HERE ARE
A FEW LESSONS FROM GOD'S WORLD OF NATURE. HE MADE THESE LITTLE
ANIMALS. AND, AS WE HAVE JUST READ IN THE GREAT BOOK OF JOB,
THEY CAN TEACH US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE CREATOR, OUR LORD AND
GOD!
JULY 29, 2006, SATURDAY:
The tiny sea animal is called
an "appendicularian." It exists in countless numbers in every
ocean on earth! It is so small as nearly to be invisible, is
almost clear in color and yet possesses the normal bodily organs
and functions usually associated with sea life! For example, it
has a spinal column, nervous system, tail, mouth, stomach,
intestine, heart, blood and reproductive system.
But here is where things get
amazing!
This little creature lives in
a bubble! It is in this large bubble, some nearly the size of a
walnut, that the little appendicularian lives and moves and has
his being!
It's bubble absorbs sea water
and food particles, thus providing life sustenance to its
inhabitant!
His home can be quite lovely,
colored with tinges of yellow, red or violet! Or uniquely shaped
like an apple, umbrella or elongated torpedo! It encircles its
little guest underneath overhead and all around ... completely!
And while this little creature
God made astounds biologists, he is cleaning up the ocean waters
around him, even eating some things like dwarf plankton and
bacteria!
Now, why did I include this
animal in our study?
He reminds me of something
Paul wrote ... about our being "in Christ
Jesus!"
The great Apostle uses this
expression 39 times at least in His 14 Epistles!
"In Christ
Jesus!"
The object of the preposition
"in" is obviously "Christ Jesus."
His lovely Name here is framed
in the dative case. In Latin that would have been further
refined as the "locative" case.
Here is pictured a saint of
God, one who has been washed in the Blood of Jesus, inside the
sphere of the Lord Jesus Christ! In That Location! Actually
within Him!
The grammar here reverently
portrays us believers as living inside the Sphere of our dear
Saviour! Inside His world! Inside His Life! Inside His Power!
Inside His Love!
Listen again to Paul in 2nd
Corinthians 5:17 as he teaches: "Therefore
if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." He also
says: "For in Him we live, and move, and
have our being." Acts 17:27
Yes, as Believers we live in
Jesus and from Him we draw our food, our breath, or very life!
And through Him we also clean up our environment, a sin soaked
world!
Without Him we would be
nothing! Jesus said in John 15:4 "As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye
abide in me."
Yes, those little microscopic
fellows floating around by the billions in the oceans teach us a
lesson! It's the same lesson John gave us late in his life on
earth: "And now, little children,
abide in him;
that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be
ashamed before him at his coming." 1st John 2:28
Christian friend, remember
today that you are living "in Christ!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 19, 2006, WEDNESDAY:
The last verse of our Text,
speaking of the Lord, says: "In whose hand
is the soul of every living thing." Job 12:10
We must accept the phrase
"every living thing" literally. In the King James Bible the word
used here, "chay," is translated as "beast" 76 times and
"creature" another 15 times. However it is rendered in some form
of "live" or "life" over 340 times!
This Paragraph from Job has
mentioned the animals or beasts and the birds or fowls of the
air as well as the fishes of the sea. In each case we are now
being told that they possess a "soulish" quality. God controls
the "soul" of every living thing! This noun, "nephesh," means
"creature" 9 times in our Bibles. An old preacher, a real
scholar, defines it as "the mind, will and emotions" of a being
created by the Lord.
Yes, animals can "think," at
least to some degree.
And yes, they can decide
certain limited things.
And they do know fear or
loneliness and maybe even sadness occasionally.
God's creatures have souls ...
but not spirits!
See the rest of the verse.
"In
Whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the
breath of all mankind." Job 12:10
Now this noun "breath"
translates "ruach" and means "wind" 92 times in the King James
Bible, "breath" another 27 times but spirit or Spirit 232 times!
The "breath" or "spirit" of mankind is exclusive to God's human
creation. Animals do not have a spirit! That is the part of man
that has the quality of God-consciousness. I mean when it is
awakened or re-born by the Holy Spirit!
The qualifying noun "mankind"
is spelled "iysh" in Hebrew and particularly means "man" in the
male sense, being translated "husband" 69 times in Scripture!
However, we know from other Bible locations that ladies have a
"spirit" too!
The central point of today's
verse is that God has "in His Hand" all life, whether animal or
human!
The verse also makes a
difference, a distinction, between mere animals and God's
masterpiece of creation, human beings! Evolutionists are telling
us today that men are merely animals in an advanced
developmental state! They're wrongly telling us that I might
add!
Humanity is created in the
image of God!
God is almighty and in
absolute control of everything, including His creation! So much
so that the beasts and birds and fish can teach us things about
their Creator, at least about His power and grandeur.
Therefore a good science book,
when stripped of all its evolutionary lies, can be a real
eye-opener ... to some of the things of God!
Yet again, if you want to know
all the revealed truth about our great God ... consult
the Bible, His written Word!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 16, 2006, SUNDAY:
The animals have been discussed. The
earth also was included. Then Job said that the hand of the Lord
"hath wrought" all these things!
Precisely:
"Who knoweth not in all these that the
hand of the LORD hath wrought this?" Job
12:9
This is just
another way of saying that the Lord "created" the beasts of the
field and the birds of the heavens and the fishes of the sea and
even the earth itself!
But this specific
verb, "wrought," is so interesting!
It is spelled "asah"
in Hebrew and means "to fashion" or "to shape" or even "to put
in order!"
In fact, "asah"
is translated as "do" 1333 times in our King James Bible. And it
is rendered "make" another 653 times. But several other times it
is written "prepare, perform, dress, and maintain!" Each
definition is perfectly valid.
"Asah" implies
accomplishing something efficiently, mightily and valiantly.
Let's scan some
of the 33 times the verb is found in the same form as here in
Job 12:9. That is the "Qal" stem ... meaning simple active voice
and in the "perfect" sense of time ... meaning the action is
completed, and in the "3rd person singular" form.
Here goes:
In Genesis 27:17
Rebekah "prepared" ("asah") a meal! God made the animals and
birds and fish and earth with forethought and care, just like
Mom when she cooks a delicious meal! Also see 2nd Samuel 13:10
and Esther 1:9 and 5:12 and 6:14 for other similar examples ...
with meals.
In 1st Kings
15:13 a wicked woman named Maachah "made" an idol. Can't you see
them cutting and carving and shaping that old dead tree? God so
designed and shaped all His creation. By the way, mankind is
made in the image of God!
Here's "asah" as
embroidery or needlepoint or some other creative seamstress
work! "She maketh herself coverings
of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple."
That's Proverbs 31:22.
Here's the
weaving process too! The godly woman of Proverbs 31 is here
being described. "She maketh fine
linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the
merchant." Proverbs 31:24
"Asah," to do or
commit or fashion, can be used of one's sins too! Israel several
times in Scripture "wrought" great iniquity! Here's an example
of Jeremiah's usage in his great sermon against Babylon.
"As she hath done, do unto
her." Jeremiah 50:15
Here is Bible
proof that God made this earth and all that therein is!
Furthermore, the
verse implies that anyone with an open mind can easily discern
God's creative Hand in His work!
I wish I had
space to print the whole Text right here. Well, I think I will!
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall
teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes
of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these
that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is
the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."
Job 12:7-10
For me that
settles it!
God is The
Creator!
And his creation
glorifies His dear Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 15, 2006, SATURDAY:
It's used in the
Bible 36 times, including our Text here!
"The Hand of the Lord hath wrought this," says Job.
Yes, the expression
"the Hand of the Lord" is one of
the most powerful in Scripture!
It can be used in a context of
judgment. When Pharaoh refused to give Israel her freedom,
"the Hand of the Lord" brought
certain plagues upon his land! See Exodus 9:4. Yet Joshua 22:31
implies that one can be delivered from God's chastisement, from
"the Hand of the Lord," by obedient living.
"But if ye will not obey the voice of the
LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall
the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against
your fathers." 1st Samuel 12:15.
Also
"the Hand of
the Lord" can administer death. At least God's people the
Jews thought so. Of course they were grumbling in Exodus 16:3
when they said so! Deuteronomy 2:14 even mentions the fact that
"the Hand of the Lord" destroyed a
whole generation of rebellious Israelites! But
"the Hand of the Lord" could also
be against the enemies of the Jews, the Philistines for example.
See 1st Samuel 7:13.
Joshua 4:34 tells
us that "the Hand of the Lord" is
mighty!
For Elijah
"the Hand of the Lord" could give
great strength! "And the hand of the LORD
was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab
to the entrance of Jezreel." 1st Kings 18:46
"The Hand of the Lord" came upon
Elisha and he preached powerfully! That's recorded in 2nd Kings
3:15. Similarly Ezra had "the Hand of the
Lord" upon his work according to Ezra 7:28.
And for Job
"the Hand of the Lord" is the agent
of creation itself! He said so in Job 12:9. The animals and
fishes and birds and even earth itself reveal God's omnipotent
life-giving Hand! Isaiah has a compatible passage where he
declares: "That they may see, and know,
and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD
hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it."
Isaiah 41:20
God's "Hand" also
directs world government! "The king's
heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of
water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Proverbs
21:1
"The Hand of the Lord" can
literally shake in anger! Isaiah the Prophet again thunders:
"In that day shall Egypt be like unto
women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of
the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it."
Isaiah 19:16
God's Hand can
hold a cup also, a "cup of His fury!" See Isaiah 51:17. Also
notice Psalm 75:8 which reads: "For in the
hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it
is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the
dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them
out, and drink them."
But it is Ezekiel
who most uses the term! Seven different times in his Prophecy do
we read about "the Hand of the Lord" resting upon His servant!
Here's a familiar example: "The hand of
the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the
LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was
full of bones ...." Ezekiel 37:1
The same is said
of John the Baptist, even before he was born!
"And all they that heard them laid
them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child
shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him."
Luke 1:66
But today, being
Saturday, I want to accent yet one more
"the Hand of the Lord" verse. I dedicate it to the
Preachers who tomorrow will be standing in pulpits across the
land, preaching the powerful and living Word of God!
"And when ye see this, your heart
shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and
the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and
his indignation toward his enemies." Men, especially
look at the words:
"And the Hand of the
LORD shall be known toward His servants."
May it be so in your ministry this
weekend! Isaiah 66:14.
See that verb "be
known?" In Hebrew it is "yada" and can have a vast range of
meaning. It can occasionally suggest mere acquaintance with
someone ... or at other times just a deeper familiarity with an
individual .,. but regularly it Biblically indicates full and
intimate fellowship!
How well do we
"know" God's Hand?
But, still
discussing Isaiah 66:14, look what happens to the enemies of
God's servants, or at least to the enemies of God!
"And the hand of the
LORD shall be known toward his servants,
and his indignation
toward his enemies."
God's Hand FOR
His people!
God's Hand
AGAINST His enemies!
That's an
appropriate meditation for today, a day when the Middle East is
exploding in war!
There too, God
has His people ... and His enemies!
It is to the
Jews, the nation of Israel, that God says:
"Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." That's Isaiah
62:3.
And all I can say
is ... Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
july 11, 2006, tuesday:
The fish can talk?
Not literally, but
figuratively they sure can!
Job advises us when it comes
to God's Power and creative ability to ask
"the fishes of the sea." And the
assured answer returns that they "shall
declare unto thee" some great things about
"the Hand of the Lord!"
Now that verb "declare" is
interesting. It is spelled "saphar" in Hebrew and means "to
count or number" or even "to reckon" ... then "to tell." In this
identical form it is used of people praising God in Psalm
107:22.
Let's put Job's charge all
together: "Speak to the earth, and it
shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto
thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD
hath wrought this?" Job 12:8-9
But how can the fishes teach
us?
Why, everyone knows that fish
often live in schools!
Of course I mean this as a
play on words, but it is nonetheless true!
And it is obviously impossible
that tiny fish have learned or acquired or evolved this instinct
to "school!" They do so from birth!
I have been told that some
schools of fish number up to a million little swimmers!
But again, why do they swim
together in such giant numbers?
Apparently it is for their
protection! It is nearly impossible to single out just one fish
when so many are moving in harmony and unison!
Yet when they are frightened
or chased by a predator, they scatter in a hundred different
directions, never colliding with their neighbor! It is as if
they can tell which direction their brothers are going before
they even start!
They can! Here's how.
Schooling fish have special little organs called "lateral
lines." These run along the whole length of the fish, just under
their skin. These little organs have little hairs in them that
acutely sense the water pressure. This "navigation" device is so
sensitive that it can determine subtle differences in the speed
and direction of the fishes all around! This ability enables the
fish to avoid any collisions and escape an approaching enemy!
Look at this!
The Creator God, our Redeemer,
Who made the fish, equipped them to swim in vast schools for
numerical safety. Then He simultaneously designed them to be
able to wisely scatter like exploding fireworks when a predator
comes near! I mean to scatter unharmed!
This is not some "survival of
the fittest" quirk! Rather, it is evidence for design! Here is
another example of God's purposeful creation of earth and all
its creatures.
Fish in schools, for safety!
There was a day when American
schools provided safety!
Preachers could go there and
learn God's Word without fear of being taught damnable
doctrines. Children could attend and still learn good wholesome
subjects. The last place in the country one would expect danger
is in school! But that has all changed!
Yet we people do not have the
discernment the fishes have!
When the devil's predators
come, we do not scatter! We stay in our schools!
That money! Those degrees!
Influence! Power! Political correctness! These are more
important that spiritual safety! At least it seems so to
millions of Americans!
And by staying in our schools,
we are losing our faith and being eaten alive by Satan and his
cohorts!
Lord, help us!
Make us as wise as the fishes
of the sea!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 6, 2006,
THURSDAY:
The "earth" even can teach us
about the Lord!
In Job 38:4-7 God asks Job
some questions. "Where wast thou when I
laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast
understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou
knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are
the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner
stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the
sons of God shouted for joy?"
God is the Creator!
He just said that He laid the
"foundations" of the earth.
Geology tells us something
about this. Listen to the earth "speak" now! You see, geology is
simply the study of the earth! Discovering what the planet on
which we live is teaching us!
The noun for "foundations"
above, the underlined word, is spelled "eden" in Hebrew. It
means "sockets!" The word is used 56 times in the King James
Bible. In 55 of those locations it is translated "socket" or
"sockets." And only 1 time is it translated "foundations."
God has placed sockets
underneath the vast continental land masses of earth!
Foundations on which they rest!
So Job says!
So the earth says as we study
it more and more!
"Eden," the Hebrew noun, is
often used of the sockets in the Tabernacle into which the
boards and pillars of the building were placed!
Geologists (again, scientists
who study the earth) are learning that the foundational rock
(mantle rock) under the oceans is as little as 2 miles think in
some places. But the rock under the continents is as much as 300
miles thick!
What's the point, Brother
Bagwell?
If these measurements are
accurate, look what God has done!
By the way, any inaccuracy is
not on the Lord's part, but simply on man's measuring ability!
God has built some solid
foundations on which to place the continents of our world!
I mean 300 mile thick
foundations!
And He has "fastened" the land
masses to these foundations! This verb is spelled "taba" and
means "to sink into" or "to be planted!"
These facts, when considered
as a whole, sure do indicate design and purpose in the formation
of earth!
Sockets!
Sounds like the earthly
continents are anchored quite securely!
Yes!
A Creator God Who has done
exactly what He said!
We are just now learning to
see His Fingerprints ... from the day He laid the foundations
for our world!
Wow!
The earth has just taught us
something about the Wisdom and Power of God!
Thank you, Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 4, 2006,
TUESDAY MORNING:
The Text, Job 12:7-10,
continues by instructing us to "speak to
the earth, and it shall teach thee."
Even the earth is created by
God. This is such a fundamental truth that it is taught in the
very first verse of the Bible. "In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis
1:1
The verb used here for speak
is spelled "siyach" and of course means "to talk or speak," but
also "to meditate or ponder or muse" about a subject!
The first time these
consonants are used in the Bible, the "s" and "y" and "ch"
letters of the Hebrew alphabet, they are found in Genesis 2:5.
There the word is translated "plant," the green vegetation
growing from the earth! When we ask the earth about our great
God, it often answers by saying "study the growth that rises
from my soil!" The vegetables and fruits and flowers and trees!
These words, "speak" and "plant," appear identical! Only their
vowel points vary!
And, according to Job, what do
these earthly things do?
They "teach" us certain things
about God, their Creator!
Teach, the verb, is "yarah" in
Hebrew. Its initial or root meaning is "to throw or to hurl"
something! In the King James Bible it is even translated "shoot"
18 times and "archers" 5 more times! But "teach" 42 times and
"teacher" 4 more times! It pictures an instructor taking a
sliver of truth and hurling it right into our hearts, lodging it
there permanently!
Now that is a metaphor!
By the way, this concept of
teaching is not unlike the Old Testament's main verb for
"teach," which is "lamed." Lamed is an ox goad in the Hebrew's
vocabulary, another sharp pointed object!
Consider the earth in
Scripture. Its mountains and valleys and plains and deserts and
oases. Think of the geography of Jesus' Life alone! Geography
just means the study ("logos") of the earth ("geo") really!
Once Jesus called God the
Husbandman! That word, in Greek now, means earth worker! God is
not only the Creator of earth, but also The Guardian and
Caretaker of earth! Said Jesus in John 15:1 ...
"I
am the True Vine, and My Father is The Husbandman."
I then guess the earth can
teach us!
Once, in 1st Kings 20, we
learned that our God is not only the God of the hills or
mountains! But also He is God of the valleys too!
That's the earth teaching us,
folks!
And didn't the earth teach us
the day Jesus was buried?
We soon learned that death and
darkness and the grave could not hold Him, could not keep Him!
The earth of necessity gave us
The Dead One and Jesus arose victoriously and literally!
In all likelihood the earth
could teach us for the rest of our lives! I mean teach us
amazing things about the Creator God Who has also become our
Redeemer!
That's just amazing!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JULY 1, 2006,
SATURDAY MORNING:
The Job 12 Text printed above
says that the fowls of the air can teach us some things about
God and His power and creativity!
I was studying earlier today
about the spoonbill, a large wading bird. I say large because
the adult is about 32 inches long with a wingspan of three to
four feet! One could also say that this is a bird that eats with
a spoon! Its bill is so designed by the Creator so that the bird
can sweep it back and forth in the water, collecting its lunch
or supper! Nerves at the edges of that bill cause it to shut
tight when a fish enters the mouth canal!
Perhaps the most beautiful of
the spoonbills is the roseate, which lives along the coasts as
far south as Argentina and as far north as our Gulf coast. As
its name suggests the bird is pink with crimson reddish tones on
its shoulders.
Now get this!
The bird receives its
color from the food it eats!
The sea creatures that
comprise its diet are rich in carotene, which is orange-reddish
in hue!
Colored by the food it eats!
The spoonbill takes on the
appearance of its diet!
Spiritually speaking ... so do
we Christians!
What we eat mentally or
emotionally colors our actions and ultimately impacts our
appearance!
It's not hard to tell if a man
or woman has been on a steady and rich diet of the Word of God!
Or nibbling on the things of
this world!
Such things become exceedingly
visible!
James says that the implanted
Word can save our souls! Make us "crimson" in color, by the
Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! "Receive
with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls." James 1:21
A bird just indirectly taught
us a spiritual lesson, a valuable one!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 21, 2006,
WEDNESDAY MORNING:
The snake is a
cobra.
It is poisonous.
It inhabits parts
of Africa, India, China and Malaysia.
It can bite its
prey, causing ultimate death.
BUT it can also
spit its venom at an approaching enemy!
This includes
humans!
The venom, called
neurotoxin, if accurately aimed at one's eye ... can cause
intense pain, blindness, and if introduced into the bloodstream,
death!
A spitting snake!
This fact argues
for keeping one's distance!
A cobra can
accurately spit, usually hitting its target, up to a range of
eight feet!
I see here a
spiritual lesson.
The snake, a
Bible picture of Satan, is dangerous!
Of course one
spiritually desires to stay away from such personified Evil!
We are at times
taught in Scripture to "flee" the devil and his lusts!
But, think about
this.
One can maintain
his or her distance, "separated" from sin, and still get "hit!"
Hit by flying
venom, hot deadly poison, airborne!
Most usually
through the "eye" gate, too!
What bountiful
spiritual lesson this cobra affords us!
Folks, not only
should we stay away from sin!
We should even
remove ourselves from its neighborhood!
Maybe this is why
Paul says to abstain from the very appearance of evil!
Stay away from
lust and theft and hatred and idolatry and all other forms of
sin!
Far away!
Out of "spitting
distance" even!
Think of this.
The good Creator,
our Lord God Himself, has made a snake that typically
illustrates for us the danger of being too close to the devil!
Thank you, Lord!
Hey, the beasts
really can teach us!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 20, 2006,
TUESDAY MORNING:
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall
teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee,"
so writes Job in one of his great paragraphs about God's
creation!
That verb "ask"
translates "shaal" in Hebrew and means "to enquire," but
occasionally can even mean "to beg!"
The Bible
position on God's world of creation is one of a student
approaching his textbook! Learn from the animals! They in some
amazing ways reflect various aspects of their Creator! He has
made them to teach us about God's wisdom and power. This verb,
ask, is in the imperative mood here. God is commanding that we
do so!
The noun for
"beasts" is "behemah" and has become an English "loan word,"
behemoth! It means anything huge, especially an animal or sea
creature.
It's quite
striking that the Bible says such creatures can "teach" us! Not
the usual word for "teach," which is "lamad," but "yarah" is
utilized here. It actually means "to throw, shoot, cast or hurl"
something! In the hiphil stem it means to teach! Teaching to the
Hebrew mind is throwing darts of information and truth into
one's soft and receptive heart!
"Fowls," spelled
"oph" in our Text, means flying creatures. Of its 71 uses in the
Bible it means "fowl" 59 times and "bird or birds" 9 more times
and "flying" in two or three verses. This last instance
occasionally includes flying insects too. What beautiful flying
animals the Lord has made! I love to watch them soar. Learning
of them can be a life long activity!
The word "air" is
the common Hebrew noun for "heaven," spelled "shamayim." The
birds of the heavens!
Even they can
"tell" us some things, some wise things! The verb is "nagad" and
means to announce or report or even to expound truth!
What dignity
Scripture has just heaped upon the world God created!
These animals are
be respected, because it bears the fingerprints of its Maker!
Bear in mind I
said "respected," not worshipped!
We will not fall
victim to the error of our day, the one Paul predicted long ago.
He spoke of the ungodly who "worshipped
and served the creature more than the Creator." Romans
1:25
If seen through
the eyes of the Spirit of God, everything becomes a conduit of
knowledge and understanding and wisdom, either positively or
negatively!
That sure makes
every area of life exciting!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 15, 2006
... THURSDAY MORNING:
I have just learned about a
little fish. It lives in the tidal outlet waters of northeast
South America. Apparently it is just called the "four eyed" fish
by the people there!
Really it has only two eyes,
but each eye is assigned two jobs. As the fish floats near the
top of the stream the top half of each eye slightly protrudes
from the water. It is looking upward for any
approaching danger or any incoming food! The bottom half of each
eye looks downward and all around,
in case an enemy approaches from that direction!
Look! "Dual vision" it is
called!
An upward look and an outward
look!
The eyes of this little fish
are designed that way!
Believing as we do in the
Creator God ... it's easy to see His Hand in this. The "four
eyed" fish is an example to us Believers! We too are to be both
looking upward toward Jesus ... and simultaneously all around
for the enemy!
"Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God"
says Paul in Hebrews 12:2. Or, "If ye then
be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1
Then ...
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The very
word "circumspectly" here from Ephesians 5:16 means "looking all
around!"
Where we look
is critically important!
If you doubt that, ask sensual
King David or worldly Lot or even covetous Achan the thief!
As I understand it this little
fish basically lives in this unusual position. At the top of the
river ... looking upward toward the sky and outward into the
water!
What a picture of
faithfulness!
Also, if the topmost part of
his eyes becomes too dry, he submerges for a few seconds, going
down into the water to moisten them ... but immediately coming
back up to stay vigilant!
Is that not also a lesson for
us Christians?
If we do sink a bit into the
old world in which we live, make it brief! Resurface! Get back
to the top! Stay alert! Keep looking at our dear Lord!
In fact, the science books say
this little fish can't stay far down for very long. He is build
with a buoyant bladder that will not cooperate with long-term
deep submersion! He just can't live way down there!
Need I say any more?
A true Believer can't stay in
the world too long either!
Not a Blood washed child of
God!
He or she is built
differently!
"Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him." 1st John 2:15
Can't the fish really teach
spiritual truth?
God made them that way!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Oh, let me add one more thing
about this "four eyed" fish! As he swims in the river his
protruding eyes leave a "wake" or a "path" in the water! As you
know such "paths" are prone to made the shape of a "V" as the
fish moves upriver! This little fish's signature is a set of "V"
trails following his forward progress! Get it? Keep your eyes
heavenward ... and "V" or victory will be yours! The key to
victory is certainly found in concentrating of Christ Jesus our
Lord!
