Robbing Robins

Who is he in the shadow of the Persimmon tree? The Robin's are friendly feeders in the Persimmon tree. They are seen early in the morning catching the early worms. The real robber birds are the European Starlings. When they come they can strip a tree of all it's fruit in one day. The Bible sometimes refers to a bird as the thief, stealing the seed of God's word. Spiritually these birds are the devil's workers. 

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 

Mat 13:4  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 

Mat 13:18  Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 

A Robin is coveting a juicy ripe Persimmon.

It is feast time. Eating like a 1950's Biblical spectacular, where Caesar is indulging in a banquet in a drunken stupor. This Robin isn't drunk from the Persimmons. Wait until the Holly berries and Pyracantha berries have fermented after a frost. I have heard a robin fly into our picture window, knocked out and staggering from too many fermented berries. Let none of us be like this feaster of wine.

Pro 20:1  Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. 

Robin red breast, or is that Persimmon pulp on her feathers? He is a handsome and friendly bird. The LORD takes care of his birds. They do not sit in nests waiting to be fed. They seek food and with some effort they find it.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 

The Branch

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Millennial king.

Jer 23:5  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

He had other names:Emmanuel, God with us and Jesus, Saviour.

Mat1:23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 

Act 13:22  ... he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Act 13:23  Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
Act 13:24  When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 
Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 
Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 

Our hope and rest is in the righteous Branch of David.

Imagine

Imagination is good if it is constructive. Great inventions have come by imagination and wisdom from God. Needless to say, we get into trouble if we have wicked imaginations. Try to imagine good things and see things as they should be. When the LORD called us he called us to a purpose. Try to imagine your purpose and your usefulness to him. The Lord gave me eyes to see. I like to share what I see.

Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. 

A puddle mirrors a giant oak tree, a muddy image. We were once in a muddy pit of sin until Jesus came and lifted us out.

Psa 40:2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 

This tree resembles an owl. I see an eye and a beak. The LORD made all creation and provided for it.


Isa 43:20  The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. 

Just a lizard on a tree, or is it a dinosaur? Depends on your perspective.

Isa 27:1  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. 

 

Looking through a seed we see a blooming Silver Thistle. The small birds like thistle seeds.

Pro 25:11  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 

Pro 25:12  As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. 

Guy Smiley and his family. They weep over most anything.
A little humor from the kitchen. The onions flavor food and we are to flavor the world.


Eze 20:41  I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. 

Can you figure out what this says?

Mat 28:5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 

Mat 28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

Life Lessons

I put a pot with a hole in the bottom over a mimosa tree plant that I cut off last year. The plant followed the light through the hole and grew in the light as if the obstacle was not there. We need to be as focused as this plant, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the light of the world and not be deterred by the obstacles around us in this sinful world.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

A struggling fly in a pool of water made this interesting design pattern. With an action there is a result. Our lives put out waves to those around us attracting attention. May we use our time to plant seeds for the kingdom of God.

Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

As I walked by the river I heard a boat coming as I caught the speeding boat, I see that it was the sheriff in pursuit. He was putting action to his plan. The law has to be enforced.

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 

Further along the river trail is a place of solitude with a bench. This serves as my altar at times, a place to commune with God and to make plans. Our plans must be His plans if they are to prosper.

Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. 

These wild grapes speak to me of bearing fruit for God. There are ripe grapes and immature grapes as well as older raisin like grapes all together in one bunch connected to the vine. They are like the people of the church, altogether but of differing maturity.

John 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

I saw this little oak branch today and it brought to mind two things. The first is the deep root that these oak trees put down. We are to be rooted and grounded in God's word. Secondly, I recall a young lady named Linda who was saved through our online ministry from a bad life. I had named a giant oak as her oak tree. The giant oak fell in a storm and at my house was a tiny oak plant that the birds had planted. I said to her that she has another oak tree with her name on it. I never heard from her since that day in 2003, but the oak tree in my back yard is now  about 30 feet tall. The Valley Oak has grown tall and is a reminder to pray for this girl and for all who we have had contact with in our ministry. 

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 

1Ti 2:2  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.