Ocean creatures never before seen by mankind?

That live 35,000+ feet below the surface of the sea?

In total darkness?

Where the weight of the water alone (the sheer pressure) would crush any human in a few seconds?

Little fish with no eyes!

Why would they need any, existing in an environment where not a ray of light has penetrated for centuries?

Although some of God’s little masterpieces who live down there have “headlights!” Not very bright, but (like the lights on a miner’s helmet) helpful in identifying a fish’s location!

Has anyone ever been down there?

Yes, but you can count the men on one hand!

And the submarine (if that’s the right word) that brought them there was only able to stay at that depth about 15 minutes! Too dangerous!

And get this, no man has ever walked on the bottom of the ocean, the sea-bed itself! (On the moon, yes! But not this particularly challenging place of our planet.)

Wow!

The octopus is there, some form of the crab too. Even squid! And sharks! As well as many (not yet explored) fish!

While most scientists (oceanographers) have not personally visited the most extreme ocean depths, they do use sonar devices to “listen!”

And they are telling us that there is a perceptible “song” that seems to be emitted from these creatures! As if a yet unstudied symphony might be playing some tune, way down below!

Singing what?

I think we might someday learn (perhaps during the Millennium) that they are singing praise to the Creator, to our Lord Jesus Christ!

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and UNDER TEH EARTH, and such as are IN THE SEA, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13

“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?” Job 12:7-9

Oh, what a mighty God we serve!

What a Saviour too, the Lord Jesus Christ!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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He is a little animal God created way back in Genesis chapter 1. He is a considered a mammal and can weigh as little as 2 pounds but as much as 36 pounds. (Different species!)

His long claws are virtually excavation tools. With amazing speed he can “cover himself” in dirt, hiding from a predator! In fact, they build their “homes” (called “dens”) underground! Around 10 feet deep and with “rooms” (for sleeping, for rearing their young, etc.) connected by tunnels and spread out over 30 feet or more!

The badger is such a fierce fighter he will even take on a rattlesnake! And usually wins, being quicker and smarter. (He goes for the back of the snake’s head!) They have even killed dogs twice their size!

Furthermore, he can run extremely fast, backward or forward, at practically the same speed either way!

His digging ability, once his sense of smell locates an underground meal (rat, snake, whatever) is so keen that he accurately rips open the earth and enjoys a bit of nourishment!

Yet with all these positive traits, the badger is sneaky! When in grave danger with no means of escape, he often pretends to be “dead!” He even stops breathing during his little act! Then when approached by the “enemy,” the little follow springs to life with sharp claws pawing in every direction! Poor predator!

You might say he is a “great pretender!”

And that trait reminds me of a few professing Christians in our lax land today! “Pretenders, hypocrites!”

Acting like something they are not!

Jesus’ fiercest Sermon was directed against that crowd!

Seven times in Matthew chapter 23 our dear Lord uses that term in the plural … “hypocrites!”

He calls the religious charlatans of His Day “blind guides, fools, extortioners, stinking gravesites, and even vipers (deadly snakes)!”

What a warning to us all.

James 5:12, in an unusual way, exhorts us to be genuine, to be non-hypocritical. “But let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

And Paul in Philippians 1:10 taught us to be “sincere!” Do not be a spiritual fake!

Badgers are amazing little creatures. And as we have seen they are endowed with some interesting and positive character traits.

But play-acting is not one of them!

Folks, BE REAL … for Jesus’ sake! We do bear His Name in this dark and sinful world!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Its name, “jaguar,” is believed to derive from the vocabulary of an ancient Brazilian tribe. It is thought to mean “wild beast that overcomes its prey at a bound.”

The jaguar is the third largest “cat” in the world, behind the tiger and the lion, in that order. (It can weigh up to 400 pounds!) It is the largest cat in the Americas!

This creature is one of the fiercest hunters in all God’s creation! Killing not only crocodiles, turtles (teeth so strong and sharp that can effortlessly bite through a turtle’s shell), deer, cattle and even (at times) people!

He primarily lives in Mexico as well as Central and South America. (But it is currently thought that the heaviest concentration of these majestic creatures is located in the nation of Brazil.)

His body is covered with spots, a yellow coat sprinkled with black spots. I am told that a trained eye can “spot” the difference between the jaguar and the leopard, a smaller animal.

An interesting fact, naturally speaking the jaguar has no enemies! Too big and fast and fierce for that!

He is at home in water (one of the few cats that can effectively swim), in the lofty jungle trees, and of course on land.

Not a surprise, he can live up to 20 years! Who in the world is going to “bother” him?

Oh, one more thing. These animals have an infamous temper! You will notice that earlier I told you he can eat “men!” (So dangerous is he that some countries have hired men to kill them!)

And talk about grudges!

Once injured by a human being, the big cat has been known to “hunt” them down and attack them! I mean hunt them for days and days! And once he locates his “prey” he tries to kill them!

Of course, usually the angry animal loses that battle. (Guns and bullets versus cat power!)

Then again, I see a “lesson” here, a “warning.” The Bible teaches us of the dangers of “revenge,” of “spite.” And of an “angry disposition” as well.

Proverbs 22:24 … “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go.”

Colossians 3:8 … “But now ye also put off all these; ANGER, WRATH, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

1 Peter 2:1 … where “malice” is defined as “ill will, the desire to get even” … “Wherefore laying aside all MALICE, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings …”

And as far as trying to “trap” someone, hunting them down with desire to kill … “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.” Proverbs 26:27

The jaguar does NOT mix well with people! I don’t think I have never heard of a jaguar “pet!”

Yet we Christians must be gregarious. To this point … “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another …” Quoting a part of Hebrew 10:25, wise advice in dangerous times! Our adversary as Believers is not said to be a jaguar, but a roaring lion!

Be alert!

Conquer that temper!

Love people, the brethren particularly!

Be smarter than the jaguar.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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A little animal that “plays?”

Strange as that fact might sound, YES INDEED!

Otters, our focus for today, come in 13 species, all created by our Wise God according to Scripture.

They are sea creatures, though some live in freshwater. (That “species” thing!) They are found ranging in size from 2 to 5 feet in length! (Yes, these are adults!) And weighing from 3 pounds all the way up to 75 pounds!

They are thickly covered in fur, two layers in fact. More fur per square inch than any other animal, according to the experts!

And otters love the water! Excellent swimmers!

(That fur is waterproof, by the way.)

Their diet: mostly fish, including crabs and crayfish, lots of shellfish. The latter of which they “break open” using their hard stomachs pressed against rocks on the nearby shore!

They can, when necessary, “walk” on land too! Moving from one lake to another, across a mountain! Such feats have been observed time and time again.

And they train their young! A mother otter may take as much as a year teaching her little one to survive on its own!

Their defense mechanism? Primarily teeth, a deep bite that is said to be ferocious!

But back to my initial thought … “playful otters?”

They certainly enjoy life!

Gregarious little fellows, they play together for hours!

Sliding down wet hills into the water! One after another!

When that activity becomes boring, a “game” of “follow the leader” just might be next!

Then a friendly “wrestling match” or two might complete the afternoon’s recreation!

(King James I of England, the authorizer of the King James Bible, had a collection of live otters. He watched them play for hours! As entertainment, for the King himself!)

But can we draw a spiritual lesson from these amazing examples of God’s creation?

How about this?

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

Let us not be sour, drab, monotonous in all we do!

Smile!

Even laugh!

After all, “The joy of the LORD is our strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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No, God did NOT create the character trait known as sloth! In fact, that is a sin, laziness! But God did create the animals that man has named the “sloth.”

This little mammal lives in the rain forests of Central and South America. With their long hair and shaggy fur, they resemble monkeys. They are two to two and a half feet long (tall) and weigh between 10-17 pounds, on average.

This little creature loves to sleep! If undisturbed, he can log as many as 18 hours a day snoozing away! He or she mostly lives in trees, his feet are structured so that walking on hard ground is uncomfortable! And when he is on the move, it takes an entire minute to travel a mere 14 feet!

Oh, this too. They live in the trees, as I said, but love to hang up there upside down! Most of their lives are spent in that awkward position!

He is so stationary (seldom moving far) that tiny plants grow on its fur! Green algae, to be a little more specific. This phenomenon makes this unique creature look like he’s part of the tree itself! Good protection, in fact! A typical enemy, predator of his … the flying eagle, especially when the sloth is young and more vulnerable! (I see God’s creativity in every line I am typing!)

He is not a social creature, either! Seldom seen in pairs! Usually if “two” are spotted, you are looking at a mother and child.

Now I am wondering exactly how they catch their food. Being so slow, so inactive. The answer: they survive on the very leaves of the trees they inhabit!

Can you understand why he is called that, a “sloth?” Which is permissible (I guess) in the animal world. But certainly not in the real world of human beings!

The Bible’s predominant word for “slothfulness” derives from the Hebrew “atsel,” meaning “lazy, sluggish,” or of course “slothful!”

Here’s one Bible character who is too lazy to even eat, to feed himself! “A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.” Proverbs 19:24

A danger of such laziness? “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” Proverbs 21:25

And apparently a slothful man makes up excuses not to leave his tree … I mean his house! “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” Proverbs 22:13

Sloths (the mammals) love to sleep, as we saw above. So do lazy humans, sleep too much! “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.” Proverbs 26:14

I have heard (read) enough!

I want to avoid sloth in every area of my life!

Here’s a therapeutic verse … “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:10.

Paul wisely adds … “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.” Colossians 3:23

Now Jesus our Lord teaches us, most importantly of all … “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4

Let’s WORK, not being LAZY, until Jesus comes again!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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