 |
|
| Volume 22 Number 6 June 2020 | Page 11 |
|
|
| Volume 22 Number 6 June 2020 | Page 11 |
Aaron Cozort
“While it remained, was it not your own?” Underpinning Peter’s declaration to Ananias in Acts 1:4 is a significant truth. God has placed into each person’s hand something over which he is a steward. For one person, it might be possessions. For another, it may be time or abilities. For still someone else, he or she may be a steward over children.
What remains true irrespective over what one is a steward is the reality that we are all stewards. Every person should recognize stewardship as fundamental to God’s expectations for our lives.
Jesus spoke of stewardship in Luke 12. Verses 42-44 reads, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.”
Jesus spoke this to Peter after delivering a parable about the coming of the Lord and declaring, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
Everything in creation and even the very breath in our lungs belong to God. The particles of the universe down to the lowest level belong to God. They are His creation.
Hebrews 1:1-3 reads, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”
So, while we live on Earth, live in a body that has life, breathe air, earn money and have within our power possessions, all of which belong to God, what are we doing with all of this stewardship responsibility?
Have you asked yourself, “How does my master desire me to use these things?” Are you going to be found faithful or end up like the steward in Luke 12:46? “The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
Ananias was struck dead by God, not because of his poor stewardship of money but instead because of his words. Glorifying God with money while lying to God with the tongue is not acting as a faithful steward.
The Pink Fairy Armadillo
David Everson
On day six of creation, God created the beasts of the earth (Genesis 1:25). Among beasts that God created is one on the extreme end of its family tree, the pink fairy armadillo, also called a “sand-swimmer” because it is said to move through soil as fast as a fish swims in water. It is an animal that deserves a better understanding of its physical features and lifestyle. Let’s look into the life and features of this “beast of the field.”
The pink fairy armadillo is the smallest member of armadillo family, only being 3.5 to 4.5 inches long and weighing about 4.2 ounces. Its life is spent in the deserts of central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes and scrubby grassland habitats. It gets its name from the pink color of the shell, which comes from underlying blood vessels that show up through the shell, giving it a pale rose or pink color. The pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur and a flexible dorsal shell that is solely attached to its body by a thin dorsal membrane.
This animal is nocturnal and lives largely alone. It has a diet of mainly insects, worms, snails and various plant parts that it finds chiefly by the sense of smell and hearing. It’s burrowing ability comes from its two front claws, which are very strong and very tough.
Heavy storms and rainfall will force the pink fairy armadillos to come out of their burrows where they spend most of their day. The reason for this is that if the tunnels flood, their fur will get wet, and with wet fur, they cannot warm their bodies back up, especially at night. This, of course, would be fatal for this small creature.
The armadillo families are well known for the leathery shells covering the majority of their backs. The pink fairy armadillo has this characteristic also, but its shell is much softer and more flexible. This protective shell of the animal, as earlier mentioned, is only attached by a thin membrane along the spinal column of the animal, which means it is very loose on the body. It can curl up to protect the vulnerable soft underside, which is covered with a dense covering of white hairs. The armored shell consists of 24 bands that allow the animal to curl up in a ball, and the armor is flattened in the back portion of the animal so that it can compress dirt behind it as it is digging. This compression strategy is thought to help prevent tunnel collapses. It is also thought that the shell can help with temperature regulation. Since the underlying blood vessels are so close to the surface, the animal can control the amount of surface area exposed to the environment in order to gain or lose heat by moving blood deeper into its body or closer to the surface.
The pink fairy armadillo is really one of the very unique beasts of the field that God has created. May we always be thankful for the exceptional creatures that have been created around us.
[Editor’s Note: Like so many uncommon creatures on our planet, the pink fairy armadillo defies human imagination and can only be attributable to an omnipotent Designer and Creator (Romans 1:20). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]