returning very soon. He is coming to take back to heaven with Him every person who has accepted Him as their Savior. They are safe from judgment. After He comes, the opportunity to be saved will be gone forever. Don’t put off being saved! Someday it will be too late. Accept the salvation that God is offering you now. “Now is the accepted time ... now is the day of salvation”
(2 Corinthians 6:2).

Messages of God’s Love 2/18/2024

The Dragonfly

“Like as Christ was raised up from the dead ... even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

The dragonfly is a common sight near ponds or swampy areas in summer. It has four strong but delicate wings that look like tiny stained-glass windows. It darts through the air swifter than most birds, with its wings vibrating 1800 times per minute. It can outperform helicopters in hovering, flying forward or backward, up or down, or rapidly changing directions. Unlike most insects, the dragonfly’s large head can easily turn to help it spot insects, which it catches and eats while flying. Each of its enormous eyes has about 30,000 lenses, each pointing in a slightly different direction. The brain of the dragonfly compiles this information into one picture, so that it can see ahead, behind, above and below — all at the same time!

The dragonfly begins its life as an egg laid by its mother on or close to still water, where it hatches in one to five weeks. It hatches into a larva, also called a nymph, and then spends the next two to five years in the water. It eats nearly anything that moves, including many mosquito wrigglers, tiny minnows and tadpoles. It has a jaw that can extend rapidly to catch anything swimming or crawling too close.

The nymph molts up to 15 times. Its hard exoskeleton cracks open and the soft nymph grows rapidly for one to two hours before its outer skin hardens again into a tough shell.

Finally, the dragonfly is ready to become the beautiful flying creature we think of as a dragonfly. When ready for its final change, it creeps out of the water in the dark of early morning and becomes an air-breather for the first time. Resting on a stalk of grass or a twig sticking out of the pond, its skin splits open and a new creature gradually comes out — no longer an ugly nymph but a beautiful dragonfly. Its wings soon unfold, but some hours or days are necessary for them to dry and harden before it can fly.

At last it takes to the air. Flying at rapid speeds, its legs form a scoop-like net in which it catches its victims and transfers them to its strong jaws.

The dragonfly goes through a complete change in its life, from living underwater to living above water. If a dragonfly tried to live in its old, watery home, it would soon die. If it tried to go back to enjoy the food it ate as a nymph, it wouldn’t live through the attempt. Once it changes into a dragonfly, it lives in a different atmosphere and eats different food, and it flies instead of swims. What a lot of changes! Our opening verse tells us we should walk in newness of life. As Christians, we have new things for our minds to feed on, a new object to live for, and a new power to live like Jesus, too. May we walk in the joy of that new life!

Did You Know?

Dragonfly wings can vibrate about 30 times per second.

Messages of God’s Love 2/18/2024

Short … But Paid For

It was lunchtime at a busy fast-food restaurant some years ago. Standing in line and waiting to order their lunches were mostly older people like office workers and construction workers ... and then there were two boys. The line moved steadily until it was the two boys’ turn to order their food. They looked like brothers, with the same brown eyes and brown wavy hair. One looked to be about ten and his younger brother about eight or nine.

“I’ll have a hamburger and a small order of French fries and a can of pop,” the younger brother said, giving his order first.

“$1.67 please,” the lady behind the counter announced.

The boy stuck his hand deep into one of the pockets of his blue jeans, came out with a handful of change, dumped it on the counter, and began counting ... “$.25, 30, 40, 50, 75. $1.00, 1.25, 1.35, 1.40, 1.50,” he counted, setting a finger on each coin and sliding it a little way on the counter. Now he had only pennies left. “$1.51, 1.52, 1.53, 1.54, 1.55, 1.56, 1.57,” he said, counting slower because he was nearly at the end of his pile of money, and by now he wasn’t sure he was going to have enough. “$1.58, 1.59, 1.60, 1.61, 1.62, 1.63. $1.63 is all I have,” he said to the lady, not knowing what to do now.

“Sorry, but you’re four cents short,” the lady answered him.

“Wait,” the boy pleaded, and he started rummaging through all his pockets, turning them inside out, hoping to find more money to pay for his order.

When he didn’t find any more, he counted his money again, hoping he had made a mistake the first time.

“$1.63,” he said at last, as he finished counting again, giving the lady a very sad look.

But his sad look didn’t change her mind; she wasn’t going to give him his order of food without the four cents he still needed.

“Mark,” broke in his older brother, “I’ll give you the four cents you need.”

A few sighs of relief were heard from the hungry people waiting in line behind them.

Then it was the older brother’s turn to order.

“I’ll have a double cheeseburger and a can of pop.”

“$1.71” was the reply from behind the counter.

He reached into his pocket and also brought out a handful of change and dumped it on the counter. Laying a finger on each coin, just as his brother had, he slid them one at a time toward the cashier as he counted them. First he counted his quarters, then dimes and nickels, and then only his pennies were left when he realized he didn’t have enough money either!

“$1.59,” he finally said as he counted his last penny. He looked up at the lady with a look that said, I can’t believe it ... I don’t have enough money either ... now what?

“You’re short 12 cents,” the lady said, now a little annoyed. “I can’t give you your order.”

By now, the people in line behind him were more than a little tired of waiting.

“Uh-oh,” he mumbled.

He was about to recount all his change when a construction worker, anxious to get his lunch, called out, “Don’t count that money again — I’ll give you the 12 cents.”

And so both boys were able to have their lunch.

You may never be short of money like those boys were, but are you short of something far more important? The Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That little word all includes you and me; it includes everyone on earth.

What does it mean to come short of the glory of God? It means that because of our sins, God cannot accept us as we are into heaven where He lives.

What can we do about our sins? Good works, going to Sunday school, trying to help our neighbors, and things like that are all good, but they will never pay for our sins. Anything we can do by ourselves would still leave us in our sins and still short of the glory of God, just like those boys digging for coins in their pockets.

Thankfully, like the boy was saved from not having lunch by the kindness of the construction worker, God in His great kindness has made a way to save us in spite of our coming short of His glory. That way is through the Lord Jesus Christ. God sent Him, His beloved Son, into the world. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus died and paid for the sins of every person who would accept Him as their Savior. Those who accept the Lord Jesus are no longer short of the glory of God, but are washed in the precious blood of Jesus, forgiven of their sins, and on their way to heaven. “Then He is gracious unto him, and [says], Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom” (Job 33:24).

Memory Verse: “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” Job 33:24

Messages of God’s Love 2/25/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Likeable Alpacas

“See then that [you] walk ... not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

In the South American countries of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and nearby parts of the high Andes Mountains, large numbers of lively and playful alpacas seem to enjoy their time spent eating the tall grass and chewing their cuds. A lovable type of animal, they have pleasant-looking, inquisitive faces.

Alpacas look like huge stuffed toys, with their cute faces and coats of fleecy wool that cover them from head to toe like a big blanket. They are related to camels and llamas, but alpacas are the smallest of the three. Alpaca feet have two toes, with hard toenails on top and soft pads on the bottom of their feet. These soft feet keep them from ruining the pastures where they graze.

For as far back as anyone remembers, alpacas have been raised for their valuable wool. One reason their warm wool is valuable is that it is soft and water- and flame-resistant. It is also antibacterial and antimicrobial, keeping down the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria. Alpaca wool is sheared every year and each alpaca produces five to ten pounds of wool. Peru produces most of the world’s alpaca fiber, with around four million of these animals raised for their wool. The only problem with alpaca’s lovely wool is that it is quite expensive.

While llamas and alpacas may look alike to someone not familiar with them, there are differences. One of these is that llamas are bigger and stronger than alpacas. Llamas can be used as pack animals, carrying loads across the plains and mountain passes, whereas alpacas cannot be used that way.

The Creator has given both of these animals, whose homes are normally above sea level 12,000 to 16,000 feet, extra hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. This special blood is the reason they have no problem living in the high altitudes where there isn’t much oxygen.

We learned that alpacas have special feet that keep them from ruining the pastures where they live. What about us? Is our life something that hurts those around us and doesn’t make people want to know the Lord Jesus? Or is it a walk that shows the love and goodness of God, so that people want to know about Him? Our opening verse talks about how Christians should walk, or live. We are told to redeem, or buy up, the time, so it is not lost. That is, we are to use our time wisely, knowing that people around us need to hear the truth about God. Every moment matters! We can pray with those extra moments, too! The time we “buy” in this way is time that will go with us
into eternity.

Did You Know?

Alpaca wool is water- and flame-resistant and also antibacterial and antimicrobial.

Messages of God’s Love 2/25/2024

An Icy Plunge

“Got one!” exclaimed a fisherman on the pier as the taut line bent his fishing rod. The vapor from his breath quickly turned to frost in the cold
winter air.

Coho salmon are big fish and fight to the finish, so the fisherman was grateful when a stranger farther up the pier picked up his long-handled fishing net. The stranger carefully picked his way down the pier, avoiding the slippery patches of ice. In the early-morning darkness he strained to see the slippery spots. The sun wouldn’t be up for another hour yet.

“Thanks,” the fisherman said as he carefully put the fish on his stringer.

“Nice Coho you got there.”

The fisherman’s second rod suddenly twitched and jerked as another fish tugged on that hook.

“Wait a minute ... got another one. ... Will you get this one for me, too?”

“Sure.”

This one was reeled in and netted like the first. The fish frantically flopped around in the net, its wet body glistening in the light from a street lamp at the end of the pier.

“Be careful on the ice,” the stranger said before he left to return to his own spot.

“Yeah,” the other man grunted in reply.

The waves were continually crashing against the pier. The waves hit with a big splash and rolled back into the next incoming wave. The spray, whipped up by the wind, was covering everything with ice.

The stranger suddenly heard a yell followed by a splash. He looked back toward the fisherman he had just helped. He wasn’t there! The stranger quickly walked back, watching for the slippery patches. The last couple of feet to the icy edge of the pier he crawled on his belly.

Ten feet below he saw the fisherman struggling in the dark waves. Fishing line was tangled around his neck and arms. A big wave washed over the man in the sea and he disappeared beneath the surface. He reappeared, and the stranger quickly lowered his long fishing net to him.

“Hang on to this!” he shouted.

The handle of the net was made out of broomstick. Under the pressure of the man’s weight going up and down in the waves, the handle began to crack. The fisherman couldn’t last long in that black, icy water if that handle broke.

The other men on the pier quickly gathered around the man holding the net. “I have a piece of rope in my tackle box; somebody get it,” he ordered. “Now tie a loop at the end and hand it to me.”

Lowering the loop to the fisherman in the water, he told him, “Put your arm through the loop.”

Suddenly, a police car with sirens wailing raced up to the pier. A fire engine came right after the police car, and a helicopter was also soon above them. Help was on the way!

The firemen in their long black rubber coats hurried out to the end of the dock. They studied the situation quickly. One of them hurried back to the truck, lifted off a long aluminum extension ladder, and brought it down the icy pier.

“We’ll lift the man out of the water like he is on a seesaw,” one of the firemen explained to the small crowd of fishermen watching.

The firemen extended the ladder and dipped it into the water underneath the fisherman. Then three of the firemen put all their weight on their end of the ladder, and the fisherman was lifted right out of the icy water. They pulled him carefully to the pier and rushed him to the hospital.

“I thought I was going to slip from the grasp of the fellow holding the net. ... I thought I was going to die. That man saved my life,” he said later on.

That fisherman had a very close call! Here’s a question for you to answer: When do you think that man’s life was saved? When the kind stranger lowered the net to him? When the fire engine came? When the helicopter flew overhead? No, none of those is right. The man’s life was saved when he was pulled out of the water and all danger of dying was past.

In the Bible, David said in Psalm 40:2, “He brought me up also out of [a] horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Everyone that doesn’t know the Lord Jesus is in a horrible pit where something like dark waters will drown them when they die, at which time they will receive the judgment their sins deserve. The Lord Jesus, in His great love and kindness, went to the cross to die for our sins so that we can be saved out of that dangerous pit right now and walk with Him for the rest of our lives. Psalm 42:7, speaking of the Lord Jesus on the cross, says, “All [God’s] waves and [God’s] billows are gone over Me.” The stranger in our story was very kind and did a lot to save the man in the water, but he didn’t go into those waters himself. But the Lord Jesus, in His love for us, took God’s judgment against our sins. That judgment was like strong, awful waves crashing on Jesus. If we believe in Him, we will never have to suffer for our sins, since Jesus already did!

Won’t you accept His offer of free salvation and let Him save you out of the danger of dying in your sins? Then you will be safe, because He will never let you go. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice ... and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

Memory Verse: “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psalm 40:2

Messages of God’s Love 3/3/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Pesky Mosquito

“Unto Adam [God] said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake.”
Genesis 3:17

The week of constant rain has formed pools of water in ditches and other low spots. It has collected in the bottom of old tires and in empty cans along the roadsides. Standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.

It only takes a day or two for a mosquito egg to hatch into a larva called a wriggler. It has a head on one end and a siphon for breathing on the other. Most wrigglers eat algae and organic debris, but a few eat other living bugs, including other mosquito babies.

After about ten days, wrigglers change into thin-shelled pupae, nicknamed tumblers, because if they sense a change in their surroundings, they tumble below the surface of the water. During this time a pupa doesn’t eat, but still needs to breathe. On its fourth molt, two little things that look like trumpets appear on its head. This is its new breathing apparatus, sticking out of the water while the rest of it hangs below it, usually just below the surface. In two to four days the pupa is ready to shed its skin and become a fully developed adult mosquito. However, not all eggs become adult mosquitoes, thankfully. Many become food for fish, ducks, frogs, turtles and other creatures.

Adult mosquitoes, emerged from their shell, need food. They all feed on sugar, mainly nectar from flowers, which means they help pollinate flowers. Only the female mosquito sucks the blood of humans and animals, when she needs protein to help her eggs mature. Rolled up inside her dagger-like beak, called a proboscis, are six tiny little instruments. Two of these are like tiny saws to cut through the skin. Two others hold the tissue apart. One of the others pumps in saliva which numbs the nerves of the victim and suppresses its immune response while the last one does the actual blood sucking. All of that in a tiny little beak! Who but God could design such a thing!

Originally, God provided these remarkable little creatures to fulfill a place in the chain of life, as we can still see from their helpfulness in pollinating flowers. But the swelling and itch of a mosquito bite are reminders that sin has left its mark on all creation, marring it in many ways. Its complete loveliness will not be restored until a time to come when the Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ shall be acknowledged as “the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Is your life a witness to His being Lord of your life, even now? It should be, if you are a believer. Then your life will be a blessing to others, and not like the mosquito which can cause pain.

Did You Know?

Many mosquito eggs become food for fish, ducks, frogs, turtles and other creatures.

Messages of God’s Love 3/3/2024

Chocolate Pudding Paint

Jake and Andy were excited. Today was the last Sunday school before summer vacation. This day was special because they knew their teacher would have prizes and treats to pass out! “I wonder what we are going to get this time?” they said to each other.

When they arrived at class, they thought their teacher looked awfully serious for such a bright, sunny day. They wondered why. Mrs. Evans soon explained. She told them that it was because she realized this could be the very last Sunday school lesson the boys would ever hear. God’s Word says, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). That means that Jesus is coming soon. Mrs. Evans wanted every boy in her class to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior and be ready, in case He came before she saw them again.

The Bible verse for that Sunday was, “It is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12). Mrs. Evans stressed how important it was to listen to God’s Word and obey what He told them to do. She told them what Jeremiah did. He knew that what God said was so important that he said, “[Your] words were found, and I [ate] them” (Jeremiah 15:16).

Mrs. Evans held up her Bible and asked Andy, “What is this?”

“The Word of God,” he answered.

“That’s right,” said Mrs. Evans. Then she asked all the children to take a great big bite of the Bible.

The children were shocked. “You can’t eat a Bible!”

“Well then, what does that verse mean, ‘[Your] words were found, and I ate them’?”

The children did not know what to answer her.

Mrs. Evans wanted to help them understand. She asked the children to roll up their sleeves.

This sure is a strange Sunday school class! they thought. But they did as they were told. Then they all went over to a table where sheets of waxed paper were spread out. Mrs. Evans spooned out a big glob of chocolate pudding onto every children’s sheet of waxed paper. Since most children enjoy finger painting, she had them spread out the chocolate pudding “paint” with their hands. Then, using a finger, each child wrote in the pudding in big letters, “IT IS TIME TO SEEK THE LORD.” They read the message out loud all together. Then Mrs. Evans gave them permission to eat their paintings! That chocolate pudding paint tasted good!

So, what was the point of this Sunday school lesson? Jake answered that question very nicely when he showed the teacher a verse he had underlined in his Bible. It read, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). He understood that the time to seek the Lord was NOW. And each child who would obey and seek the Lord right now would be “eating” those words from God.

This may be your last chance to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Don’t wait; act NOW, “for the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10).

Can you guess what each child received for a prize that day? Mrs. Evans gave each child a watch. She hoped that every time they looked at their watches they would remember that “it is time to seek the Lord.” And she hoped that each child would “eat” those words before it is too late.

Have you?

Memory Verse: “It is time to seek the Lord.” Hosea 10:12

Messages of God’s Love 3/10/2024

I Know Him to Talk To

Mark, who was ten years old, was walking home from school with his special friend, Charlie. Mark had found Jesus as his Savior.

“Charlie, do you know Jesus?” he asked.

“Of course, I have often read of Jesus, and I’ve heard a great deal about Him.”

“I don’t mean that, Charlie. I mean, do you know Him?”

“Know Jesus! How can anyone know Him when He is away in heaven?”

“I do, Charlie,” returned Mark. “I know Him to talk to.”

Messages of God’s Love 3/10/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Fingernails, Toenails and Hair

“God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.” 1 Corinthians 12:18

Did you ever think how amazing it is that when a person reaches around 20 years old, his or her body stops growing? God, our Creator has wisely arranged this, for if our spines, legs and arms kept growing, what an amazing assortment of giants there would be!

However, three parts of our body do not stop growing — our hair, fingernails and toenails. Why is that? Actually, it is a kind provision of our Creator. Single hairs keep falling out and in time there would be none left if new hair didn’t push up through our scalp and grow a little bit every day, which it does at the rate of about six inches every year. This means that every 20 years about ten feet of new hair replaces what has fallen out.

But why should our fingernails and toenails keep growing? We can be thankful they do since nails sometimes get broken or damaged. If a new supply didn’t grow, the ends of our fingers and toes would soon be exposed to all the painful bumps and accidents now absorbed by the nails. They are really wonderful pieces of armor!

Also think how useful our fingernails are in picking up a coin dropped on the floor or a needle on a flat tabletop and many other small things. Without fingernails, how would you untie a knot in a thread or in a piece of string or in a fishing line? How would you relieve an itch if you had no fingernails to scratch with?

Some may think fingernails and toenails are bone, but they are not. They, like our hair, are made of a material called keratin. Cells right at the base of our hair roots grow and form a rod that grows hard as it’s pushed up from the skin, cut off from the supply of fresh cells. This process is called “keratinization.” Hair has three layers that are formed in this way. In the same way, skin cells below the roots of our fingernails move up to the surface of the skin, multiplying on the way, getting flat and tight near the root of our nails, and form into layers that make up our fingernails and toenails. This all comes from deep pockets in the skin on the ends of our fingers and toes. Interestingly, hair and nails grow faster in the summer and during the day.

This is all part of God’s wonderful plan, as our opening verse tells us. Each part of the body does just what He designed it to do originally. It is good to thank Him for all of His kind provisions for us, even in the many little details of our bodies. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Ephesians 5:20).

Did You Know?

Every 20 years about ten feet of new hair replaces what has fallen out.

Messages of God’s Love 3/10/2024

Rescued

Six-year-old Tony and his eight-year-old brother Mike were flying kites near their home in California. They were in a field next to where a bridge was being built. The construction workers had just finished digging a hole in that field two feet wide and 28 feet deep for one of the bridge’s supports. Then they had gone home for the day, leaving the hole uncovered.

Tony didn’t know about that dangerous hole. He was enjoying flying his kite when he stepped back and suddenly found himself falling down a deep hole. Mike’s screams soon brought their father rushing to where Tony had disappeared. Frantically he called 911, and soon firemen and paramedics arrived.

For Tony it had all happened so quickly — one moment he was flying a kite, and then suddenly he was trapped in a deep, dark hole with no way to get out.

Work to rescue Tony began immediately. One of the men was lowered into the hole head first. He found Tony alive, but he was so wedged in that he could not be moved. The rescuer also found that the walls of the hole were not very strong. Fearing that more dirt would fall in on Tony, he signaled to be pulled back out of the hole.

Special equipment from the telephone company was then lowered into the hole. The paramedics and Tony’s father were able to talk to him. They did their best to encourage him and to assure him that he would soon be rescued.

Then a large drilling rig with a three-foot auger arrived and began to drill down into the ground eight feet away from Tony. They drilled down 30 feet and then began to dig a tunnel across to where he was trapped.

Not until midnight, seven hours after Tony had disappeared down the hole, was he brought out. By then there was a crowd gathered around the hole. They started clapping as a rescuer appeared with Tony in his arms. Tony was carefully put on a stretcher and into a helicopter so he could be flown to a hospital.

Are you in danger? Tony didn’t know he was in danger. One second he was flying his kite, having fun, and the next second he was falling down a hole he hadn’t known was there. Thankfully his brother was there to let others know about his problem. Today, we want to let you know that you are in danger. If you don’t yet know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you are headed for a dangerous place called hell. There was help for Tony, and there is help for you, too, if you will receive it.

Tony didn’t know it, but the hole was there waiting for him before he even entered that field that day. And we don’t know it until someone tells us, but sin has been in this world for about 6000 years, and we all fall into it, because we all sin. The problem is that no sin can go into heaven, with a holy and loving God.

Just as no work or money was too much to do to save Tony, so nothing was too much for God to do to save us from going to hell and to take us to His wonderful home in heaven. God gave His only Son to die for us, because He loves us so much. Listen to this amazing verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that [whoever believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

I hope you have believed in God’s wonderful love!

Memory Verse: “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17

Messages of God’s Love 3/17/2024

The Rings … Gold or Brass?

Have you ever given something valuable to someone that they then stole from you? That happened to the boy in our story, but even though you don’t know it, it might be happening to you, right now. We’ll see how, later.

Mr. Albert, a missionary, heard a late-night knock at his door and opened it to find three of his friends, Freddy, Juan and David, standing there. Something was wrong.

“Come in,” said Mr. Albert. “How may I help you?”

Freddy, the uncle of the two teenagers, asked, “Do you know how to tell if a ring is really made of gold?”

He explained that David had been left to look after his father’s store that afternoon. A stranger had come in saying he urgently needed to travel to another city but he had no money. He showed David two rings that he had and told him that if he would give him money to make the trip, he would not only repay him when he returned, but he would also buy him a soccer ball. He would leave the two rings with David to assure him that he would return. “They are real gold rings,” the stranger said.

David believed the man and gave him the money he wanted. But that night he began to have doubts. Were those really gold rings? Maybe they were only made of brass and had no value at all. Since David’s father was away, Uncle Freddy and Juan went with him to Mr. Albert’s house. Maybe Mr. Albert could tell if they were really gold.

“There’s only one test that I know of to make sure if something is made of gold,” Mr. Albert told them. “A drop of acid is the way to test. If the ring is brass, the acid will leave a stain, but gold will not stain. But I don’t know if I have an acid that is strong enough to make the test.”

Then he remembered his jeep. “That’s it!” he said. “We can get some acid out of the battery in the jeep.” So, he got a straw and went out to the jeep to get a drop of acid from the battery. Back inside the house in good light they made the test. Were the rings gold or brass? Soon a brown spot on each of the two rings told them the truth. Brass! The rings were not gold at all. A sad David left Mr. Albert’s home that night. He knew that the stranger would never come back for his nearly worthless rings. David had been tricked.

Boys and girls, did you know that the Bible tells us that Satan only comes to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10)? Are you in danger of losing your precious life because you haven’t trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Savior? The devil likes people to think that he is their friend and that he will give them real happiness and that God will rob them of happiness. David would have been safe if he had asked Mr. Albert about the rings before he gave the money to the thief. And you will be safe if you believe what God says in the Bible and trust in the Lord Jesus to save you and keep you for your whole life. The Bible tells us that whoever puts their trust in the Lord will be safe (see Proverbs 29:25).

Messages of God’s Love 3/17/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Monkeyshines

“Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree [bears] her fruit.” Joel 2:22

There are up to 334 known species of monkeys in the world. Here is a short summary of three of them — all natives of South and/or Central America. Monkeys in this part of the world are called New World monkeys.

The capuchin monkey, with its long tail, usually has a rather pretty dark brown or black color over most of its body with a cream or off-white face and neck. Some people think they are the most intelligent New World monkey. They even use simple tools, such as big rocks, to help them crack open nuts. Babies and young monkeys hang on tight to their mothers, going with her as she swings through the trees, until they learn to move through the trees as she does.

Many years ago, capuchin monkeys were used by street musicians who earned a meager living on the streets playing music on their hand organs. The capuchin, held on a long leash, did tricks to get people’s attention, and it was also used for the important job of collecting money in a tin cup.

Another very smart monkey is the spider monkey. One of the largest of the New World monkeys, it has very long legs, arms and tail, which accounts for its name. Its long limbs make walking look a little awkward but it is one of the most agile of monkeys as it swings through the trees. Its two-foot-long tail is like an extra hand. It can hang from a tree limb with its tail while it searches for food or just enjoys a good swing.

The short-tailed red bald-headed Uakari is about the size of a cat. Its coat of long hair covers its entire body, including its short tail, but its bright red face, like that of nearly all monkeys, is bare. The babies are especially full of mischief and can be difficult for a new mother. But these monkeys are very social, living in large troops, and other monkeys in the troop help with the rascally babies.

The Uakaris live in the Amazon River Basin where the ground is often flooded during the rainy season. The Lord made them so they are good at living and travelling high in the trees, so this doesn’t bother them. During the dry season, they spend more time on the ground, finding different food than what they eat during the rainy season.

Isn’t it amazing to think of the huge variety of animals the Lord made? He must enjoy variety. But what about us? Sometimes we like to think everyone should be a lot like us, but the Lord made every person different. He has an individual interest in you and in those around you. The Lord made each of us in His image. He is kind to us and wants us to be kind to others, as well.

Did You Know?

There are up to 334 known species of monkeys in the world.

Messages of God’s Love 3/17/2024

How Same Was Changed

Sam was an African boy who had been taken to live in a missionary’s home when war broke out between enemy tribes. Mr. Murray, the missionary, could tell that Sam was a very smart boy, so he chose Sam to help him by carrying messages and doing other little jobs. Mr. Murray was soon warned by others to be careful, because Sam was a thief. Before long he discovered that some of his valuable things were missing. Mr. Murray didn’t know what to do about this. During the Bible readings, Sam sat there looking bored and not paying any attention.

Mr. Murray prayed a lot for Sam. Then one day he called him and said to him, “I know you are a very smart boy; I want you to help me.” Sam looked very pleased.

Mr. Murray continued: “I have lost quite a few things and I want you to find them, and also to find the one who has taken them.”

The next day Sam brought one of Mr. Murray’s missing things and said, “I have found this, but I have not found the one who has taken it.” The following day he brought something else and said the same thing. Then he added, “How can one get forgiveness?”

Mr. Murray replied: “Don’t you know that if we confess our sins, God is willing to forgive us because the Lord Jesus has died for our sins on the cross?”

Then he added: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).

Mr. Murray also quoted Romans 6:23 to Sam: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The following day Sam came to Mr. Murray with his arms full of valuable things and asked him to see whether he now had all of his missing things. Then Sam said, with tears in his eyes, “Forgive me; I am the thief.” Mr. Murray was very happy to forgive him and they both knelt down to pray and Sam asked God for forgiveness. There and then Sam gave his heart to the Lord Jesus. From then on Mr. Murray didn’t lose any more of his things and Sam went around singing. For him old things had truly passed away, and all things had become new. He was now a new person in Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.) He didn’t feel guilty anymore, because his sins were all washed away in the blood of Jesus.

When Sam grew up, he became a missionary to his own people, and he loved to tell others about what the Lord had done for him.

Mr. Murray loved Sam, even though he knew he had stolen from him. Did you know that, no matter how many wrong things you have done, God still loves you? Well, He does! Even though we deserve to be punished forever for our sins, God does not want any of us to have to be punished for our sins. He wants all of us to know that even though we have sinned, God Himself has provided a Savior. His own precious Son, the Lord Jesus, died on the cross for our sins. And, what God did for Sam, He also wants to do for you.

“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).

Memory Verse: “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

Messages of God’s Love 3/24/2024

A Sister's Love

Two little sisters in Holland were returning home from school one afternoon, when a terrible storm started. For a little while, they were sheltered from the pouring rain under the large umbrella they had, but after a while the wind turned it inside out, breaking it. Then the older sister, Wilhelmina, covered her little sister, Alice, with her own coat. The storm was so awful that her coat was soon torn and then they had no protection from the storm. Alice, who was never very strong, soon became so weak that she could not go on. Her big sister, although almost completely worn out herself, picked her up and carried her on her back through the storm that kept getting stronger and stronger.

Finally, they reached home, but Wilhelmina was completely exhausted. She fell down on the porch, too tired to even go inside. Alice was safe, but that kind act cost Wilhelmina her life. She never got over the effects of that exhausting walk, and she was sick for the rest of her short life.

One day she said to Alice, “I am so glad I brought you safely home that day. Will you think of me when I am gone and remember you had a sister who loved you?” With many tears and kisses, Alice promised she would always remember her love.

A few months later in the village cemetery, a stone was put on a grave, with these simple but touching words in Dutch:

In loving memory of my dear sister Wilhelmina

who gave her life to save mine.

“The Son of God, who loved me,

and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19.

Many who visited that graveyard were told the story of Wilhelmina’s love, and they were led to think of a greater love, the love of Jesus, who died not only for His friends but for His enemies, so they might be saved.

Have you believed on and welcomed Him as your Savior? Can you truthfully say, “I live, because He died for me”?

“Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Messages of God’s Love 3/24/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Ants With a Dairy

“How sweet are [Your] words unto my taste! [Yes], sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

Those who grow gardens might know about some little insects called aphids that sometimes live on the stems of tender plants. The aphids pierce the plant with their mouths and suck out sugary sap. When the gardener finds aphids, he usually tries to get rid of them, because they can hinder the growth of plants. However, there are many places where they live unnoticed by gardeners.

The aphid uses only a small amount of the sugary sap they extract from the plant. In the aphid it is turned into something called honeydew. Certain ants search out these aphids. They know that by stroking the aphid’s back with their antennae, the aphid will give up the honeydew. As they stroke the aphids’ backs, they look like people milking their cows. Aphids don’t seem to mind the ants stroking them and taking their sweet food. The ants use this honeydew as food.

There are ants that actually are like farmers with large colonies of aphids. Sometimes the ants even build an earthen barricade around their “cows,” apparently to make sure they stay where they are. The aphids are often taken into the ants’ nest at night and for the winter and given good care. The ants also herd them to the juiciest parts of plants and protect them from enemies.

One kind of ant, called honeypot ants, store extra food, including honeydew, right inside special ants in their nest. These ants in the colony, known as “repletes,” eat all of the honeydew brought to them until their abdomens are stretched to their limits and they look like round, amber-colored balls. These ants are used as storage for the honeydew for times of need in the colony. When completely full, they hang from the ceiling of a chamber in the colony until needed for their “honey.” A colony might have close to 50% of their total number used as food storage. When needed, the repletes allow their companions to draw the nectar from them.

It’s nice that the aphids and “replete” ants have sweet food that can be used for ants who need food. What the aphids and repletes eat is what comes out of them. The same thing happens with people, only it happens with our hearts and our mouths. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth [speaks]” (Matthew 12:34). If we are enjoying good things and God’s Word, the Bible, as our opening verse says, then we will have sweet things to share with others who may need some encouragement or perhaps with someone who needs to hear how to be saved.

Did You Know?

Aphids are often taken into the ants’ nest at night and for the winter and given good care.

Messages of God’s Love 3/24/2024

The Wedding

“Are you going to the wedding, Mr. Albert?” asked a
Christian friend.

“Yes, I would like to,” Mr. Albert answered. “I have a Bible and craft class this afternoon, but if we leave as soon as it’s over, we should be able to get there
in time.”

Later that afternoon Mr. Albert said to two Christian friends, “As soon as class is over, we can jump into the jeep and head across town.” Mr. Albert did not worry about what he would wear to the wedding, because he had often been to weddings in South America, and hardly anyone except the bride and groom got dressed up. Everyone else had to wear whatever they had, as they were often poor. That was fine with Mr. Albert, because when he went to visit in South America, he did not even take a suit or a tie.

Soon the class was over. Mr. Albert called out, “Let’s go,” and the three friends drove across town, to be on time for the wedding. They found the right place for the wedding, but to their surprise no one was there. The place was locked.

Mr. Albert chuckled to himself: How could he have forgotten? He should have remembered that his friends in South America didn’t pay attention to the time. No one really expected you to be there at the stated time.

“Well,” he said, “let’s find some place where we can have a little supper.” So the three friends went to a restaurant and had some hot milk, rolls and yogurt.

When they were finished, they went back to the building where the wedding was to be held. Now there were two teenagers there. They were both dressed in nice suits with ties and shiny shoes. It was a cold evening with a misty rain falling, and since no one else was there yet, Mr. Albert said to the two boys, “There’s a nice place down the road here that serves hot milk and rolls. Would you like some?”

“Sure,” they replied. So they all went back to the restaurant for more hot milk, rolls and yogurt, and they stayed there having a happy time for about half an hour.

Finally someone said, “We’d better get back and see if the wedding has started!”

Only three more guests had arrived. Strangely, each one was wearing a suit. Still, Mr. Albert didn’t think much about his own clothes. But more and more guests began to arrive. All of the ladies had on lovely dresses and the men were wearing nice white shirts, suits and ties, and shoes that were polished and shiny. Mr. Albert looked down at his own clothes. They hadn’t seemed so bad when he left the craft class in a hurry, but now his work pants looked wrinkled and dusty ... and he had no tie ... and his shoes — why hadn’t he thought to polish them?

Finally, all 200 guests had arrived. All of them were dressed in nice clothes ... all but two that is. Mr. Albert and the friend who had left the craft class with him in such a hurry were both in work clothes that looked like they needed to be washed.

Suddenly Mr. Albert knew that he couldn’t stay inside for the wedding. He felt too uncomfortable. “Let’s get out of here!” he said to his friend. His friend must have felt the same way, because he left with Mr. Albert, and they both went around to watch the wedding through a window.

Finally, the bride arrived in a beautiful white dress. She was about 1½ hours late — late for her own wedding! But it didn’t matter because most people had been late, and there was still plenty of time in the evening for the wedding.

Mr. Albert had been uncomfortable among the others at the wedding when he and his friend were the only ones not dressed up. He had never noticed how dirty his shoes were until then! This reminds me of a day that is coming soon. Someday, all of us will have to stand in the presence of a God who is light “and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The Bible says that “then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

If you know you would feel uncomfortable there because you are a sinner, then let me tell you the good news. The same God who knows all about us and every sin each of us has done also loves us. He has made the way for us to have all our sins washed away so that we can be clean and happy standing before Him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

It had not mattered if everyone was late to that wedding, but it is very important not to be late in accepting the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Someday the door of salvation will be closed forever to those who have not come to Jesus.

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

Messages of God’s Love 3/31/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Two Interesting Fish

“God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that [has] life.” Genesis 1:20

Among the many varieties of fish in the world, God has created some very interesting ones. For example, did you ever hear of the kissing gourami? When it isn’t busy eating, it will occasionally swim up to another gourami and plant a kiss on its lips. Why do they do this? No one knows for sure except the One who made them, but it is thought to be a form of aggression, not of affection.

An interesting species that is kept alive in an amazing way is the large African lungfish. These fish, which look like eels, because they have very long tails, live in ponds in parts of Africa which dry up during the dry season. Because of this, the Lord has given them the ability to live through something called “estivation.” This is like hibernating, but estivation takes place in the summer instead of during winter. In order to keep alive, they bury themselves in the mud when the water has almost completely evaporated, burrowing down 10-18 inches into the mud. Then the fish spews mucus all around itself, and as the mud dries, the mucus forms a cocoon that traps in moisture. A hard tube of this mucus forms to allow it to breathe.

During this time, it lives off the muscle tissues in its long tail until rains come to fill the pond again. Then it breaks out of the cocoon and lives the usual fish’s way of life. Also, if there is a lack of food, it can go up to three and a half years without food by going into a similar state as estivation.

Another unusual feature about this lungfish is that even when it is in water, it has to breathe air from outside the surface of the water every half hour or so. It has both gills, for extracting air from the water, and a lung, which is why it needs air, or it will drown.

As we see in our opening verse, God created fish to live in water. Every creature on earth needs water in one form or another, but only certain things can live in water. In one way, Christians are meant to live in water. God’s Word, the Bible, is pictured in the Bible as water, and so is the Holy Spirit. Like the lungfish during dry season, we live in a world that doesn’t enjoy the water God gives specially to us. Just like God provided for the lungfish so it can survive during the dry season, He has given us what we need to survive in a world that is far from God. We need to read the Bible every day to get the water we need and to memorize it so we can think about it all day long. And God has so kindly given us His Holy Spirit to live in us, to guide us safely through this world, and to teach us about the Lord Jesus. Did you read your Bible this morning?

Did You Know?

African lungfish can go up to three and a half years without food.

Messages of God’s Love 3/31/2024

The Robber's Cave

Henry and his father were walking along a lonely road one night many years ago. They had to pass a large rock with a cave in it, which was called “The Robber’s Cave.” People said that many years before, robbers would hide there and come out to rob travelers as they passed along. Even at this point, very few people cared to go that way after it grew dark.

As Henry and his father walked along, Henry asked if there would be any danger in passing the Robber’s Cave.

“Not a bit, my boy,” said his father. “I do not think there are any robbers there now and if there were, God would keep us from harm.”

Henry didn’t say very much, but he held his father’s hand tightly as they walked past
the cave.

They had barely turned the corner of the road when they heard footsteps behind them, and as Henry looked around, he saw a rough-looking man following them.

“Oh, Father, there is one of the robbers coming after us,” said Henry.

His father smiled and quietly said, “God will take care of us, Henry,” and at the same time he lifted his heart to the Lord in prayer for protection, if the man meant to harm them.

In a short time, the man had caught up with them. Before he had time to speak, Henry’s father crossed over to the side of the road where the man was walking. Taking out his wallet, he gave him a gospel tract, saying, “I hope you will read this when you have time.”

The man held out his hand to take the tract, and as he did so, he said something softly about wanting bread.

“I will be glad to share what I have with you,” said Henry’s father, taking out his coin purse, which the man eyed with a suspicious look. The next moment, Henry’s father put several coins into the man’s hand, saying, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The rough-looking man touched his cap and said, “Thank you, sir!” and sat down by the roadside. As Henry and his father went on, Henry looked back every now and then to see if the man was following them. But soon they reached their home safely and thanked the Lord for His protecting care.

Many years went by and Henry had become a tall young man. He had put his trust in the Lord Jesus and now he worked telling others about his Savior. He worked by visiting among the poor to share the gospel with them. One day while doing this happy work, he entered a small house where a sickly-looking man sat by the fireside.

“Come and sit down, sir,” said the man. “I am always thankful to get a tract, especially now that I am unable to go out. It was a gospel tract that, by God’s blessing, led me to the Savior and changed my life.”

There was something about the man that instantly got Henry’s attention. He had seen that face before but he could not think where it was. A few more sentences solved the mystery and sent tears down the cheeks of both of them.

“I was a robber,” said the man in a low voice. “Except for God’s mercy, I might have been a murderer. I meant to rob a gentleman who walked along a country road with a little boy one night, but because of a gospel tract which he gave me, I could not do it, and God used that tract to save my soul.”

Henry grabbed the shaking hand of the converted robber who was now a follower of Christ and said, “I am that boy; my father gave you that tract and he will praise God from his heart for His saving grace to you.”

The ex-robber’s life had shown the wonderful power of the gospel to save sinners, and he had lived for Christ.

Children, you may not be a robber like that man. But have you ever taken something that was not yours? The Bible tells us that there is no difference, because we all have sinned. But, no matter what you have done, the same love and grace of God that met and saved that robber is ready and wanting to save you, right now.

“There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).

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

Memory Verse: “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:22,23,24

Messages of God’s Love 4/7/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The American Dipper, Part 1

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord.” Psalm 145:9-10

The water ouzel, or American Dipper, is an interesting bird about the size of a robin, with brownish-gray feathers and a tiny stripe of white feathers on each eyelid. It lives in the western parts of North and Central America. Anywhere there is clean, rushing water and enough food, it can live in either deserts or cold mountains. It is only found where there is pure water, and it almost never leaves the area close to whatever water it lives by.

It is a cheerful bird, with a very loud song. Its song has to be loud for other birds to be able to hear it over the roar of the water.

The Dipper spends a lot of time finding food, which comes largely from the bottom of the stream. This food might be found in shallow water where it can wade, but often it will be in deeper water.

The Dipper hunts for food in deeper streams by diving in and then walking along the bottom of the stream with its body completely covered by water. Gripping the rocks on the bottom with its strong feet and working its short, strong wings like oars, it can walk and hunt for food underwater. It has no problem walking through strong currents, even currents a person wouldn’t be able to walk through.

There are several things that help it do this besides its strong feet and wings. For one thing, the Lord has given it solid bones, instead of hollow ones like many birds have, which make it less buoyant. He has also given it a flap on its nostrils that keeps it from breathing in water. An extra eyelid protects its eyes when it is underwater. He has also given its blood extra hemoglobin, so it can store up oxygen for its underwater dives.

The Dipper eats all kinds of water bugs and larvae. Two larvae it especially likes are mayfly and mosquito larvae. It also eats some flying insects, worms, fish eggs, tadpoles and crayfish.

Finished with underwater food gathering, it will suddenly pop out of the water, fly to the edge of the stream, and bow and curtsy, bobbing up and down. This is where it gets the name of Dipper bird.

This bird thrives by staying near pure water. In the Bible, water often refers to the Word of God. We can learn a good lesson from the Dipper bird. The Bible tells us that “the Word of God ... effectually [works] ... in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Just as God made the Dipper bird to find its needs met in and near the water, so we Christians find our food, strength and joy as we get to know God our Father and the Lord Jesus by reading the Bible every day.

Did You Know?

Dippers hunt for food in streams by walking underwater along the bottom of streams.

Messages of God’s Love 4/7/2024

The Dangerous Ride

It was a cold March afternoon, and Carol Ann was walking along the banks of a river with her friends Clarissa, Mark, Natalie and Ryan. The river had frozen solid during the cold winter months, but now the ice was breaking up and floating downstream in huge chunks. As they watched the huge pieces of ice floating by, one of the friends had an idea ... a rather dangerous idea.

“Let’s climb onto the biggest chunk of ice we can find and use this long pole to push ourselves along. We can float across the river to the other side!”

That sounded like fun! So taking the pole with them, they all climbed onto a large chunk of ice and began to pole themselves out into the river. Almost immediately they were in trouble. Their pole, which had touched the bottom of the river near shore, was not long enough in the deeper water, and they were being carried down the river with no way to stop. Even worse, the chunk of ice on which they were floating was melting, and pieces were breaking off.

The five friends were in serious danger! Carol Ann and Natalie could not swim, and the other three realized that they could freeze to death if they tried to swim to shore in the icy water. Wisely, they did the only thing left to do — they screamed for help!

Jason, another friend, heard the screams. When he saw what was happening, he knew he couldn’t save his friends, but he ran as fast as he could to Mr. Mac’s house to get his help. Mr. Mac was a fisherman who owned a small rowboat. He dug this boat out of the snow beside his house as quickly as he could and headed for the river.

The five friends were so scared that when they saw him coming, they wanted to try to swim to meet the boat, but Mr. Mac called to them to stay where they were until he reached them.

Because of the strong wind that was blowing, it took Mr. Mac almost half an hour to reach the children. His little boat was only built to hold two people, so he had previously thought he would take some of the children back to shore and then go back for the rest. But when he got to them, he saw how dangerous their situation was. Their chunk of ice was full of holes and so thin that the water was up to the children’s ankles.

Mr. Mac decided to take all of the children at once. He told them to crouch down and crawl carefully into the boat. Then, warning them to remain very still to avoid capsizing the overloaded boat, he began the long trip back to shore.

The trip back took an hour, but all six of them landed safely on the riverbank.

The five friends thanked Mr. Mac for risking his life to save them. The parents also thanked him for rescuing their children.

Have you boys and girls realized that you need help just as much as those five friends did? I know you probably aren’t floating down a river on a piece of ice right now, but you have a problem that is even more serious. Your problem is that you have sinned, and you cannot do anything to get rid of your sins by yourself. The only way to have your sins taken away is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. He loves you and died on the cross so that you may have your sins forgiven. The five friends called for help until they got it, and you may call to the Lord Jesus for His salvation. He promises that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice” (Psalm 18:6).

Memory Verse: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice.” Psalm 18:6

Messages of God’s Love 4/14/2024

The Apple Harvest

“You’ll make good money working in the apple harvest, Bruce,” said a friend. “They pay you by the basket and you can make as much as 50 dollars a day.” That sounded good to Bruce! He was driving to British Columbia on the west coast of Canada during his vacation. He needed to work along the way to pay for his trip.

The apple harvest had just begun when Bruce reached British Columbia. He had no trouble getting a job picking apples.

“We’re not allowed to sell the apples that have fallen off the trees,” the foreman told Bruce. “You’ll have to climb a ladder and pick the apples from the tops of the trees.”

Bruce worked for three days picking apples, thinking that the three days would earn him 150 dollars ... plenty of money to continue his vacation.

Before Bruce left to go to the owner for his pay, the foreman told him, “You may take some of the apples that fell from the trees to give to your friends. We are not allowed to sell them anyway.” Bruce loaded up the back seat of his little car with apples from the ground. His friends would be glad to get them.

Bruce drove up to the owner’s house ready for his pay. The owner looked inside the car and asked Bruce, “Are we even?”

“Even?” asked Bruce. He was shocked. Was the owner saying that those bruised apples in the back seat were his pay for three days’ work?

“How much is my pay?” Bruce asked.

“You’ve earned five dollars a day and you’ve got 15 dollars’ worth of apples in your car.”

Bruce could hardly believe his ears. He had expected to get so much, and now the owner wanted to give him so little.

When Bruce recovered from his surprise, he said to the owner, “The foreman told me these apples were worthless because they couldn’t be sold.”

“You can have this,” the owner said. He handed Bruce five dollars. Bruce drove off with five dollars, the bruised apples and a big disappointment in his heart.

Have you ever been disappointed, expecting a lot and ending up with only a little? God’s love is so great that He never gives just “a little.”

When the Lord Jesus lived on earth, a big crowd of people came to listen to Him, and afterwards they were hungry. One of the followers of the Lord Jesus said, “Two hundred pennies’ worth of bread is not enough for them, that every one of them may take a little.” Two hundred pennies was a lot of money in that time, but it wouldn’t buy enough bread to give each person even a little bit. But the Lord Jesus did a miracle and everyone had enough bread to have all they could eat, and there were enough leftovers for each of the 12 disciples to have a whole basket of bread fragments for himself! (See John 6.)

Do you know this loving God who blesses until you have more than enough? No one will ever be disappointed with His great gifts.

Messages of God’s Love 4/14/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The American Dipper, Part 2

“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.” Psalm 91:4

We learned last week about the little American Dipper. Today we will learn more about these interesting birds.

American Dippers are often found diving in water so cold that ice lines the edges of it. But they are quite comfortable, even in the coldest water. The reason for this is that their feathers are denser and oilier than most songbirds to help them stay warm in the cold and dry in the water.

In the spring when the streams begin to rush with melting snow and ice, the American Dipper birds know it is time to build their nests. They choose a nesting site that is vertical and over rushing water. This could be on the steep sides of a cliff, under a bridge, on a big rock in the middle of a stream, or even behind a waterfall. If they find a place behind a waterfall, they have to fly through the falling water each time they leave or enter their nest site. All of these nests are placed to make them safe from predators.

A pair of American Dippers builds their nest together. The large, dome-shaped nest, about the size of a basketball, has two parts. The outer part is built of leaves and grasses woven together. Then as much moss is added as possible. The moss has the ability to retain water, and it helps absorb water to keep the inner part dry. The inner part is a pad or cup, woven of grasses and leaves to make a cozy, dry nest where four to five eggs are laid. The nest has an entrance hole opening toward the water.

When they are done raising their babies, the parents molt. They do this like ducks, not like most song birds, shedding all their flight and tail feathers at once. They are not able to fly at all during this time. The Lord has made them this way because of their unusual way of finding food. If they molted gradually, it would make it harder to dive for a longer period of time. But by doing it all at once, they are done within 14 days and can start diving again.

The nesting sites of these songbirds give us a good picture of how safe all of God’s children are. He cares for us far more than a bird cares for its babies. There is a lovely old hymn that begins,

“More secure is no one ever
Than the loved ones of the Savior;
Not [that] star on high abiding,
Nor the bird in home-nest hiding.”

The woman who wrote that had a great sadness in her early life. But she had learned that no matter what happens, if we know the Lord as our Savior, we are safe in His care, both in this life and forever. I hope you know this wonderful Savior!

Did You Know?

American Dippers choose nesting sites that are vertical and over rushing water.

Messages of God’s Love 4/14/2024

I Won the Race

When a boy has an older brother, he usually wants to do things just as well as his big brother does. My older brother, Dee, was only 16 months older than I, but he was much bigger and stronger than I was. He could run faster, throw rocks farther, and build kites better than even some of the older boys in the neighborhood. I hoped that someday I could do all those things as well as he did.

We lived in a small country community of 10 or 12 families. Nearly everyone in that community had animals. Most had chickens and some had milk cows, too. To keep all of the animals out of the flower and vegetable gardens, most homes had fences. Even front yards often had fences. At the time of this story, Dad was building a fence around our yard.

Country fences back then were not like the nice white wooden or chain link fences we see in many places today. Where we lived, most fences were made from chicken wire. Some fences were made of barbed wire, which is a twisted wire with sharp barbs that would prick animals if they tried to knock
it down.

Dad was putting up a chicken wire fence, but he was going to add a strand of barbed wire at the top and bottom. The heavier barbed wire helped support the lighter chicken wire. At the time of this story, Dad had only the top barbed wire strung and tightly attached to the fence posts. The chicken wire and the bottom barbed wire hadn’t been put up yet.

We boys were down in the pasture playing, and our game was not a nice one. We were rock fighting. Yes, we were actually throwing rocks and stones at each other, something we all knew wasn’t allowed. My younger brother Jimmy was on Dee’s side, and I was on the other side with some neighborhood boys. Our side was not very good at throwing such a long way. But one of my throws went a long way ... and with good aim. I hit Jimmy with a rock. That’s when the race began.

I knew immediately that I was in big trouble with Dee. He did not run to the house to tell what I had done; he ran after me to give me what he thought I deserved for hitting Jimmy.

I knew the only way I could beat Dee in a foot race was to have a long head start. Knowing what he would do to me if I did not win this race, I started for home where I knew I would be safe. I had gotten what I deserved from him before. Knowing that would happen again was all I needed to make good use of my head start to reach the safety of home.

I did make it home before Dee caught up with me, but things did not turn out like I thought they would. As I ducked to go under the barbed wire Dad had strung up for the fence, my forehead hit the wire. It knocked me down hard and I lay bleeding on the ground.

I had, in fact, beaten my brother home, but there was no relief or joy in winning that race. Just when I thought I had reached safety, there was the wire to knock me down and bring out the truth about what had happened. As my mother worked on my bleeding and torn forehead, the reason for my race home came out. Mother found out about our harmful, forbidden game. I was learning what Numbers 32:23 means, which says, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

Sometimes God uses a jolt to remind us that each of us is a sinner. The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Have you ever done something wrong that you thought you got away with? Maybe no one ever found out about it. But there’s a verse in the Bible that says, “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13). Did you know that God sees you, right now? That is a great comfort if you know Him as your loving Father and are doing the right thing. But another verse says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). God sees everything we do. God is love, but He is also light. He sees clearly if what we are doing is bad (evil) or good.

Because God loves even the worst sinners, He sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the price for all the bad things we have ever done. If you will admit to Him that you are a sinner and believe that the Lord Jesus died to pay for your sins, you will never have to pay for them yourself. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, [you] shall be free indeed”
(John 8:36).

Who will pay the price for your sins? You, or the Lord Jesus?

Memory Verse: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

Messages of God’s Love 4/21/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: God's Promise in the Sky

“I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant [promise] between Me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13

How beautiful is the big arch of a shining rainbow, as it stretches across a stormy sky with both ends seeming to be anchored to the ground. What an amazing sight this must have been to Noah and his family. The rainbow that they saw was the first time in the world’s history that God showed people this beautiful sight. It was a promise from God that floodwaters would never cover the whole world again. This is something we can remember every time we see a rainbow.

Scientists tell us that this colorful display “is an arch of prismatic colors caused by refraction, reflection and dispersion of light in falling raindrops.” The colors of the rainbow are always in the same order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet — the red is always on the outside in the primary rainbow, but on the inside of the secondary rainbow, if one can be seen.

Isn’t it interesting that millions of raindrops bring the colors out always in this order, with the rainbow staying in the same place while the raindrops are falling rapidly through the air? Why is this? Rainbows are seen only when the sun is lower in the sky, behind you, and it is raining in front of you. As the sun’s light hits the raindrops, the light bends inside each drop of water and reflects back to your eye ... each color in a slightly different angle, therefore always in their right places.

So, light and rain are needed to produce a rainbow, but there is a third thing. You are that third thing! The rainbow that you see is coming to your eyes at a slightly different angle than it is going to any other person seeing that rainbow. You have your own private rainbow! You are actually in the center of a complete circle of beautiful colors, but half of it is lost in the earth, while you see the beautiful bow overhead.

When you see a rainbow, you can remember that you are also at the center of God’s care in a very special way. He put the rainbow in the cloud to be a reminder that He would never again destroy the world with a flood, and just as He is in full control of the rain and weather, so He is in full control of everything that happens to you. You matter to Him as much as if you were the only person in the world. The Bible tells us we are to cast all our care, or concerns, upon Him, because He cares about us. (See 1 Peter 5:7.) Isn’t it wonderful to think that God cares about you that much?

Did You Know?

The colors of the rainbow are always in the same order.

Messages of God’s Love 4/21/2024

Buffy the Stray Dog

Our home is in the country, so it is not unusual to find stray dogs and cats wandering around. People who have gotten tired of their pets sometimes take them for a ride into the country and push them out the car door, leaving them behind to take care of themselves. Some of these poor animals die of hunger. Others are hit by cars. Many are picked up by dog catchers. This is very sad. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man [regards, or takes care of] the life of his beast.”

Buffy was a dog that wandered into our neighborhood one day. She had no collar on, so no one knew what her name was or to whom she belonged.

Buffy fared better than most of the other strays. She was not only a cute dog, but she was also smart. She always looked both ways before crossing the road, she had remarkable ways of getting food, and because she was a friendly dog the neighborhood children soon loved her. All the children wanted to have her for their own pet. But our neighbor’s daughter, who already had a dog, talked her dad and mom into adopting the stray dog. She bought her a new collar and named her Buffy.

Buffy had more freedom than most dogs in our neighborhood. Where we live, dogs are not supposed to run loose, but Buffy was not tied up or fenced in. She was free to play games with the children and walk with them to the bus stop each morning.

For a while all went well. Then we began to notice some of the bad habits Buffy had. Our dog, Bandit, was kept locked in her pen. We discovered that Buffy could climb over the fence into Bandit’s pen as easily as a monkey. There, she would eat Bandit’s food. But when she saw us coming, she would quickly climb out and go right to her own home. It was bad enough having our dog’s food stolen each day, but soon things got even worse, because Bandit learned from Buffy and was soon climbing over the fence herself. Bandit was not as smart with her freedom as her street-wise friend. She soon disappeared and never returned home. Shortly after, we learned that her new owners’ other dog, Sugar, had learned from Buffy how to climb out of her pen, too. Sadly, Sugar’s freedom soon ended. She was hit and killed by a passing car.

Buffy caused problems with other neighbors, also, who talked unhappily about her bad habits. Then one day Buffy was gone. I wondered what had happened to her, but I didn’t find out for quite a while. Then one day, while I was walking through the woods, I saw the skeleton of a dog. There was black dog hair scattered around and the skeleton had a collar on the neck that looked familiar. After a few questions to some neighbors, I learned that what I had guessed was true — Buffy’s life had ended.

Death is a very sad thing, even for animals. God didn’t originally make people or animals to die, because He is good. But when Adam disobeyed God, sin and death came into the world. Even now, if we disobey our parents or God, bad things happen. The Bible says, “There is a way which [seems] right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). This is a good verse to remember. Sometimes it seems hard to be obedient and to walk God’s way, but it is worth it in the end. God’s way is the only truly happy way to live. The Bible tells us that it is “good, and acceptable, and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The life of obedience to God is also the only safe one, and it ends in wonderful joy and pleasures that will last forever. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Memory Verse: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Proverbs 14:12

Messages of God’s Love 4/28/2024

The Uninteresting Letter

I want to tell you about a letter I received and never read. A friend had moved away to go to school, and we had decided to keep in touch by writing letters. As time passed, his letters became less interesting to me because he wrote about people and places I didn’t know. Soon I was just scanning his letters quickly and putting them away.

One day I received a letter from my friend that was several pages long with small handwriting. I read the opening paragraph, looked at all those pages, and then threw it aside. I don’t know why I picked it up again a few days later, but I happened to look at the back page and noticed a small “PS.” It startled me. It said that my friend was coming home for a few days and he was going to visit me! The visit was to be that very evening. I had no time now to go back to read all the letters he had been sending me.

As you can imagine, that visit was not a very happy one for me. I was unhappy because I wasn’t ready for his visit. I was afraid he would find out I had not been reading his letters, and I was ashamed that I had not cared about the things that were important to him.

You might think I was not a very good friend, and you would be right. But are you doing the very same thing ... to God? God, who wants to be more than a friend to us, has written us many letters. They are all collected in one book, the Bible. Do you look at all those pages and the small print and set it aside? It has the most important message in the whole world for every person alive.

If you read the Bible, you will get to know God Himself, who is our Father! You will learn of His wonderful plans for you for a coming eternity, of His love for you that made Him willing to send His only Son to die for you and how He now cares for each detail of your life. You will learn how to follow the Lord Jesus right now, every day. And, “[you] will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Messages of God’s Love 4/28/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Colorful Parrotfish

“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters. The sea is His, and He made it.” Psalm 77:19; 95:5

The interesting parrotfish received its name because of its beautiful colors and its parrot-like beak, which are actually their teeth.

This fish has about 1,000 bluish-white teeth that are in 15 rows and somehow stuck together to form this beak. Their teeth are among the strongest in the world. The pressure of one square inch of these teeth is equal to a stack of about 88 African elephants stacked on top of each other!

Parrotfish use their strong teeth to pull apart and chew up hard coral to get at the tasty algae found in it. This might look like it is destroying the coral reef, but it is actually helping it in various ways. One of those is that the parrotfish eats the seeds of seaweed buried in the coral that otherwise would grow up and choke the coral. They also help keep the faster-growing coral under control, so the slower-growing coral can have space to grow.

These interesting fish also have more teeth in the back of their throat. God has given them everything they need to do their job, hasn’t He?

Some large parrotfish can chew through enough coral each year to make up to 1,000 pounds of sand! Over the centuries this has resulted in many pretty sandy beaches along the shores of Australia and other countries.

Some parrotfish secrete a balloon of mucus to surround themselves while they sleep at night. This makes them look like they have been carefully wrapped in a silk blanket. Scientists think this protects them from parasites and keeps larger predators from being able to smell them. It also gives them a warning that a predator is near. If one bumps into their mucus sleeping bag, they can quickly swim away.

This fish’s eating habits remind me of a verse in Hebrews that says, “Now no chastening for the present [seems] to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it [yields] the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). When this fish eats, it looks like it is destroying the coral, but it actually is saving the coral from being destroyed, and it is also making beautiful sandy beaches that we enjoy. This gives us a little picture of how good God is, in whatever He allows in our lives. Even the things that seem grievous, or sad, are for our good and for the good of others, if we learn the lessons God has for us in them. If you are a child, your parents might have to cause you pain at times, too, in order to teach you important lessons. You can trust them if they do this, because they love you and want you to learn those lessons while you are young.

Did You Know?

A parrotfish has about 1,000 bluish-white teeth.

Messages of God’s Love 4/28/2024

Bushy Tail

Back and forth, back and forth ran Bushy Tail the squirrel. Up and down the big oak tree he ran all day long, collecting acorns. Then when the hickory nuts were ripe, what a mess he made! Sitting in the hickory tree, he would chew off the outside shell, letting it fall to the ground so he could get to the nut. The shells were left scattered all over the sidewalk.

As Mark watched from the window of Grandma’s house, he asked, “Grandma, what’s Bushy Tail doing with all those nuts?”

Grandma was stirring a batch of boiling apple jelly. Mark watched her as she turned off the heat under the pan and filled hot jars with the hot jelly. Then she poured hot, melted wax on top. All the pans and jars sure made the kitchen a mess.

“You see, Mark,” said Grandma, “our friend Bushy Tail is doing just what I’m doing. Only he’s out gathering acorns and hickory nuts, and this morning I was out picking apples. He’s storing his nuts in the old tree, and I’m storing the apples in these jars. Bushy Tail and your Grandma are both getting ready for the cold, winter months. And we are both making a mess!”

“But you feed Bushy Tail all winter,” said Mark. “How come he needs all those acorns too?”

“Well,” answered Grandma, “God has created something in that little squirrel that tells him to get ready for winter, and nothing will stop him from doing it! The Bible tells us that animals like Bushy Tail can teach us a lesson. It tells us to study their ways and habits and to become wise.” Grandma then read the verses to Mark about ants, conies, locusts and spiders, which God says “are exceeding wise” (see Proverbs 30:24-28).

“Also,” she went on, “many animals have shelters to go to when danger is near. Have you ever watched our little friend Chippy the chipmunk that plays around in the front yard?”

“Sure. When he hears a noise or when the dog comes out, he runs in that hole under the step.”

“That’s right,” said Grandma. “And what do you suppose can reach him in there?”

“Nothin’, I guess,” replied Mark.

“That’s right. Not even the rain gets in there. That’s what it means when God tells us to study these little animals to become wise. He tells people who are busy working or playing to beware of the judgment that is coming. We must get ready now, or it will be too late.”

“How?” asked Mark.

“By trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Grandma. “He suffered on the cross for us. Now all those who trust in Him are covered by His blood. God says, ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you’ (Exodus 12:13). The punishment we deserve has already fallen on the Lord Jesus.

“Then, once we are saved,” she continued, “nothing can separate us from His love and care. He is like the stone step that hides the chipmunk. The pouring rain hits the step, and the dog can sniff around it and bark all day, but the chipmunk is safe.”

Mark had nothing more to ask, but he had lots to think about as he watched Bushy Tail getting ready for winter.

Now ... what about you? Are you ready for the judgment that is coming on this world? If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Savior, then you are safe. The Lord Jesus is coming very soon. He is going to take all who have trusted in Him out of this world before He judges it. Are you ready? The time is very short. Accept Him right now as your Savior.

“Prepare to meet [your] God” (Amos 4:12).

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

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

Messages of God’s Love 5/5/2024

Kindness of a Thief

Mr. Lennon woke up in the middle of the night and wondered what was wrong. There was a noise coming from the kitchen. That’s odd, he thought. I better go see what that is. As he got closer to the kitchen, he realized the noise he had heard was running water.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, he saw that the faucet was turned on in the sink and there was a stranger looking through the drawers!

The man looked up and saw him. “May I help you?” asked Mr. Lennon. Then he saw ... the man had a badly cut hand. Without asking any more questions, Mr. Lennon got a bandage for him. He cleaned the cut hand and then made the man’s hand comfortable with a clean bandage.

He pulled out a chair for the stranger and invited him to sit down. Then he made him a cup of hot tea.

As the man sipped tea, Mr. Lennon spoke to him of the Savior of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is what he told him:

Jesus was God’s Son who came into this world around 2000 years ago. He was born as a baby and then grew up like any other boy, working in a carpenter’s shop. When He was around 30 years old, He started doing a very different job. He went around preaching about the kingdom of God. He also began doing many amazing miracles ... giving sight to the blind, feeding 5000 people with just a few loaves and fishes and even raising the dead. He lived a life of love, showing great kindness to those who were hurting.

Sadly, some powerful people were very jealous of Jesus. When He was 33 years old, they thought they would get rid of Him by nailing Him to a cross. But God is so good; it was during that awful time on the cross that there were three hours of darkness, and God “made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God put my sins upon Jesus, and He was punished by God for all the sins that I have done so that I don’t have to be punished by God someday, but I may be forgiven. Jesus died and was put in a grave that day, but three days later He rose from the dead. Now He is living in heaven, waiting for the day when He will call all who have believed on Him to be with
Him forever.

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That means that whoever believes in what Jesus did on the cross can have the forgiveness
I have!

Mr. Lennon could only hope and pray that the man understood what he had said as he let the man out the door. Then Mr. Lennon went looking around the house. Sure enough, downstairs there was a broken window ... the answer to how the man got in as well as why his hand had been so badly cut!

Messages of God’s Love 5/5/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Beautiful Autumn Leaves

“Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 16:33

Although many trees keep their leaves or needles year-round, many species drop their leaves in autumn. But before they fall, there is usually a vibrant display of various colors in these leaves. Red maples and sugar maples, along with oaks, blaze with fiery red, orange and gold; dogwoods turn a shade of purple; sassafras leaves take on scarlet and orange colors; poplars and aspens become golden yellow. Other species add their various beautiful colors until the forest almost appears to be on fire.

Leaves are to a tree what lungs are to humans, taking in carbon dioxide found in the air. The tree takes in water and minerals from the soil through its roots, which are needed along with the carbon dioxide to properly feed the tree. These three things together make up “raw sap.”

Chlorophyll found in the leaves is what gives them their green color, and it is like a miniature chemical factory. It uses a process called photosynthesis to turn the ingredients in the raw sap, using energy it gets from the light of the sun, to make something called “elaborated sap” which feeds the tree. This elaborated sap is the tree’s food. It stores it in its roots or in its fruits, such as in an apple.

During the day, the leaf absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in exchange gives off oxygen, so vital to air-breathing man, animals, birds and insects. Without the forests and other plants of the world, there would not be enough oxygen to sustain life.

As fall approaches, there is less sunlight. The tree creates a layer of cells to cut off the water and minerals to the leaves, storing them in the tree instead for the long winter ahead. Soon the green color fades from the leaves. The spectacular colors appear as the leaf dies — red, orange, purple, gold and yellow. These colors have been in the leaf all along, but the green chlorophyll has hidden them. Finally, the dead leaves are forced off by wind and rain. The layer of cells protects the tree so germs can’t enter the tree where the leaf used to be.

Our opening verse talks about a day that is coming soon, when the Lord Jesus will reign over this earth, and then all of creation will show the full beauty He intended it to have. If you are part of His new creation because you have been saved by His blood, your life can show the beauty that is in Him, even now. Leaves get the energy they need from the sun, and Christians get all they need through the Lord Jesus. As we look at Him, the Bible tells us we are changed to be like Him. Have you spent time looking at Him in the Bible, today?

Did You Know?

Chlorophyll found in leaves is what gives them their green color.

Messages of God’s Love 5/5/2024

Buttons and Brandon

Brandon was a brave boy, but there were two things that frightened him.

One of them was the neighbor’s dogs, King and Spitz. They were always kept chained to their doghouses, but they growled and snarled whenever Brandon went near them. They weren’t nice like his dogs. Brandon was afraid of what might happen if they ever got loose and chased him through the fields and caught him. Just thinking about it would send shivers of fright down his spine.

The other thing that scared Brandon was Buttons, the pony that belonged to his sisters. If you didn’t know Buttons, you would think he was the cutest and most gentle pony around. Little, shaggy old Buttons had lots of people fooled ... but not Brandon. Buttons might have looked cute, but Brandon didn’t trust him. He wouldn’t get close to Buttons unless his father was with him. Buttons wouldn’t dare misbehave when his father was around, and Brandon knew this.

Sometimes when Brandon and his father were around Buttons, Brandon would see Buttons watching him, and he thought he knew what Buttons was thinking: You wait, little boy. One of these times you will be all alone, and I’ll catch you and teach you a lesson for being smaller than I am. Brandon’s sisters were all bigger and older than he was, and they always got along fine with Buttons.

One day when his father was in the house and his brother and sisters had gone shopping with mother, Brandon was playing with his toy trucks in the backyard. Buttons had a fenced-in corral where he was kept. Brandon didn’t think he had anything to worry about, so he was busy playing.

Suddenly, Brandon got the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning around he saw Buttons only a few feet behind him. Brandon was terrified! He quickly stood up and started walking backwards, never taking his eyes off Buttons who was walking steadily toward him. Brandon tried to call for help, but his mouth was dry and words wouldn’t come out. He kept walking backwards, not daring to run for fear he would be trampled. Then he backed up smack against the fence. Buttons had him cornered!

Buttons walked right up to Brandon (who had never been so frightened in his life), opened his mouth and bit Brandon right on the chest, ripping his shirt and scraping his skin. Then Buttons turned and walked away.

When Brandon’s father heard what had happened, he gave Buttons a good whack on the nose and put him back in the corral, firmly closing the gate that had been left open.

Buttons reminds us of Satan. Satan is our enemy, and he is always waiting to corner us one way or another. He is just watching until we let our guard down. Brandon’s father wasn’t around when Buttons cornered him and bit him. But the Lord Jesus is always there to help us right away when we have a problem. If the Lord Jesus is your Savior, you only have to call to Him and He will hear you, even if you are so scared you have lost your voice. He tells us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver [you]” (Psalm 50:15).

Wouldn’t you like to have the Lord Jesus as your Savior? You can. Just tell Him that you know you are a sinner, and trust God to forgive your sins. The Bible tells us that Jesus is a “friend of ... sinners” (Luke 7:34). First, He loves to save sinners by forgiving their sins. Then He becomes their best Friend, taking care of them and staying close to them all of their lives. “There is a friend that [sticks] closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all [you] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Memory Verse: “There is a friend that sticketh closer thana brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Messages of God’s Love 5/12/2024

The House That Fell

I often passed a certain house on my way to work. The house looked like a normal house, and the family who lived in it was comfortable there. But one day a power shovel came and began to dig a huge hole in the empty lot next to that house. There were a lot of office buildings nearby, and they were preparing to build a parking garage on the empty lot.

They dug a hole about 20 feet deep, and then workmen went in with hand shovels to dig out the dirt close to the house. It was not long before so much dirt had been dug out that the foundation of the house could be seen. It was a big mistake. And it was soon clear that the builders of the house had made an even bigger mistake. The foundation of the house had been built on layers of sand and clay — one of the worst combinations for a foundation. One day, without any warning, the whole house fell into the hole, furniture and all! The family was all away or they all could have been killed.

That house built on the sand and clay had been lived in for many years, but when a problem came, it fell, with no warning.

Did you know that each of us is like a builder who is building a house, as we live our lives? And ... each of us is building our lives on either a good foundation or a bad one. Jesus said that anyone who heard what He said but didn’t obey what He said was like a foolish man, “which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:26-27). He also said that the person who heard what He said and did obey was like a wise man, “which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).

Are you a wise builder or a foolish builder?

Messages of God’s Love 5/12/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Musical Katydid

“The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

Katydids live mostly in hot places, and especially around the Amazon basin, but they are found on every continent except Antarctica. These insects are relatives of crickets and grasshoppers. The males make a noise that sounds like “Katy-did, Katy-didn’t,” to some people, which undoubtedly is where their name came from. But often they make a strong, penetrating screech or what some consider a loud, chirping call. They can be heard both during the day and at night, but they are usually most active during the night.

Only one to four inches long, they have antennae that can be two to three times as long as their bodies. Some are a pretty shade of green, but God gave katydids many camouflages, and different varieties blend into whatever environment they live in. Some katydids look so much like lichens (a kind of fungus) that when they climb up a tree trunk covered with lichen, it is almost impossible to see them as long as they don’t move. Other katydids look like small sticks, while still others look like leaves.

Katydids are active in summer but are heard most often during late summer and into October. The males make their shrill, rasping call by rubbing together some rough areas on their front wings. These calls create an amazing chorus during the night. In most species, the male does the singing to attract a mate, and the female is willing to look for him, knowing he will have a large gift of food for her. Starting in June and July for some species, the females lay their oval eggs in the ground or in plant stems. Some eggs hatch in July and August, but others don’t hatch until winter is over.

Most katydids live in trees and bushes and mainly eat leaves. Their long hind legs enable them to travel quickly over the tree branches. Some of them can also fly short distances.

Katydids have amazing, tiny ears. These ears are located, one on each of their thin front legs, just below the “knee.” Though tiny, their ears are mighty! They hear so well that one species has learned to lure unsuspecting male cicadas near enough to be caught and eaten, by learning and then mimicking the song of the female cicada.

As our opening verse says, God, who gave the katydid its ears, has ears that are always open to hear the prayer of those who are righteous. There is a song that says, “Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.” If we want God to hear our prayers, we need to listen to what He says and obey Him. Thankfully, God always hears the prayer of a sinner that wants to be saved.

Did You Know?

Katydids have ears each located just below the “knee” on their front legs.

Messages of God’s Love 5/12/2024

Eva & Willy's Gold

Wouldn’t it be fun to find gold in your backyard? This is the story of a girl and boy whose father found gold in their backyard. But they also found out about something that is worth more than gold — something gold cannot buy.

Eva and her brother Willy lived with their parents in a small village in Bolivia. Like most families who lived there, they were poor. For most of Eva’s life with her family, they all lived and worked in a tiny stall in the marketplace where they sold a few vegetables, buttons, pens and other things. It was noisy, dirty and hot, and life was lonely for the two children.

A visit from their missionary friend, Mr. Albert, was always a happy change. He would read the Bible to them or bring them a calendar with Bible verses. He often left a list of verses for Eva and Willy to memorize. Even though it was sometimes a whole year before Mr. Albert got back to their village again, he would bring them a prize if they had learned their Bible verses.

One day Eva’s parents had to go on a long trip to the mountains. Eva and Willy had to stay behind for many days in their tiny home in the market until their parents returned. They also had to care for the stall in the market.

After their parents had been gone for some time, Willy got sick from an infected tooth. The side of his face was swollen into a lump as big as an orange and he was in great pain. Eva was only 10, but she did her best to take care of him, giving him medicine they sold in their market stall for his pain. She was worried when Willy did not get better and she had no one to help her or tell her what to do. Both Eva and Willy felt lonely and forsaken. Willy was sick for a week and finished the whole box of medicine, but he still wasn’t better. Finally, their parents returned and they immediately took Willy to the doctor. Willy got better after that, but their young hearts had an ache inside that never went away even though Willy was well.

Eva and Willy’s family moved several times, finally settling in a small home in the jungle. Although this home was deeper in the jungle, at least they did not have to live in the market. Soon it came time for Eva and Willy to go to high school, but their father did not have enough money to send them to live in the town that had a school. One day, however, they heard some surprising news from their neighbors. Some of them had found gold in their yards! Well, Eva’s father thought, maybe there’s gold in our yard too.

Digging a hole in the backyard as big as a well, he began looking for gold in the water that came up. Sure enough, there was gold! Gold right in their own backyard! There was not a lot of it, and it was only tiny specks like sand that had to be carefully collected and melted down before it could be sold, but it was enough to send Eva and Willy to high school.

Eva was glad her father had found the gold, but the emptiness in her heart was still there. Gold could not take it away. Because of the gold, Eva and Willy had enough money to rent a small room of their own in the town where the high school was. God had been watching over Eva and Willy and He knew about the ache in their hearts. He planned that they would find something in this town that would be even better than gold.

The town where Eva and Willy went to school was the very town where Mr. Albert lived. When he learned that they were there, he invited them to some Bible meetings in his home. They heard about the wonderful love of God in sending His only Son to die on the cross for sinners. They learned that God is rich in mercy, and that He wanted to give them riches much better than riches like gold, “the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).

Eva and Willy’s lonely hearts responded to God’s loving offer of salvation. Both of them believed that the Lord Jesus had died for their sins and that their sins were now washed away in His precious blood. Happy smiles came over their faces as they learned about God’s love. They found they now had a treasure in the Bible worth more than gold, a treasure that could make their hearts happy again. “The judgments [standards] of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, [yes], than much fine gold” (Psalm 19:9-10).

Boys and girls, would you like to have the treasure worth much more than gold? This is a treasure that can never be lost or used up, and no one can steal it from you. Come to the Lord Jesus for salvation today and you will begin to enjoy the riches of God’s love. You may have it because the Lord Jesus Christ “became poor, that [you] through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Memory Verse: “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.” Psalm 19:9-10

Messages of God’s Love 5/19/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Lofty Giraffe, Part 1

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11

Some people become scared when they are up only as high as 18 feet off the ground, yet this is the height from which a large male giraffe views its surroundings. The giraffe is the world’s tallest animal. Its long neck is about six feet long, with a very tidy mane. Its pretty head has two short horns, standing straight up. Its large deer-like eyes, that reveal its normally gentle character, have long, black lashes. High in the air, its bulging eyes on the side of its head can see well for long distances, and in almost every direction at once without turning its head.

In Africa there are four species of the giraffe, each species having a distinct look, yet all pale fawn or cream colored with large rust or brown spots over their bodies. No two giraffes have exactly the same pattern.

The giraffe’s long neck has only seven vertebrae (the same as people), but these are large and strong, and their necks are quite flexible. This long neck can help shade the giraffe’s relatively small body from the strong sun in the hot African climate.

Giraffes can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances. Because it has such good vision, a running giraffe is an immediate signal of danger to its companions, whether they are giraffes or not, and they all promptly begin running.

Giraffes have few enemies besides humans. Lions are their main animal predator. Leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and crocodiles are other enemies. It takes a lot of lions to take down a large giraffe. A giraffe’s 12-inch hooves, at the base of six-foot legs with strong muscles, can kill a lion. Usually the only adult giraffes which lions will attack are the sick, isolated or injured. When fights occur between jealous males, the necks of giraffes, topped with tough, horned skulls, also make vicious weapons when slammed against an opponent.

Our opening verses talk about what we are to do to be safe from our enemy, the devil. Just as God has given the giraffe weapons to help protect it from its animal enemies, so He has given us what we need to protect us from Satan’s attacks. Imagine if a giraffe decided not to use its weapons one day and a lion came to attack it. Of course, that would never happen. But how often do we go out of our homes without thinking about the armor of God that we need to put on in order to be safe? Have you read your Bible and prayed today? That is how you will best be prepared to stand in the battle with Satan.

(to be continued)

Did You Know?

Giraffes can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances.

Messages of God’s Love 5/19/2024

Lost in the Woods

Susie, Amy, Ann and Peter, each carrying a pail for collecting wild blueberries, moved slowly through the woods. They talked about a lot of things as they picked from the little bushes that were loaded with berries. It was a beautiful, warm, summer afternoon, just perfect for being outside.

After several hours of picking, nine-year-old Susie, who was the oldest, suggested that they should start for home. The shadows were growing long as they started back toward the farm where they lived. They walked for some time, but still didn’t come to the dirt road they wanted to find. After wandering around for almost an hour, Susie said to the others, “Now, don’t cry, but I think we’re lost!”

Discussing what they should do next, Amy suggested that they ask the Lord Jesus to help them. The three sisters thought that was a good idea, but their cousin Peter said he didn’t want to pray. The three girls knelt down on the ground and each one asked the Lord Jesus to help them. They were used to talking to the Lord Jesus, because they knew Him as their Savior. Peter, however, was not saved from his sins and did not love the Lord Jesus. He just continued walking while the girls prayed. Catching up to Peter, Amy told him that if he didn’t ask Jesus for help, he would probably be lost in the woods all night! Peter just laughed, saying that since they were all together, how could he be the only one lost in the woods all night?

The four of them walked a little farther when suddenly little Ann wailed, “I left my bucket back there!” She had not picked it up after they had knelt down to pray. It was just a short way back, but Susie didn’t want Ann to go back alone. She suggested they all go back together, but Peter refused. He didn’t want to go back and he decided that he’d find his own way out.

The three girls left Peter and soon found Ann’s pail of berries. But when they got back to where they had left Peter, he was nowhere to be found. As they wandered around looking and calling for Peter, they discovered a cow walking in the woods.

“Hey, that’s one of our cows!” exclaimed Susie. “We can follow it home!”

That cow was the answer to their prayers. After the girls had followed it as it wandered around for quite a while, the cow led them out of the woods. Then it was easy to find their way home. But Peter was still lost. Because he wanted to do things his own way, it turned out that he was lost in the woods all alone.

By the time the girls got home and told their parents that Peter was lost, it was almost dark. Right away they left to look for him, but soon it got too dark, and then it began to rain. Lightening flashed and thunder crashed. It rained heavily all through the night.

Early the following morning they finally found poor Peter. He was soaked, scared and lonely. They wrapped him in a blanket and their father carried him back home.

I am sure that Peter never forgot that night alone in the woods. But Peter didn’t learn an important lesson from his mistake. Even when he was an old man, he still wanted to find his own way to heaven, just like he wanted to find his own way out of the woods, without asking God for His help.

Boys and girls, do you know that you might be lost, right now? Long ago, Adam sinned in the beautiful Garden of Eden, and he became afraid of God and hid from Him. When God came looking for him that evening, He called to Adam, “Where [are you]?” (Genesis 3:9). From that day to this day, every person that is born is born lost, far from God. Thankfully Jesus, God’s Son, came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) because God wants to have a close relationship with each of the people He has made. He wants to be your loving, wonderful Father. I hope you will let Him find you.

Memory Verse: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Messages of God’s Love 5/26/2024

Bob's Dog Daisy

A soft breeze was blowing off the lake as we joined other joggers and walkers on the boardwalk in northern Ontario. We were resting on a bench when a smiling man with a beautiful and unusual dog came by.

Bob’s large dog had long white hair and she wore a ponytail on top of her head. As we petted and admired Daisy, we found out that she was an English sheepdog. We also found out that Bob had just survived a heart attack. Then, as we talked, out of the blue, Bob asked us, “Are you guys Christians?”

If it had been you that he had asked, would you have responded: “Yes, I have accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior and I know that He died on the cross to save me from my sins”? Or would you have answered, “No, I don’t personally know Jesus”?

Bob told us that he had just become a Christian a month before. His daughter had moved to India to live with a Christian family, and she had gotten saved. Next, her brother realized he needed the Lord and put his faith in Jesus, too. Finally, Bob became interested and went to visit them in India, and soon he trusted the Lord for his salvation, too. He told us the Lord had saved him twice: once from a heart attack, and second from a lost eternity.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:31).

We were so happy to tell Bob that we were followers of the Lord Jesus, too. We were also delighted that he was sharing the Lord with others.

Messages of God’s Love 5/26/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Loftly Giraffe, Part 2

“With God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37

Female giraffes, called cows, weigh up to 1,825 pounds, compared with bulls, which reach 2,628 pounds.

Cows are pregnant for about 15 months. There is a good reason for this long pregnancy. The calf is born into a dangerous world, so it stays safely inside its mother while it develops physically much more than human babies need to do. When the calf is born, it is able to walk within half an hour, and it is already six feet tall! The mothers keep their calves apart from the larger group for several weeks. During this time, she has to leave it alone, exposed to many dangers, while she goes to get food and water. After a time alone, she introduces it to the rest of the herd.

Now the calf’s life becomes a little less dangerous. In the herd, there are usually other baby giraffes. They seem to enjoy being together, and they are often watched over by one female while the other adults go off to eat and drink, knowing the calves are being guarded.

Giraffes mainly eat leaves, flowers and the fruit of tall trees and bushes when getting their daily requirement of 100 pounds of food, or more. The leaves and blossoms of acacia trees are a favorite food. Acacias have sharp thorns, but the giraffe’s tough upper lip helps them handle that problem. God has also given them a very long and agile tongue, nearly 18 inches long, which is able to reach around the thorns to get at the leaves and blossoms. Giraffes must spend about 16 to 20 hours a day eating, and more time chewing the cud to help digest all that food, so they don’t get much sleep ... as little as five to 30 minutes!

Getting a drink is not an easy job for a giraffe. It must lower its head a very long way to reach the water and then raise its head to swallow after collecting some water in its throat. This raising and lowering of its head close to 20 feet would normally cause such a rush of blood to its head that the giraffe would have a stroke and die. Of course, our Creator planned for this. At the base of the giraffe’s brain the blood meets a special network of tiny blood vessels. Going through all those tiny veins slows the rush of blood into the brain. This same network slows the blood leaving its head when it is suddenly raised.

Why do you think the Lord made such a tall animal? Perhaps one reason was to show us that things that seem impossible to man are no problem for Him. Giraffes have several things about their bodies that people could never figure out how to solve, such as blood rushing to and from their heads when they drink. If you have any problems that seem impossible, take them to the Lord. As our opening verse says, nothing is impossible with Him!

Did You Know?

Adult giraffes require 100 pounds of food or more every day.

Messages of God’s Love 5/26/2024

A Stranger's Kindness

Jim and Sara stopped in a little town for a late supper with their little girl, Alisha. They were on their way home after a visit to Canada. “Let’s take a little walk and stretch our legs before we get back in the car!” suggested Jim. He lifted Alisha onto his shoulders as they left the restaurant and they headed down the street to cross a bridge into a neighboring village.

Alisha was nice and warm in her snowsuit as she sat on her daddy’s shoulders. The February sky was clear, but the night air was moist. This made the frozen sidewalks a bit slippery.

Jeff, a truck driver, was driving toward the bridge when he saw a terrifying scene just as it happened. He saw a man and a woman walking across the bridge with a small child on the man’s shoulders. Suddenly the man slipped, and the child tumbled over the railing.

In seconds, Jeff stopped his truck close by and ran to the horrified parents. Below them hung Alisha, caught by the hood of her snowsuit on a beam that stuck out from the bridge. Beneath her they could see the swirling waters of the river through a crack in the ice.

“Save my baby! Save my baby!” Sara screamed.

Jeff rushed to his truck and returned with a rope. Using skills he had learned while working as a tree trimmer, he tied the rope to the railing with a couple of quick knots. Then, tying the other end of the rope around his waist, he climbed over the railing.

As he lowered himself down the rope, he could hear Alisha crying hysterically. Jeff struggled to get to her. Then he quickly slipped off his belt and tied it around her so he could hold her better. Holding her closely by the belt and using every ounce of his strength, he began to climb up the rope to the bridge.

Just as he reached the top of the rope and lifted Alisha up to her anxious parents, Jeff felt a terrible pain in his side. He managed to climb to safety, but the strain of rescuing Alisha had caused damage to his body. Later Jeff had to have an operation to repair the damage to his side.

How thankful Jim and Sara were that Jeff had saved their daughter’s life! She had come through that awful fall without getting even a scratch.

Alisha was in a terrifying place when Jeff came along and saved her from falling into that icy water. Why would Jeff, a stranger, risk his own life to help someone he had never met before? It must have been that there was love in his heart.

This story reminds me of a story the Lord Jesus told in the Bible about a shepherd who had one sheep that went away and got lost. The shepherd left the rest of his 99 sheep to go into the mountains and look for that one lost sheep, and the Lord said, “If so be that he find it ... he [rejoices] more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray” (see Matthew 18:12-13). Jeff cared enough to go after Alisha. Did you know the Lord Jesus cares enough about you that He is looking for you? Jesus cared so much about you that He came to die in order to be able to save you, and now He is looking for you. This verse is a little sad, because it says, “If so be that he find it.” That means that it doesn’t always happen.

The story says the shepherd would have more joy in finding that one lost sheep than in the 99 who didn’t wander away. This shows how much the Lord Jesus loves each one of you children, even if you have done many bad things and feel like He can’t love you. Jesus ended this story by saying, “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). God the Father wants every one of you children to be saved.

Memory Verse: “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:14

Messages of God’s Love 6/2/2024

A Sick Tree

Have you ever heard of taking a get-well card to a tree? Well, it really happened! In 1989 an oak tree in Austin, Texas, was poisoned. It was a special tree, called the “Treaty Oak,” believed to be about 600 years old. It was a protected tree, and it was a crime to try to kill it. Who would want to kill a famous tree? The policeman who worked on the crime did a lot of work to try to figure out who tried to kill this tree. Meanwhile, it became famous, and many thousands of people visited it. People left get-well cards and even cans of chicken soup for the sick tree.

A lot of work was done to try to save the tree from dying. Finally, when nothing seemed to be working and two-thirds of the tree was dead, they started chopping it down. They wanted to make money on the tree to be able to plant more trees. If the tree had to die, it could be used to give life to other trees, they thought. Part of it was made into 600 lovely pens, one of which was sent to the governor of Texas at the time, George W. Bush. Other parts were made into tables, bowls, and wooden boxes.

But then ... the tree didn’t die.

Maybe you have heard about another famous tree. There once was a tree that was cut down and used as a cruel torture instrument, a cross. The Lord Jesus, the wonderful Son of God, was hung on that tree. It was the worst use possible for a tree. Of course, that tree made into a cross didn’t do anything wrong, but ... who would want to kill the Son of God? Wicked people wanted to kill Him, because they were jealous of Him.

There is a happy ending to this story about the tree made into a cross. God used man’s awful crime for good, because the Lord Jesus paid for the sins of those who believe on Him while He hung on that tree. And He rose again the third day to prove that all those sins are taken care of. I hope you have trusted the One who died on the most famous tree of all, for you. “Christ [has] redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that [hangs] on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).

The man who tried to kill the Treaty Oak spent nine years in jail, when he was discovered and taken to court. It could have been even longer. But people who don’t receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior will spend forever in hell. I hope that won’t happen to you.

Messages of God’s Love 6/2/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Your Amazing Ear

“Mine ears hast Thou opened.”
Psalm 40:6

Have you ever wondered how you can hear? It begins with something making a sound. When this happens, the sound sets the air near it in motion. This motion passes to the air next to it, and so on, in waves, until it reaches your ears. Your outer ear, the part you can see, catches these sound waves. Without the outer ear we would still hear some sounds, but we would miss many sounds.

The sound next travels down a curving canal to the eardrum. This canal is lined with hairs and wax that trap dust, water and even small bits of dirt or insects that could cause damage to the eardrum.

The eardrum is a membrane about one-half inch across. As sound waves hit this membrane, it vibrates like the skin of a drum, and the vibration travels through it to the middle ear. This has the three tiniest bones in your body. They are connected and are often called the anvil, hammer and stirrup. These catch the vibrations made by the drum and magnify them by about 20 times. This happens because the end of the stirrup that taps on the cochlea in the inner ear is very tiny. Pressure that is concentrated becomes greater, just as when a high heel presses a woman’s weight onto a floor, compared to a whole foot.

The inner ear is protected by the hardest bones in your body, because it is so important. It gives you both balance and hearing. The hearing takes place in the cochlea, a twisted snail-like tube, filled with fluid. This fluid is the reason the sound needs to be amplified, since movement through liquid is harder than movement through air. Much is still not known about the cochlea, but it takes sound and converts it into electrical signals which are then sent to your brain and interpreted correctly. All of these processes are done at the same time by two ears. Your brain can tell where the sound is coming from because of having two ears.

Ears are an amazing example of the wonders of God’s creation. No human could ever invent anything like it nor could such an incredible thing develop by itself.

Our opening verse is about the Lord Jesus. When He came to this earth, He became a real man, with ears to hear and a desire to obey God in everything. He is the only man who always heard and perfectly obeyed God’s voice, but He is the example of how we should live, too. Our ears are amazing instruments, and they have been made so that we can hear and obey. For a child, this begins with obeying your parents. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). As you learn to obey your parents, you are learning to obey the Lord later
in life.

Did You Know?

The middle ear has the tiniest bones in your body.

Messages of God’s Love 6/2/2024

I Want to Go Home

Mr. Albert was a missionary in South America who often went to the Children’s Hospital when someone he knew was sick. He had just finished a visit and was ready to leave for home when he saw a little girl he didn’t know who was crying so hard that he stopped to see what was wrong. Her name was Maria.

“I want to go home,” she sobbed, not knowing that Mr. Albert was watching her.

Stepping over to her bedside, he gently said, “Hello. You don’t look very sick.” He had noticed that all the others in the room were getting medicine, but not Maria. Still sobbing, Maria didn’t answer him.

Mr. Albert asked the nurses about Maria, but they wouldn’t tell him anything either.

Mr. Albert felt so sorry for Maria. Most of the other children had a mother or a father there with them, but there was no one with Maria. Then he saw the man in charge of the hospital and asked him about Maria. “What’s wrong with her? She doesn’t look very sick. Why can’t she go home?” he asked.

“Oh, she’s fine now,” the man said, “but her parents don’t have the money to pay her hospital bill. She can’t go home until her bill is paid.”

Mr. Albert felt so sorry for the little girl who had to stay in the hospital even after she was well, that he asked how much the bill was. He decided to pay it for her. He was so happy that now Maria could go home.

Now there was another problem. No one would be coming to take Maria home. Her mother did not have a telephone so she couldn’t be called, and she would not be coming to see Maria, because she knew that the people at the hospital would ask her for the money she owed.

First, Mr. Albert took Maria to the door of the hospital and asked her where her mother worked. Maria said, “Down the street,” but he soon realized that she really didn’t know.

Then the nurses had an idea. “We’ll announce it over the radio,” they said. “Someone in her family will hear it.” So, they called the radio station and had them announce that the hospital bill for Maria had been paid and she was now free to go home. Mr. Albert had to leave for a Bible meeting, so he left without knowing what happened to Maria.

A few days later, Mr. Albert was surprised when Maria and her mother knocked at his front door! They had asked all around the town to find out where he lived, and someone was finally able to tell them.

“I just wanted to come and tell you thank you for paying the hospital bill for Maria,” Maria’s mother said.

Mr. Albert assured her that she was welcome, and he was so glad that they had come to say thank you.

To Mr. Albert’s surprise, Maria came back another day to see him. After that she came so often that busy Mr. Albert finally had to ask her to come only on the day of the children’s Bible class they held.

Like Maria, each of us has a great debt to God because of our sins, that we can never pay. But God loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay that debt for our sins by dying on the cross. Have you received the gift of God, which is eternal life, through the work the Lord Jesus did on the cross? “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

If you have received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, unlike Mr. Albert who was too busy to visit with Maria whenever she wanted, the Lord Jesus loves to be with you as often as possible. His ear and His heart are always ready to hear you when you pray to Him, and He will never tell you that He is too busy. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Memory Verse: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1

Messages of God’s Love 6/9/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Big Kangaroos and Tiny Joeys, Part 1

“So fight I, not as one that [beats] the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.”
1 Corinthians 9:26-27

In Australia kangaroos are a familiar sight, hopping quickly across the plains. There are more than twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia.

Red kangaroos are the largest of the four species of kangaroos, and the largest marsupial there is. (Marsupials are mammals that carry their growing babies in a pouch.) The largest red kangaroo measured was nearly seven feet high and weighed just over 200 pounds.

Kangaroos are the only large animal that hops as its main way to travel around. They easily cover 25 to 30 feet in a single jump, but one was measured to go 42 feet in a single jump! Hopping actually saves them energy, as the faster they jump, the less energy they burn, at least up to their normal jumping speed of around 20 miles per hour. They have been given specially designed legs and feet that act like springs and make it possible for them to jump. Their big tails are used to help maintain balance as they jump.

Kangaroos live where temperatures reach over 100 degrees. They sweat as long as they are jumping, but once they stop, different ways to cool down begin. First, they pant, up to 300 breaths a minute. This helps to cool them. They also have hundreds of small blood vessels close to the skin of their front arms. They lick this area, and the evaporation of their saliva works to cool their blood. They also spend as much time in the shade as possible. Many of their fights are over the best spots in the shade.

Kangaroos are very social animals that live in groups called mobs. Mobs can range from a small group to one that has over 100 kangaroos. Reigning over the mob is the strongest male kangaroo. He uses his strong arms to punch and his hind legs to kick as he boxes with any kangaroo male that challenges his place. Mother kangaroos teach their babies to fight, because it is such an important skill for them to have.

Kangaroos seem to do a lot of fighting. Did you know that the Bible speaks of more than one kind of fighting that we should do? Our opening verses show us that the enemy in one of these fights is ... ourselves. Earlier verses speak of needing self-control so that we can run the Christian race. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit and is very important in our lives. Sometimes we may feel like we are having a big fight with ourselves so that we don’t give into something wrong or so that we do something right. This is a good fight to have, and one the Lord will always help us with if we ask Him to.

(to be continued)

Did You Know?

Kangaroos can easily cover 25 to 30 feet in a single jump.

Messages of God’s Love 6/9/2024

Mary's Pumpkin Seed

“Mother, Mother,” Mary called as she ran into the kitchen, letting the screen door slam behind her. “Come see what I have! My teacher gave each one of us a seed and told us to take them home and plant them.”

“What kind of seed do you have, Mary?”

“She gave me a pumpkin seed.”

“Well, isn’t that nice. Now, let’s see ... it needs a spot where it will get plenty of sunshine and where it will have lots of room for a long vine. Also, your pumpkin plant will need to be out where it can get rain. Let’s go to the southwest corner of the yard to plant
your seed.”

Mary held the seed tightly in her hand. They went to the garage where they found a shovel and then to the place in the yard that Mary’s mother had suggested.

As they knelt on the soft earth and planted Mary’s seed, they talked about how the pumpkin plant would grow. First there would be a sprout from the seed, and then it would grow into a long vine with big green leaves. Then large yellow flowers would open that should become nice orange pumpkins.

They watered the seed carefully.

Within a few days there was a little green shoot poking its head out of the ground. Soon it grew into a vine.

As the pumpkin vine grew longer and longer, Mary and the other children in the family began to be excited about the pumpkins it would grow. It would be so much fun having home-grown pumpkins for pumpkin pie!

Sure enough, green leaves grew large on the vine, and then big yellow flowers followed. The family waited for those yellow flowers to turn into pumpkins. It never happened.

“Mother, what’s wrong with my pumpkin plant?” Mary wanted to know.

“Well, Mary,” said Mother, “your pumpkin vine grew leaves and flowers, but for some reason the flowers did not get pollinated. Each pumpkin flower has to have a grain of pollen from another pumpkin flower before a pumpkin can begin growing from that flower.

“We can be just like that pumpkin plant, Mary. Your plant produced beautiful yellow flowers. Looking at its flowers we could not tell that it hadn’t been pollinated until it did not produce any fruit.

“It is disappointing that our pumpkin plant hasn’t grown any fruit. We looked forward to having big orange pumpkins, and we don’t have any. Can you imagine how God must feel when we do not receive the new life He wants to give us? We cannot produce fruit for Him until we have a new life. We receive that new life by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

“There is a good lesson for us in your disappointment. I can’t tell by looking at you, Mary, if you have received the new life from God. It is only when you show the fruits of that new life that I can be sure that you have it. Do you have that new life, Dear?”

I don’t know what Mary’s answer was. But what about each of us?

We know trees by the fruit they grow. The Lord Jesus talked about people being like trees, and that we know if people are good or bad by what they do. He said, “Wherefore by their fruits [you will] know them” (Matthew 7:20). He also said, “Every tree that [brings] not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:19).

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us what the new life of a Christian does. But here is one to think about. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self-control]” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Memory Verse: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:19-20

Messages of God’s Love 6/16/2024

Queen Victoria's Prayer

Queen Victoria was the queen of England from 1837 to 1901. She and her husband had a beautiful vacation home on the Isle of Wight called Osborne House.

At the time of this story, there was an old lady living on the Osborne House Estate. She had worked serving the queen for many years, and now she received money to support her in her old age. One day a niece of this lady’s from a nearby town went to her aunt’s cottage for afternoon tea. During that afternoon Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, walked in and stayed a while, knitting and talking with the old lady. She had tea with them.

After tea the Queen said, “Now I will read a few verses from John chapter 14,” which she did. No doubt that included this verse: “Jesus [said] unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man [comes] unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Then, looking kindly at the young girl, she said, “I wonder whether you are a Christian, my dear?”

“Oh yes, your Majesty,” replied the girl.

“How do you know you are?” asked the Queen.

The reply was: “Because I’ve been christened and confirmed.”

The Queen made no answer, but gently said, “Now we will have a few words of prayer.”

The Queen then prayed, and in her prayer she said, “Lord, open the eyes of this dear young girl, and show her that, without a change of heart, she can never become a true Christian, and show her that no outward observances can in any way save her soul, and this I ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

When the girl told this story, she said, “I have many times sung ‘God save the Queen,’ but I never dreamed that I would hear the Queen pray to God to save me.”

This prayer was answered about a year later, when this girl was truly saved. She was greatly used in her life to help other people come to know the Savior she had come to know and love. “Go ... into all the world, and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

We talked about the fruit a Christian will have in their life in our first story. Even the Queen of England showed that she was a true Christian by sharing the gospel with others. If you know the Lord Jesus, this is something you can do for Him.

Messages of God’s Love 6/16/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Big Kangaroos and Tiny Joeys, Part 2

“His divine power [has] given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that [has] called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3

Last week we learned about the big red kangaroo. But how do these big animals begin life? Amazingly, they begin life as the smallest babies born to a mammal compared to its mother. The red kangaroo mother is 100,000 times larger than her baby.

A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Born after only 28 to 33 days of pregnancy, it is about the size of a jelly bean, and it is blind, deaf and hairless. Amazingly, as soon as it is born, the tiny creature begins to crawl along its mother up to a special pouch in her belly. Once safely in the pouch, it quickly finds its mother’s milk. Joeys live in this pouch from four months to well over a year, depending on the species.

The mother’s pouch has been perfectly designed by our wise Creator to meet the needs of the tiny joey. The pouch is nearly hairless, and the skin-to-skin contact keeps it warm. Its mother produces milk in this pouch for the joey that changes as it grows, with just the right nutrients to meet its needs at each stage of its growth. The pouch has strong muscles and ligaments that she can tighten to keep the joey safely inside while she jumps, and even if it is tipped nearly upside down while the mother eats. Sweat glands line the pouch that produce anti-microbial liquids to keep the joey safe from viruses, bacteria and parasites. And this special pouch stretches as the joey grows.

After about five months, the red kangaroo joey looks out on the world for the first time. A month later it clambers out and explores for a few seconds, then goes back inside the pouch. Its explorations gradually get longer and by the time it is eight months old, the mother doesn’t let it back in. He has grown enough to live outside, though he may still nurse for a year and a half. By this time, the mother may have another joey in her pouch, but she can produce two kinds of milk at the same time so each baby gets the milk it needs.

The amazing kangaroo pouch reminds me of our opening verse, where we learn that God has given to Christians everything we need to live a life of holiness in a world that is very unholy. It is through the knowledge of God that we get what we need. Do you know where we get the true knowledge of God? It is through reading the Bible. Just as a little joey drinks the milk its mother produces, so we are told we are to long for the pure milk of the Word of God so we will grow. (See 1 Peter 2:2.) Have you read your Bible today?

Did You Know?

The red kangaroo mother is 100,000 times larger than her baby when it is first born.

Messages of God’s Love 6/16/2024

The White Cat

Paul and Sue had three children who wanted a pet. So Paul went to an animal shelter to choose one. An animal shelter has pets that owners have had to give up for some reason. The shelter takes good care of these animals until a new owner chooses them and will give them a good home with love and care.

As he walked along, peering into the cages, Paul noticed a beautiful white cat. But it was a big one! He hadn’t really thought about a cat, but this one was so pretty he couldn’t pass it up. So he put the cage in the car and took it home. They found out that the pretty white cat was the biggest “scaredy-cat” you ever saw. He wouldn’t eat, and he wouldn’t let anyone pet him. He hid under the couch or under a bed. A day or so later he found an open window upstairs
and escaped.

All of the children cried, thinking that their pet was gone. But as they searched outside, they sometimes saw a white cat. They called, “Here kitty, kitty.” But he wouldn’t come. He would only sneak around the edge of their yard in the bushes.

All they wanted to do was to love that cat, and take good care of it ... but he wouldn’t let them. Some people act like that. When our Lord Jesus reaches out to let them know how much He loves them, they run away from Him. They try to hide from Him and will not come to His gentle calls. The Lord Jesus calls: “Come unto Me, all [you] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He promises loving care and rest, but they will not come!

Dad went back to the animal shelter to ask them for some advice on how to catch the cat. They gave him a cage to use as a trap and told him to put some cat food in it.

Sure enough, the trap worked. But each time it was not their white cat that was caught, but one belonging to a neighbor! As time went on, it seemed they caught nearly every cat in their neighborhood except the one they wanted — their own. So Dad talked to the man at the shelter again, and he said to try putting sardines in the trap. So they reset the trap with a whole can of sardines emptied into it.

That night fierce squalling and screeching came from the cage. When they went out to check, sure enough, there was their cat in the little cage smelling awful. He had sardines all over himself!

The family made sure all the windows in the house were closed before Dad brought the cage in and let their cat out. That cat really stank! Each day he seemed to smell worse, and so did their house. It wasn’t so easy to love that cat now. But they continued to show him love anyway, even though he still didn’t seem to want it. As time went on, the cat learned to trust them, and he soon became a happy, clean pet, returning the love that the family gave him.

The Lord Jesus wants you to know that He loves you, in spite of your sins. He died to wash away your sins and to make you clean and happy, too. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Will you believe His love to you? Will you let Him wash away
your sins?

Memory Verse: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

Messages of God’s Love 6/23/2024

Jenny's Way

“Jenny,” said her teacher, “do you think you are getting any stronger?”

“No, Miss Smith, I’m getting weaker all the time. Mama is afraid I won’t grow up to be a woman.” Her teacher thought the same as she looked into her pale face and felt her thin hand in hers. She asked,

“What do you think, Jenny?”

“I think Mama is right.”

“And are you afraid to die, dear?”

“No, teacher; that is, not very much. Mama says I’ll go to heaven if I’m good.”

“And are you good, dear?”

“Not very — not as good as I ought to be.”

“Jenny, how good do you think you will have to be for God to say, ‘Now you are good enough to please Me’?”

“Oh, very good I should think. Completely good?”

“Did you ever know of anyone completely good?”

“No, teacher; only Jesus.”

“Then you see, dear, you would have to be as good as Jesus. Will you ever be that good, do you think?”

“Oh no, Miss Smith. I know I can never be that good.”

“Then don’t you see, my child, you can never be good enough to please God, and so you can never get to heaven in your way. Now listen to God’s way. He does not say, ‘Be good.’ He knows we can’t, but He tells us to look at the cross. Who died there?”

“Jesus.”

“For His own badness? No,
for yours.

“When you think of Jesus hanging on the cross, say to yourself, ‘He hung there, being punished for all my sins.’ So now God can say, ‘Your sins are paid for. I want you to know that and to be happy.’”

Are you trying to be saved in Jenny’s way, that is, by what you can do? If so, stop and take God’s way, that is, believe what Jesus has done for you. “Jesus did it all,” for all who trust in Him. After we trust in Him, we can prove we love Him by doing what He tells us to do.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man [comes] unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Messages of God’s Love 6/23/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Handsome Goldfinch

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that [you] should obey it in the lusts thereof.”
Romans 6:12

The goldfinch is one of America’s prettiest songbirds. It is about five inches long and is found over most of the United States and southern Canada.

The male is an exceptionally handsome little bird. In the spring and summer he wears bright yellow feathers with a contrasting jet-black cap, wings and tail feathers with pretty white wing stripes. His legs and short, sharp beak are orange-brown. But in the fall and winter his bright yellow body changes to look more like the olive-brown female.

Goldfinches’ nests are made of thistledown and fibers from various plants glued together with spider web, and they are woven so tightly that the nests will temporarily hold water. The female usually lays five pale blue eggs from July through September. These hatch out as cute baby chicks after about 12 days. While the mothers incubate the eggs, their mates faithfully bring them seeds.

Once the eggs hatch, the nestlings will leave the nest in only about 12 days, but they will need their parents to feed them for three more weeks. Baby goldfinches cannot digest whole seeds. Until they are older, the parents feed them by first eating and partially digesting the seeds in a pouch in their throat called the crop. They feed the little ones this partially digested food.

The Creator has made the goldfinch a seed-eater rather than an insect-eater. In His wisdom, He arranged for their young to hatch in the late summer, just as seeds are ripening and are easy to find. Thistle seeds are their favorite, and climbing on the prickly thistle plant does not seem to bother them. There is a variety of other food they enjoy, including ripe berries and the seeds of grass, weeds, milkweed and maple sap. There is an interesting advantage to this vegetarian diet. Cowbirds, who like to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, also use goldfinch nests. But cowbird babies can’t survive on the goldfinch’s vegetarian diet. So, the baby goldfinches keep growing while the cowbird dies, unlike what normally happens with this parasite bird.

We can learn a good lesson from the goldfinch. The diet of this bird feeds the right babies in its nests. We can grow as Christians only as we feed the new nature we have been given by feeding our minds and hearts on the Bible and other things that teach us more about the Lord Jesus and the truth found in the Bible. The old nature loves a different kind of “food.” It depends on what we take into our hearts through our ears, eyes and minds, which nature will grow stronger. Like our opening verse says, we are not to let the old, sinful nature rule us.

Did You Know?

Goldfinches are seed-eaters rather than insect-eaters.

Messages of God’s Love 6/23/2024

What Is Most Important?

How many of you children didn’t like what you had for supper last night? Maybe you were unhappy and complained because your mother made you eat some of it anyway. Have you ever gone hungry for a whole day? There might be a few of you who have, but most of you eat three meals a day and maybe have some snacks in between. Perhaps most of you thank the Lord Jesus for your food when you sit down to eat, but have you ever thanked Him that you have never had to go without food?

There are many children in this world who will go to sleep tonight hungry. And many of them won’t even have a bed to sleep in. I am going to let you read a letter about two boys who would have been very happy to have had your supper last night and would like to have slept in your nice clean bed. They would have been pleased to have your old shoes, too. This letter comes from southern Mexico.

I want to tell you about two little boys I met last night. I’m not sure that I can tell you about them without crying, but I am going to try. They were brothers; one was 14 years old and his little brother was 5 years old. They were from Guatemala and they weren’t supposed to be in Mexico, but they came to try to beg for money. They were very scared. The older one could speak some Spanish, but his little brother didn’t understand any. They spoke a little-known Indian language. They were both very small for their ages. I was walking down the street about 8 p.m. when I saw them sitting in a dark doorway. I looked at them, expecting them to ask for money, but they just looked back at me. They were pathetic to see, just dressed in rags, with no shoes. Each one had a little bundle over his shoulder. They didn’t say a word, so I asked them, “What do you want?”

The older one said very softly, “His head hurts him.” I then saw that the little brother had a rag wrapped around his little head. As I took the rag off to look at his head, the little boy sat perfectly still and did not make a sound. His scalp was covered with sores that had pus oozing out of them.

“Where do you live?” I asked.

“Guatemala,” the older one said so quietly I could hardly hear him.

“Where did you sleep last night?” I asked.

He said they had paid a man about 35 cents so that they could sleep on the sidewalk.

“Where is your daddy?” I asked.

“Guatemala,” he said. “He just had an operation,” and he drew a line with his finger down the middle of his stomach to show me where his father had been operated on.

“Where is your mother?”

“Guatemala,” he replied.

“Is she fine?” I asked.

My heart breaks as I recall his answer: “She is blind,” he said very softly. Not one word of complaint. He had brought his little brother with him to Mexico to try to get enough money so that they could get some medicine for his little brother, and he wanted to get some clothes to take back down to his family in Guatemala. He was so tender to his little brother and his little brother was totally obedient to him. They had traveled several days, much of the time walking with their little bundles over their shoulders.

“Do you know about God?” I asked him.

And he replied simply by pointing up into the sky.

“Do you think that He loves you?” I asked him, and he nodded his head. “How do you know that He loves you?” I asked. His answer was the most beautiful that I have ever heard.

“Jesus” was all he said.

“What is your name?” I asked him.

“Juan.”

“And what is your little brother’s name?”

“Abraham.”

I took them down to the Red Cross where Abraham sat perfectly still while the nurse shaved his head and scrubbed it with disinfectant. Several times he made a face, but never a sound. The nurse got after Juan, telling him that he should take his little brother to an orphanage where he could get better care. Juan spoke briefly to Abraham in the Indian language, and Abraham shook his little head. “He wants to stay with me,” Juan said softly.

I walked with them back to the place where they would spend the night on the sidewalk. Juan pulled out a little rag of a sheet about the size of a shirt and spread it out on the sidewalk. He put his little bundle of rags at one end, and without a word Abraham lay down on it with his head on the rags. I waited until Juan lay down beside his little brother, and then I walked away, doing the only thing that I could — asking God to please take care of them for Jesus’ sake.

I wish that you, too, would please pray for them and for children like them. I trust that we will see Juan and Abraham someday in heaven.

To have a lot of clothes and money isn’t really very important, is it? The one thing that is really important is to have the Lord Jesus as our Savior.

Do you have what is really important? It takes money to buy food, clothes and other things. But someday all that will be left behind: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). But what is most important in all the world will not be left behind — it is Jesus! He is in heaven right now, and He loves you so much that He died for you. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Will you believe on this wonderful Friend, Jesus, as your Savior?

Memory Verse: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Timothy 6:7

Messages of God’s Love 6/30/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Merry Rock Wren

“Seek those things which are above, where Christ [sits]. ... Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2

In the dry foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the sweet song of the six-inch rock wren is often heard. Their gray colors blend in well with the dry, rocky homes where they live, among boulders, sandstone cliffs and rocky hills. Here they find plenty of the insects they like to eat. They can live far from water, as they are not known to drink water, even if it is offered to them when in captivity.

What an interesting home the rock wren has! Its small nest is made of bark, grass, hair and moss, lined with soft things including spider silk. There is nothing unusual about the actual nest; it is the walkway or pavement that it is built on and sometimes leads up to it that is unusual. The nest is built on a foundation of tiny stones and sometimes sticks, in a crevice under a big rock or between rocks. But sometimes a walkway extends out from this foundation, made with small pebbles and rock chips. This can be quite ornate, and may even include man-made objects. This can help hide the crack in the rock which houses the nest, but it may also give away where it is.

About four to eight white eggs, speckled brown on one end, are laid twice a year. In about two weeks the chicks hatch out. Both the father and mother feed the babies once they hatch.

The male is a talented songster. He can sing 100 or more different songs, including ones he has learned from other birds.

The rock wren has been given a long, delicate bill to reach food in cracks and under rocks. Its short legs have sharp-clawed toes, allowing it to cling upside down to overhanging rocks.

The walkway, or pavement, of the rock wren may have a lesson for older people reading this paper. There is no doubt a good reason for this bird to build its nest on its interesting foundation. But then they may get a little too interested in this building project, and it goes from being a good thing to being something that attracts danger to their babies. This is easy for us to do, too. Human parents need to provide a safe place for their children to grow in. But it is possible to start adding lots of extra things to this safe place, things that can cause problems for the children in their lives. The Lord wants all of us, old and young, to be occupied with things in heaven, as our opening verses tell us. He knows that we can easily get distracted from all the wonderful blessings He has for us by thinking too much about things on this earth, so He tells us what we should be seeking in our lives.

Did You Know?

Male rock wrens can sing 100 or more different songs, including ones they’ve learned from other birds.

Messages of God’s Love 6/30/2024

Pull Up!

The sky was gray one November day as an airplane with passengers approached the airport. The captain and copilot in the cockpit of the airplane could only see about 15 miles through layers of broken clouds.

“We would like permission to approach runway 21,” the captain radioed to the control tower.

An air traffic controller answered, “Fly southwest toward runway 21. You may descend, but fly no lower than 7000 feet.”

The captain repeated what he thought he heard: “Descend to 5000 feet.” But was that the altitude given to him by the controller?

Nobody caught the mistake. The captain thought he had heard “5000 feet,” and the copilot, who was at the controls, began to descend slowly through the broken clouds.

When the jet reached 5700 feet, a warning light suddenly blinked on, followed by a loud alarm and a voice that ordered, “PULL UP!” The copilot immediately climbed higher, and the warning stopped.

The alarm and voice had come from the Ground Proximity Warning System, special equipment which warns that a crash is about to happen. Although these pilots had probably never heard that voice before while they were actually flying, they knew from training to obey it at once.

As they continued on toward the airport, the captain said, “That warning may be false ... the radar might not be working right.” So, the copilot began to descend again.

At 5500 feet the warning sounded again with the loud alarm and the voice ordering, “PULL UP!” The copilot pulled up sharply, climbing as steeply as the aircraft could climb.

The captain, wanting to know how low they could safely fly, radioed the controller and asked, “What is the terrain clearance out here?”

“Climb to 7000 feet,” the controller immediately told him. They obeyed and were soon on a safe course again. The captain and copilot looked at their map and saw a mountain peak of 5200 feet right where they had been headed. They had come within 300 feet of the mountain! Later figuring showed that they were only about seven seconds away from hitting the mountain when they obeyed the warning and pulled up to safety.

Seven seconds away from eternity! What serious thoughts must have gone through those pilots’ minds as they realized how close they and their passengers had been to dying! They had thought they were doing the right thing and were following directions to have a safe landing, but they were wrong.

What about you? Are you following God’s directions about how to get to heaven? Many people think that if they don’t do anything very bad and do some good things, and maybe go to Sunday school, that will be enough to get them to heaven. But God has given us clear directions about how we can be saved from our sins and go to heaven. “By grace are [you] 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). This means that salvation comes by simply believing what God tells us in the Bible about what Jesus has done, not by works we can do. God gives salvation freely, as a gift. His gift is so great, because God is so great. If you admit to God that you are a sinner and believe that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for your sins, you can be sure that you will go to heaven someday. The Lord Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that [you] believe on Him whom He [has] sent” (John 6:29). This is the only work there is for you to do to be saved ... believe on the Lord Jesus.

Memory Verse: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:29

Messages of God’s Love 7/7/2024

Tommy's Prayers

Tommy and his father had plans one day to take some friends to the zoo. The two friends had never been to the zoo before. They had heard about lions, elephants and giraffes, but they had never seen any. The zoo was about an hour’s drive away, and by the time they got close, there were big, dark clouds overhead.

“I’m afraid we’ve come on the wrong day,” Tommy’s father said. “It looks like rain.”

When they pulled into the parking lot at the zoo, it had started to rain. They waited for a while in the parking lot, but the rain kept falling.

“We might as well go home,” Tommy’s father said. Everyone was disappointed. But Tommy thought about God, his Father, who controls the rain.

“Let’s pray about it,” he said. His father wasn’t sure this was a good idea. The young people with them were just beginning to learn about prayer and ... what would they think if this prayer wasn’t answered? It looked like it would rain all day. But Tommy was sure that God could stop the rain if it was His will. His father agreed, and Tommy prayed, asking God to stop the rain so they could go into the zoo.

Nothing looked different when he finished praying. They waited for a bit, but finally his father said, “I think we’d better go home.”

They hadn’t gone very far when Tommy noticed a little blue sky showing through the dark clouds. “Daddy! The rain’s going away!” he exclaimed. Sure enough, the rain was stopping. God was answering Tommy’s prayer. Tommy’s father turned around and drove back to the zoo and they all spent a happy day seeing the fascinating animals that God had created.

God doesn’t always answer our prayers by giving us just what we like, because we don’t always ask for what is good. But there is one prayer He always answers “yes” to. Asking for the rain to stop was not the first time that Tommy had prayed. Several years before that he had come to the Lord Jesus in prayer and asked Him to wash his sins away. That prayer is always answered with a “yes” because the Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Jesus suffered on the cross and died not to give us happy days on earth, but far more importantly, to give us the wonderful gifts of the forgiveness of sins and a home with Him in heaven. Life on earth is short, but life in heaven with the Lord Jesus will be forever.

Messages of God’s Love 7/7/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Plant With Honey Jars

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 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

“[You] are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:14

The beautiful poinsettia grows tall and is like a bush in some southern climates. It originated in Mexico. There, as here, they get their lovely red “bracts” in the winter. These bracts look like flowers but are actually part of the leaf system. In northern climates, small poinsettia plants are grown in greenhouses and are familiar to us as potted plants during the winter. They are the most popular potted plant sold in the United States, with millions being sold each year, mostly in the six weeks before Christmas.

While it looks rather scrawny when it grows in its natural habitat, one family in the United States discovered how to graft poinsettias to produce the lovely plants that they then sold as the popular potted plants we know today. They made it popular by marketing it as “Christmas flowers.” They were the only ones who knew the secret of how to graft the poinsettia for many years, and only in the 1990s was a university researcher able to discover how to do this and make it more widely known.

The brightly colored group of bracts has the actual flowers growing in the center on the bract stems. The male flowers, bearing pollen, appear first. These flowers stand erect and are without petals like ordinary flowers display, but they have something special that ordinary flowers do not have. On the side of each flower a yellow, funnel-shaped “honey jar” grows, gradually filling with sweet nectar. This attracts insects to the plant, which help to pollinate it. The female flower appears later, when the male flowers start to die. This is the way the Lord has ordered this plant to reproduce to avoid pollinating within the same plant.

One interesting thing about poinsettias is that they need about 14 to 16 hours each day of complete darkness, for six weeks, in order to produce their colorful bracts.

Isn’t it interesting that the Lord has made this brightly colored plant to need darkness in order to become the lovely plant that brightens dark homes in the winter? This makes us think of the Lord Jesus, and how He suffered for three terrible hours in darkness, when the sun was darkened in the middle of the day. It was then that He paid the price to be able to forgive our sins, to bring light and love into the lives of those who believe on Him. As we see in our opening verses, He is the light of the world, and He tells those who believe on Him that we are the light of the world, as well. May we who know His love shine for Him who suffered so much for us, until He comes!

Did You Know?

Poinsettias are the most popular potted flowering plant in the United States.

Messages of God’s Love 7/7/2024

The Wrong Way

Lisa could hardly wait. It seemed like school would never end! The last day before summer vacation always seemed like such a long day. But at last it was over, and as she hurried home from school her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

Summer vacation always meant a trip to the lake for Lisa and her family. Mother had been working hard all week washing, ironing and packing for her large family. Tomorrow they would leave on the long drive to their cottage by the lake.

Lisa’s daddy and mother loved the Lord Jesus, and they often told their children of God’s love in sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to shed His blood for their sins. They also often showed their love for the Lord Jesus by doing kind things
for others.

This year they had kindly invited Aunt Ellen to go along with them to the lake. Aunt Ellen had a married daughter who lived near their cottage, and they knew she would enjoy a visit with her daughter. So although Lisa’s family was large, they decided they could make room for one more in their van.

Very early the next morning they started out on the long drive. At first everyone was excited, but as the hours went by, the children and their parents became drowsy in the warm van. It was then that Aunt Ellen saw a way she could be helpful.

“Let me drive for a while so you can get some sleep,” she suggested. “Then after you’ve had a nap, you can drive again.”

They pulled the van over to the side of the road and changed drivers. Soon they were on their way again. Aunt Ellen was a good driver, so it wasn’t long before Lisa’s parents were sound asleep.

Aunt Ellen smiled as she drove along. She was looking forward to seeing her daughter and son-in-law, and she was thankful to have the chance to help out a bit by driving.

Suddenly she frowned. The road signs showed that she would have to decide in a mile or two as to which highway she should take, and she wasn’t sure which was the right road. She glanced at Lisa’s parents; they were both sound asleep. She hated to wake them up. So she chose what she thought was the right road and kept on driving.

Aunt Ellen kept on driving, glancing anxiously at the highway signs and hoping they were on the right road. On and on she drove.

Finally Lisa’s daddy yawned, stretched and said, “Thanks, Ellen. That sleep felt good. Now I’m ready to drive again. By the way, just where are we?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “I think we’re on the right road, but I’m not positive.”

A quick check of the road map showed that not only were they on the wrong road, but they had gone miles and miles in the wrong direction. Now they would have to spend more hours getting back to the right road, and it would be late evening before they would reach the cottage.

Poor Aunt Ellen. She had tried to be helpful, but she had delayed everyone by taking the wrong road.

God tells us in His Word, the Bible, that “there is a way which [seems] right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). He also tells us in John 14:6, “Jesus saith ... I am the way.” The way to what? The way to heaven. Aunt Ellen needed to know the way to the cottage, but even more importantly, we need to know the way to heaven.

Boys and girls, are you sure you are on your way to heaven? Maybe you’ve been given the wrong directions. Have you been told to “Be good,” or “Pray,” or “Go to church” to get to heaven? Those are like roads that will never lead you to heaven.

Or perhaps you think you know the right way and are trying to get to heaven on your own. If so, you will only end up like Lisa’s family — on the wrong road.

The Bible, God’s Word, tells us there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way” (John 14:6), and His death on the cross and His blood shed there make the way to heaven open to all of us who will accept Him. Won’t you accept Him today? Then you will know for sure that your sins are forgiven and that you are on your way to heaven.

Memory Verse: “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

Messages of God’s Love 7/14/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Weaver Ants Are Fantastic, Part 1

“Go to the ant; thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6

Ants of all kinds (there are many thousands of species) are remarkable insects in their organized way of life and cooperation with one another. Solomon, who wrote the above Bible verse, could not have used a better example of wisdom in action.

Ants’ tiny brains contain up to 250,000 nerve endings. While this is many fewer than humans, it is actually more for their size than we have. Ants communicate in various ways and God-given instincts enable them to do things together in ways that seem almost impossible to us.

Weaver ants, which live in Africa, Australia and Asia, are one amazing example of this. These little ants, about the size of a grain of rice, make nests from leaves that are still attached to the trees, in the tops of trees. When choosing a new nest location, they first have worker ants decide if the leaves have the right bending ability and distance from each other. Once this is decided, they get to work. They will glue leaves together to make a new home. Often a chosen leaf is impossible for one ant to reach as it stands on another leaf. To solve this problem, they form living chains. One ant acts as an anchor on the top leaf; then others, one by one, hold on with their legs around the middle of the last one in line, making the chain a little longer. This continues as far as necessary, until the chosen leaf is reached. Then the workers pull the leaves together. This requires some amazing teamwork!

But how do they make the leaves hold together? Some ants keep holding the leaves together along the edges while others return to an old nest. There each worker ant picks up a larva (an ant not yet fully formed) and carries it to the new location. Each larva is held in the jaws of a worker and gently tapped on the head with the worker ant’s antennae. This causes it to produce a continuous, sticky, silk thread. While producing this thread, each larva is taken along the leaf edges being held by the other ants, and its silk thread connects the two leaves. This goes on until the whole new nest is woven together. Then the worker ants carry the larvae inside to continue using them to construct rooms inside the nest. The nests can vary in size from just one leaf folded and glued together to the size of a volleyball or even larger.

In this kind of ant colony, even the not-yet-developed babies have an important job to do which helps the colony. We are told to consider (think about) the ants and to be wise. Even if you are very young, you can do your work with a willing heart, for the Lord Jesus.

(to be continued)

Did You Know?

Ants’ tiny brains contain up to 250,000 nerve endings.

Messages of God’s Love 7/14/2024

A Brother's Love

Hey! I forgot my bubble gum and balloon in the car, thought little Davey as he noticed his older brothers and sisters munching on their candy and playing with their balloons. Hurrying back out to the car, Davey began to hunt for his treasures. But the thrill of being alone in the brand-new Chevy changed his interests. He began honking the horn, exploring dials and levers. Soon, his big sister Amy came out to see who the noisemaker was. She scolded Davey and took him out of the car, and for the moment his pranks
were stopped.

But as soon as his sister went back into the house, Davey got back into the car, and this time he locked the doors behind him to be sure no visitors were going to ruin his fun. The next time the honking started, Mother came out to stop Davey’s mischief. But Davey was more experienced now, and he started shifting the gears. As Mother arrived, her new Chevy with the 2½-year-old driver coasted by her and continued down the hill. When just one tree was left between the car and the backyard pond, Mother hoped with all of her frightened heart that the car would crash into the tree. To her horror, the car rolled right by the tree and on into
the pond.

Mother’s scream brought Davey’s 15-year-old brother Gary running out of the house. Realizing what had happened, Gary quickly picked up some good-sized rocks to try to break the front windshield. Davey was now truly frightened and the car was beginning to fill up with water. The pounding of the rocks was only cracking and not breaking the safety glass, and the car was sinking quickly in the icy water of the pond.

Davey’s eyes were fastened on his big brother, hoping he could save him. Though only a pane of cracked glass was between them, hope was quickly disappearing. Then, Gary’s frantic efforts ended as the car disappeared beneath the water.

By this time, the shore was lined with people. As the car disappeared, only Gary seemed to hang onto any hope that Davey could still be saved. But the crowd was worried about Gary. They tried to persuade him that it wasn’t worth it to keep going after his brother, and they offered him warm blankets to wrap up in after his time in the freezing water. But soon, Gary couldn’t take it. His brother was down in the freezing water, and he loved his brother. He was weak from cold and the effort he had already given to saving his brother, but he couldn’t be stopped. Managing to slip away from the huddle of people, Gary tore away to the boathouse searching desperately for anything that might work to break the windshield. He found a sledgehammer handle. Then, deaf to the pleas of the crowd, down went Gary again.

After several dives to bash through the back windshield, he finally succeeded in making an opening in the glass. Now able to enter the car for the first time, Gary went in, groping anxiously for the small body. He came up for air a number of times, breathless, tired and empty-handed. The crowd tried to get him to give up, but down he went again, maybe for the last time. Entering the car again through the broken glass, his hunt went on — reaching and feeling, desperate and determined. Finally, his fingers found Davey’s hair. With all the strength he had left, Gary exited out of the broken glass, bringing the limp body of his brother to the surface with him. The crowd, expecting the worst, were amazed to see two heads coming out of the freezing water. The sight was miraculous! But, how was Davey? Swollen like a balloon, grayish-blue and with cuts on his face from the windshield glass, could the pathetic-looking little thing possibly live?

The team from the ambulance worked over him, and they rushed Davey off to the hospital. And Davey lived, thanks to his big brother Gary and thanks to God who gives and keeps life.

As you think about the love Gary had for his brother, I hope you know that the Lord Jesus loved you far more. He loved you enough to die on the cross to pay for your sins, if you are one who believes on Him. “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song of Solomon 8:7). In spite of all Jesus suffered on the cross, His love for you wasn’t quenched or stopped. He still loves you. Have you believed His love and accepted Him as your Savior?

Memory Verse: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” Song of Solomon 8:7

Messages of God’s Love 7/21/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Weaver Ants Are Fantastic, Part 2

“Go to the ant ... consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, [provides] her meat.” Proverbs 6:6-8

Last week we learned how weaver ants construct new nests. What is interesting about this is that the colonies of these hard-working ants can spread to many trees, connected by special highways. They can have up to one million inhabitants which are divided into different types. We will learn about three of them today.

Major weaver ants are the workers and guards for a weaver ant colony. They are about 1/3 of an inch long. They look for food, build nests, and explore the territory for expanding the colony. They also do the dangerous job of warfare if another tribe of weaver ants tries to take over their colony. They are also the “farmers” for the mealy bugs, scale insects and aphids, which weaver ants keep for the sweet nectar they produce. Minor weaver ants are about half the size of the majors and have different jobs. They rarely leave the nests and are responsible for taking care of the eggs and young larvae.

There can be multiple queens in a weaver ant society. These live in a nest in the center of the colony where they are safest from attacks by invading enemies. The queens lay hundreds of eggs each day, some of which are used for food by people in some parts of the world. Queens are much larger than the others. Certain workers are assigned to care for them, including licking their bodies to keep them clean and cool, feeding them, and taking care of their eggs.

Weaver ants can produce at least two different kinds of chemicals. One is pheromones which are used for communicating with the other ants in their own colony. They use different pheromones to communicate different things ... to lead to food, to assemble together, as an alarm, for recruiting for warfare, and perhaps others. The other ants always respond to these messages. Their survival depends on all of them cooperating with one another.

The other chemical they use is formic acid which is used on enemies in warfare and to kill prey for food. They are so good at killing insects that they are used as natural insecticide by farmers to protect fruit trees. They can kill creatures much larger than themselves, such as birds and lizards, with their painful bites and acid. If a worker captures an insect too large to carry, it passes the word along by pheromones, asking for help, which promptly comes.

As our opening verse says, all of these activities are done with no one telling them what to do, yet all willingly work together. No wonder we are told to think about these amazing little creatures! It’s good to think about how we get along with others.

Did You Know?

There can be multiple queens in a weaver ant society.

Messages of God’s Love 7/21/2024

The Mirage in the Desert

“Tell us a story about the war” was a very common request of the colonel’s grandsons, as they sat on his knees. He had been in many dangers, and he had often been given protection from the Lord, even before he was saved, when as a young officer, he delighted in hearing the cannon roar and the clash of swords. After God saved him, he saw things differently and wanted to tell others about Jesus.

“I’ll tell you a short story tonight, my boys, which I would like you to remember, and in order to keep it in your minds, I want you to learn and repeat a verse from God’s own Word first. You will see the connection when you hear my story. The verse is this: ‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely’ (Revelation 22:17).

“Now, for my story. When I was out in foreign service, we were on a long march through the desert. Our supply of water was completely gone, and we were all very thirsty. Some of the soldiers were actually sucking the sand, wherever they saw a little moisture, hoping to find water. Day after day passed, and we began to fear that many would die for want of water.

“We had been told of certain ‘pools’ somewhere near the line of our march, and we hoped every hour to reach them. At last one of the officers gave the cheering signal of water within sight, and we strained our eyes to catch the first glimpse of it. We thought it would be the ‘pools,’ but to our amazement a whole lake appeared in the distance. The thirsty soldiers could not restrain their delight, but burst into a song. But sadly, the lake turned out to be a mirage of the desert.

“A mirage has the appearance of real water, but it is only an optical illusion. (That means it only looks like something is there.) How disappointed we were! Our tongues seemed to stick to the inside of our mouths, as we found that the mirage had deceived us.

“I learned a lesson that day, my dear boys, that I will never forget. Fair appearances often deceive. The world’s pleasures, its honors and its wealth are like that mirage in the desert. They promise much, but give nothing to truly satisfy.

“Just as we were about to stop to camp for the night, we suddenly came to a river of beautiful, clear water ... what a joyful sight! Never before did I enjoy a drink of water as I did that evening. The men knelt down and drank their fill, and our camp that night was full of gladness. We valued the water because we were so thirsty.

“And now, my dear boys, for the lesson. We are all in a thirsty desert. This world has nothing that can satisfy us. Its promises are like that mirage. But the wonderful gospel is like that real river, giving life and joy and peace. Best of all, it is free, and the invitation of God is: ‘Ho every one that [thirsts], come ... to the waters’ (Isaiah 55:1). ‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely’ (Revelation 22:17).”

The boys listened carefully to their grandfather’s story, and they did not soon forget the lesson from that “mirage of the desert.”

Dear boys and girls, as you have read this story from many years ago, I hope it stays in your hearts, too. There is nothing that can satisfy our hearts in the world. You must come to Jesus and receive Him in order to have life and peace.

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).

Memory Verse: “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

Messages of God’s Love 7/28/2024

Mrs. Ashton and the Boys

Mrs. Ashton’s husband had died and she had to sell her home in the country and find a place to live in the city. As she looked for an apartment to live in, she asked the Lord Jesus to help her find the right place.

She found a small apartment across the street from a park. She felt that this was the place the Lord had for her, and soon she was able to move in.

One day a little later, she heard a lot of noise in the park. Looking out the window, she saw 12 boys playing over there. She watched them for a while and could hear their rough talk and bad language. All of a sudden she thought, Maybe it is for boys like these that the Lord gave me this apartment. She remembered the calendar verse for that day: “Go in the strength of the Lord God” (Psalm 71:16).

Although she was shy, Mrs. Ashton went over to the park and called to the boys, “Won’t you come over to my apartment to hear a Bible story?”

The boys stopped their noise and seemed too surprised to answer right away. Finally, one of the oldest boys smiled and said they would. So they all came over and went in. Some sat on the floor and some on chairs. They were curious and amused, wondering what would happen next.

She read the story of Joseph and told them about the Lord Jesus Christ and how His blood was shed for boys just like them. After she finished talking to them, she gave them cookies and juice and invited them to come again the next week.

Every week that winter, Mrs. Ashton had the boys over. Sometimes she had games for them to play, and sometimes she read to them, but she always told them how the Lord Jesus loved them.

After that winter, Mrs. Ashton moved to another part of the city to live with her daughter, and she lost track of “her boys.”

Seven years passed. One day a tall young man spoke to her in a shopping mall.

“Are you Mrs. Ashton?” he asked.

“Yes, that is my name.”

“Don’t you know me?” he asked.

“You look familiar, but I can’t remember who you are,” she answered.

“I am one of the boys you read Bible stories to,” he said, and he told her his name.

Mrs. Ashton remembered him then. He was one of the biggest troublemakers of the group.

“I’ve accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior,” the young man told her. “I never forgot the things you told us during that winter. Five years ago, I admitted that I was a sinner and was saved. Thank you so very much, Mrs. Ashton.” After talking a little longer, he said good-bye.

Mrs. Ashton returned home with a happy heart, thanking the Lord for this encouragement, another proof of His love.

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

Messages of God’s Love 7/28/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Walrus

“God created great whales, and every living creature that [moves].” Genesis 1:21

One of the great creatures the Lord created that fifth day of creation is the walrus. What a strange animal it is, with its long tusks, whiskers and clumsy body! It lives in areas near the North Pole where the terrain is mostly ice and water.

How can the walrus live in such hard conditions, where an unprotected man would quickly freeze to death? And, since it is a mammal, how can it dive for its food without drowning? The answer to both questions is that the Lord has created it in a very special way that enables it to survive.

The walrus’s chief protection from the cold is a thick layer of blubber between its skin and flesh. The walrus needs to maintain a comfortable body temperature and could not do so without this insulation. The Lord also gave it a built-in “thermostat” that automatically starts blood pumping away from the blubber to the muscles, flesh and internal body organs the moment the animal enters the freezing water, keeping it very comfortable. But in leaving the water and returning to the ice or seashore, it would be too warm with all that hot blood circulating through its body, so the “thermostat” goes to work and the right proportion of blood returns into the blubber and skin where the heat radiates off. Exposed to the air, it is soon back to a comfortable temperature. The Lord also made it so that its heart slows down, requiring less oxygen, while it is in the water. This makes it possible for it to stay underwater for up to 25 minutes, even though it needs to breathe air to live.

While a walrus is clumsy on land, it is very agile in the water and can swim up to 30 miles an hour. A walrus feeds on clams, shrimp, sea urchins and plants that grow on shallower ocean floors, since it only dives about 325 feet. Sensitive whiskers help it smell its food, and it uses its long tusks to help it get the food. Its tusks are also useful weapons against its worst enemy, the polar bear, and handy tools to help pull itself out of the water onto the ice.

As this is an air-breathing mammal, it has special muscles that shut off its airways whenever it opens its mouth underwater.

The Lord’s perfect design of the walrus for living in its difficult environment can be an encouragement to us that He knows and cares, so much more, about each of our lives. He cares about what we go through and knows how to help us get through whatever problems we face. We are told to cast all our cares upon Him, because “He [cares] for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Did You Know?

Walruses can stay underwater for up to 25 minutes.

Messages of God’s Love 7/28/2024

Did You Hear Me?

All was silent except for the steady purring of the single-engine plane. Overhead, the high clouds looked like ripples of sand formed by the wind on a beach. A few thousand feet beneath the plane the blue surface of Lake Michigan was still and smooth. No small boats were on the lake this late in December, at least none which the pilot and his friend with him could see.

It gave the pilot, Rick, a strange feeling to realize that in all the miles of space around him, his plane was the only thing making a sound. It seemed odd that it could be so quiet only a short distance from one of the world’s largest and busiest cities, Chicago, where the noise never stops.

The pilot’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the constant purr of the plane’s engine changed. There was a strange noise as if the engine were gasping for breath ... and then silence as it quit.

“What’s going on? What’s happened?” asked Mike, sitting in the seat next to Rick.

“I don’t know ... some kind of engine trouble,” Rick answered with a troubled look.

He ran his eyes across the instrument panel. The needle on the altimeter was steadily falling.

The plane was gliding. Rick set the necessary switches on the instrument panel to restart the plane’s engine. He pushed the starter button. Instead of the whir of a smoothly running engine he wanted so badly to hear, there was nothing.

“Tighten your shoulder and lap belt,” Rick told his friend. “We’re going to make a crash landing.”

“We can’t, Rick. The water is freezing! We can’t stay alive in water that cold.”

“What do you want me to do? The engine won’t start!” Rick explained sharply. “Try to stay calm; it’s our only chance.”

He turned the dial on the radio to the emergency frequency. He heard a radio bleep on his headset as the Coast Guard Station picked up their signal. “Do you hear me? Do you hear me?” Rick asked urgently into the microphone.

“Glenview Naval Air Station here. Please identify yourself. Over.”

“This is 9910 Delta ... Rick Hinckley ... in a single-engine plane. We’ve lost our power and we’re going down! Over.”

The radio operator at the station hit the emergency alert signal. Men nearby stopped what they were doing and rushed to the heliport.

“What is your location reading? Over.”

“Five or six miles directly east of the Sears Tower.”

“Rick!” Mike shouted, breaking into the radio conversation. “The water ... we’re going to crash into the water!”

Rick peered out the side window, trying to gauge the plane’s height. The mirror-like surface of the lake made it difficult, almost impossible to know just when they would hit.

“Brace yourself!” the pilot warned his friend.

The landing gear struck first. The wheels sliced through the water. With a crash the body of the plane slammed into the lake. Water hit the windshield in torrents. The two men inside lurched forward as the plane came to a halt. Their shoulder belts kept them from being thrown through the window. “You okay, Mike?”

“I think so ... shook up, that’s all.”

“Let’s get out of the plane before it sinks.”

The two men crawled out the doors onto the wings of the plane. Around them they could see nothing except empty sky and water. The plane was sinking bit by bit.

“Try not to move, Mike. It might help the plane float longer.”

They stood on the wings, waiting. “What’s that in the sky over there?” Rick suddenly asked.

“Looks like an orange and white helicopter. It’s the Coast Guard!”

The helicopter was soon hovering over them. A door in the side of the helicopter opened and a man was lowered in a basket by a cable to the two waiting men. They climbed in and a winch pulled them up into the helicopter.

Less than an hour after crashing they were in the Coast Guard Station drinking hot coffee with the three officers who had rescued them.

“Do you hear me?” is a question which might have to be asked to people, but never to the Lord Jesus. He hears everyone who calls to Him. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). No matter what bad things you have done, He will hear you when you call on His name and He will save you. The Bible even says, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). His love is so great that He died on the cross long before we ever thought to call on Him. And now if you call on Him to save you, He will answer while you are still speaking to Him.

Have you called on the Lord Jesus to save you? He is listening.

Memory Verse: “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

Messages of God’s Love 8/4/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Persistent Flea

“Casting down imaginations ... and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Why are fleas so hard to get rid of? There are several reasons. For one, it is hard to kill a flea by pinching it or trying to squash it, because it has a very hard outer shell. Another reason is that they reproduce very quickly. As many as 20,000 fleas can hatch in only two months from one pair of fleas.

Fleas can come inside your home on your pet or on your clothes. After a feast of blood, a pair can reproduce. The dog flea female lays her eggs in your dog’s fur. These eggs can get scattered around your home. The tiny eggs, only about the size of a grain of sand, hatch into larvae in two to five days, if the conditions are not too hot or cold, dry or wet. The larvae that hatch look like tiny white threads. They don’t like light and immediately look for a dark place in which to grow. Down in a carpet, cracks in the floor or a piece of furniture, they survive on “flea dirt,” which is dried blood the adults pass in their feces.

Within the first two weeks, the larva gets about five times bigger. It pupates two times before becoming an adult. The second time, six legs, antennae and mandibles (jaws) develop. It comes from the cocoon this second time only when the conditions are perfect for it to continue life as an adult. It can wait for weeks or even up to a year to hatch, until some slight change in the environment, like a tiny increase of heat or a vibration, signals that a host, like your dog, is near enough for it to jump onto.

Incredibly strong back legs allow a flea to jump up to 19 inches onto a passing animal where its thin body helps it works its way through the fur to the animal’s skin. Its sharp mandibles pierce the animal’s skin, searching for a blood vessel. A flea’s mouth has three parts — two to puncture the host’s skin and the third to suck up blood. It sucks up much more blood than it needs. This produces the flea dirt its offspring need to eat. This dirt looks like black pepper, and it is one way to discover if your dog has fleas.

The darkness the flea larvae need to develop in reminds me of how sin is something we like to keep hidden. But just as fleas develop and soon make their presence known, hidden sin eventually comes out in our lives. For this reason, we need to take even wrong thoughts captive, as our opening verse says. This means that we shouldn’t let wrong thoughts stay in our minds, because they soon grow into sinful actions. The Lord will help us with this battle. Fleas are a good picture of sin, as there isn’t one good thing about them. And there isn’t one good thing about sins ... so we need to catch them while they are still just thoughts!

Did You Know?

Fleas can jump about 200 times their own body length.

Messages of God’s Love 8/4/2024

Stay With the Boat

The blue waters of the bay glistened in the sunshine. Laughter and the hum of a motorboat could be heard as six young people took turns water-skiing around the cove. As he steered the boat, Paul looked to the western sky and saw that it promised to be a beautiful sunset. What better way to enjoy it than to water-ski beneath the flaming colors!

Noticing the gas gauge, however, Paul realized they didn’t have enough gas to last for the rest of the evening.

“No problem,” said his cousin Bill. “We’ll just drive around the point to get more gas.” The two girls who had been skiing agreed, and they climbed into the boat, leaving their skis and life jackets on the beach.

“We won’t need the life jackets,” reasoned Gail. “We’ve got a few floats in the boat.” They roared off, out past the breakers ... six young people and not a single life jacket on board.

After refueling the boat, they had not gone far when Paul noticed the tide had changed and the water had suddenly grown quite rough. He decided to go a mile farther out to bypass the waves, but as he turned around again a large wave broke over the boat, filling it in one terrifying second. Quickly, Paul gave orders, knowing that some were good swimmers and some were not.

“Gail, Julie and Mark, you swim in with me. I think we can make it to shore if we take two floats and stay close together. Bill and Larry, maybe you had better stay by the boat. We’ll get a rescue squad out as fast as we can. Stay with the boat, guys!”

Determined, the four set out for the long swim back to shore.

Two hours later with every muscle aching, they reached shore. On the beach, Paul’s mother was anxiously scanning the water for them. A rescue squad had been called and was just going to look for them. By this time the sun had nearly disappeared and it was getting dark. The water was rougher than ever, and the four young people with the rest of Paul’s family stood quietly and anxiously on the point.

One man returned in his large boat. “I couldn’t find any boat,” he reported sadly. “I’m afraid it must have sunk.”

Paul’s heart sank as he remembered his last words to Bill and Larry: “Stay with the boat, guys.” The only float left must have been carried out of their reach by the strong tide.

Darkness settled over the point. Car headlights shone out into the dark water, lighting the way back to shore. Family and friends drew close in a circle and prayed earnestly. The beautiful day now seemed like a cruel memory. As it grew darker, they continued to pray.

Faintly, they heard some splashing ... it was only the waves ... or was it? Tears of joy welled up in Julie’s eyes as she clearly heard two weak voices out in the darkness! Bill and Larry had seen the light from the cars and had followed the light to safety, in spite of being exhausted from their long swim.

It was careless of the young people not to have their life jackets that day, wasn’t it? It could have cost some of them their lives. Thankfully there was light that shone out in the darkness to show the way to the shore and safety. There is still light for any who are in worse danger ... the danger of dying without their sins being forgiven. The Lord Jesus is the only way to be safe for eternity. This is the light in the darkness, for Jesus is the light of the world. We are told that “through this Man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). On the cross, He took the punishment for the sins of every person who would believe on Him as their Savior. Today He lives in heaven, because He rose from the dead. Now He is waiting for you to believe the wonderful truth that you can have your sins forgiven because of what He did on the cross. I hope you will be sure that you are safe for eternity, right now!

Memory Verse: “Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” Acts 13:38

Messages of God’s Love 8/11/2024

Saying Prayers, Or Praying?

Willie had some trouble with his sister one Saturday and he did not want to forgive her. That night, after he knelt down by his mother and said his prayers, his father joined them, and said, “Willie, did you pray?”

“I said my prayers,” answered Willie.

“Yes, but did you pray?”

“I said my prayers.”

“I know you said them, but did you pray?” Willie hung his head.

“Are you angry with your sister?”

“Well she had no business to do that.”

“That has nothing to do with it; you have the wrong idea, my boy, if you think that you have prayed tonight.”

Willie was trying to feel better by saying, “I said my prayers tonight.” Sometimes we can say our prayers, just to feel good about doing it, when we aren’t really praying as God wants us to.

Willie’s father told him, “Willie, if you don’t forgive your sister, you won’t sleep tonight. Ask her to forgive you.” But Willie didn’t want to do that.

Now, Willie loves the country, and he had been talking a lot about when he could go into the country and play outside. Willie said: “Oh, I’ll sleep just fine; I’m going to think about being out in the country!”

His father said nothing more to him, and his mother and father went back downstairs. But soon Willie called to his mother and said, “Mother, please go and ask Emma if she will forgive me.” Then his father heard him speaking softly in bed, and he was praying. He said to his father, “Daddy, you were right, I could not sleep, and I cannot tell you how happy I am now.”

“When [you] stand praying, forgive, if [you] have [anything] against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).

Messages of God’s Love 8/11/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The World's Strangest Animal

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28

The 20-inch-long, four-legged duck-billed platypus, found by fresh water in eastern Australia and Tasmania, looks like a mix of several animals and the duck. Although it has a bill and webbed feet like a duck, a tail like a beaver, waterproof fur and a body like an otter, cheek pouches like a chipmunk and lays eggs like a bird, it is a true mammal. No wonder people who think it evolved can’t figure out what it evolved from.

But since the Bible tells us that the Lord created all things, we know that He made it exactly right for its environment. Its broad, flexible bill has sensitive electric and movement sensors that help it find food while it swims underwater with its eyes closed. It can close its nostrils while underwater, too, and cover its ears with folds of skin. Waterproof fur keeps it warm in and out of the water. Cheek pouches let it store food to take home while continuing to hunt, and webbed feet make it an excellent swimmer. Besides all these features, the male’s hind legs are equipped with sharp spurs that inject an excruciating and even deadly blend of chemicals into any enemy it gets close enough to attack. It is used on enemies and also against competitors for a female. Once the opposing male platypus is injected with this poison, it is temporarily paralyzed, and the victor gets the female.

The platypus stays in its burrow during the day and hunts mostly at night, but it can be seen in early evening or morning hours.

Before the female lays her eggs, she may increase the length of her burrow to about 30 feet long. She drags leaves and grass into the burrow in her tail and makes an underground nest where she lays one to four eggs, after sealing herself into one of the burrow’s chambers. She curls her body around the eggs for ten days to keep them warm, until the tiny, hairless babies hatch. Then, again acting like a mammal, she nurses the babies. She keeps them hidden in the nest until they are several months old and nearly full-grown. Then the cute, clumsy little things are on their own.

We may wonder why the Lord made such a strange animal. One thing we can learn from the platypus is that as humans, we cannot always understand what God does, because He is so much wiser than we are. But in everything that happens in our lives, we can trust that the God who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us is working all things for our good if we love Him, whether we understand it or not. Knowing His goodness and His wonderful plans for us, we can thank and praise and trust Him even for the things we don’t understand.

Did You Know?

The platypus bill has sensitive electric and movement sensors that help it find food.

Messages of God’s Love 8/11/2024

Star's Mistake

Star was the name of my gentle reddish-brown horse. He was very fun to ride. One day in the summer my friend Bill and I went horseback riding. I was on Star and Bill was on Princess, our other horse. We hardly ever used saddles, because I didn’t like to go through the bother of dragging them out from the barn and putting them on the horses. Besides, we thought it was more fun riding bareback like the Native Americans used to do.

Bill and I left the small paddock where we kept the horses, crossed a road and started riding up a hill on the other side of the road. Anyone riding a horse without a saddle soon finds out that there are only two comfortable speeds to go — either a slow walk or a fast gallop. The speed in between is a trot, and it makes you bounce up and down on the horse’s backbone, which soon becomes painful. So Bill and I galloped our horses to the top of the hill.

From the top of the hill we could see our house on the other hill. As we rested, it was fun to look back and see how far we had come. The horses were happy and so were we.

Becoming a Christian by accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior is a happy experience. We can look back to the cross, knowing He suffered there for our sins and has washed us clean. We can rest on Him to guard us and keep us safe from Satan, our enemy. Satan will never be able to undo what Jesus did on the cross when He suffered for our sins. The Bible never tells us to fear Satan, but we are to watch out for him and his traps. Keeping close to Jesus by reading the Bible, talking to the Lord in prayer and obeying Him are the best ways to guard against Satan.

Soon, we started to gallop our horses around the top of the hill. Suddenly, a big dog came out of the bushes and started running toward us, barking. It frightened Star and he took off down the hill at a full gallop. He was so scared that I couldn’t stop him. All I could do was hang on as tightly as I could. Galloping uphill is one thing, but galloping downhill is something else. It’s dangerous! Whether Star realized the danger suddenly or decided to wait for Princess, I don’t know, but all of a sudden, he skidded to a stop halfway down the hill. Without a saddle to keep me on the horse, I went flying over his head and landed on my back with a thud!

For what seemed like an awfully long time I couldn’t get my breath. The wind had been knocked out of me. Finally, I started breathing again, but I was done with horseback riding for the day. Bill led my horse back home while I rode home in my parents’ car.

Star didn’t know this, but he didn’t need to run away. He was much stronger than that dog. One kick from his powerful hooves would have scared that dog off for a long time. And for those of us who belong to Jesus, we have His strength to count on. He is much stronger than Satan, whom He defeated at the cross. A good Bible verse to remember if Satan tries to get you to sin or to make you afraid is: “Resist [stand firm against] the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Call on the Lord Jesus for strength to do what is right. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). He promises that He will help you: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver [you], and [you will] glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

Memory Verse: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Messages of God’s Love 8/18/2024

The Blood of Christ

An old man sat reading his Bible. He did not understand how the blood Jesus shed on the cross nearly 2000 years ago could wash his sins away now. And a child asked, “Mommy, where do they keep the blood of Jesus so it can wash away our sins?” Maybe some of you who are reading this have the same questions.

God does not tell us we have to understand His Word, but He wants us to believe it. The blood of Jesus does clean us from all our sins. It is true, no matter how it happens. I believe it because God said it.

Here is a true story that will help us to understand about the blood of Christ. Many years ago, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. They had to work for the Egyptians and their king, called Pharaoh.

God sent Moses to tell them that one night He was going to punish the country of Egypt. He said that the firstborn in every house would die, including the oldest child in Pharaoh’s family, and even the firstborn of the cows and sheep.

There was a way the Israelites could escape death, however. They must take a lamb from their flocks. It could not be blind or lame. It had to be a perfect lamb, one without any bruises or sores. After they kept it for four days, they must kill it and catch its blood in a basin. Then that blood must be put on the side posts and tops of the doors of their houses.

Then each family was to go inside and shut the door. Inside, they ate the roasted lamb. The blood was on the outside and they were on the inside. Could they see the blood while they were inside? No, they would not be able to see it. Were they safe? Yes, they were.

They did not have to see the blood, and the Bible tells us why. God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). Did it make any difference whether or not the people could see the blood? No! As long as God saw the blood on the door, those inside were safe.

We do not need to know how it works or where it is. We only need to believe what God has said.

And now, Jesus is God’s Lamb. John said of Him, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus never sinned and never could sin, so He was the perfect Lamb needed for the sacrifice to put away our sins. He gave His life and His blood was shed. God sees the blood; He is satisfied with the sacrifice. The sinner who believes is saved.

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

The old man in our story believed, and his sins were washed away. What about you ... do you believe?

Messages of God’s Love 8/18/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: It Fooled the "Wise Ones"

“It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.” 1 Corinthians 1:19

Many years ago, the fossil of a fish was found on a shore of the Indian Ocean. It was an unusual fish with a hollow spine and some fins attached to its body by “stubs.” It was given the name coelacanth. After much study, scientists decided that this type of fish had been extinct for 70 million years. They thought that its strange fins showed it was about to change to a land animal with arms and legs. No one thought anything resembling this was still alive, but they thought that it had evolved into other creatures long ago.

Imagine the embarrassment of these “experts” when, in 1938, a live coelacanth was caught off the coast of South Africa, and plenty more have been seen since. All theories about this “extinct” fish were shown to be wrong. When examined, it had not evolved but was as God made it originally.

The coelacanth is an unusual fish. There are two species of them, and the first one discovered was in the West Indian Ocean. Very large, it was a beautiful blue color with white flecks and an iridescent sheen. It has unusually heavy scales and eight fins, four of which are something like our limbs and are what confused the scientists. Living in deep water, it was created with large eyes that see well in the dark. Instead of a backbone, it has something called a notochord, a hollow tube filled with oil, running down the center of its body, which helps give it buoyancy in deep water. It has the smallest brain known to any vertebrate. A special joint in its head and a special muscle under its upper jaw give it extra biting power.

Coelacanths are thought to live around 100 years. They grow slowly, not reaching maturity until they are about 55 years old. Coelacanths have the longest gestation period (pregnancy) known to any animal ... five years! Instead of laying eggs, coelacanth mothers give birth to 8 to 26 live young that are over a foot long at birth. Because they mature so slowly and have such long pregnancies and so few offspring compared to other fish, the coelacanth is a very rare fish.

A very important lesson we can learn from the story of this fish is that we can always trust the Bible, the Word of God, in everything it tells us. We should reject the wrong teaching of evolution, which denies God’s hand in creation. Those who teach it usually don’t mention that evolution is only a theory based on ideas and not on facts. Since they cannot prove those ideas scientifically or in any way, it is clear that Satan is using evolution to try to take away the knowledge that God is the Creator. Something as simple as a spoon shows the work of someone who created it ... how much more does God’s wonderful creation!

Did You Know?

Coelacanths do not reach maturity until about 55 years old.

Messages of God’s Love 8/18/2024

Grass Fire

It was a scorching hot day in August. The grass was crisp and crunched under their feet as Dennis and his friend trudged up the hill in their neighborhood. They wiped the sweat from their brows as they looked to the top of the hill where they often went to explore and build forts.

Halfway up the hill, they spotted some things someone had left there from the 4th of July celebrations — sparklers and a box of matches. Both boys had been told many times not to play with matches. But on the 4th of July each year, they had lit sparklers and tossed them in the air in the presence of their parents. Surely, they thought, it would not hurt to do one or two now.

Both boys began lighting sparklers and throwing them upward, watching the bright sparks arc through the air, landing on the ground a small distance away. As their eyes traced the path of the second or third sparkler — up and then down to the ground — they saw fire quickly building in each place the sparklers had landed in the tall, dry grass.

Dennis and his friend each ran to a different spot, trying desperately to stomp out the fires. Their little sneakers just couldn’t do the job. As Dennis stomped around the circle of fire, the burning grass just followed around behind him! The circles of fire grew until they all came together into one large, wild and dangerous fire. Dennis looked up to see his friend running down the hill, and he began to run after him.

His heart beating wildly, Dennis glanced back as he ran and saw that the fire was headed toward the yard of someone’s home. He stopped. If he went to tell them, he would get caught. If he ran, the people might have some of their property burned! He had not yet come to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior. He didn’t know that God’s Word tells us, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31), and, “There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2). But his parents had taught him to know right and wrong, so he turned back to the neighbor’s house.

“Dennis, come on. Run before we are caught!” his friend called out to him. But Dennis kept on running toward the house until he arrived at the back door and knocked.

A woman came to the door. She had her apron on and her hands were on her hips with some flour still on them. As he looked up wide-eyed at her, she looked down, her eyes accusing.

Breathless from his frantic run and because of the stern-looking woman, Dennis shrank with fear. “The ... the field is on fire,” he said.

“And how did that happen?” she questioned, eyebrows raised, as she leaned closer to his face. He could almost feel her breath.

“My friend and I found some sparklers and matches on the hill and lit them,” he said, unable to look her in the eye.

“I know,” she replied. He looked up at her puzzled. “I saw you! I already called the fire department, and they are on the way.”

The fire truck arrived and together Dennis and the stern woman watched as the firemen worked their way up the hill, extinguishing the fire as they went along. At the back of the yard, a man stood. He had a special hat, a badge, and a clipboard.

“Do you see that man over there?” the woman asked Dennis.

“Yes,” he answered timidly.

“I want you to go over to him and confess to him what you did.”

Dennis did as she said. The man was the fire chief. It turned out that the fire chief knew his grandmother, because she owned a restaurant in the area, and so he also knew who Dennis was.

“I want you to go home and tell your parents what you have done. I know who you are and I will be checking on you!” said the fire chief.

Dennis’s heart sank at the realization that this situation was still not finished. He went home to tell his parents what had happened, dreading most of all to tell his father. To his relief, his father was at work, but his mother was home. He told her what he had done, and she told Dennis it was good that he had confessed what he had done and that it was obvious that he was sorry. But she said he had to tell his father when he got home from work. She must have talked to him first, because Dennis was just grounded for a week, which was not as much punishment as he expected. He learned that although he had to be punished, it turned out so much better because he stayed and confessed. And when it was all over, it felt good to know it was all out in the open, and he didn’t have a guilty conscience or have to live with the fear that his parents would find out someday.

The Bible tells us that “he that [covers] his sins shall not prosper: but whoso [confesses] and [forsakes] them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Things worked out much better for Dennis because he didn’t try to hide what he had done. We all like to cover up our sins, but as Dennis later learned, there is a God who sees everything and knows every sin we have ever done, spoken, or even thought. It is impossible to hide our sins from Him. Sins are the bad things we do, and the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our sins separate us from a God who is holy. Thankfully, God is also love, and His love is so great that He loves us in spite of all the wrong things we have done. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the punishment our sins deserved so we can go free. Dennis later came to know the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, as his own Savior. God wants you to confess that you are a sinner and believe on His Son to be saved, too. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and [you will] be saved”
(Acts 16:31).

Memory Verse: “There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Luke 12:2

Messages of God’s Love 8/25/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Cute Baby Chick, Part 1

“The birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man [has] not where to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20

Baby chicks are so cute with their bright eyes, tiny beaks, legs and feet, and their little bodies covered with soft, yellow fuzz! The Lord Jesus enjoys these little creatures too, for they are part of His marvelous creation.

Do you know where they come from?

You might answer, “They come from an egg.”

Right. But where did the egg come from?

“It came from a chicken,” you reply.

Both answers are correct, but let’s see just how the Creator has it happen.

Most eggs laid by hens these days are “infertile” and end up being used for cooking. Baby chicks can’t come from these eggs, but when there is a rooster in a flock, the hens produce fertile eggs, which are the beginnings of baby chicks. Fertile eggs begin inside a hen’s body as a single cell too small to see. This single cell is smaller than a pinhead.

A microscope would show a white spot (called the germ-spot) resting on the yolk, which is formed first. As the yolk is released from the ovary of the chicken, it enters a chamber where the egg can be fertilized. Next, a thick albumen (the white of an egg) forms around the yolk. As it then passes through the hen’s body, this layer gets twisted, forming strong strands that will keep the yolk in the center of the albumen. Around this, two tough, flexible membranes are deposited.

The whole process of making an egg takes about 24 hours. The next step takes the longest. The egg enters the shell gland, where it stays about 10 hours. First, a thinner albumen enters through the flexible membranes to plump up the egg, making the thinner egg white we see when we crack an egg. Next, calcium is deposited all over the outside of the egg in little crystals, leaving tiny holes where air can pass through. A layer of protein is deposited over this which is solid, but it still allows gasses to pass through to the egg. These two layers protect the inside of the egg from germs as well as from damage. After the egg is laid, a little air space develops between the two membranes surrounding the egg, which the developing chick will need to breathe.

As the verse at the beginning of this article reminds us, the birds have nests in which to lay their eggs, but when the Lord Jesus came to earth He had nowhere to lay His head. What a loving Savior He is. “[You] know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that [you] through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

(to be continued)

Did You Know?

Fertile eggs begin inside a hen’s body as a single cell too small to see.

Messages of God’s Love 8/25/2024

Was It for Nothing?

Caleb and his sister Faith were in Tennessee for a couple of weeks with some friends. Usually the weather is fairly nice in Tennessee, even in January. But when they got there, they saw that a snow and ice storm had surprised everyone, and it was very cold.

By the first Sunday, most of the roads had been cleared off. Caleb and Faith decided to go to someone’s home where they could meet with other Christians. Once they got past the street they were staying on, they weren’t worried as they went on their way. The roads they would take from there on were main roads and didn’t have any ice to speak of. But when they got to the neighborhood where they were going, they found that the road the house was on was still a sheet of ice. Even worse, it was a hill. Faith started driving slowly up the hill, trying to be careful, but before they got to the top, the car started sliding back down. Faith stopped the car, but then they didn’t know what to do. Driving up the hill didn’t seem like it would work, and going back down the hill looked impossible, too. If she let go of the brakes just a little, they would start sliding down the hill, but she couldn’t steer because of the ice, and they were getting dangerously close to the ditch. Caleb noticed that someone living at the top of the hill had a big truck in his driveway. He decided to go ask them if they could help pull them to the top. The owners didn’t have anything to connect the car to the truck, so they couldn’t help.

After about 15 minutes with lots of little maneuvers, Caleb and Faith finally got the car turned around and drove slowly down the hill. Then they needed to park the car. The neighborhood across the street didn’t look too busy, so they left the car there and walked the rest of the way to where they were going. But — what a disappointment! When they arrived, no one answered the door! It seemed they had gone through all that trouble for nothing!

But ... was it for nothing? This story is a good way to get us to think ... who are we living to please? If we do things because we love the Lord Jesus, as Faith and Caleb did, then He appreciates what we do, even if it looks like it didn’t turn out. When the Lord Jesus lived on earth as a Man, one day John the Baptist, who told everyone how to get ready for Jesus’ coming, was put in prison. People didn’t want to hear what John had to tell them. The cities where Jesus did most of His amazing works were rejecting Jesus, too. It may have looked to others like His work was a failure. But Jesus said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight” (Matthew 11:25-26). He didn’t complain; He just gave thanks to God His Father, trusting Him with what was happening. And we see that in the end of Jesus’ life, when He died on the cross because He was completely rejected, He then made a way for everyone who believes on Him to be saved from their sins.

So, if you are trying to please the Lord, or perhaps your parents, and things don’t seem to work out, I hope you will remember that the Lord understands how you feel, and I hope you will also remember to give thanks even for the hard things that happen. We can always give thanks, because God is good no matter what happens.

Memory Verse: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” Matthew 11:25-26

Messages of God’s Love 9/1/2024

Tantalizing Tunaburgers

Mom was tired! She’d had a busy day, so 10-year-old Mark kindly volunteered to make lunch. He would make tunaburgers, which the whole family liked.

Mark opened and drained three cans of tuna. Then he grated a big pile of cheddar cheese and chopped a small onion into tiny pieces. Mark enjoyed working in the kitchen, and he liked to help his mom too. With seven children to take care of, his mom often needed some help.

Mark mixed the tuna, cheese and onion in a big bowl and added just the right amount of salad dressing. Now he only needed to add the salt and pepper. He sprinkled in the salt and picked up the pepper shaker. But when he turned it upside down to shake some in, the top came off and the whole shakerful of black pepper poured into the bowl. Horrified, Mark glanced around quickly to see if anyone was looking, but no one was. Instead of taking out most of the pepper, all he could think of was how to hide it.

Hiding a mistake is being dishonest. It might seem to work for a while, but in the end it makes things worse. God’s book the Bible tells us that “he that [covers] his sins shall not prosper: but whoso [confesses] and [forsakes] them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Mark stirred and stirred until the pepper was totally mixed in. The tuna mixture looked a bit gray, but he hoped no one would notice. In spite of feeling guilty, he kept telling himself that everything would be alright as he spooned the tuna onto the hamburger rolls, wrapped each one in foil, and popped them into the oven.

Soon it was lunchtime. The tunaburgers smelled good, and everyone was hungry as they came to the table. Mom thanked Mark for fixing lunch, Dad thanked the Lord for the food, and then everyone reached for a tunaburger and took a big bite.

“Ugh! What did you do to these tunaburgers?” chorused the family. Only Mark took more than one bite.

Just as Mark couldn’t hide what happened for long, we need to realize that we can’t hide anything from God, because He knows everything we do. He even knows the thoughts that pass through our minds. And yet, we don’t need to be afraid to be honest with Him, because He loves us, no matter what we have done. He says, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

In His perfect love, He made a way to take away our sins forever when Jesus died on the cross. You only need to come to Him, not pretending you haven’t sinned, but just because you have sinned and need to be saved. If you tell God that, the Lord Jesus will gladly be your Savior and take away your sins. And then you can have peace, because He said, “[Your] sins and [your] iniquities will I remember no more”
(Hebrews 8:12).

Messages of God’s Love 9/1/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Cute Baby Chick, Part 2

“How often would I have gathered [your] children together, as a hen [gathers] her brood under her wings, and [you] would not!” Luke 13:34

Last week we reviewed how a fertile egg is formed inside a mother hen. What takes place after this fertile egg is laid in the nest is also interesting.

The warmth of the mother hen’s body is exactly right to incubate the egg so that it can develop. By only the third or fourth day, it has a backbone, a head with eyes, a brain and a beating heart ... all in something so small you can barely see that it’s there without magnification. By the fifth to seventh day, it has wing and leg buds.

All this growth requires food supplied by the yolk and a constant supply of oxygen inside the egg. The Creator arranged this supply of oxygen by designing the shell with thousands of tiny pores that allow air to pass through, as we learned last week.

The chick is nearly ready to hatch 20 days after it is laid. Then, while still being incubated by the mother and just one day before hatching, the fully formed chick begins to breathe with its lungs for the first time. But it needs more air than can enter through the shell. How does it get more air? The answer is the air pocket at the rounded end of the egg (which we mentioned last week) which has been holding extra air for this time. The little chick’s head has been formed right at this very spot. Its egg tooth, a special tooth formed on the end of its beak just for this last day in the shell, breaks into this air pocket where it finds the air it needs to breathe.

The chick begins to break out of its shell on day 21 by pecking at it after making a first crack in the shell with the egg tooth. The egg tooth drops off within a few hours after the chick hatches. The chick is tired when it first hatches, and it needs a few hours to dry off and rest, but then it’s ready to begin life outside its shell. It carries the last part of the yolk with it after hatching, so it doesn’t need to eat for a few days.

How can anyone doubt that this wonderful process is the result of God’s creation? Aren’t you glad to know it was the Creator, the Lord God, who designed chickens and their eggs for His glory and for our benefit?

The mother hen cares for the eggs until they hatch and then gives the chicks her protecting care. A hen will sacrifice her own life to protect her little chicks. This is a lovely picture of the Lord Jesus who loves and protects us, giving His life so that we may be His. His desire to keep us close to Himself is seen in our opening verse. Have you let Him take you into His loving care?

Did You Know?

The warmth of the mother hen’s body is exactly right to incubate the eggs.

Messages of God’s Love 9/1/2024

Amy and the Watch

“Amy, I’m going to take some of these blueberry muffins next door and give them to Mrs. Peters while they’re still hot. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

Amy was playing with her doll and would rather go on playing than stop to go see Mrs. Peters. She was an old lady who lived next door and was nearly blind.

After her mother left, Amy put her doll in the stroller and pushed her all around the house, pretending she was on a shopping trip. She decided to stop at the grocery store ... her parents’ bedroom. Looking around at all the “groceries,” Amy saw her mother’s wristwatch on the dresser. She must have forgotten to put it on because she wears it every day, Amy thought.

Amy had been told not to touch anything on her mother’s dresser. She had accidently broken a special little bottle one time when she had picked it up to look at it. But all Amy was thinking about now was how much she wanted a gold wristwatch just like her mother’s. She decided to try it on ... just to see how it would look on her wrist.

Nearly dropping it several times, she finally got it on. “Oh, it looks so pretty,” she said. “I wish it was my very own. ... I wonder how it winds up?” (Back then, watches had to be wound to keep on working, because they didn’t have batteries.) She found the little gold wheel on the side of the watch and began to turn it as she had seen her mother do. She turned and turned the little gold wheel, until it seemed to be stuck. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t turn anymore.

Just then she heard her mother unlocking the back door. Quickly, Amy took the watch off and set it back where she had found it. Then she pushed her doll stroller out into the hall so her mother wouldn’t know she had been in her bedroom.

Amy knew what she had done was wrong, but she thought her mother would never find out, especially if she didn’t even know Amy had been in her bedroom. But Amy must have forgotten that the Lord Jesus loved her so much that He wouldn’t let her get away with her sin. That would only make her think she could get away with more sins. One sin often leads to another, then another, and still another, as we shall see.

“Amy, I’m home,” called her mother.

Amy pushed her stroller into the kitchen where her mother was.

Looking at the clock, her mother said, “Oh my, I hope you weren’t worried, because I was gone a little longer than I expected. I forgot to put my watch on this morning and didn’t realize how long I had been talking to Mrs. Peters.”

Amy’s mother went right to her bedroom to get her watch. As she put it on, she noticed it wasn’t running. That was unusual. She started to wind it so it would start again. Then she discovered that her watch had already been wound. In fact, it had been wound so tightly that it had stopped working.

Amy’s mother knew she hadn’t wound the watch too tightly. There was only one other person at home who could have done it.

“Amy, did you take my watch off the dresser?”

Amy didn’t want to look at her mother, so she turned her back, pushing the stroller away, and quickly said, “No.”

“When I just now put it on, I discovered it had stopped,” her mother said. “And when I tried to wind it, I found it’s wound too tightly. Amy, are you sure you didn’t touch it while I was taking the muffins to Mrs. Peters?”

Amy kept fixing her doll in the stroller, never looking at her mother, and answered, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Amy,” her mother continued, “I’m very sorry, but I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. Maybe you had better go to your room to think it over.”

A little later her mother went into Amy’s room and found a very unhappy little girl. When she asked her if she had thought over what she had told her, Amy burst into tears. Then the whole story of the watch came out.

Her mother reminded her of the verse in the Bible that says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Then she explained that it is always best to tell the truth right away. “If you tell one lie, often you tell another one to cover up the first one, and then the problem grows bigger and bigger, and you become very unhappy. Lying is sin. Telling the truth not only keeps you happy, but it is doing the right thing and it pleases the Lord Jesus.”

Amy had to be punished for what she had done, but by suppertime she could join the family at the dinner table as a happy little girl.

Lying is something we may all have done to try to cover up something wrong we have done, or for some other reason. But there is a very serious verse in the Bible about liars. Along with a list of other sins, it says “all liars shall have their part in the lake which [burns] with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). This shows us that lying is not a “little” sin, just as no sin is little. This is because every single sin has to be paid for, either by the person who did it or by the precious Savior, the Lord Jesus. He wants to be your Savior, too, no matter how many lies you have told. He can save you from going to the lake of fire, because He died on Calvary’s cross to pay for the sins of all who believe on Him. I hope you have trusted in Him as your own Savior!

If you are a Christian who still tells lies, it is good to think about this verse. Lying does not belong in a Christian’s life. The Bible tells us that Satan is the father of lies, and Jesus is “the truth.”

Memory Verse: “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

Messages of God’s Love 9/8/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: A Tale of Two Fishes

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor [your] father and mother ... that it may be well with [you].” Ephesians 6:1-3

The betta splendens Siamese fighting fish of Thailand has an unusual way of making a nest and raising a family. The beautifully colored male does the work of building the nest. He goes to the surface and, after sucking in air, blows out a bubble coated with mucus, usually under a leaf floating on the water. He repeats this, adding bubbles next to the previous ones, until he is well on the way to building a nest. Then he might take breaks to eat and to look for a female betta. If he succeeds in winning the attention of a female, she may help finish the nest.

Once she starts laying eggs, each egg that she lays drops to the bottom of the body of water they are in. The male swims after each egg, picks it up in his mouth, and blows it into the bubbly nest, sometimes helped by the female.

The male guards the nest until the babies, called fry, hatch, one to three days later. If an egg falls out of the nest, he picks it up and returns it to the nest. Once they hatch, the tiny fry are on their own.

Our next fish, the stickleback, has its name because its back has spines that stick up sharply. These spines make them hard for would-be predators to eat.

Like the Siamese fighting fish, these fish also have an unusual method of nesting. The male builds a nest using plant material that he finds and glues together using mucous that comes from his kidneys. This is usually done in a slight depression on the bottom in shallow waters. He then swims through the gathered material to create a sort of tunnel. After the nest is finished, he looks for a female and coaxes her to the nest to lay her eggs. Several females may be enticed to lay eggs in the nest. Once the nest is full, the male fertilizes the eggs and takes over their care. He fans them constantly to give them the air they need, and he defends them from enemies until they hatch, seven or eight days later. Then he continues his care of them for another few days, trying to keep them near the nest where he can protect them.

Just like these two kinds of fish, the Lord has provided for children to have parents to watch over them. He lovingly tells children to obey their parents, as our opening verse says, because their parents are wiser than they are. Sadly, not all children have parents who love and care for them, but such children can be sure that God cares very much about them, and He says, “I will never leave [you], nor forsake [you]” (Hebrews 13:5). Earthly parents, even if they love us very much, never love us as much as God does.

Did You Know?

Stickleback have spines to deter would-be predators.

Messages of God’s Love 9/8/2024

The Returning Tide

The Egede family lived in the country of Norway on the seacoast. Ten-year-old Paul was the only child in the family. One morning when Mr. Egede was away on business, Paul asked his mother, “May I go to the strands today and look for fish?” (The strands is the name of land that is normally covered by the ocean but is left bare when the tide flows out.)

“All right, you may go, but be sure you come home before noon,” Paul’s mother said.

Paul found a bucket for carrying the fish that he hoped to find and ran happily down the path which led from their cottage to the sea. Behind him rose majestic mountains. As he came near the strands, he could see sea gulls flying in the sky, but no person was in sight.

Paul began looking for fish called flounder. They are small fish that look like flat, round stones. These fish swim along the bottom of the ocean, and sometimes they get trapped in small pools of water when the tide goes out.

Some days Paul didn’t find any fish, but today was unusually good. He was finding so many that he forgot all about the time. He searched farther out on the strands, hoping to fill his bucket with fish. He was so busy looking for fish that he never noticed the tide coming back in behind him.

When he finally turned around, he saw his mother on the shore half a mile away. Because the tide had covered all that distance with water, which was lower than where Paul was, he couldn’t get back to shore!

Slowly and steadily the tide kept rising. It rose to his ankles, then it rose to his knees. If Paul didn’t do something soon, he would be trapped, and he couldn’t swim. He was in great danger!

Paul ran to the closest rock and climbed on top of it, but the water kept getting higher too!

On shore Paul’s mother could see the tide rising, and she knew the danger her son was in. She cried to God in prayer, “Oh, God, stop the rising tide and spare my son!” she pleaded. Both Paul and his mother were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hasn’t God promised to protect those who trust in Him? she thought. Then He will help my Paul, she told herself.

The water rose until it completely covered the rock Paul was standing on. Then, it stopped rising. For several long hours Paul stood on that rock ... until the tide flowed back out and it was possible to wade back to shore.

How thankful Paul and his mother both were. They both learned a lesson that day, that God answers the prayers of those who fear Him. “The Lord is [near] unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them” (Psalm 145:18-19).

Do you fear the Lord, as the Egede family did? Fearing the Lord means that you want to do His will, not your own, because you love Him and know He is good, and you know that not listening to Him will grieve Him and have bad consequences. Paul was not disobeying his mother on purpose, though he was careless of the time. The Lord understands that we make mistakes, and He helps us even then.

A few years after this story happened, when Paul was 13, the Egede family further showed their fear of the Lord when they moved to icy Greenland. They went there to tell the Inuits about the love of God in sending His Son into this world to die for them.

Do you know the Savior the Egedes taught others about? He loves you, too, and died for you. He is now at the right hand of God in heaven and He is able to save from their sins every person who trusts in Him. Will you trust in Him today?

Memory Verse: “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them.” Psalm 145:18-19

Messages of God’s Love 9/15/2024

Dangerous Tricks

Five-year-old Danny and his three-year-old brother David lived in the country, and they loved to play outdoors. Sometimes they got into things they weren’t supposed to get into. David especially loved to play with tools, and sometimes he got into his dad’s toolbox.

One day when they were playing outside, two strangers came along and started talking to them. After the young men went away, the boys went inside and told their parents about it.

This was a good opportunity for them to explain to the boys how careful they must be with strangers. “If anybody ever talks to you and offers you some candy, don’t take it. They might want to take you with them and steal you away from Mommy and Daddy. There are bad people who want to do bad things to little boys and girls. So be very careful, and don’t ever go with someone you don’t know.”

The boys were listening carefully. Suddenly David said, “What if they give you tools?”

David might not mind saying no to the candy, but he would have a hard time saying no to tools.

There is a lesson in this story. We all have an enemy that wants to harm us. He tries to trick us into thinking he is our friend by using things we really like to keep us from coming to the Lord Jesus to be saved from our sins. That enemy is Satan.

Even for those who are believers in the Lord Jesus, Satan wants to spoil their life through sin or through keeping them too busy to spend time with the Lord Jesus, so they will not be happy. Then no one will hear of the Savior from them and God won’t have the fruit in their lives He wants to have.

It is important for those who love the Lord Jesus to “set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). This verse talks about our affection, which really means our minds. What we think about matters. Thinking about the things above this world, where Jesus lives, is what makes Christians truly happy and helps us live safely in this life.

Messages of God’s Love 9/15/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Polar Bear

“Greater love [has] no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The Son of God ... loved me, and gave Himself for me.” John 15:13; Galatians 2:20

The cold, lonely world of the Arctic is the polar bear’s home. This massive bear has been created by God just right for its surroundings. He shelters it from the cold with a layer of fat three to five inches thick under its six-inch-long double layer of fur. Its fur looks white but it is actually clear and hollow, which helps to focus the sun’s warmth onto the bear’s black skin. The polar bear has thick fur on its paws to keep its feet warm. Its hairless paw pads have extra deep papillae (bumps similar to your bumpy taste buds), to give them extra traction on ice and snow ... like deep tire treads on snow tires. Its feet are very wide ... almost 12 inches across. This helps it walk on thin ice without breaking through. God has also given it partially webbed feet that help make it a very good swimmer.

While its sight and hearing are poor, the polar bear’s sense of smell is extremely good ... about 100 times better than ours. It can smell prey as much as 20 or even 40 miles away. When the sun shines on snow and ice, we have to be careful to avoid painful snow-blindness. But the polar bear has a third eyelid, called a nictitating eyelid, which protects its eyes against ultraviolet light, as well as giving them protection underwater.

In a cozy but icy den between November and January, the female gives birth to two or three cubs, which only weigh about a pound each. Four months later, they weigh 25 to 30 pounds when she takes them out of the den and begins their two- to three-year training. All that time in the den (about eight months), she has had nothing to eat and has nursed her hungry cubs. Now she has a long trek to get to the ocean to find food for herself and her cubs. She is a devoted mother and will even protect her cubs from hungry male polar bears, which can be two to three times larger than she is.

Polar bears eat mostly seals. The bear sits on the thick ice, patiently waiting for a seal to pop up at a breathing hole. Or, it might swim to the edge of the ice where a seal is sunning to catch it. They also eat fish and vegetation, including kelp, among other things. They even try for walruses at times. They need a lot of fat in their diet to maintain their important layer of fat.

We see in a mother bear’s desire to protect her cubs a little picture of how much the Lord loves each one of you children. Whether or not your mother protects and loves you like a mother bear does, the Lord Jesus gave His own life in order to give you eternal life with Him in heaven, as our opening verses show us. There all will be perfect peace, love and joy forever.

Did You Know?

Polar bears can smell prey as much as 20 or even 40 miles away.

Messages of God’s Love 9/15/2024

Stranger at the River

If there had been anyone there to see, the appearance of Gladys Aylward and her 100 orphans would have been a pitiful sight. But there was nobody within miles, for this was during the Japanese invasion of China, and everybody had fled beyond the Yellow River.

It was a miracle that she had gotten this far at all. It was winter, and for weeks they had trudged over the mountains, desperately trying to get away from the invaders. It had been terribly slow and they were almost starved, for there was little food in that desolate area. But beyond the Yellow River there was safety.

Tired though they were, the children raced down toward the great river.

“Oh, Ma, it’s so big! Are you sure the boat won’t sink?”

“No, children, our troubles are over now.”

“But, Ma, where are the boats?”

Gladys was puzzled. There were no boats to be seen on either side, yet this was a regular ferrying place, she knew.

“Be patient, children. They must be busy. They will come.”

But they didn’t come. Gladys didn’t know it, but the ferry service had been stopped several months before. Night came on. Bitterly disappointed, the children lay down on the ground to sleep without any dinner.

The next day was the same. Desperately they scrounged for whatever food they could find. But now the hungry, crying children had no patience left.

By the third day Gladys was desperate. She felt that God had let her down. In her agony, she went up the river a little so that she could pray in quiet, away from the children. Then she sobbed her heart out.

“Lord,” she said, “I’ve done my best and it’s no good. The children are starving. Why haven’t You helped me? Why?”

Gladys was too tired and too desperate now to remember the great things God had done for her in the past. She had been a servant girl in London, but God had called her to serve Him in China and then kept her safely through a dangerous journey across Siberia and into China. There she had served Him as a missionary. He had cared for her for many years ... but she was too upset to remember that now. All she was aware of was the broad, impassable river before her — the barrier to freedom and safety for 100 needy children.

She was glad that they couldn’t see her now. They had never seen her cry like this. In fact, she hadn’t cried in years. Always she had been strong and courageous, but now the strain and worry had broken her down. God seemed far away and uncaring.

“Ma, don’t cry,” a little voice said sadly.

Gladys jumped, for she had not seen the child approach. She knew who it was without looking, for this young girl had been very close to the missionary for many months. Gladys had rescued her from a life of hardship and misery. Now she felt ashamed that the child had caught her like this.

“Oh, child, child,” she said. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“I can’t let you cry, Ma. It hurts me inside. Why do you cry, Ma?”

Gladys motioned towards the river, and the child understood.

“But, Ma, Moses crossed the Red Sea, and that was bigger than this.”

“I’m not Moses,” said Gladys desperately.

“No, Ma, but God isn’t any different. I’m going to ask Him to work another miracle.”

As Gladys listened, the child began to ask God to get them across the river. Her little voice, quiet and confident, made the missionary ashamed. She went over and put her arm around her.

“God, forgive me for not having the faith of a little child,” she said.

Together they continued to ask God, their Father, to help them. For Gladys, the gloom was gone. She was sure now that God would deliver them. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver [you], and [you will] glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

A few moments later they were interrupted. It was one of the children.

“Ma, come quick! A great one wishes to talk to you.”

Gladys rose quickly and followed the child. The “great one” proved to be a tall officer in the uniform of the Nationalist Chinese Army.

“I have a boat,” he said. “I can take you and the children across the river.”

Gladys was too overjoyed to ask any questions. “Praise the Lord!” she said, and began rounding up the children.

In small groups, they were all taken across the river. By the time Gladys had finished counting them to make sure they were all there, the officer and his boat had disappeared. It was only then that she realized how strange it all was.

When they arrived in the city a few hours later, the Chinese could not believe her story. “The army withdrew beyond the Yellow River weeks ago!” they said.

Gladys smiled knowingly. I guess the Egyptians felt the same way about Moses, she said to herself. The child is right ... God hasn’t changed. His power is as great now as it was in Moses’s time.

“I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). “The Lord is my Helper” (Hebrews 13:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Memory Verse: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Messages of God’s Love 9/22/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Amazing Rings of Saturn

“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” Psalm 8:3-4

The expanses of outer space are filled with wonderful displays of God’s creation, but man has been privileged to closely examine only a few of them. However, some parts of our solar system have been more closely observed by scientists, and so we are able to learn more of what the Bible means when it says, “One star [differs] from another star in [its] glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41).

One example of this is the second-largest planet, Saturn. Nearly a billion miles from Earth, Saturn is so large that approximately 764 Earths could fit inside it. Circling around it is a magnificent halo of rings. These rings have always been there, but they were not known to astronomers until Galileo discovered them in 1610 with his small telescope. These rings spread out from Saturn more widely than the space between our Earth and its moon.

The rings surround the planet at its equator, but do not touch it. Their position seems to change as Saturn orbits the sun in an elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit, but they are always parallel to the planet’s equator. Currently, scientists know of eight major rings consisting of hundreds or even thousands of narrow “ringlets.” It is estimated that there could be as many as one thousand ringlets.

Astronomers believe the rings are actually made up of billions of chunks of ice and rock, some as small as a grain of sand, others as large as a house, and even larger. As large as the rings are, they are typically only about 30 feet high. Each ring orbits at its own speed around Saturn, the inner ring going the fastest and the outer one the slowest. Saturn’s gigantic rings have “shepherd moons” whose gravitational pull helps keep the rings sharply defined. Saturn has 146 known moons.

When we consider the amazing size and beautiful rings of Saturn, it should make us realize how special each of us is to God, because, as our opening verse says, He thinks about us. As a matter of fact, He cares so much about us that He has numbered each tiny hair on our heads. The hugeness of Saturn and the vastness of the solar system were passed by as the Lord Jesus came to Earth to die in order to save us and make us the loved children of God. Do you know Him as your own Savior?

Did You Know?

Saturn has 146 known moons.

Messages of God’s Love 9/22/2024

Brought Through the Storm

The loaded cargo ship pulled away from a San Francisco pier on a beautiful fall morning. It was beginning a four-week journey to the South Pacific. There it would be unloaded and then reloaded with goods to bring back to the United States. It was a trip the sailors on this ship were used to. But there were times when they became aware of their helplessness in the face of the forces of nature.

As the sunny days passed, there were no thoughts of problems in the sailors’ minds. However, when the ship was about 600 miles off the California coast, a storm sprang up, and the ship’s engines broke down. Suddenly they had big problems!

On the lowest deck of the ship, two large tractors were tied down. Each of these weighed several tons. As the ship rolled and tossed in the storm with no engines to direct its course, one of the tractors broke loose and began rolling from side to side, crashing into the side of the ship with each roll. Although the sailors tried to tie it down again, it kept breaking loose. They finally gave up and told the captain that it was too dangerous to try to tie it down.

Their problems continued to get worse. The loose tractor crashed into the second tractor, loosening it. Now both tractors rolled back and forth as the ship rolled in the huge waves. The storm was still raging, and the weight of the tractors would break through the side of the ship in a very short time.

As these thoughts rushed through the captain’s mind, he knew nothing could be done with the storm still raging and the engines not working. He called to his crew members and told them they all must pray. The crew gathered together, and each one prayed to the God of the universe to save them from certain death.

God, in His goodness, heard their desperate cries, and He calmed the storm. Then the Coast Guard could safely get near the ship to tow it back to port.

The ship, captain and crew members reached the port safely. But when the incident was talked about later, no one mentioned how God had answered their prayers, and none of the crew stopped to thank God for saving them from the terrible storm. Isn’t that sad?

Psalm 107 talks about people who travel in the sea doing their work and seeing the Lord’s wonders in the deep ocean, when God raises stormy winds that cause big waves. Then as they ride up huge waves and rush down the other side, they get so afraid that they cry to the Lord. He is so kind that He calms the storm, ending their fear. Then they are glad, and they can go on to the harbor they were trying to get to. (See Psalm 107:23-30.)

This reminds us of another storm. It is not the kind of storm that tosses ships up and down on scary ocean waves, but a storm that we can experience in our own hearts because of sin. Maybe you know what this is about. You try to be good, and for a little while, you are good, but you always do something wrong eventually. You know that doing wrong things is sin, and sin is bad, and it has to be paid for by someone. Maybe you are worried about that, and afraid of what is ahead. If you are still in that kind of storm, you, too, can cry to the Lord. He wants to calm that storm in your heart of worry about punishment for sin. He can do that because the Lord Jesus Himself went to the cross to take all of the awful storm of God’s anger against sin for you, if you will only believe on Him. “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).

And if you have believed, I hope you often thank the Lord Jesus for what He did for you on the cross. Psalm 107:31 ends the story about the storm by saying, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Why don’t you thank Him right now for the terrible storm He went through so that you may be saved?

Memory Verse: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:31

Messages of God’s Love 9/29/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Strange Kiwi

“God [gives] it a body as it [has] pleased Him. ... All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” 1 Corinthians 15:38-39

A very interesting bird called the kiwi is found naturally only in New Zealand. Since it stays hidden until late evening or night, many people living there have never seen one. Its name comes from its call, “kee wee,” which is heard as it moves about in the darkness.

This is the smallest bird that can’t fly, while the ostrich is the largest. Although it is a bird, it looks something like an animal without a tail. Kiwis have small wings with claws on the end, and short but very strong legs, which help it run about 12 miles an hour.

The Creator did not forget to give the kiwi the ability to fly. Instead, He took pleasure in making it just the way it is and gave it the ability to live on the ground. Since worms and underground insects are its main food, it has been given an unusually long, strong bill to dig with. It hunts mostly in moist or swampy ground where the digging is easiest. Every other bird has nostrils at the base of its bill, but the kiwi’s nostrils are out on the end of its bill. Those who have studied this bird believe this better enables it to smell the food it is searching for. Its small eyes do not see much in the dark, but its strong sense of smell enables it to find its food.

Kiwis often mate for life. Their nest is usually well-hidden, sometimes in a burrow with a long, twisting tunnel to get to it, under the roots of a tree, or perhaps in a hollow log. But it can be anywhere the male thinks is a good hiding place. They line it with leaves and grass. In most species, the female lays just one very large egg, which weighs up to one-fifth as much as she does! The kiwi’s egg is one of the largest in proportion to its size of any bird on earth.

After the female lays her egg, they take turns incubating the egg or eggs, although the male of one species incubates it alone. The kiwi incubates the egg for longer than most birds, averaging 80 to 90 days. When the chick hatches, it is already well-developed and covered with feathers. Its belly is still large with what is left of the huge yolk from the egg, which helps it live for the next week or so. Depending on the species, it will stay near its parents from as little as four weeks to as long as seven years.

Our opening verses tell us that God gave certain kinds of flesh to each group of living creatures that He made. He didn’t make a fish, and then have a land animal develop from it, and eventually man. We can believe exactly what the Bible tells us, for only God knows just how He made everything in the beginning.

Did You Know?

Kiwis can run about 12 miles an hour.

Messages of God’s Love 9/29/2024

He Took My Place

During the winter of 1944-1945, I was in the U.S. Army, and I was stationed in Germany. It was near the end of World War II. Our job was to build bridges so the troops could cross the rivers. My job was to keep the trucks and other vehicles working. Although other platoons built the bridges, my platoon had to take its turn in guarding them.

On this particular afternoon I checked the bulletin board and found my name listed for guard duty that night. It was a cold, wintry day and I did not have a warm coat. I headed right over to the supply room to get one so I could keep warm while on guard duty.

When I came out of the supply room to get on the guard truck, it had already left! Turning to some soldiers standing nearby, I asked, “What happened? Where’s the guard truck? I’m supposed to be on it.”

They answered, “Sergeant McGraw took your place. He wanted to go.”

Sergeant McGraw was a good friend, but he did not take my place on guard duty because he was my friend; he took it because he wanted excitement.

I was glad not to have to go on guard duty that cold night.

The next day I looked around for Sergeant McGraw, but I couldn’t find him. When I asked where he was, I was told that while he was standing guard that night, an artillery shell came in close, and he lost an arm. Not only did he take my place on guard duty, but he was wounded that night. Had he known what taking my place was going to cost him, he probably would not have gone.

I want to tell you something amazing and hard for me to understand. This was not the first time a friend had taken my place. Nearly 2000 years ago the Lord Jesus Christ took my place on Calvary’s cross and bore all the punishment that I deserve for my sins. He took my place because He loves me, knowing exactly what it was going to cost Him ... His life. It was no accident. It was God’s plan. And the Lord Jesus, God’s beloved Son, not only loved His Father and obeyed Him, but He loved me so much that He was willing to die that terrible death for me. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Such love cannot be explained; it can only be believed and accepted.

Sergeant McGraw did not lose his life. He was taken to the hospital and then he was sent back to his home in Texas. I never saw him again.

But I am going to see my Savior who died for me. After He died, He rose from the dead and went back to heaven. Before He went there, He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions. ... I go to prepare a place for you. And ... I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there [you] may be also” (John 14:2-3).

The Lord Jesus wants to save you, too. Will you believe that He died in your place for your sins and accept Him as your Savior?

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

Messages of God’s Love 10/6/2024

Fourth of July

Tommy’s cousin Matthew, who lived in Canada, was planning to visit Tommy’s family sometime in the summer. Before he came, he received this letter.

Dear Matthew,
I’m glad you are coming to see us this year. I hope we can go to the beach while you are here. Please try to get here by July the fourth.

Love,

Tommy

Matthew didn’t know why Tommy wanted him to arrive by the 4th of July, and he didn’t think too much about it. Probably, Tommy just wanted him there as soon as possible!

Matthew’s family began the long trip to Tommy’s house, and it happened to work out that they arrived on the afternoon of the 4th of July.

Tommy and his family welcomed them with smiles and hugs, and any thought of the 4th of July was lost in the excitement of cousins being together again. It was lost, that is, until after supper when it began to get dark. Then, several neighbor boys came over to Tommy’s house because they knew Matthew’s family and they also knew what the 4th of July meant! But Matthew still didn’t know.

The noise and activity of all the children after supper made it seem almost impossible to have the usual family Bible reading. But Matthew’s dad got all the boys settled down, and they read in the Bible about God’s love in sending the Lord Jesus to die for our sins.

After the reading, Tommy and the neighbor boys jumped up, grabbed little paper bags and ran outside. Matthew and his brothers followed. It was then that they found out why Tommy wrote what he did in his letter. Each of the paper bags was full of fireworks!

While the parents watched, the boys enjoyed those fireworks. Some of them popped with a loud bang, others shot up into the sky with a burst of colors, and others whistled before they popped. Talk about excitement! Just put 12 boys together with bags of fireworks and, well, Matthew knew now that Tommy’s letter was more important than he realized. What if he had missed all this fun?

Matthew was glad to join Tommy on the 4th of July even though he hadn’t paid much attention to the letter. But later he and his Dad thought about another letter which was even more important to read. If they had not read God’s Word, the Bible, the greatest of all letters, they would have missed something far more wonderful than colorful and noisy fireworks with Tommy and his friends.

Did you know that the Bible is the most important “letter” ever written, because it is from God? It is so important that Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). You cannot live the right way without God’s Word, and you cannot be saved from hell and live forever in heaven without it.

Jesus is coming soon, so God’s letter to you is not only important, but it is also urgent. Read God’s Word today and believe it when it says, “He that [believes] on the Son [has] everlasting life: and he that [believes] not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God [abides] on him” (John 3:36).

Messages of God’s Love 10/6/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Speedy Squid, Part 1

“God created great whales, and every living creature that [moves], which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind.”
Genesis 1:21

Millions of squid live in all of the world’s oceans. There are over 300 species of squid, with more species discovered every year. These interesting creatures range in size from huge giants down to less than ¾ of an inch. One called the colossal squid may be the largest in general, growing up to 45-46 feet long. The smaller common squid probably represents the most in number.

The longest squid on record was a giant squid and was 59 feet from tip to tip and weighed almost 2000 pounds. Even larger squid probably live in the deep places of the ocean where they are never seen. Not a lot is known about the diet of these squid which live so deep in the ocean. Like other squid, they most likely eat fish, shellfish and other squid, and these giants may also eat small whales.

Regardless of size, all squid have slender, soft, boneless bodies. They come in many colors and many can change their coloring for camouflage or communication purposes. Although they don’t have bones, the Lord gave them an internal shell which gives them support and a place for their muscles to attach. They have two fins along the sides of their bodies and eight long, snaky arms surrounding the beaks on their heads. These arms are equipped with one or two rows of round suckers. Some squid have teeth or hooks in these suckers to help them catch their prey. They also have two tentacles which are longer than their arms. The purpose of the arms and tentacles is to catch and hold prey and pull it into their beak-like mouths.

Long before airplanes had jet engines, squid used jet propulsion for swimming, provided by the Creator. The main part of the squid’s body is called a mantle. It is a muscular sheath which covers the organs of the squid. The mantle contains sea water, as well. When a squid needs to move, strong muscles in the mantle contract and it squirts water out through a muscular tube called a siphon or funnel near its head, making it move backward. However, the tube is flexible and can be pointed up, down, ahead or sideways, to move the creature in any direction. If a squid needs to get away from danger, it can travel with this jet propulsion up to 20 or more miles an hour, making it the fastest known invertebrate.

Sin brought death into this world that wasn’t in it when God took such pleasure in creating everything. We see in the squid’s speed how God provided it with a way to escape from death. Even the animals show pictures of God’s greater mercy to us in making a way to escape eternal death. I hope you have taken God’s way.

Did You Know?

Squid can travel with jet propulsion up to 20 or more miles an hour.

Messages of God’s Love 10/6/2024

How a Saw Caught a Fish

One day at the Murray’s house, a saw caught a fish! Doesn’t that sound strange? It’s probably not the kind of saw you are thinking about, and it’s almost certainly not the kind of fish you are thinking about.

The saw that caught the fish wasn’t a hand saw; it was an electric band saw! That’s a saw that cuts wood quickly, makes lots of noise, and can be used to cut out shapes in wood.

The “fish” was the kind the Lord Jesus talked about when He said to Peter, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The “fish” was a young man!

When the Murrays moved into their new house, one of the first things they wanted to do was to meet the people in their neighborhood, especially the children and teenagers. They wanted to tell them the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Several of the younger children were so friendly that the first time the Murrays walked up the sidewalk to their new home, the children walked right in the door with them! They had their first Bible story time with them before the boxes and clothes were unpacked.

But getting the older boys to come in was not so easy. Teenagers always seem to have games to play, or places to go, or friends to talk to. Besides, one of the mothers had told them not to come to the Murrays’ house because maybe the new neighbors did not like them. (She did not know that they wanted to be “fishers of men”!) The Murrays knew that they must have some help to “catch” the young men in the neighborhood.

One day not long after they moved in, they took a band saw outside and began to cut pieces of wood. The saw made a lot of noise, and it wasn’t long before some heads began to appear over the fence.

“Hello!” said Mr. and Mrs. Murray.

“What are you doing?” they asked.

They explained a little and invited them into the yard and let them use the saw and other tools. The saw had not caught any fish yet, but they were nibbling! James was one of the boys who heard the saw that day. Soon he and his brothers and friends began coming to the Murrays’ house often to use the tools to make things out of wood. Each time, after they worked for a while, they sat down to read God’s Word, the Bible, and to tell them the wonderful news that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

James and his friends had never heard this wonderful news before. One friend said, “I’ve never had neighbors talk to me about the Bible like this.” James listened carefully to God’s Word, asked many questions and kept coming back to work with the tools. The young men made baseball bats turned on the lathe, wooden plates, a lamp and wooden boxes. James made a tall bookshelf for his room at home. And each time he came over, he listened to the message that he needed to be saved from his sins before Jesus comes.

After a while, James realized that the message he was hearing from the Bible was far more important than the things he was making with tools. He accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior — he was “caught” for the Lord!

When the Lord Jesus catches a young man, He does something different than a fisherman does with a fish. The Lord Jesus catches men in order to set them free! “[You] shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Now that James was caught for Jesus, he was free from his sins. One night the Murrays asked James, “What made you sure that you are saved?”

“Two verses,” James replied. “‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved’ (Acts 16:31), and, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son [cleanses] us from all sin’ ” (1 John 1:7).

Have you been “caught” for Jesus? Are you sure, like James, that your sins are forgiven? If you are not caught for Jesus, then you will be caught by the devil. His hooks hurt, and he is not nice to his captives. He wants to take people to hell. Come to Jesus for salvation today and you will find what it means to be free from your sins and free from hell.

James is now doing some fishing of his own. He is trying to catch fish with pencils! He takes pencils with Bible verses on them to school. When anyone needs a pencil, he gives them one and tells them they can keep it. He hopes they will read it and be saved from their sins ... caught for Jesus. If you are already saved, did you know that you can use many things for this kind of fishing? You can be a fisher of men by playing a guitar and singing to others. Or you can share your toys and tell others about the Savior. You can share tracts and papers like this one. You could even use chocolate chip cookies as you fish for boys and girls and men and women.

If your sins are not forgiven, then Jesus is fishing for you right now with this paper. We hope you will let Him forgive your sins and you will find how wonderful God’s freedom is. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that [trusts] in Him” (Psalm 34:8).

Memory Verse: “He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Messages of God’s Love 10/13/2024

Mary Sunshine

Mary was always happy and ready to sing. She seemed to be “Mary Sunshine.” She was busy dusting, sewing, running errands and taking care of children, but each extra job only seemed to make her happier.

Someone asked her, “Why are you always so happy, Mary? When we see your bright face and hear you singing, we would think you had just received some extra good news.”

“Yes, indeed,” she replied, “very good news, the best news of all, came to me. I have found the Lord Jesus, or He has found me. Now I can be happy every day and do my work for Him and with Him. When I dust the house, I hear Him say, ‘Mary, do this for Me!’ When I set the table, it seems to me as if He was invited, and I could arrange everything for Him, and if I take care of the children, then I remember His word, ‘Feed My lambs!’ I used to do everything just because I had to, but now I do everything with a happy heart for my Savior; therefore everything goes so easy.”

“Rejoice in the Lord alway” (Philippians 4:4).

“Whether [you] eat, or drink, or whatsoever [you] do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Messages of God’s Love 10/13/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Speedy Squid, Part 2

“Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide me. Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God.” Psalm 143:9-10

While the squid is an enemy of certain fish and other marine creatures that are smaller than it is, it also has many enemies that consider squid a nice meal. Nearly every creature in the ocean loves to gobble up the small- and medium-sized squid when they get the chance.

But a squid has several means of defense. In addition to being able to swim faster than nearly anything else in the seas, the Creator has given it other ways to escape harm. One is that it has very good vision. Another is the ability to change color almost as fast as you blink your eyes. This helps it to hide from an enemy by blending in with its surroundings. Yet another is to shoot out a cloud of thick black ink, sometimes even making it in a shape that looks like itself. Then it backs away while the enemy attacks the inky mass and, to its surprise, finds nothing there. Aren’t these amazing survival features the Creator has given squid?

Many people are also fond of eating squid. The shallow oceans off California’s coast are one place where large quantities of squid are caught by the fishing industry. Every year millions of them, six to eight inches long, come there to lay tremendous quantities of eggs, and fishermen (as well as sharks and other big fish) are waiting for them. They scoop up tons of them, but this hardly makes a dent in their numbers. The same thing takes place in the Mediterranean Sea. Millions of tons go to the world’s fish markets from these and other places every year.

Ocean workers as well as cruising tourists tell of interesting encounters with squid. One common thrill is to see smaller ones jump from the water, using their jet propulsion, as high as 10 or 20 feet and up to 100 feet in distance. Sometimes they accidentally land on bigger boats and at other times jump over smaller ones.

Squid have three hearts. Two pump blood to the gills, where oxygen is taken in. The other one then pumps this blood to the rest of its body. Squid are also very intelligent. The Lord has given them large brains. This can lead to some interesting situations if they are being kept in captivity!

Like squid, as our opening verses say, we have enemies. Do you know what they are? One of our enemies is right inside of us ... our sinful flesh. Thankfully, we also have a place to flee for safety, like the squid has the ability to flee from its enemies. The Lord is the One we are to flee to. He is strong to keep us from our enemies. If we also ask Him to teach us to do His will, as our verses say, we will be kept from many problems by being busy doing His will.

Did You Know?

Squid can change color to match their surroundings.

Messages of God’s Love 10/13/2024

Hero's Rescue

One afternoon many years ago, some children were going home from school when they saw a boy sitting on the bank of a river with a little dog on his lap. As they came to where the boy sat, they noticed that there was a cord around the dog’s neck, and at the other end there was a big stone tied to the cord. The little boy was crying as if his heart would break, and every now and then, he gave the little dog a hug. Several of the boys stood by him for a while, but no one wanted to ask him why he was crying.

About then, a man came walking along the river bank. When he came to the boy with the dog, he stopped, and, kindly, he asked, “What are you going to do with the dog, my boy?”

Bursting into tears again the boy said, “My boss sent me to drown it, sir, but I never drowned a dog in my life or killed any of God’s creatures, and I cannot do it!”

“Why does he want the dog drowned?” asked the man.

“I think it’s because he doesn’t need it, and nobody would buy it, sir,” replied the boy, beginning to hope that the man would somehow get him out of the sad job he had been told to do.

“Come along with me to your boss, and we’ll find out. I need a dog, and if he will sell him to me, I will save you from having to drown him,” said the man.

What a relief! The boy wiped away his tears, cut the stone off the cord, and in a minute was on the way to his boss’s house with the man walking by his side. All the school children followed along to see what would happen.

The boy’s boss was very happy to sell the dog. The money was paid, and Hero — as his new owner named him — was saved from death and given to his new owner, who had redeemed him. He grew up to be a very nice dog, and he was a good guard dog for his new owner.

Have you been bought? That may seem like a strange question, but this dog is a picture of all who know the Lord Jesus. We belonged to a master who only wanted to “kill and to destroy” us (John 10:10). But the Lord Jesus came to earth, in His great love, to buy us back for God, who wanted to save us and to make us His own much-loved children. The price the Lord Jesus paid shows His great love for you, for it was His own blood. We have been “redeemed ... with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Now, if we have been redeemed (or bought back), we have a job to do for Him, just as the dog had a job to do for his new owner. Have you been redeemed?

Memory Verse: “Redeemed ... with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

Messages of God’s Love 10/20/2024

The Guarded House

It was wartime. As enemy soldiers moved into new towns, at times there was a short truce (peace) made. Then the enemy soldiers would move into the peoples’ homes and take control of their land. The people of the small town in our story were very afraid when it was time for the truce to end.

Just outside the town, close to the main road the soldiers would enter, was a house that sat alone. A godly old woman lived there, who knew and trusted in the Lord. She prayed often, asking God to raise up a wall around them, to protect them from the enemy. Her daughter, who was a widow, and one grandson lived with her.

“Grandmother,” said the boy one morning, “what do you mean by praying that the Lord would build a wall around our house? Do you really believe that He will do such an impossible thing?”

“My boy,” she replied, “I do not mean exactly that, but I am just asking that the Lord will defend us and our town. But you know, dear, nothing is impossible with Him. And if He wants to, couldn’t He do exactly that?”

Night came, and it was a terrible night. There was a violent storm of wind and snow, and those in Grandma’s house knew, by the sounds of horses and shooting and shouting, that the enemy soldiers were coming to the town. In many homes people were very afraid, but the praying grandmother was totally in peace. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he [trusts] in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

There wasn’t even a knock at Grandma’s door that night. When morning came, they discovered why they had been left in peace. The wind had piled a huge wall of snow between them and the road, so that those passing by could not come to the house.

“My son,” said the grandmother, “can you see how easy it was for the Lord to raise a wall around us?”

Did you know that God never sleeps, and He is always watching over you? He always hears the prayers of His children. He will help you in your problems if you bring them to Jesus in prayer. “He that [keeps you] will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3).

Messages of God’s Love 10/20/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Cleanup Committee

“There is a path which no fowl [knows], and which the vulture’s eye [has] not seen.” Job 28:7

Condors are curious, playful, highly social, very smart and faithful as mates. Unfortunately, there are very few of them in the world today. Only two condor species still exist. The largest is the Andean condor, which can stand over four feet high and have a wingspan of nearly 11 feet. The California condor is almost as large.

Condors soar gracefully hundreds or even thousands of feet in the air. Andean condors, living high in the Andes Mountains, may ascend up to over 20,000 feet. Rising on air currents, they soar in wide circles. They can soar for 100 miles without flapping their huge wings. They are part of the earth’s cleanup committee and as they soar they are looking for dead animals, which is what they eat. They have an excellent sense of smell and among the best eyesight of any bird, so they can spot a dead animal from high in the air. Something amazing happens when they find one. Although only one or two of these birds may be seen in the sky, the minute one drops down to feed on a dead animal, others quickly appear, dropping down to share in the meal. Frequently they eat so much they have difficulty becoming airborne again.

The Creator designed them wisely. Their heads and long necks have no feathers so they stay cleaner while feeding on dead animals. But they often live where it is cold, so the Lord has given them a scarf of downy feathers at the base of their necks to keep them warm. The sharp hook on the end of their beaks helps them break into tough carcasses and tear off pieces of flesh. Their rough, scoop-shaped tongues help grab the flesh and move it into their gullets.

California condors are rare partly because many were killed and the large animals they eat are scarce. They were nearly extinct when a special program captured all the wild condors left in California in 1987 to help them live safely while producing more offspring. There were only 27 of them, but by mid-1999 they had increased to 161. Part of the problem is that they have a slow rate of reproduction. They don’t breed until they are six years old and lay only one egg every two years.

Condors have many nice qualities. But you wouldn’t want to eat what they eat, would you? Did you know that our souls also eat things? There are things a Christian shouldn’t “eat,” sinful — or even seemingly harmless — things ... things that belong to a world that hates God. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us of good things to enjoy. One of those is, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of [my] heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). What are you “eating”?

Did You Know?

Andean condors may ascend up to over 20,000 feet.

Messages of God’s Love 10/20/2024

The Shark's Secret

In 1799 an American ship called The Nancy was carrying illegal, stolen cargo to the West Indies. This was discovered, and the ship was boarded and searched by the authorities when it docked in the West Indies. Before the police came on board, the captain threw the papers overboard that described the cargo. He knew that if these papers were found, they would show that he was guilty of smuggling. The police, although not finding the papers they searched for, arrested the captain, and he was brought to trial.

At the trial, his lawyer seemed to be winning the case because there wasn’t enough evidence against the captain. However, before the trial was over, the captain of an English ship, The Ferret, was called forward. He told the following story.

“While sailing along the coast of Jacmel, near Santo Domingo, my crew spotted a large shark. It was shot and hoisted on board. Inside the shark’s stomach, we found a bundle of ship’s papers that listed the cargo of the ship The Nancy.”

These papers were then presented to the court. When they were read, they showed quite clearly that The Nancy was carrying illegal cargo. The captain was found guilty of smuggling and sent to prison.

The head of the shark was on display for some time after this strange occurrence at Port Royal, Jamaica. Its jaws can still be seen in the Museum of the Royal United Service Institution in London.

Those who were part of this strange story died long ago, but this story teaches us a good lesson. Perhaps every one of us has lied to try to hide something wrong that we have done. Maybe we never got caught. But, does our lie work to hide our sins from God? Not at all. God’s Word, the Bible, warns us, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

Just as the captain of The Nancy had to pay for his sin, so will everyone who doesn’t believe in the Lord Jesus, only they will have a higher Judge and an eternal penalty to pay. One day, God will judge every secret sin of those who don’t believe in Jesus by the very Man He once sent to earth to save us. The Apostle Paul wrote: “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Romans 2:16).

But for now, God is still waiting and longing to save sinners through His Son. “Through this man [Christ Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). You can be forgiven for all of your secret sins and your not-so-secret sins, because the Lord Jesus Christ “once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Have you received God’s gift of forgiveness?

Memory Verse: “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” Romans 2:16

Messages of God’s Love 10/27/2024

A Tornado and Rachel's Prayer

On a spring day in April in Bermuda, seven-year-old Rachel went off to school for what she thought would be just another ordinary day. It didn’t turn out that way.

Around 11 o’clock a tornado hit the island. Strong whirlwinds tore roofs off 20 homes and scattered furniture and belongings over the fields. Large hailstones pelted the school. The windows rattled and the building shook.

Rachel screamed, closed her eyes and covered her ears. She screamed over and over. She was so afraid that she crawled under her desk where she kept on crying.

Her classmate tried to comfort her. “Why are you crying? You’ll be all right.”

Rachel replied, “But my daddy is outside working in this awful storm.” Then Rachel said to herself, What am I doing? I belong to the Lord Jesus, and many of these children don’t know Him and I am making such a fuss ... I’m going to pray. So she quietly asked the Lord Jesus to keep her daddy safe. Then she got out from under her desk and said, “He’ll be all right.”

Sometimes those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus forget to ask Him for help when we are in trouble. The Bible reminds us what to do. Psalm 56:3 says, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” And Psalm 86:7 says, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me.” When Rachel remembered that she belonged to the Lord Jesus, she asked Him for help. What do you think happened?

Soon, the storm grew quieter and the children went back to their schoolwork.

After school Rachel hurried home as fast as she could. When she got there, she found her daddy safely at home. She gave him a big hug and said, “Oh, thank the Lord you are safe.”

Do you know why Rachel knew she could ask the Lord Jesus to keep her daddy safe? It was because several years before that, she had believed in Him as her Savior and she knew she belonged to Him. If He loved her so much that He died for her sins, she knew she could trust Him to take care of her daddy in that terrible storm.

Rachel learned this little hymn in Sunday school and then she opened her heart to Jesus.

At the heart’s door the Savior’s waiting,

At the heart’s door locked in sin;

Can’t you hear Him gently knocking?

Open the door and let Him in.

Have you ever opened your heart to Jesus? He loves you, and He is knocking right now. Why not let Him come in?

Messages of God’s Love 10/27/2024

The Wonders of God's Creation: Two Creatures With Many Legs

“Whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things ... them ye shall not eat.” Leviticus 11:42

The first of our two creatures is the centipede. This name means 100 legs, but it is just a general term. Not all of the 3000 known centipede varieties have the same number of legs. The most common have only 30 (15 pairs), but large tropical centipedes may have more than 300! Centipedes suggest danger, since their first pairs of legs have poisonous claws used to kill their prey. In the tropics, some large centipedes have dangerous bites; however, most in North America cannot pierce human skin, and their victims are mostly earthworms and small insects.

These long, thin creatures are composed of many segments, each segment having two legs. Most centipedes are born with very few segments, but at each molting new segments and legs are added. They can also regrow legs lost to predators. Active at night, their days are spent hiding underground, under stones or in a piece of rotten wood, and sometimes in dark and moist areas of human homes. They have no protective coating, so they dry out quickly if there isn’t enough moisture around them. Centipedes have either no eyes or very poor vision. In spite of this, they are speedy! Most house centipedes can travel about 16 inches a second!

Centipede mothers are good mothers. Some species lay a mass of eggs and then wrap their bodies around the eggs to protect them from harm until they are safely hatched.

Our second creature is the millipede. This name means “a thousand feet,” but they commonly have only 34 to 400 legs or feet. Not till 2021 was a giant millipede female found in Australia that actually has 1306 legs.

Their bodies are much like the centipedes’ except that each segment has four legs, and most varieties have only 25 to 100 segments. Also, millipedes, without poisonous claws, are harmless. Rather than worms and insects, their food is mostly decaying plants or moist vegetation, which is why so many appear in damp flower beds. They can be a help in recycling decaying organic matter, but they are often a nuisance because they can damage plants.

Our opening verse tells us that under Old Testament law, these and other creeping creatures that couldn’t fly were considered unclean. We are not under those laws, but there is an important lesson in them. God wants us to be able to rise above the sinful world we live in, to “seek those things which are above ... not ... things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). This is the way of true happiness. You will know this if you do it!

Did You Know?

Centipedes can also regrow legs lost to predators.

Messages of God’s Love 10/27/2024

Three People With Leprosy

A few years ago I was visiting a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean. One day, a man who lived on the island named Edmond and I began driving up a winding, narrow road on a tree-covered hill.

As we continued, the road became narrower and rougher. Soon it was only two tire tracks with little streams of water running across the road here and there.

“I think we had better park the car and walk the rest of the way now,” said Edmond finally.

Perhaps you are wondering who we were going to visit in such a remote area. Who would live so far away from other people?

The people we wanted to visit did not live so far from everyone else because they wanted to. They lived there because that was where the government told them they had to live. You see, the people we were going to visit had the disease of leprosy.

Leprosy is a disease which can spread from one person to another. The government of some countries tried to keep it from spreading to others by keeping the sick ones in a special hospital far away from other people. (In at least one country, leprosy colonies still exist.) In the Bible, leprosy is used as a picture of sin because it is such a dreadful disease.

We got out of the car and took some papers with us that tell of the love of God in the gift of His Son as well as some Christian song sheets. We continued up the hill until we reached a hospital. There at last we saw the people we had come to visit.

We greeted them and gave each one a hymn sheet. As one lady reached out to take it, I saw that she had no fingers. Leprosy had destroyed them. Some people were so sick they did not come out to see us. We saw people in all different stages of the disease.

Three of them made me think of three kinds of sinners. One man looked like he didn’t have anything wrong with him. I thought, What is he doing here? He must have leprosy or he wouldn’t be here. He is like a sinner who says, “I am not a sinner; I do a lot of good things.” But God says, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our [good works] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

The next lady had a bandage on her arm, so you could see there was something wrong with her. A sinner like that might say, “I know I have sinned, but I am not as bad as others.” But God says, “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23). We can never be good enough to save ourselves, even though we may see others who do worse things than we do.

The last man in the row had dark skin, and over his whole body you could see white marks that looked like chalk. The marks were not made by chalk — they were made by leprosy. This is like a sinner who doesn’t try to cover up his sins, but confesses to God that he is a sinner and needs a Savior. God says of such a person, “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).

Which of these sinners are you like? I hope you will confess that you are a sinner to the Lord Jesus and let Him wash your sins away. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son [cleanses] us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). This is the perfect and only cure for sin.

Of course, a person with leprosy is not a worse sinner than other people. But God uses leprosy to show us that just as this sickness causes the body to die, sin will cause your soul to die, unless you take God’s remedy. We are all sinners in God’s sight. Many of the people with leprosy we visited had taken God’s remedy for the sickness of their souls and had been washed clean from their sins.

I hope you will accept God’s remedy too, and be ready to go to heaven one day.

Memory Verse: “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

Messages of God’s Love 11/3/2024

The Refuge

In the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of Spain is an island called Mallorca. It is the largest of a group of islands owned by Spain, and it has an interesting history.

One of the interesting things on the island are tall stone towers all along the shoreline. They are close enough that each tower can be seen by the next one in line. In this way, every bend of the shoreline can be watched from one of the towers.

These towers were built and used hundreds of years ago when pirates cruised the Mediterranean, looking for easy victims. Before the towers were built, the pirates would come ashore, often killing, robbing and kidnapping people whenever they caught the islanders off guard.

At the same time as they built the towers, the people built a city with a wall around it on the north side of the island. This was called the “city of refuge.” This provided a safe place for the islanders if they needed to escape from the pirates.

When an unfriendly ship came into sight, it was carefully watched from the towers, using lanterns to communicate from tower to tower. If it came in to shore, an alarm was sounded. Everyone who heard the alarm ran for safety with their loved ones and all they could carry to the “city of refuge” with the wall around it.

What good news it is that God, too, has provided a place of refuge for all who know they are sinners and wish to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7)! “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2). Have you run to the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins? Then you will not have to be afraid of God’s judgment on your sins, because the Lord Jesus paid the price for the sins of all who believe in Him.

Messages of God’s Love 11/3/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Beautiful Leopard

“Can ... the leopard [change] his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23

Leopards live in parts of Africa, Central Asia, India and China. They are the fifth largest member of the cat family. Only lions, tigers, jaguars and cougars are larger. Besides being beautiful animals, leopards are graceful, alert and smart. Good climbers, they often spend time in trees, resting on a low branch.

The leopard is a solitary creature which lives and hunts alone. Its tawny color and the spotted pattern of its coat blend in well with the grasses and leaf shadows, enabling it to crawl through brush or lie on a tree branch undetected by its prey. Unbelievably strong, it can carry prey weighing 150 to 200 pounds up into a tree before it settles down to eat where it won’t have to worry about other animals stealing its meal.

The Creator has given the leopard excellent sight, smell and hearing. It is extremely patient in hunting its prey. It creeps slowly toward it and makes a swift, final dash with a great leap onto its catch when the time is just right. At other times, it may stretch out on a tree branch, lying motionless until something comes along. Then it simply drops down onto its prey.

The only time a mother leopard isn’t solitary is when she is raising her cubs. She gives birth to a litter of two to three cubs in a cave, a hollow tree or a den beneath a big rock. Then she has the responsibility of feeding and raising them alone. After four months, she begins teaching them to hunt by letting them go with her as she hunts. When they are about two years old, they have learned enough to live on their own and leave their mother, probably never having seen their father.

The answer to the question in our opening Bible verse is: No. A leopard cannot change the spots on its coat. The rest of the verse tells us that we also can’t change from doing evil to doing good. The Bible is clear that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). Since we have sinned and we can’t change ourselves, how can God accept us? The Bible answers this so beautifully. “God [commends] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God showed us the greatness of His love by giving His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. By believing that the Lord Jesus died for your sins, you are “born again” and receive a new life from God that cannot sin, though your old nature is still with you, unchanged. Do you have that new life?

Did You Know?

Leopards can carry prey weighing 150 to 200 pounds up into a tree.

Messages of God’s Love 11/3/2024

Almost Buried Alive

“Put him in the grave with his dead father.”

Little Pedro heard these terrifying words said about him as he stood at the edge of his father’s grave. Even Pedro’s mother, whose husband had just died, agreed.

Pedro and his family are members of the Kulina Indian tribe in the jungles of Peru. At the time Pedro’s father died, the people of his tribe had never heard about the Lord Jesus or how to be saved from their sins and to be sure of going to heaven. Pedro was afraid to die.

In the Kulina tribe in those dark days, parents could ask to have a living child buried with a parent who had died. Since Pedro was young and his mother already had more children than she thought she could possibly feed by herself, Pedro was just moments away from being buried alive!

Pedro was terrified! Without waiting another second, he ran as fast as he could into the jungle. He climbed a tree and sat there, sobbing. When an animal started climbing up the tree where Pedro was sitting, his crying scared the animal away.

Pedro was afraid the men of the village would come looking for him to take him back and bury him. So he came down out of the tree and headed farther into the jungle.

Then, he spotted a jaguar! Now he knew that everyone in his village was in danger. Pedro didn’t think of his own danger, but he did think about the fact that everyone in his village was in danger. He ran back to the village and screamed, “JAGUAR! JAGUAR!”

His mother and a few others followed him back into the jungle. They didn’t find the jaguar, but they did find a deer. One of the men shot the deer with his bow and arrow and took it back to the village for food.

Pedro’s relatives said, “This is a good son. He will help us have lots of meat.” Since they agreed that Pedro was a good little hunter who would help them find meat, they decided not to bury him, and his life was saved.

Pedro and the rest of the Kulina tribe traveled from place to place most of the year. Sometimes they raided settlements to steal machetes and other tools. A measles epidemic broke out after one of these raids, and many people of the Kulina tribe died.

Only 75 people were still alive in Pedro’s village when two young missionaries came to live with them. The missionaries began to study the Kulina language. After they had learned enough, they began to translate the Bible into the Kulina language. For the first time in their lives, Pedro and other Kulinas could learn about God’s love. They heard that God’s Son, the Lord Jesus, came into this world and became a man and died on Calvary’s cross so that anyone who believes in Him can be saved.

Then, Pedro got sick and was once again near death. One of the missionaries read some Bible verses to him that they had just translated. Pedro believed what he heard and said, “I will follow God.” He also said, “I want to hear more from God’s Book so I’ll know it better.”

Another missionary sent medicine, and Pedro soon got over his sickness. After that, Pedro helped the missionaries translate more and more of the Bible into the Kulina language. He wanted all of the Kulina people to understand God’s message and be saved.

God watched over Pedro his whole life and gave him the opportunity to hear the good news of God’s wonderful love. And God has watched over you until this very moment, and He is giving you the opportunity to hear and believe the good news that God sent His Son Jesus into this world to save sinners.

“The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

“God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).

Perhaps you have heard this good news many times. But have you ever believed in the Lord Jesus as your own Savior? If you haven’t, I hope you will not wait another minute to do that.

Memory Verse: “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14

Messages of God’s Love 11/10/2024

The Little Fisherman

The Farrells were praying for Anne to be saved. Her husband Dave had asked them to. They usually prayed as a family, including their little boy Steve. Steve was only four years old, but he already loved the Lord Jesus. He often told his parents that he was saved from his sins and would go to heaven, because the Lord Jesus had died for him too.

They decided to invite Dave and Anne over for dinner one evening. After dinner and a Bible reading, Steve went over to Anne and asked, “Why aren’t you saved? Don’t you want to go to heaven with us when the Lord Jesus comes?”

Anne looked down into his face and giggled, embarrassed. Then she said, “Oh, I don’t know.”

Steve, still looking up at her, said seriously, “It isn’t funny ... you shouldn’t laugh, because you could go to hell if you’re not saved.”

With tears in her eyes, Anne reached down and hugged the serious little boy. Although she did not accept the Lord Jesus as her Savior that night, what little Steve had said made her think.

In the Bible we read how the Lord Jesus found Peter and Andrew fishing. He called them and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). From that time on, Peter and Andrew “fished” for men by telling them about the Lord Jesus and His love for them. We can be fishermen for the Lord Jesus too, and little Steve was being a good fisherman when he talked to Anne about the Lord Jesus.

Sometime later, the telephone rang and his mother told Steve that the call was for him. He heard, “Steve, this is Anne. I called to tell you that today I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I wanted you to be the first one to know. So now when the Lord Jesus comes, we will both be taken to heaven. I want to thank you, Steve, for praying for me.”

Wasn’t that a nice telephone call for a little boy to receive? Steve had helped to catch a “fish” for the Lord Jesus!

Messages of God’s Love 11/10/2024

The Wonders of God's Creation: The Beautiful Hummingbird

“I will instruct [you] and teach [you] in the way which [you shall] go: I will guide [you] with [My] eye.” Psalm 32:8

It is thrilling to watch the pretty little hummingbird darting around in a garden. It dips its long beak into a flower, then flies backward a short distance before zooming off in another direction. The hummingbird can weigh less than a penny, yet one called the Ruby-throated hummingbird sometimes beats its wings 200 times per second!

Have you ever seen a hummingbird’s nest? The female works about a week to build the nest and tightly fasten it to the top of a branch or other place where she thinks it will be safe. She gathers twigs, plant fibers and bits of leaves, carefully forming them into a beautiful cup-shaped nest, held together with spider webs. She lines it with soft thistledown or similar materials and often camouflages the outside with material that looks like the tree she is nesting in, or perhaps with lichen or moss, so it is very hard to see the nest while the chicks are being hatched and raised. In her tiny nest she lays two tiny eggs, about the size of jelly beans. She raises her chicks alone. She may raise several families in one summer.

Hummingbirds are great travelers. North America is only their summer home. They migrate in the fall, the males leaving first and the females and young leaving later. Most fly to Central America or Mexico. The Ruby-throated hummingbird flies across the Gulf of Mexico, normally in under a day, a distance of 500 miles.

No answer has been found to explain why they migrate along the same routes or how they know to return at the exact time that their favorite flowers will be blooming. They journey alone, so they aren’t guided by one another. Even the young migrate on the same route and to the same spot their ancestors used for the winter. We do know that the Creator has given them the ability to make their journey at just the right time, and He directs them over the many miles they travel. Hummingbirds have large brains ... the largest, in fact, of any bird, by percentage of body size. Its brain is 4.2% of its body weight, compared to ours at only 2%. The hummingbird is not a social bird. They normally live alone, fiercely defending their territory.

The Lord watches over the hummingbirds and guides them to their summer and winter homes, but He takes even better care of us. Another good translation of the last part of our opening verse is, “I will counsel [you] with [My] eye upon [you].” He is watching over you tenderly as you go through life, and He gives you the counsel you need, knowing exactly what you need each day. Are you reading the Bible and praying so you can hear His counsel, daily?

Did You Know?

Some hummingbirds can weigh less than a penny.

Messages of God’s Love 11/10/2024

Arrest That Man

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jack Williams was the most wanted outlaw in the state of Minnesota. Many sheriffs were furious at him, not only because of the crimes he committed in their towns, but also because he always escaped from them.

Once he shot a man in a fight, wounding him badly. Women who had seen the fight ran out into the street pointing at him and shouting to the officers, “Arrest that man!”

With the sheriff chasing him and shooting at him, Jack ran to the edge of town, which was on the banks of the Mississippi River. There, a friend was waiting for him in his boat. Jack raced down the pier and leaped into the boat. Just as the boat pulled away, a bullet hit his leg, breaking
the bone.

Once again, he had escaped, but groups were formed that crisscrossed Minnesota searching for him.

Crippled, Jack fled to his father’s cabin in the woods. He reached it late at night, opened the door and crawled in. His father, awakened by the noise, lit a lamp and called out,
“Who’s there?”

“Father, it’s your son, Jack. I busted my leg and I’m hurtin’. Let me wait here for a doctor.”

For a minute the old man looked at his son lying on the floor. He knew Jack was a criminal. With anger and disgust he shouted, “This is my house and I want no outlaws in it! Get out!” He set his lamp down, grabbed his son, dragged him out the door, and left him on the steps.

The pain of being dragged across the floor was too much for Jack. He fainted. When he came to, he remembered a root cellar that was nearby that hadn’t been used for years. He crawled into it and hid.

Jack’s friend knew Jack had gone to his father’s cabin. From the root cellar, Jack watched until he saw his friend coming and waved to him. His friend had brought a doctor who set his leg. He also brought food and water and a kerosene lamp. Jack hid in the root cellar until his leg was strong enough so he could walk again.

Then, following little-used trails, he walked to the town of Brainerd where he robbed a store. Then he made his way to the headquarters of the Black Duck Logging Company.

The manager of the logging company was new to Minnesota and didn’t recognize Jack. Jack asked for a job. The only job open was far out in the woods of the back country. This was exactly what Jack wanted. He figured that would be a good hiding place from the sheriffs. He worked there as a lumberjack for several months.

One Sunday while the men were sitting in the dining hall, about to eat, the door was kicked open. A big, burly man named Frank Higgins entered. Frank was what the lumberjacks called a “skypilot,” because he went through the logging camps telling the men about the way to heaven through faith in Christ.

After Frank had eaten dinner with them, he stood up, pulled a Bible out of his pocket and said, “Boys, I have come to have a gospel service with you.”

Jack Williams would like to have walked out right then, but he didn’t want to make the stranger notice him and get suspicious.

First, they sang a few hymns. After a short prayer Frank began to talk. “Boys, I want to tell you today about a parable Jesus told. This parable is known as ‘The Story of the Prodigal Son.’”

Frank told them of a father and his two sons. He told them how the younger son took half of his father’s money and travelled into a far country to have fun. He told them that there he spent all his money and soon had nothing to eat. He told them how he came to his senses and decided to return to his father’s house. Frank read the verse, “He arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Looking up at the men, he noticed a man at the back of the room who looked angry. Frank thought he was one of the meanest-looking men he had ever seen. Of course, it was Jack.

Frank continued with his message, telling the men how the story tells us the way God loves and forgives sinners. After his message was over, he prayed and went outside. In a few minutes, he bumped into Jack, who still looked angry.

Frank asked, “What’s the matter, friend? Didn’t you like that story?”

“That soft talk about his old man taking him in is a lot of hogwash, mister! I should know. I went back home when I was sick and hurt and my father dragged me out of the house!” Jack answered angrily.

“I see what you mean,” Frank said, “but you should have gone to your other Father first.”

“Not me, mister. I’m too bad for God to have anything to do with.”

“Hold on there,” Frank quickly replied. “Let me read you a verse.” He opened his Bible to 1 John 1:7 and read, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son [cleanses] us from all sin.”

“Now,” Frank continued, “when God says all sin, He means all sin! He doesn’t mean half of our sins. No matter who you are, God can forgive you and cleanse you from your sins, because Jesus shed His blood on the cross.”

Frank saw that Jack was listening. He continued. “God has promised that ‘if [you will] confess with [your] mouth the Lord Jesus, and [will believe] in [your] heart that God [has] raised Him from the dead, [you will] be saved’ (Romans 10:9). I don’t even know your name, but do you know that you are a sinner? Do you want salvation?”

As Jack stood there listening, a sense of his own sins filled him. For the first time, he saw his sins as God sees them, and he hated them. He heard the offer of salvation as if God Himself were speaking to him. Tears started streaming down his face. “Yes,” he cried, “I want Jesus to
save me.”

The two of them knelt down and prayed. Jack’s soul turned “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18). God the Father welcomed another prodigal son home that night. After that, Jack Williams lived faithfully for the Lord Jesus, serving Him and telling others of His love.

You may not have sinned as much as Jack did, but the Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because you are a sinner, you need the loving Savior as much as Jack did. Have you believed on
the Savior?

Memory Verse: “He arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

Messages of God’s Love 11/17/2024

The Wonders of God's Creation: The Peculiar Aardvark

“Thou hast made ... the earth, and all things that are therein ... and Thou preservest them all.” Nehemiah 9:6

The three- to five-foot-long African aardvark is unlike any other creature in the world. The name aardvark means “earth pig.” It was given this name by South African Dutch settlers long ago. Perhaps they noticed how it liked to dig in the dirt, and it looked a bit like a pig too. But the aardvark’s similarity to a pig is mostly in its long snout and its nostrils. Its ears look like a rabbit’s, its tail is something like a kangaroo’s, and its claws are big and powerful like a bear’s.

There are two things the aardvark does very well. One is finding termite nests, which look like concrete mounds. It hunts at night, using its sensitive nose to smell for a mound. Finding one, it tears the mound open with its powerful claws, then laps up the termites with its 12- to 18-inch-long sticky tongue. It doesn’t destroy the whole nest, because it will serve for other meals to come. It eats what it needs, and when it leaves, the termites repair their nest.

Termites fight back when their nests are broken into. They have “soldiers” with sharp mandibles, but these find that the aardvark’s skin is so tough they cannot bite through it. The aardvark finds them annoying, but continues on with dinner. In one night, a busy aardvark can dig into as many as 30 termite mounds.

Aardvarks are also good at digging burrows. In a night of hunting termites, it digs as many as five burrows where it can quickly escape if danger threatens. Including burrows dug other nights, it has burrows scattered all through its feeding area. Their strong front legs and sharp claws go through even hard dirt faster than men with shovels. Many other animals use these burrows for homes or as safe places to escape from enemies as well. With all this time spent in the dirt, aardvarks can get pretty dirty, but the dirt acts as a protection from their enemies, masking their smell from hungry predators.

Aardvarks live alone. The only time two live together is when a mother has a baby. One baby a year is born to its mother. Before long they are taken out to learn how to hunt termites, and within about six months they learn how to dig their own burrows. By about a year they can live on their own.

Aardvarks may be unusual, but they are useful and helpful creatures, and the Lord made them just right for what they do, giving them what they need for the purpose for which He made them. This is good to remember if you see someone that seems different from you in any way. Remember that the Lord made them, loves them, and has a special purpose for their life, just as He does for you!

Did You Know?

Aardvarks have a 12- to 18-inch-long sticky tongue.

Messages of God’s Love 11/17/2024

James's Close Call

James was visiting friends in Newfoundland where he was helping others share the good news of God’s salvation with children. But one day he and two other helpers had some free time, and they decided to take a hike. It is beautiful in Newfoundland. The island, off the east coast of Canada, is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean with its crashing waves, and it has many beautiful views of the ocean and fjords, or lakes, nestled far below high cliffs. This hike was going to be in Gros Morne National Park where they hoped to take advantage of the beautiful view of a deep, clear fjord from the top of Gros
Morne mountain.

At first, there was a slow, steady hike up through forests, but then there was a tougher climb going up a steeper, rocky path as they climbed the mountain. As they went, they couldn’t enjoy the view, because there was too much fog. When they got to the top, it was cold and still foggy. So much for enjoying the beautiful view! The fog was so thick it completely covered the trail, so they could only see about six feet in front of them. Even more importantly, the trail was not well marked for such foggy conditions. Now that they were at the top of the mountain, scattered piles of rocks were all that marked the hard rock trail. But, they needed to get out of the park and home for dinner. After huddling behind a rock for some warmth while they hurriedly ate the lunch they had packed, they continued with the hike.

James was in the lead when they came to a fork in the trail. Unsure of which way to go, he studied the path a moment and then headed left. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps when Sarah’s voice stopped him.

“James, are you sure this is the way?”

No, he wasn’t, and he admitted it. He turned around, went back to the fork in the trail, studied it a bit more, and decided they really should go to the right. Eventually they came down out of the mountain safely and back to their car.

The next day, they heard that a lone hiker from another part of Canada had walked off a cliff in the fog and died. James and his friends remembered that a lone man had passed them, walking fast, as they were hiking. They hadn’t seen him again. He could have been the one who died, if he had turned left and walked off the cliff in the fog, just as they would have done if they hadn’t turned back.

How glad James was that he had listened when his friend asked him if he was sure he was going the right way! The Bible tells us that “there is a way that [seems] right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Not listening to his friend could have ended in death.

At times, you may find yourself with people who are going the wrong way. If you follow them, you could be in a way that ends in death. This may be by trying things you know are wrong, things that can be hard to escape from. You can be a true friend to them and warn them that they are going the wrong way. Maybe you’ll be able to tell them about the Lord Jesus, who is “The Way” that leads to life eternal. (See John 14:6.) The best thing is not to have friends who don’t want to obey the Lord Jesus, so if you find that your friends start going the wrong way in life and will not turn around, it’s best to stay away from them.

The Bible says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that [listens] unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). Sometimes you might be the one who is going the wrong way. It is important to listen if someone warns you that you are going the wrong way. If you won’t listen, but think that your way is right, what does Proverbs 12:15 say that you are?

Memory Verse: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 12:15

Messages of God’s Love 11/24/2024

Alexander's Answered Prayer

Alexander was a mischievous six-year-old boy whose adventures sometimes got him into trouble. But one scary day, Alexander learned, in spite of his disobedience, that God answers prayer.

More than once, Grandmother had warned Alexander not to go into the river nearby. But one day, Grandmother sent him to mail a letter for her. He did that, and then he went down to the river. Soon, some of his little friends ran to Grandmother’s house, banged on the door, and shouted that he had fallen into the river.

His grandmother ran down to the river, but she could not see him. She feared that he must have drowned. For some reason, the water was much higher than normal and the current was extremely strong.

Alexander had decided to paddle his little raft across the river. He thought that if he stayed close to the wooden footbridge that crossed the river, he would be safe. He told himself that he could hang onto the bridge if he ran into trouble.

Unknown to him, a wall of water caused by a heavy rainfall farther up the river was heading his way. The wall of water came down the river and turned Alexander’s “play river” into a raging torrent. He was halfway across the river when a flash flood swept him away.

Alexander was not a very good swimmer. Even if he were, the current was too strong to swim against. He found himself tossed down the river like a small stick in the swirling current. Dog-paddling, he fought to keep his head above water.

Alexander was in trouble! For a while he was able to keep his head up, but suddenly, he went down under the swirling waters. Now, he was really scared! When he came up again, he shouted for his mother to help him, but his mother could not help him. She was miles away.

Then he shouted for God to help him. God is never far away from us. Suddenly, he saw a branch hanging down from a tree, into the water. He grabbed it and was able to pull himself out. Soon, he was safe on the riverbank.

God answered Alexander’s prayer, and He saved him from drowning in the flash flood. But what about you, boys and girls? Will God hear your prayer to Him to save you even though you also have been disobedient? You can be sure that He will. His Word promises, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Just call to Him. He will save you, and you will find that He will answer other prayers, too.

Messages of God’s Love 11/24/2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Adaptable Seagull

“Be ... kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Part of the fun of being at the seashore is watching gulls, usually known as seagulls. They can be seen soaring in the sky, walking or standing on the sand, or floating on the water. Their high-pitched mews are loud enough to be heard above the noise of the waves. There are many varieties of seagulls. The herring gull is one of the most commonly seen in North America. Its head, back and underside are white with gray and black wings. Its beak is yellow with a red dot at the end. The red dot serves a special purpose. When small, a hungry baby taps at the red spot on the tip of its parent’s beak. The parent then brings up food for the baby to eat.

The Lord made gulls quick-moving and wise in many ways. He gave them great skill in using air currents to glide along tirelessly with their wings outstretched. Often, they stay with a ship for many miles, watching for food scraps. They like to eat fresh or dead fish, clams, oysters, small birds and mammals, and eggs, but they also eat fruit and seeds. They can’t break the shell of a clam or oyster, so they carry it high in the air and drop it onto a rock to break it open. This is something they learn to do, and they do better at it as they get older. They are able to get food as they fly, float, or stay on shore.

Seagulls are social creatures. They aren’t always nice to one another, but they do know how to cooperate when needed. They often nest in colonies which can range from just a few pairs to hundreds of thousands of pairs. They usually make their nests on the ground with their mate, with whom they stay for life. Nesting in colonies gives several benefits, including protection from predators. When a gull discovers an enemy, it gives a loud shriek. Even if it had just been fighting with its neighbor, this call for help brings others from the colony rushing with strong beaks and club-like wings to protect the babies and eggs from the enemy.

Seagulls are able to change their feeding habits according to what is available. This makes them able to continue to live even when their normal food sources have been depleted because of things like overfishing. And where many buildings have taken the place of open land, they have learned to nest on top of a building ... a nice safe place to raise their babies.

In some ways, seagulls make me think of boys and girls who may fight with their brothers and sisters, even though they love them and will protect them if they are in trouble. As our opening verse says, the Lord wants us to be kind to one another and to forgive those who do wrong to us. This can be hard for adults, too, and not just children!

Did You Know?

Seagulls usually make nests on the ground with their mate, with whom they stay for life.

Messages of God’s Love 11/24/2024

Kelly

Kelly was the most wonderful puppy in the whole world. To anyone else, he might seem like just an ordinary dog, but to Robbie he was everything. Daddy had brought home the playful puppy for Robbie’s eighth birthday, and he loved his dog.

Robbie and Kelly did almost everything together. Even running errands for his mother was fun for Robbie when Kelly was along. When he came home from school, Kelly was always waiting to meet him. But one sad day Kelly was not waiting when Robbie got home.

“Where’s Kelly?” he asked his mother.

“He’s probably curled up sleeping somewhere in the back,” she replied. “He’s around here somewhere.”

When Daddy came home, Robbie still had not found Kelly. “Where did you last see him?” he asked Robbie.

“He followed me partway to school this morning. Do you think he could’ve gotten lost and can’t find his way home?”

“We’ll go out and look for him after supper,” his father promised.

But when bedtime came, Kelly still had not been found, and Robbie cried himself to sleep. Long, lonesome days followed, with no sign of the little dog.

“I’m afraid a car has run over him, Rob,” his father said. “But never mind, we’ll get another puppy for you.”

Another puppy? Robbie felt as if his heart would break. There would never be another dog like Kelly!

Several weeks later Robbie was on his way to the store for his mother when a low whimper caught his attention. Peering through a hedge, he saw Kelly straining on a rope that was tied to his collar. Quickly Robbie opened the gate into the yard and began untying the knot that held Kelly.

“Hey, kid, what do you think you’re doin’ to my dog?” demanded an angry voice. Robbie looked up and saw a big boy several years older than himself.

“This is my dog,” answered Robbie. “I lost him a few weeks ago. How did you get him?”

“Since when is he your dog?” sneered the older boy. “He’s mine now, and don’t try to take him!”

Robbie could hardly keep from crying and he was really scared, but he didn’t want to leave Kelly there. Suddenly he had an idea. “Would you sell him to me?” he asked.

The boy thought for a minute. “How much is he worth to ya?” he asked finally.

“I’ve only got seven dollars, but I’ll give it all to you.”

“Okay, tell you what,” said the boy. “You give me the seven dollars. Then I’ll untie the mutt and if he wants to go home with you, you can have him, but if he wants to stay with me, then he’s still mine.”

As Robbie ran home to get his money, questions raced through his mind: What if Kelly has forgotten me? What if he stays with the other boy? In spite of his doubts, he ran back as fast as he could with his wallet and gave all his money to the boy.

“Okay, mutt, it’s up to you,” said the boy as the knot was untied. With one excited bark, Kelly raced through the gate to Robbie, jumping all over him, and together they ran home.

Robbie loved Kelly a lot to give all his money to buy him back, didn’t he? I think Kelly was happy not to belong to the other boy and to be free to go with Robbie. This is a little picture of how much the Lord Jesus loved us. He gave all He had to buy us back from being captive to two cruel masters — Satan and the world. He paid for us with His own life. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:3-4). Are you also happy to be free, and do you follow the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself for you?

Memory Verse: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world.” Galatians 1:3-4

Messages of God’s Love 12/1//2024

What About God?

Some children of missionaries were spending the night for the first time in a big city in a country far from home. The house they were in was large and strange to them, and partly unused. They were put to bed in a big room, with suitcases and other odd bundles all around them, and it was very dark.

Through the thin wall, I could hear them talking before they fell asleep. After a while, in a frightened voice, the little boy, who was six, asked, “What about the lions?”

Her voice peaceful and confident, his sister, who was two years younger, answered,
“What about GOD?”

It was the perfect answer.

Children, when you are afraid, I hope you will remember that answer. God is greater than any problem or fear you may have.

It is very sad that many children have never heard of the only true God, and so they cannot trust Him or love Him. They do not know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Do you know Him?

Messages of God’s Love 12/1//2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Bacteria - Helpful and Harmful

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11

Bacteria are a tiny form of life. Some are so small that 50,000 lined up in a row would measure much less than one inch. Yet they are a very important part of God’s creation, and without them life as we know it could not exist. They are everywhere. An amazing 70-90% of the cells in your body are bacterial and fungal!

What do they do? One main purpose for bacteria is to break down other materials. Bacteria take chemicals from some materials and change them into forms that can be used by other living things. For example, gardeners often make compost piles out of grass clippings, leaves, food waste, weeds and other plant material, sometimes adding dirt and manure. It is largely bacteria that goes to work to break down these materials. This process generates heat. Different kinds of bacteria work this material over and over and, helped by the heat, change most of it into rich, soft humus. When added to garden soil, this humus helps to produce good crops.

Other kinds of bacteria convert material into ammonia, which is picked up by the roots of plants. Some bacteria change materials to carbon dioxide, which is released into the air for use by plants and trees. Certain bacteria are used by people to make butter, cheese, vinegar, yogurt and other food products.

Many trillions of cells of bacteria live inside your body. Most of the body’s bacteria are helpful and we need them to be able to live. One of its most important functions is to help us digest our food. Without bacteria, your body could not use much of the food you eat.

But some bacteria can be harmful, causing sickness and disease. Some harmful bacteria live in our mouth and others on our skin, where they can cause problems if we aren’t careful to keep clean. Bacteria can cause cavities in our teeth, and when you cut yourself, bacteria on your skin can cause infection or blood poisoning if the wound is not properly cleaned.

Bacteria can do good and they can cause harm. Can you think of other things that can be both good and harmful? There are many of them. One of those is food. God made food because we need it to be able to live. But if we eat too much food, or unhealthy food, it can harm our bodies, making it harder for us to do the things the Lord wants us to do. It may seem like a very small thing, but it can actually have a big effect on our lives. Our opening verse tells us that fleshly lusts ... which includes too much food ... war against the soul. That shows us that this is an important battle. Can you think of other things that are like this?

Did You Know?

Many trillions of cells of bacteria live inside your body.

Messages of God’s Love 12/1//2024

The Sol E Mar

There is a two-way radio channel for boats out at sea that is supposed to be used only by those who are in danger. Boaters or fishermen are allowed to send messages over other radio channels, but this channel is reserved for emergencies only. The Coast Guard listens to this channel day and night. They are always ready on a moment’s notice to send out rescue ships or helicopters. But the Coast Guard’s record is not perfect. They do their best, but sometimes something interferes.

At the Coast Guard station on Martha’s Vineyard, an island just off the coast of Massachusetts in the Atlantic Ocean, an operator sat at his radio sipping coffee. He wore a pair of headphones and in front of him were the many dials and meters of a very complex radio. Rain mixed with ice splattered on the window of the station. A strong wind whipped the flag on the flagpole in front of the building. Looking out the window, the radio operator could see huge wind-driven waves crashing against the rocks on shore and sending spray high into the air.

Suddenly, over the emergency channel the operator heard a man’s anxious call, “This is the Sol E Mar ... we’re sinking ... send help now!”

“Send help now!” was ringing in the Coast Guard radio operator’s ears when the transmission was suddenly cut off ... then he heard only static. The radio operator tried feverishly to return their call. He needed to contact the ship to get a location so that he could send help.

“Come in, Sol E Mar, I need your location!”

No answer.

He turned several dials on the radio and tried again. “Come in!”

There was a moment’s pause and then the operator received another disturbing message on the emergency channel.

“SOS ... I’m sinking!” a man’s voice said, and then he laughed.

It was obviously a prank, a false call for help. The operator connected the calls in his mind and thought they were both prank calls. Someone must be playing games on the emergency channel, he thought. He stopped trying to locate the distress signal and never sent out planes or boats to search for the Sol E Mar.

Five days later the Coast Guard operator learned his mistake. The Sol E Mar was reported missing with a father and son on board. They immediately sent out planes and ships to search the area, but it was too late. The ship had sunk with both men on board.

The man who played the prank reminds us of Satan who does all he can to keep boys and girls from being saved by the Lord Jesus. He may tell them that their sins are not that bad, so they don’t need the Lord Jesus. This is one of Satan’s lies. Another lie he tells them is that their sins are so bad that the Savior can’t forgive them. Whatever it is that keeps anyone from trusting in the Lord Jesus for salvation, you can be sure that Satan, a cruel liar, is behind it.

“Him that [comes] to Me,” the Lord Jesus said in John 6:37, “I will in [no way] cast out.” Come to the Lord Jesus, and don’t let anyone or anything stop you from coming — right now!

Memory Verse: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37

Messages of God’s Love 12/8//2024

Ruthie and the Popcorn

Down by the river, Ruthie and her family were enjoying a lovely fall day and watching the water-skiers, when ten-year-old Ruthie went over to Mother’s chair. She began to coax her mother to make some popcorn, but Daddy said, “Let Mother rest awhile. She has had a busy day, Ruthie. Do you know how to make popcorn?”

“Oh yes,” answered Ruthie. “I know just how to do it, and I can do it all by myself, too.”

Mother agreed to let her pop some popcorn and gave her a few instructions. “Be sure to use the big heavy pan with the tight-fitting lid.” Then she told Ruthie just how much oil and popcorn to put in the pan and reminded her to keep the burner low so the popcorn wouldn’t burn.

Ruthie skipped excitedly the whole way to the house. She had three older sisters, and she seldom got to do things in the kitchen all by herself.

Quickly, she put the heavy pan on the stove. She carefully measured the oil and popcorn and put them in the pan. Then she made sure she turned the burner on low and anxiously watched to see the first kernel pop in the sizzling oil.

There it went! “POP!” It was so white and fluffy. Then, “pop-pop-pop” went the corn as it began to fill the pan. Suddenly one kernel shot up out of the pan, then another, and another! Soon popcorn was flying all over the kitchen!

Ruthie was really frightened and she didn’t know what to do. She ran out of the house and down to the river screaming, “Mother! Mother! Help! Help!”

Everyone came running. What a popcorn snowstorm met them in the house! Popcorn was all over the kitchen! Ruthie had tried her best to do a good job of making the popcorn all by herself. But she hadn’t followed one important instruction — put the lid on the big pan.

Everyone helped clean up the kitchen. Even the dog was invited into the house for a popcorn feast. Then Ruthie started again, but this time, after she had measured the oil and popcorn and set the burner just right, she put the lid securely on the pan. All the popcorn stayed in the pan this time.

Soon the popcorn was finished, and Ruthie salted it as she had been told. She headed down to her family by the river with the apple basket in one hand and the big pan of popcorn in the other. When the family saw her coming, they all clapped their hands and cheered. They were happy that Ruthie had done everything right this time.

The most important instruction for Ruthie to follow if she didn’t want to end up making a big mess while making popcorn was to put the lid on the pan. God’s Book, the Bible, gives many instructions for us to follow if we want to have a happy life. But one of God’s instructions is the most important one to follow if your life is not going to end in disaster. Do you know what it is? It is very simple. Here it is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:31). Have you done that?

Messages of God’s Love 12/8//2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Helpful Ladybug

“O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things.” Isaiah 25:1

Have you ever watched a pretty little ladybug, with its orange-red body covered with black polka dots, crawl over your finger and said: “Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home; your house is on fire, your children are gone”? We really wouldn’t want her children harmed, because some species of these insects are our friends.

These colorful beetles save plant growers millions of dollars every year. All the tiny insects they eat on citrus trees is one of their greatest benefits. Another is in the control of the Colorado potato beetle, which is a serious pest all over North America. They also eat aphids, as well as other plant-eating insects.

The female lays many eggs at a time, depositing them in cracks of bark or under leaves, usually in areas where aphids live. When the larva hatches, it immediately starts to devour aphids. After a few weeks of eating at a great rate and molting several times, it reaches full size. God-given instinct tells it to attach itself by its tail to the underside of a leaf where it forms a shiny chrysalis. Later it emerges as a fully developed ladybug, able to fly from one place to another, eating harmful insects in great quantities.

Our pretty friend has been given three ways to escape from its enemies. First, its bright colors warn predators that it doesn’t taste good. Next, it can produce a foul-smelling fluid that makes it unattractive to its enemy. Finally, if these fail, it “plays dead,” producing a bad smell at the same time, and the would-be captor will often leave it alone.

In late autumn the ladybugs hibernate, going into buildings or under the bark of dead trees or into other sheltered places. In the western states, millions of them fly long distances to the mountains and hide in the rocks. There, the dormant ladybugs are hunted by collectors and shoveled into sacks to be refrigerated until spring. Then they are sold to orchardists and farmers, who are happy to buy them to place among their trees and plants.

God, who created these helpful little creatures, uses them so wonderfully to help people. Have you ever wondered how you can serve Him? Like the ladybug, if you serve the Lord, you will be a help to people. He tells us to “do good” and to be “rich in good works” (see 1 Timothy 6:18). That is what He did when He lived on earth, and He said, “If any [one] serve Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26). If you follow Him, you can be sure that He will give you good things to do, and He won’t lead you to do wrong things or to waste your time.

Did You Know?

Ladybugs save plant growers millions of dollars every year.

Messages of God’s Love 12/8//2024

Adoniram Judson

“The motto of every missionary, whether preacher, printer, or schoolmaster, ought to be, ‘Devoted for life.’” These words were spoken by Adoniram Judson, who, with his wife Ann, was one of the first missionaries to leave North America to bring the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ to other countries.

Adoniram Judson was born in the state of Massachusetts in 1788. His parents trusted in the Lord Jesus as their Savior and wanted to raise their son to love Him. Adoniram was very smart. When he was only three years old, he could read a chapter in the Bible, and before he was 13 he taught himself Greek and Latin. When he was a teen, he had an illness that kept him in bed for many months, and he started thinking and praying about what he should do with his life. As he was reading his Bible one day, he noticed Psalm 115:1: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.” This verse made him realize he should live his life for God’s glory, not his own.

But then when he was 16, he started university, and he became best friends with a boy by the name of Jacob Eames. We need to be careful about who we have as friends, that they love the Lord Jesus and will help us to follow Him. Jacob was not a good friend for Adoniram. He had strange beliefs about God. Adoniram Judson decided he liked the way Jacob thought. When he told his parents about his new beliefs, they were very sad, but I am sure they continued to pray for him.

About this time Adoniram started two small schools and wrote a couple of books. Instead of feeling good about his accomplishments, he felt restless. He visited New York and was interested in writing plays, but he realized he still felt empty.

He went to his uncle’s home where he had left his horse, and there he met a friend of his uncle’s who was a minister. When Adoniram left, he was thinking about spiritual things. As he travelled that night, he looked for a hotel where he could spend the night. He stopped at one and the owner told him there was only one room left, but unfortunately that room was right next to a room where a very sick young man was staying. Adoniram didn’t think that would be a problem because he was a good sleeper. But that night he could hear the young man groaning and calling out, “God! God! Lost! Lost!” This made Adoniram think ... I don’t know God ... what if I were to die? In the morning, it was quiet next door. He went down to pay for his room and asked the owner, “I noticed the young man next door was quiet this morning. Do you know how he is?”

The innkeeper said, “He died during the night.”

“Oh really?” said Adoniram. “Do you know his name?”

“Yes,” said the innkeeper. “His name was Jacob Eames.”

His friend Jacob was the one who was crying out so desperately before he died!

No doubt Jacob’s death made a big impression on Adoniram. Soon after this, Adoniram went to a place for some training in the Bible, and after a few months, he totally gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.

One day, this verse came to him very strongly: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He knew then that the Lord wanted him to go share the good news of salvation with people who had never heard. Soon, he felt the Lord was calling him to Asia.

Before he left, Adoniram met and married Ann Hasseltine. Shortly after their wedding, they sailed for India. Soon, they found out they weren’t allowed to be in India, and they found a ship going to Burma. Many people warned them that it was a land of great hardship and encouraged them not to go. This didn’t stop them, because they felt strongly that God was calling them to Burma to translate the Word of God into the Burmese language.

Later, war broke out between Burma and Britain, and Burmese soldiers arrested Adoniram. They had decided he must be a spy working for the British. He was put in an awful prison, with no sanitation and not much food. During this time, his wife had a baby, a little girl they named Maria. Ann went to visit Adoniram often, to take him food and to let him see his daughter.

Ann had hidden the translation of the Bible Adoniram had completed inside a pillow, but she always felt uncomfortable about it. What if the soldiers came and ransacked the house and found it? She decided on a daring plan. She took it to the prison and asked the guards if her husband could use this pillow to make his sleep a little more comfortable. They let her give it to him and for many nights he slept on that pillow.

After a while Adoniram was moved to another prison. His pillow was left behind and the guards threw it on a garbage heap. He was released after several months because the government felt he would be useful as a translator for peace negotiations between Burma and Britain. One day about this time, their cook was taking a walk and found the pillow on the garbage heap. What a happy surprise for Adoniram! He wouldn’t have to start the translation work all over again after all!

Adoniram had to leave Ann behind and move to the city of Rangoon to work on negotiations for the treaty. Ann continued with their missionary work, but she was not well. She had lived through many hardships and her health started failing. While he was away in Rangoon, Adoniram got a message that his dear Ann had gotten spotted fever and died. Six months later Maria died as well.

Adoniram ended up marrying two more times and lost other children to death, too. But he kept on faithfully with the work of translating the Scriptures into Burmese until he got sick, too. His third wife Emily was expecting their first child when the doctors recommended that Adoniram go out to sea for a few days to get some healthy sea air. Some days he seemed better, but soon he died, too. He was buried at sea. He was only 62 when he went to be with his Lord and Savior. He had faithfully done what the Lord had for him to do.

Ann once said, “A little while and we are in eternity; before we find ourselves there, let us do much for Christ.”

We are sure that Adoniram Judson will be very happy for all eternity that he lived his life for the glory of the Lord Jesus, even though his life wasn’t “easy” or “fun.” The life of the Lord Jesus wasn’t easy, either, and He said, “If any [one] serve Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26). We will never be sorry if we live our lives for Him!

Memory Verse: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.” Psalm 115:1

Messages of God’s Love 12/15//2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Importance of the Oceans

“God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:10

The oceans cover nearly three-fourths of the world’s surface. Although God created billions of stars and planets, none except the earth, as far as we know, has stable water on its surface. This is because He had a special purpose when He made the earth. “He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). The water found on earth is essential for every form of life He placed here.

Without the oceans, extreme temperatures would make life impossible. It is what happens in the oceans that makes up for the uneven heating of the sun. The earth receives the greatest amount of heat from the sun at the equator. The heat becomes less and less as you get farther north or south of the equator, making the North and South Poles very cold. Millions of people, along with plant and animal life, live between the equator and these icy poles. This would not be possible if it were not for the oceans’ effect on the climate.

As the sun heats ocean water near the equator, it expands, creating currents that move to the north and south. These currents travel thousands of miles and, because warm water rises, they carry the heated water on the surface. And since cold water falls, the cold water the currents meet drops down and flows in the opposite direction — back towards the equator where it is warmed, and the process is repeated.

Warm ocean waters are a large reservoir of heat that has a vast influence on air temperatures. Great amounts of heat from the sun are stored in ocean waters. Heat is not lost as fast from water as it is from land. That is why the air above the oceans is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the air above land.

Solomon wrote: “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, [there] they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7). His observation is true. The flow of waters into the oceans is balanced by water evaporating out of it, and the seas never overflow! Only a divine Creator could so delicately control this so that it is always in balance.

God’s work in creation was good and wise. It is sweet to think of all the ways that the oceans provide for the comfort of His creatures. But even more, God is good in each of our lives. His plans for us are always good, even when life seems hard. (See Romans 8:28.) He always works in our lives to make us more like His Son, and that is a very good thing.

Did You Know?

Although God created billions of stars and planets, none except the earth, as far as we know, has stable water on its surface.

Messages of God’s Love 12/15//2024

A Dog Named Springer

Do you have a pet? God sometimes uses pets to teach us good lessons. This story gives us some good examples.

Greg had always wanted a dog, but his parents had never thought it was wise to have one because they lived in the city. But one day after Greg had grown to be a young man and had gone away to school, he came home for the summer and brought a black and white puppy with him.

Even though the puppy was very cute and cuddly, Greg’s mother, Mrs. Paget, said to him, “You know we can’t keep him.”

Greg answered, “Yes, I know, but I’m sure Uncle Russell will take him on his farm. I’ll just go and visit him sometimes.”

Greg’s mother said she was certain Uncle Russell would not want another dog since he already had a nice big farm dog named King. But Greg said, “I’ll ask him anyway.”

Several days went by before his mother asked Greg, “What did Uncle Russell say about taking Springer?”

By then Greg had given him the name “Springer.” It seemed to fit him because he moved quickly. It was as if he were springing into action to obey.

“Well,” Greg said, “I haven’t asked him yet.” (He was beginning to love the dog by now, and he didn’t want to give him away.)

A few more days went by before Greg’s mother asked him again if Uncle Russell had agreed to take Springer. But she got the same answer. And Greg added, “Someone will want him.”

By this time Greg wasn’t the only one who thought Springer was a special dog. Greg’s parents were becoming so fond of Springer that the question of a new home for him never came up again.

You see, a dog can show a great deal of love for those who care for him. This makes me think of a much greater love. The Lord Jesus loved and cared so much for us that He came into the world and went to the cross and died for us when we were His enemies. He did that so that those who take Him as their Savior may one day live with Him in His home in heaven. Have you accepted His love and taken Him as your very own Savior?

Now that Springer had become part of the Paget family, he had to be trained. He quickly learned that he was not allowed in the living and dining rooms where there was carpet on the floor. He would come into the house, run through the utility room, the kitchen, the breakfast nook, then into the large front entry hall. But he always stopped at the carpet and just sat there.

The family never saw Springer disobey that rule. Wouldn’t it be nice if Christian boys and girls would be that obedient to their parents? The Bible, God’s Word, says: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

Springer showed his love for the family in another way. Grandma, who was 85 years old, lived with them, and she took a walk every day using her cane. Springer, who had been taught to stay at home, would sit on the front porch until Grandma returned. After her short walk, once in a while she decided to go a little farther. She would go on past the house for a block or two, and then return. But Springer always seemed uneasy about that. He seemed to think that Grandma had forgotten where her home was, and he would always bark a few times as she went past the house. It seemed he wanted to warn the family to go see about her.

Like Springer, children can be kind and careful of older people, as well as younger brothers and sisters. Another Bible verse reminds us, “By love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

There is one more lesson we can learn from Springer. Mr. Paget sometimes worked at his workbench in the basement. At those times, Springer loved to be right beside him. He was curious, and he would get his head right down to where the saw or hammer was being used. One day he got a little too close, and as Mr. Paget’s hammer came back up, it smacked poor Springer in the nose. Springer gave only a little yelp even though it was a pretty hard smack. Before Mr. Paget could even give him a pat to assure him it was an accident, Springer was licking his hand. He seemed to be telling Mr. Paget, “It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to do that.” That was quick forgiveness!

The Lord Jesus wants us to show forgiveness to those who hurt us, too, because He has forgiven us so much. The Bible says: “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Do you know God’s forgiveness?

Memory Verse: “By love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

Messages of God’s Love 12/22//2024

Do You Have Your Ticket?

The famous scientist Mr. Einstein was travelling by train from Princeton University, where he taught, to another place. When the conductor came down the aisle asking for everyone’s ticket and came to Mr. Einstein, the professor reached into his vest pocket. His ticket wasn’t there. He searched his pant pockets — nothing. He then got out his briefcase — he still could not find it. Finally, he checked the seat behind him but — still nothing.

The conductor kindly told him, “Mr. Einstein, I know who you are. In fact, the world knows who you are. So let’s not worry about it. I’m sure you bought a ticket.”

Mr. Einstein looked somewhat relieved and the conductor went on down the aisle asking for tickets from the passengers. But then he happened to turn around. To his surprise, he saw the famous physicist down on his hands and knees looking frantically for that ticket. The conductor hurried back down the aisle and in a reassuring voice said, “Mr. Einstein, Mr. Einstein! Please don’t worry about your ticket. I know who you are and it just doesn’t matter — you really don’t need to worry about having your ticket. I am quite sure you bought one.”

Mr. Einstein looked up at him with his disheveled hair. “Sir, I also know who I am. But my problem is ... I don’t know where I’m going!”

We may smile at this story and yet it can also make us think. We are all on a one-way trip through life. When the Lord Jesus was here on earth He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Lord Jesus is the only way to be sure of ending our life in heaven. The end of everyone’s life journey is either in heaven with the Lord Jesus or in hell with the devil and his angels. Do you know where you are going? If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, you are on your way to heaven! If you aren’t sure of where you are going, today is a good day for you to make sure.

Messages of God’s Love 12/22//2024

Wonders of God's Creation: The Big Hippopotamus

“God made the beast of the earth after his kind ... and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:25

The hippopotamus is a huge animal ... up to 16½ feet long and just over five feet high, and weighing up to nearly 10,000 pounds. Next to the elephant, it is the world’s heaviest land animal. Its enormous head has tiny ears on each side of its lumpy forehead and small eyes. It has a huge, sharp-toothed mouth that can cut a crocodile in half with one bite. Short, thick legs with wide feet spaced far apart support its great weight when on land. Yet a hippo can gallop with surprising speed and can easily outrun a man.

The Creator has provided this water-loving beast with nostrils located on the top of its large snout so that it can lie underwater with just the top of its snout above water. If it goes completely under, valves automatically close so it can stay down for five minutes or more. It lives in streams, rivers or lakes where mud baths are available. It goes ashore at night to feed on grass and other vegetation. A mature hippo eats about 110 pounds of plants, mostly grass, every day.

A mother hippo usually gives birth to one 50- to 100-pound baby every other year. A baby hippo is a cute miniature of its mother. The mother guards it carefully and often lets it rest on her back in the water. The baby hippo nurses for up to a year and stays with its mother for seven or eight years.

A hippo’s skin is about two inches thick. Its skin attracts irritating insects such as ticks and other parasites. Knowing this, some birds ride on the hippo’s back to feast on these pests. This is an example of how the Creator provides two extremely different creatures to benefit each other. Another provision of His care is that their skin secretes a thick, oily red mucus called “blood sweat.” This coats their skin and absorbs harmful sun rays to protect them from sunburn. Hippos can’t sweat, so they keep cool by staying in water and by coating themselves with mud if not in water.

As we consider the care the Lord gives every creature, we are reminded that His care towards us is even more wonderful. Animals have only one life, but we have a soul that lives forever, even after death. While most people hope to be in heaven, many forget that no one can enter that sinless place if they are still in their sins, and they need to follow the Bible’s instruction: “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). Happily, we read that “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Each of us must confess to the Lord Jesus that we are a sinner and accept Him as our Savior. Have you done this?

Did You Know?

A mother hippo usually gives birth to one 50- to 100-pound baby every other year.

Messages of God’s Love 12/22//2024

Kevin's Dangerous Ride

Mrs. Fisher had never been so frightened in her life. She was driving along Park Street, just two blocks from her home, when she saw something speeding toward her down the hill on Linden Street, a street that crossed her path. Even though she tried to stop and even swerved up over the curb to miss it, the flying object was too close, and she heard the loud thud of something hitting her car.

When Mrs. Fisher jumped out of her car, she found a bloody-faced boy on the ground. He had been riding down the hill flat on his stomach on a skateboard.

The screeching of brakes and the loud thud brought Mrs. Kase running out of her house on the corner. One glance told her what had happened, and she ran back inside to call the police. Mrs. Fisher was so thankful ... it seemed the police were there almost immediately.

The injured boy kept trying to get up off the grass. He kept saying that he was not hurt, even though he was covered with blood. When Officer Jim arrived, the boy refused to tell the officer his name, giving reasons like, “I’m not hurt,” “my mother isn’t home,” and, “I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Then the paramedics arrived and there was no more argument — the boy was loaded into the ambulance and rushed to the hospital.

Later, Officer Jim came to Mrs. Fisher’s house to get her report of the accident. The boy had not been seriously injured, Officer Jim assured her. After some X-rays and getting cleaned up, he had been sent home. It turned out that he was much more frightened than hurt.

Kevin was 11 years old. Just the day before the accident occurred, he had been stopped by Officer Jim and sternly warned about riding his skateboard down the hill on Linden Street. Officer Jim had written down in his records that he had talked with Kevin.

No wonder Kevin was afraid! He knew he had been warned by the officer, and now he was not only hurt but he was also in trouble. Officer Jim told Mrs. Fisher that he had given Kevin a ticket for disobeying the law.

Kevin did not listen to Officer Jim’s warning and he got in trouble. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us, “[You] must be born again” (John 3:7). Have you listened to and obeyed that important warning from God Himself? Kevin ended up with his name written in Officer Jim’s police records, and that was something he did not like. God keeps several different record books. There is one of His record books where we all need to have our names written. It is called the book of life. I’m glad my name is written there because the Bible says, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Accept the Lord Jesus Christ now and your name will be written in that book and you won’t have to go into the lake of fire.

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

Messages of God’s Love 12/29//2024

Wild Whipped Cream

Beth was holding a can of whipped cream over some strawberry shortcake. She pressed the valve on the top this way and that, but no cream would come out. Then Gail tried — nothing happened.

Dad had invited an important businessman for dinner and Mom was away, so Beth and Gail had prepared the meal. So far things had gone well. But now ... “We’ve got to get this stuff out of here,” said Beth. “You can’t serve strawberry shortcake without whipped cream!”

“I know!” Gail agreed. Time was passing as they shook the can and tried everything they could think of. Then Gail saw around the base of the can, printed in large letters, the instructions, “DO NOT PUNCTURE OR INCINERATE THIS CAN.” “It says not to puncture this can, but what else can we do? I know there’s whipped cream in there, and we have to get it out, now!”

She hunted through the kitchen drawer and found a can opener with a pointed end. As they both leaned over the can, Gail poked a hole in it.

A moment later they looked at each other in amazement! Their faces, hair, arms and clothes were covered with whipped cream. Some of it had shot past them and landed on the wall behind them and even on the ceiling. “Well, at least it’s out of the can,” Gail giggled.

“Now what do we do?” Beth mumbled through her coating of whipped cream.

“Well, we’ve got to get some of it on that shortcake.”

“I know that.”

“Stand still!” Beth obediently stood still as Gail scraped the whipped cream from her face and arms onto the dessert. Then Beth scraped whipped cream off of Gail. The shortcake looked pretty good.

“Now we’ve got to make you look presentable,” Gail told Beth and they began removing the whipped cream from Beth’s hair and clothes as quickly as they could. Finally, Beth put on an apron and carried the dessert into the dining room.

“What took you so long?” asked Dad.

“Oh, we just couldn’t seem to get the whipped cream out of the can,” Beth said.

Whipped cream all over you isn’t really a big problem. But God gives us instructions that we need to follow if we don’t want to have truly big problems. Can you think of any? The most important one of all is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:31). How simple that sounds! Have you done it? It will keep you from going to hell if you obey it.

Messages of God’s Love 12/29//2024

Wonders of God's Creation: Scoundrel Birds

“The thief [comes] not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” John 10:10

The sight and sounds of birds usually bring pleasant thoughts to mind; many of them cheer us with their pretty colors and sweet songs. But this is not true of all birds. For example, certain species are too lazy to build their own nests and hatch their young. They make other birds do this work for them.

Cuckoos are one of these birds. They lay their eggs in the nests of warblers, sparrows, magpies, wrens and even crows. Some of them lay 22 or more eggs during one nesting season, placing just one in each nest. They do this in only 10 seconds, while the nest’s owner is away, kicking out one of the original eggs and replacing it with their own. When the mother returns, she doesn’t seem to notice the new egg, so it hatches along with her own. Sometimes the cuckoo baby kicks the original eggs out of the nest when it hatches. Though the baby cuckoo is not at all like the mother’s chicks, she feeds and cares for it as if it were her own, even when it grows to be twice as big as she is! Some bird species have somehow changed their egg colors over the years to avoid this parasite, but the cuckoo has changed her eggs to match, soon after.

The cowbird is another parasitic bird. Her chicks can be quite a bit larger than the proper chicks of the mother, but the host mother always takes care of the cowbird, often to the neglect of her own chicks.

The honeyguide also lays her eggs in other birds’ nests for the nest’s owner to hatch. The female often pecks holes in the original eggs to ensure their egg is hatched and the chick is cared for. Young honeyguides are vicious and peck to death the chicks of the true mother when they hatch.

The adult birds do not always get away with these activities. Sometimes a bird realizes a strange egg is present, rolls it out of the nest or leaves it and makes a new nest for her eggs. But scientists are beginning to think that cuckoos do vengeance on nests where their egg is rejected, destroying the nest and harming the babies or eggs. They are starting to think this is one reason birds will raise these chicks in spite of the loss to their own brood.

This parasitic behavior makes us think of Satan who is always looking for an opportunity to put evil thoughts into our hearts and minds. The Lord Jesus said that the thief only comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, in our opening verse. The Lord Jesus came that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (see John 10:10). If we listen to the Lord Jesus in our lives, we will have this truly happy life. It is good to remember that what Satan really wants is to destroy our lives.

Did You Know?

Not all types of cuckoo birds lay eggs in the nests of other birds.

Messages of God’s Love 12/29//2024

Messages of God's Love: 2024

Table of Contents

An Icy Plunge

Wonders of God's Creation: Is It a Frog or a Toad, Part 2

God's Love to Jose

Wonders of God's Creation: Houses Under the Sea, Part 1

Lost Above the Clouds

Wonders of God's Creation: Houses Under the Sea, Part 2

Mickey

Wonders of God's Creation: The Great Blue Heron

The Roar of a Tiger

Wonders of God's Creation: An Unusual Fish Hatchery

Almost Buried Alive!

What Train?

Wonders of God's Creation: Your Skin Holds You Together

Is That a Treasure?

Are You Safe?

The Dragonfly

Short … But Paid For

Wonders of God's Creation: Likeable Alpacas

An Icy Plunge

Wonders of God's Creation: The Pesky Mosquito

Chocolate Pudding Paint

I Know Him to Talk To

Wonders of God's Creation: Fingernails, Toenails and Hair

Rescued

The Rings … Gold or Brass?

Wonders of God's Creation: Monkeyshines

How Same Was Changed

A Sister's Love

Wonders of God's Creation: Ants With a Dairy

The Wedding

Wonders of God's Creation: Two Interesting Fish

The Robber's Cave

Wonders of God's Creation: The American Dipper, Part 1

The Dangerous Ride

The Apple Harvest

Wonders of God's Creation: The American Dipper, Part 2

I Won the Race

Wonders of God's Creation: God's Promise in the Sky

Buffy the Stray Dog

The Uninteresting Letter

Wonders of God's Creation: The Colorful Parrotfish

Bushy Tail

Kindness of a Thief

Wonders of God's Creation: Beautiful Autumn Leaves

Buttons and Brandon

The House That Fell

Wonders of God's Creation: The Musical Katydid

Eva & Willy's Gold

Wonders of God's Creation: The Lofty Giraffe, Part 1

Lost in the Woods

Bob's Dog Daisy

Wonders of God's Creation: The Loftly Giraffe, Part 2

A Stranger's Kindness

A Sick Tree

Wonders of God's Creation: Your Amazing Ear

I Want to Go Home

Wonders of God's Creation: Big Kangaroos and Tiny Joeys, Part 1

Mary's Pumpkin Seed

Queen Victoria's Prayer

Wonders of God's Creation: Big Kangaroos and Tiny Joeys, Part 2

The White Cat

Jenny's Way

Wonders of God's Creation: The Handsome Goldfinch

What Is Most Important?

Wonders of God's Creation: The Merry Rock Wren

Pull Up!

Tommy's Prayers

Wonders of God's Creation: The Plant With Honey Jars

The Wrong Way

Wonders of God's Creation: Weaver Ants Are Fantastic, Part 1

A Brother's Love

Wonders of God's Creation: Weaver Ants Are Fantastic, Part 2

The Mirage in the Desert

Mrs. Ashton and the Boys

Wonders of God's Creation: The Walrus

Did You Hear Me?

Wonders of God's Creation: The Persistent Flea

Stay With the Boat