Gospel Jewels

My Jewels # 51 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up MY JEWELS."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Broken Eggs

Chris hadn't quite learned to walk yet when we went to visit our friends on the farm.  It was an interesting place.  They had a yard full of clucking chickens, hungry cows and curious turkeys, all trying unsuccessfully to get fat on desert grass.

The turkeys were funny.  They seemed interested in everything around them and came over as a flock to look us over as we got out of the car.  They were probably hungry and thought we might have something for them to eat.

Arnold, the farmer, brought the eggs he had gathered into the house and set them on the kitchen table.  We were all talking and laughing about the curious turkeys when we heard a CRASH!  Chris had crawled over to the table and pulled himself up onto his feet by grabbing the tablecloth.  Of course, the cloth slid off the table and with it all the eggs.  Now they were all a gooey yellow-and-white mess on the floor.

Our laughter stopped in a hurry.  It wasn't just a big mess on the floor to clean up; it meant our farming friends had no eggs to sell.  It was a sad situation.  We didn't have enough money with us to pay for the eggs, so all we could do was help clean up the mess.

We've all made a sinful mess of our lives.  And in God's sight we are not just poor; we have no money at all and are in debt.  There's not one thing we can do and no way to pay for our sins.  That's why we I am so glad to tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ saw our sad, sinful lives and took pity on us.  He left the glory of heaven to come live in this world full of sin.  He was born a tiny baby just as you and I were, but He never sinned.  The Bible tells us in Luke 2:51-52 that He grew to be a fine young boy, obeyed His parents, and "increased in wisdom . . . and in favour with God and man."

But the Lord Jesus was also the Son of God.  First John 3:8 tells us, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested [came], that He might destroy the works of the devil."  He came to pay for our sins.

Later we were able to pay our friends for the broken eggs, but we'll never be able to pay the Lord Jesus for what He's done for us.  All we can do is receive Him as our very own Saviour and thank Him from the bottom of our hearts. "Our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity [sins]"  (Titus 2:13-14).    

Have you accepted His work on the cross for your sins?

My Jewels # 50 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up MY JEWELS."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Chimney Blackbird

When the weather begins to turn colder, have you ever noticed that blackbirds and starlings collect around the tops of warm chimneys?  If it gets crowded up there, sometimes there is pushing and shoving and squawking among the birds to find a warm spot.

One September afternoon, a blackbird had somehow gotten inside the oil furnace chimney above the roof of our house.  Even though the furnace was off, there was warmth from the morning use of the furnace, and the bird either fluttered or fell to the bottom of the chimney.  But soon it wanted to be out of there!

We could hear the bird fluttering and scratching, but it could not fly back up to the top opening.  It was hopelessly trapped, and we felt sorry for it, as it struggled inside the chimney to get out.

The only way for that blackbird to have its freedom was for us to take apart the top of the furnace so we could reach the bird and take it outside to set it free.   After considerable effort, we finally were able to capture the bird inside the  chimney.

The blackbird was black to start with, but now it was blacker with the soot and filth of the chimney.  We carried it outside to the garden hose.  But even after most of the soot was washed off, that blackbird still remained black - because it was born a blackbird.

You and I each have a sinful nature that we were born with, and we can't change it.  But we can have the soot and filth of our sins washed away.  However, water won't do it, nor will trying to lead a good, clean life help.  Being helpful to our friends and neighbours won't remove a single sin either.  God's Word says, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good deeds] are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).  That makes us just as helpless to remove our sins as that blackbird was to get rid of the chimney soot.  But the garden hose was the remedy for the blackbird.  The bird was washed clean and set free.

God and His Son Jesus are offering you and me the remedy to remove our sins forever.  The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ shed on the cross has the power to wash us clean from every sin and to set us free.  "The blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).  "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

The blackbird was released - clean and free again.  But have you been released - clean and free?
 Have you been to Jesus to have your sins washed away? 

What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
So that not one spot remains?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Nothing can for sins atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Nothing good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

My Jewels # 48 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My Jewels."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Cuckoo Bird

The European cuckoo bird has a strange habit.  When the mother bird is ready to lay her eggs, she doesn't build a nest for them.  Instead, she flies to the nest of another bird who is off hunting for food and lays one egg in that nest.  Then she finds another nest where the mother bird is gone for a few moments and lays another egg in that nest.  She does this until her whole clutch of cuckoo eggs has been laid so each one is in a different nest.

When the other mother birds return to their nests, they don't seem to notice that they have a strange egg in their nests.  They treat it just like one of their own, keeping it warm and protecting it.  But when the eggs all finally hatch, the baby cuckoo bird is larger that the other baby birds in the nest.  And this cuckoo baby gobbles up far more than its share of the bugs and worms that the mother bird brings to her nest for the babies.  The baby cuckoo bird grows big and strong, while the other baby birds in the nest become weak and sickly and many times even die.

Now I'm wondering if those of us who are Christians might have a "baby cuckoo bird in our nests'?  Are we allowing anything in our lives to gobble up the time and energy we should be using to read God's Word, the Bible, and spend time in prayer?  If so, we won't grow strong and healthy in ways that the Lord Jesus wants for us.

This is a good verse to remember to help us get rid of the "baby cuckoo birds" in our lives.

"Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion [power] over me."  (Psalm 119:133).

My Jewels # 47 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My Jewels"
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

Defeated Yet Still Dangerous

When Danny Anderson was a young boy, he loved to go hunting for rattlesnakes with his dad.  He gave Danny some good advice: "Never touch a rattlesnake!"  That's very good advice, since rattlers will often strike at moving objects in front of them, and their bite delivers deadly poison from their fangs.  The kind of rattlesnakes where Danny now lives inject a poison that kills living tissue, stops blood from clotting, and can shut down vital body organs.  If the bite isn't treated right away, it can cause death and almost always leaves some kind of scar.  That's why I'm sure Danny wishes he had listened to the advice he got from his dad when was just a boy.

Danny, now fifty three years old, has often seen bull snakes around his property.  They aren't poisonous and are actually helpful to farmers by eating rats and mice.  Danny had never once seen a rattlesnake in the five years he'd owned this property, but they can be found not far away.

One Monday night, he was feeding his horses when a five foot rattler slithered up where Danny and his son were working.  Acting quickly, one of them grabbed an irrigation pipe and pinned the snake to the ground.  While it struggled, the other one grabbed a shovel and cut off the head, hitting it a few times for good measure.  That's when Danny made his big mistake.  He thought, wouldn't a rattle snake head make a nice souvenir?

This rattlesnake reminds me of another deadly enemy of man-kind - Satan.  He was conquered, defeated and crushed by Christ at the cross.  Even Satan's best weapon, death, was taken away from him when Christ was raised from the dead - "Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54).  But that doesn't mean we should challenge Satan or ignore his power.  He is a very clever and sneaky enemy!  He acts  like a roaring lion as he attempts to scare Christians away from faithfulness to Christ and obedience to their Lord.  We should remember the warning of Satan's poison and use the Word of God to resist his efforts.  "Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

But Danny didn't remember his dad's warning.  He said, "When I reached to pick up the rattlesnake's head, it raised up and almost did a back flip and bit my finger!  I had to shake my hand real hard to get it to let loose."  Experts say that the rattlesnake's heat-seeking sensors and touch sensors can both function for a while after death and cause the snake's muscles to react without the brain telling them what to do.  Scary!

Danny would have ignored the little bite, but his wife insisted they head for the hospital.  Ten minutes later, with his tongue already swelling and the snake poison spreading, they reached the nearest hospital.  In minutes he was in an ambulance, heading for a larger hospital where he could get a full, six-shot antivenin treatment.  Two days later he came home from the hospital.

Danny thought it would be fun and quite safe to pick up a rattlesnake head.  Careless people think it would be fun and harmless to go places and do things where Satan still has his power.  He hides his deadly poison in things that look inviting.          

Have you read books or magazines, played games and enjoyed entertainment that has the poison of sin mixed with it?  Danny's wife had the best advice: "Get out of there and head for the hospital right away!"  And it's a good thing Danny listened.  The Lord Jesus gave us the perfect example for resisting Satan, by using His Word to defend against the devil.  You can read about it in Luke 4:1-13.  Notice how many times Jesus says, "It is written," and then quotes the Word of God.

Danny says the next time he sees a rattlesnake he'll kill it, but then he'll grab a shovel and bury it right there!  And you and I should follow God's instruction in Proverbs 4:14-15 when we meet up with sin: 

"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."

My Jewels # 46 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My Jewels."
(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

Buried in an Avalanche

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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