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AFTER HE HAD PATIENTLY ENDURED
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“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Hebrews 6:15 KJV)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) with Young ©WikiC
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Tag Archives: Promise
Not By Chance
Not a Chance by Creation Moments – 11/17/10
Psalm 148:7-8 “Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word…”
Is there any such thing as chance or luck? Does anything ever happen randomly? Many people don’t realize that the Bible speaks to these questions.
In late August 1992, a tornado swept through a small Wisconsin town and caused a great deal of destruction. That made it newsworthy enough. However, the destruction it wrought on one church in town received special notice on some national newscasts. Pictures showed the church in ruins. But the altar still stood, barely visible in the rubble. Most astonishing was the fact that the Bible still stood on its stand in its customary place on the altar. The undamaged Bible was open to where Psalm 77 reads,
The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
Does that sound like chance?
Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) Reinier Munguia
In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that God is so involved in His creation that not one of the billions of sparrows in the world falls to the ground without His knowledge. Psalm 148 tells us that the entire creation praises God in everything that happens. God is so personally involved in the creation that He even instructs each wind about the speed and direction to take.
Was it simply luck that the altar was spared and the Bible was open to Psalm 77? God is involved in every detail of the creation. Let’s praise God that there is no such thing as luck!
Prayer:
Dear Father, I thank You that there is no such thing as luck because You are so intimately involved in the creation. Help me to cleanse my mind and speech of the pagan ideas of chance and luck. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Birds of the Bible – Quail II
Brown Quail (Coturnix ypsilophora) by Ian
It has been almost two years since the Quail have been written about. Birds of the Bible – Quail was early in this blogs history, so decided to write more about them.
The Bible has four references to quail and they are all found in the Old Testament. They refer to the time that the Israelites were in the desert after they had left Egypt by way of the Red Sea. They had been complaining about their lack of food, so the LORD answered them with:
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. (Exodus 16:11-13 KJV)
So, their request was taken care of every morning and evening. Just as today, we have a promise:
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 KJV)
That incident took place on the 15th day of the second month after coming out of Egypt. Then right around the 20th day of the second month of the second year, they started complaining again about not having flesh to eat.
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. (Numbers 11:5-6 KJV)
“Poor me! All we have to eat is manna, manna, manna.” Can you hear them? God wanted them to trust Him. God promises to meet our needs, not necessarily our wants. This is where the incident written about in the first article came about. They were well taken care of, even their shoes did not wear out in the 40 years they spent in the wilderness. Read Psalm 105 where it tells about all the LORD did for them. In Psalm 105:40 it says, “The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.”
Are we satisfied with what the Lord has provided or do we go around with a protruding lower lip saying, “Poor me!” I trust your lip is normal and that you can say along with Paul:
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11 KJV)
King Quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) by Kent Nickell
The Quail are numerous around the world and they are found in several families of birds. The Odontophoridae – New World Quail Family (34 members) includes not only Quails, but also 4 Bobwhites, 1 Francolin, and 4 Partridges. The Phasianidae – Pheasants, Fowl & Allies Family has 181 members. That is probably where the Quails mentioned in the wilderness came from because they are of the Old World area. That family has 13 Quail and a mix of other related birds including Turkeys, Pheasants and Peacocks. Both of these families are in the Galliformes Order.
Old World quail are the smallest birds in their family and are about 5 in (12-13 cm). The New World ones are 7-15 in (17-37 cm) long. They are very similar but are placed in the two families by ornithologists. They have short thick beaks with chunky bodies. Most do not make long flights and mainly fly when flushed. They are mostly seed and vegetation eaters, but some do eat insects.
Here in the U.S., the Northern Bobwhite’s call is very familiar.
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Birdwatching at Home – December 2009
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
December is that busy time of the year when you don’t get to do as much birdwatching as you would like to do. There are so many other things going on and then we had several days where it rained or was overcast. But, all is not lost. There is always the window to look out. Recently we increased the size of the feeding area in our small backyard and now a few birds are coming. Until this month, about all that showed up were the Mourning Doves, the Boat-tailed Grackles, our local Sandhill Crane and of course the Squirrels. In the last few weeks 11 White Ibises, 4 Palm Warblers, our Northern Mockingbird, one Yellow-headed Blackbird and three Red-winged Blackbirds and two Eurasian Collared-Doves came in to check out the feeders. A Red-shouldered Hawk scattered the birds one morning. Today and yesterday, we have had an invasion (75+) of Brown-headed Cowbirds and one Red-winged Blackbird. The problem we have is that our yard is up against a major road and it spooks the birds, so even getting the birds that most people don’t care for is a delight for us. These birds are the ones who like to empty your feeders in “no time flat”.
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? (Luke 12:24 NKJV)
Brown-headed Cowbirds
What a promise to the birds and to us. God feeds them most time by the plants and bugs in the fields, but he also uses our feeders and water to supply their needs. The same is true for people who are righteous. The Bible says in Psalms 37:25-28, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. (NKJV) The Lord helps His own by seeing they have jobs and their needs met. If times get hard and the job is gone, the Lord will lay it on someones heart to help them out. He has promised to meet our “needs” not our “wants.”
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 