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Franklin Knoop | Bovey, Minnesota
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 INTRODUCTION (All Scripture References are from the NKJV) Recently, after reading about the creation of he world from Genesis 1&2, I read Psalm 19:1-6, "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. [2] Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. [3] There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. [4] Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, [5] Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. [6] Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.". God speaks through His created works! We are told in Job 12:7-10, "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; [8] Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. [9] Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, [10] In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?". Jesus said in Matthew 6:26-30, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? [28] "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; [29] and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
Several years ago I used to preach from time to time about the spiritual (scriptural) lessons we could learn from various animals. I haven't done that for a while now; but enjoying the natural world as I do, I still look for and learn from the world around me that God has created!
The second part of Psalm 19 speaks of God's "Law". It is vital that any "lesson we learn" from God's world, be screened through God's WORD. Nothing is to contradict or take the place of the Word of God. If we "learn a "lesson" from the natural world, and that "lesson" violates the teaching of Scripture, the "lesson" we learned is WRONG! Thus, it is vital that we screen the lessons of nature through the Bible; yet on the other hand it is BEAUTIFUL when we can hear God speak to us through the natural world! The natural world can easily furnish us visual aids for the teaching of God's Word!
As God gives me the opportunity, I would like to write some devotionals, using the things of nature to "show" lessons from the Word of God. Some of these will be based on the messages I preached years ago; others will be lessons I am blessed to learn on an ongoing basis.
Whether anyone will read these devotionals or not, I don't know; but I want to write a record of what God blesses ME with, and put it out there for anyone else who might be blessed. |
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The autumn weather was so beautiful this morning, that I had breakfast on the back deck. I stood there with my plate of cooked cabbage, sausage, and scrambled eggs - all heated together in a cast iron skillet and seasoned with minced garlic - watching the birds eat their breakfast of sunflower seeds and ... sunflower seeds. The particular bird that caught my attention was a plump little sparrow, just sitting there, looking contented as if he or she were too full to fly. I took my little "binoculars" in one hand and watched it for a while. Its little head turned this way and that as it took in its surroundings - perhaps wondering what that awful-looking stuff was that the guy over in the corner had on his plate. I got to remembering a conversation I had with a guy in Kansas shortly after we moved there. I put out my bird feeder and filled it with sunflower seeds (my favorite for feeding the birds). The friend that was standing there said, "All you're going to get is sparrows." I know from experience that sparrows aren't a favorite with some people. By the way this man said what he did, I guessed they weren't his favorite, either. I looked in my bird book the other day and was amazed to see how many different kinds of sparrows there are. My experience over the many years of feeding the birds is that there is no shortage of sparrows (whatever the type) showing up for a free meal. Actually, not all of them are "free-loaders". Some of them pay for their food with beautiful songs and/or interesting actions. (Several times I have seen one bird feeding another.) The little sparrow that I saw this morning at my feeder was welcome to be there. Any sparrow is welcome at my feeders (as long as they behave themselves). Jesus referred to the sparrows. I don't know if it was the sparrow He had in mind when He said, "Look at the birds of the air..." (Matthew 6:26); but He did mention the sparrow when He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will." (Matthew 10:29). Think of that: of all the sparrows, "NOT ONE...! I was thinking about that this morning as I stood watching my contented little friend on the feeder. That plump little bird, with it's short beak and cute beady eyes, would not fall to the ground unless its Creator (AND MINE) did not willed it to be so! What an awesome God we have! If God so cares about, and is involved with the common sparrow, I can trust Him to know and care about me! After saying what He did to His followers about the sparrows, Jesus added, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value that many sparrows" (Matthew 10:30-31)! Some people perhaps would not be excited about my experience this morning - especially my choice of breakfast food. My breakfast actually tasted rather good. The best part, however, was the blessed time I had with my Lord: having "Breakfast With the Birds." |
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PAST BLOG ENTRIES |
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My goal is to go back and post some sermons I preached before I started this website. I don't know that the old ones will be seen as newly posted unless the "Sermons" button is clicked at the top of the Home Page. One of them that I just posted...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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Jesus said about John the Baptist, "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist..." (Luke 7:28). This is quite a statement of Jesus', considering all the great prophets in the Old Testament....[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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Some of the messages that I post are ones that I have preached are from a couple of years ago. It is possible that when you pull up the sermon page there will only be listed the latest one preached, and not the latest ones posted. The "All...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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All six messages that I preached from the book of Titus back in the fall of 2010 have now been posted. I listened to each of these messages before posting it. I am NOT referring to the delivery, but to the CONTENT of the Word of God preached,...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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Before I was married I was asked if I wanted to house-sit for an older couple who was going on vacation. They didn't want to leave their house unattended, so they asked me if I would be interested in staying there. It would not cost me any rent;...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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Epaphras is a person we know little about; but he is known intimately by the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus heard Epahpras' voice often, as he was "always laboring fervently in prayers" (Col. 4:12). The account we have of Epaphras is found in...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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I have been recording the Sunday morning sermons from the Balsam Bible Chapel since back in 2009. I have other messages recorded that I preached from other churches where I've served, but they were recorded on cassette tape and the quality of...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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