Getting the “Look” from a Hummer
What a day, Father! You know what is on my heart. You know who needs You in a mighty way in their lives. You are with them, but I would pray that You would give them eyes to see. Amen.
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I recently got to thinking about hummingbirds. We have a feeder hanging in front of the bay window of our dining room. Often as we are eating at the table, when we will see them fly up to eat. “There’s a hummer!”, we’ll say.
One amazing thing that happens every spring is that I’ll be standing at the window and out of the blue a hummingbird, usually a female one, will fly up to the window, stare at me for a bit, and then zoom off. When I see her, I’ll tell Karen, “Hey, it’s time to get the feeder up. I just got that “look” from our hummer!”
You know, it’s the look that says, “Hey, what’s the deal! We’re here, but where’s the feeder? Get with it, man! We’re hungry!”
On the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website, I read,
Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (which are the ones we see at home) spend the winter in Central America, and most get there by flying across the Gulf of Mexico.
That’s a 500-mile journey in one trip! No wonder I get the “look”! They’ve come a long way and need their nourishment!
I found the following information on the American Bird Conservancy’s website.
Hummingbirds have outstanding spatial memory and can remember feeder locations years later. They are also able to keep track of bloom peaks and remember which flowers they’ve visited. This is because a large portion of a hummingbird’s brain is occupied by the hippocampus, an area dedicated to learning and spatial memory.
Some may not agree but I see Divine Creator written all over that!
What else but an almighty, imaginative, loving God could create a bird that weighs less than a nickel, that lays eggs no bigger than a coffee bean., whose wings beat 60 to 80 times per second, and of all things, can fly up to my window, just to let me know, with a look, that she’s ready for lunch!
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
….or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
….or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
….that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
….and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10 NIV
June 12th, 2022, Sun, 8:54 pm
Smarty-pants
Father, I would pray for Your guiding hand as we come together this evening. Direct my thoughts in a way that would bring glory to Your name. Amen.
Acts 17:16-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
Growing up many of us knew someone that we would have labeled as a smarty-pants. The term was used to describe a know-it-all, a smart-alack, a show-off. Someone who is described as a smarty-pants…is annoying to engage with and difficult to be around. A smarty-pants has to always be right, and always tries to force others to acknowledge that he is right.*
Soon after the Apostle Paul and his companions began to have a good, positive impact among those in Berea, problematic Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea to stir up trouble, and the believers there sent Paul the Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy to wrap things up.
Paul was certainly no dummy but landing in Athens, he found himself amongst men who would have been considered some of the most learned of his day. Luke the author of Acts inserted a note that states, (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) v21 NLT
And because of this, some were put off by what he was saying but others were intrigued and invited him to speak before the big guns of the city’s philosophers at a place called the Areopagus. v22 NIV
After he arrived in Athens, Paul found himself deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. v16 NLT and as he found himself with this great opportunity before him, he addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. vs22-23 NLT
The Life Application Study Bible’s note on verse 23 states,
Paul explained the one true God to these educated men of Athens; although these men were, in general, very religious, they did not know God. Today we have a “Christian” society, but to most people, God is still unknown. We need to proclaim who he is and make clear what he did for everyone through his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot assume that even religious people around us truly know Jesus or understand the importance of faith in him.
There may be “Christians” all around us, but how many are so in name only. In reality, church attendance and supporting those churches with money and energy – even saying they believe in Jesus – don’t add up to a hill of beans if those actions and beliefs are not accompanied by a relationship with Him.
The smarty-pants in Athens (and maybe even some we know personally) may have thought they were always right, and always tried to force others to acknowledge that they were right, but they cannot escape having to accept or deny the reality of who Jesus was…and is still today.
May our heart’s goal be to patiently, lovingly point out the importance of personally knowing Jesus. And may we diligently strive to be a living example of what it means to do so. Lord Jesus, help us. Amen.
*Grammarist: Smarty-pants and smarty-boots
June 9th, 2022, Thurs, 9:04 pm
Seek Out the Truth
Thank You, Father, for a productive day. Now we can move forward with our summer break! May we be wise stewards of the time and resources given to us by Your gracious hand. Amen.
Acts 17:10-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the most dangerous places to be is under the leadership of a pastor that takes offense at anyone questioning him. I have read too many horror stories of individuals who have submitted to such “authority” because of falsely aligned submission and obligation.
Most certainly a pastor is in the right to hold firmly to his beliefs and convictions but a true and authentic messenger of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ must serve in humility as He did. And he must willingly withstand the scrutiny of his teachings when held up against the truth of God’s word.
If said pastor questions the mindset, then they would do well to read through this passage which finds Paul and Silas finding a receptive cross-section of the Jews and Greeks in Berea. They were open-minded and listened eagerly to Paul’s message.
But here’s the clincher, we see at the end of verse 11, that these new believers …searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. NLT
Did Paul and Silas get defensive? Nope. Did they try to expel anyone for questioning them? Nope. They diligently continued to teach and because they let the wise Bereans affirm to themselves through God’s own words that they spoke the truth many of them became believers… v12a AMP
If you hear something you’ve never heard or a spin on something that goes against the grain of what you have been taught, check it out, scrutinize it, and don’t just blindly accept whatever is being espoused as truth. It may be the truth but be diligent in holding it up to God’s word and with prayer see what God has to say. Seek out the truth!
Lord Jesus, may we through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives be able to clearly decern what is truth and what is divergent from said truth. No man or woman is perfect, we all can err. May we willingly submit to You and only You. For only You are the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through You! Amen. (John 14:6 AMP)
June 8th, 2022, Wed, 8:18 pm
Green-eyed Monsters
Two days of cleaning my bus have definitely impacted my body, but Father, my mind and heart are with You. Use me to communicate Your heart and mind. Amen.
Acts 16:35-40(<<click here to read the passage)
Jealousy. We’ve all experienced it – maybe you’ve been on the receiving end or maybe you’ve been the green-eyed monster.
We’re all probably familiar with that phrase which traces itself back to the writings of Shakespeare. He used it in two of his plays, “Merchant of Venice” and “Othello” whose main characters used it in their dialogues. But actually, there is historical precedent for associating green with jealousy which can be traced back to ancient Greeks. They believed that feelings of envy and jealousy were triggered by the body’s overproduction of bile, which turns the skin into a shade of green.*
Many of us would associate jealousy with children since they are a little quicker to let their emotions show, but adults, though a bit more subtle, are no less ready to let their green-eyed monster out. Too often we just don’t like it when those close to us are getting the attention we crave. And unfortunately, we can get pretty creative when it comes to drawing attention back to ourselves.
In today’s passage, it’s crazy that these “God-fearing” Jews weren’t motivated by doctrinal purity. They weren’t striving to refute anything of a theological nature at all – their sole motivation for throwing together a group of troublemakers from the marketplace and forming a mob to start a riot was jealousy – petty green-eyed jealousy. v5
Jealousy from either side – the giver or the receiver – can be destructive. Lord Jesus, help us watch where our hearts lean. May we find contentment in who we are and what we have as we see ourselves through Your eyes. Help us not to let petty mentalities hurt others and ourselves. Amen.
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
….jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30 NLT
Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
….but jealousy is even more dangerous. Proverbs 27:4 NLT
*3 Colors That Represent Jealousy
June 7th, 2022, Tues, 7:39 pm
Empty or Full – It’s Your Choice!
Father, it has been an odd sort of day. The weather started out bright and it is now overcast and raining. My heart started out overcast and now it is shining much more brightly. All praise to You for Your active presence in my life!
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Music is a wonderful communicator of the soul!
I have a friend who has been blessed with great musical gifts. She and her husband have ministered on so many levels to so many people. I met her several years ago and would say she is one of those with a sweet and gentle spirit, who lives a life where she doesn’t just occasionally seek to live out her faith in Jesus Christ but breathes it in and out with each breathe.
A year or so ago, she began sharing recordings of her playing wonderful arrangements of predominantly hymns, quite often accompanied by her singing. I listened to one of her posts, just a little while ago, and it was not the first time! Her video is posted here and I would encourage you to go to her YouTube page and subscribe…you won’t regret it!
This particular arrangement is a combination of the traditional spiritual, Give Me Jesus, and the Fanny Crosby hymn of the same title.
The first stanza of Fanny Crosby’s hymn reads,
Take the world, but give me Jesus,
All its joys are but a name.
But His love abideth ever,
Thro’ eternal years the same.
How many times on any given day does the clamor of the world call out to us? It offers so much if we can just get this thing, do this thing, think this way, or place ourselves in some given circumstances in which everyone else finds themselves. And the world claims that we would be so much more content and fulfilled and happy if we would do so.
But, if you haven’t already figured it out, it’s a total scam! There may be a time of contentment or fulfillment or happiness, but it is short-lived. It is there for the fleetest of moments but is gone far too soon, leaving us with a gaping hole to fill. And sadly, that is how we spend our lives – searching for something to fill that hole.
What is worse is that that hole, over time, seems to get bigger and bigger and it gets harder and harder to fill. As the second line of that first stanza states, All [the world’s] joys are but a name. The world promises great things, but in the end, they are but a name. And that is why the first line says, Take the world, but give me Jesus.
The world may satisfy us for a time, but Jesus’ love abideth ever, Thro’ eternal years the same!
And where the world leaves us empty, the benefits of life with Jesus fill us to overflowing! It’s like a cup under a faucet opened wide! Before too long, His blessings are splashing out – overflowing, drenching those around us, as well!
O the height and depth of mercy!
O the length and breadth of love!
O the fullness of redemption—
Pledge of endless life above!
The world will only drag us into the depths of despair. But Jesus said in John 10:10b,
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. AMP
Amen and amen!
June 6th, 2022, Mon, 8:52 pm