Have you ever watched a mother hen protect and care for her young?  If she sees a hawk circling overhead, she instantly gives a warning sound, and immediately the baby chicks come running to hide beneath her wings.

     When menacing storm clouds fill the sky with rolling thunder and jagged lightening, she again makes makes a noise that beckons her brood to herself where they find protection from the elements.

     As night approaches and shadows lengthen, she gives a quiet call that gathers her young to rest.

     Under her wings, the chicks are in darkness, not aware of the outside happenings.  They trust completely in the sheltering wings to protect them.  They are content, safe in their refuge.

     NATURE-ly SPEAKING.  Dare I parallel God as a “mother hen,” and we, His children, as “baby chicks?”  If so, there’s lots of comfort for us, His chicks, in the Scriptures.

     In Luke 13:34 (New Living Translation) Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, “How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”

     Elsewhere, God shows His protection and ample provisions for His own:  “He will shield you with His wings.  He will shelter you with His feathers.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (Psalm 91:4,NLT).  Again, “I think how much you have helped me;  I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.” (Psalm 63: 7, NLT).

     Someone once said, “Under His wings many blessings are conferred upon the believer.  We are concealed from the enemy, protected from harm, and refreshed by the comforting shade of God’s presence when the ‘sun’ of affliction has beaten upon us.”

     Many Christians, when going through times of trouble, are encouraged by Psalm 57:1, NLT: “…I look to you for protection.  I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past.”

     My friend, Hal Olsen, is a creative missionary journalist.  While living in Kenya he was often amused by roadside signs which read “Attention: Elephants have the right away!”  After all any motorist who suddenly comes face to face with a couple tons of elephant doesn’t need a sign to tell him the evident facts of life.  So, one day he sat down at his typewriter (yes, that’s what was used in those days) and wrote a story about the signs for several magazines.  That was many, many moons ago, and I lost or misplaced his orginial story, but I wanted to include it in this blog, so, with Hal’s blessing I’ve written a facsimile.  Here’s my rendition of Hal’s story.

     Road signs along African roads read, “Attention: Elephants have the right of way.”  Of course, any motorist who suddenly comes face to face with a couple tons of elephant, doesn’t need a sign to tell him the evident facts of life.

     The tragedy is that often a night-time driver, enthralled by the sight, will flash on high-beam lights to get a better look.  This, of course, disturbs the elephant and hours later the driver might very well arrive at his destination in a car that looks like he took a joy ride through a war zone.

     A wise night-time driver will do several things when he encounters an elephant.  First, he’ll stop slowly and then turn off the motor.  Next, he’ll either dim his lights or turn them off completely.  This way the elephant will see the silent, dark vehicle simply as an obstacle and will go around it.  No damage done.

NATURE-ly SPEAKING — a spiritual lesson can be learned from this simple, common sense proceedure.  Spiritually, light causes opposition from the Satanic enemy.  Dim you light, or better still, turn it off completely, and, like the elephant, your satanic enemy will not become agitated and will disappear.  After all, Jesus said correctly, “…men love darkness rather than light….” (That goes for Satan and his demons too.)  And yes, Jesus was crucified because the powers of darkness couldn’t stand the awful exposure the light of His teachings brought.  Even today, Christians who faithfully witness to the light found in Christ are open to demonic attacks by Satan and his cohorts.

     Therefore…Christians have a decision to make!  Dim or douse the light and be free from enemy attack!  Or, obey the command of Christ found in Matthew 5:15, 16, “Don’t hide your light…instead put it on a stand and let it shine for all.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see….”

     So, my fellow Christians, when we’re surrounded by spiritual “Elephants” it seems the Bible wants us to let our lights shine brightly even if we have to take (gulp!) a few lumps for Jesus.  After all, because of His lumps we have Salvation and Eternal life!

P.S. — However, if you ever travel on an African road, watch out for real elephants and follow these instructions v-e-r-y  c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y.

     The female ostrich has the unenviable reputation as being one of the worst mothers in the animal kingdom.  It seems she has no “mothering” instincts whatsoever.  Immediately after laying her eggs  she wanders off looking after no one but herself, leaving the male to take over the job of incubating them during the 8 week process.  She has no concern for the male who sits under the burning African sun, growing thinner day by day.  Even after the eggs hatch she takes no responsibility in caring for the young.  It’s the male who looks after the young and teaches them to fend for themselves.

NATURE-ly SPEAKING — there is a spiritual lesson to be learned.   The Bible clearly teaches that the father is the HEAD of the home, but the mother is the HEART of the home.  Someone has said, “A nation is as strong as the character of our mothers.”

     I recall reading a short article entitled, “The Meanest Mother.”  I have no idea who wrote it, but I clipped it out of the paper and put it in my file to be used “sometime.”  That “sometime” is now.

     The unknown author wrote, “I had the meanest mother in the world.  While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to eat cereal, eggs and toast.  When others had coke and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich.  As you can guess, my dinner was different from other kids.

     “My mother insisted on knowing where I was at all times.  She had to know who my friends were and what we were doing.  She insisted that if I told her I would be gone an hour, I would be gone for an hour or less.

     “I’m ashamed to admit it, but she actually had the nerve to make us kids work.  We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook.  I believe she stayed awake at night, thinking up things for me  to do!

     “By the time I became a teenager, she had grown even meaner.  She embarrassed me by making my dates come to the front door and pick me up.  And while my friends were dating at the mature age of 12 and 13, my old-fashioned mother refused to let me date until I was 16.

     “In spite of the harsh way I was raised, I’ve never been arrested.  And all my brothers and sisters turned out okay, too.  I guess we owe it all to our mean mother.  She insisted that we grow up into God-fearing, honest, responsible adults.

     “I’m grateful to God that he gave me the meanest mother in the world!”

     Yes, there are moths that drink the tears of elephants!  Known as Mabra elephantophila this particular species of moth is shy, tiny, and delicate.  It’s remarkable behavior astonished entomologists when first discovered.  Scientists now believe that, because tears contain not only salt and water but also trace levels of protein, they become a very nutritious source of food for moths.  And, the Mabra elephantophila, because of its tiny size is able to feast on tears without the elephant even noticing.

     But hold on, there are other moths that feast on tears as well.  Most, it seems, prefer the tears of large hoofed mammals such as the wet eyes of horses, deer, tapirs, pigs, and occasionally, people.  For some reason, they shy away from tears of carnivores such as dogs and cats.

     It seems each species of moth has its own unique technique for extracting tears.  For example, there is one moth that lands silently beside the eye of the victim.  Then, very carefully, it sweeps its proboscis (the long slender tubular feeding and sucking “nose” structure) across the eye of its host, irritating the eyeball which then produces tears.  Another species waits until the animal is asleep at which time it is able to insert it’s proboscis under the eyelid and drink away!  But the poor moth, Poncetia, has such a short proboscis it must cling to the eyeball itself to drink.  For this moth timing is of utmost importance, because if the weeping host blinks, more often than not dear ol’ Poncetia will never drink, or for that matter, fly again.  Imagine the ignominy of being crushed to death by, of all things, an eyelid!

NATURE-ly SPEAKING — even as moths gain life-giving sustenance from animal tears, likewise we can spiritually feed ourselves with Biblical “tears.”  Four of my favorite Biblical “tear” stories are as follows:

1. The tears of a Queen. (Read the entire book of Esther, preferably from the New Living Translation, it’s a fast read!)  The story of Queen Esther is a thrilling story of God placing the right person at the right place at the right time to save His people.  I never tire of reading this story over and over again.  In journalistic lingo, it falls into the category of the “biter gets bit.”  In other words the bad guy gets his payback.  The tears in this story don’t start flowing until the 8th chapter.  But when the beautiful queen presented her petition to the king with flowing tears, he was moved and the process of redemption was put into action.  The tears revealed Esther’s earnestness, her devotion, and her purpose of heart.  Praying with tears is very effective.  Oh, that we would shed tears while upon our knees.
2. The tears of a King: (2 Kings 20:5 and 6).  Poor King Hezekiah received word from the prophet that he was going to die.  Through the prophet, God said to the King, “Set your affairs in order for you are going to die.  You will not recover from this illness.”  When Hezekiah heard this he broke down and wept saying, “Remember, O Lord, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight.”  Then God said, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.  I will heal you….”  In this case a simple prayer mixed with tears brought another 15 years of life to King Hezekiah.
3. The tears of a sinner: (Luke 7:36-50). This story tells of a sinful woman so repentant that she shed bitter tears which fell upon the feet of her Savior, Jesus the Christ.  She then wiped them off with her hair.  Jesus saw those tears which revealed her true repentance.  He in return gave her the eternal salvation she so desperately desired.  Oh, would more people fall at Jesus’ feet with true repentance and tears.
4. The tears of a missionary: (Psalm 126:5,6).  The key words in this passage are: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  A missionary is one who anguishes over the fate of people without Christ.  The tears flow because missionaries are aware of the eternal tragedy that awaits anyone who has not yet received the good seed into his heart.  The joy comes when the lost sheep and the lost coin (as explained in Luke 15) are found.  Yes, joy, when a lost sinner is found and redeemed with eternal life by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

Praying with tears usually indicates a heart made malleable by a deep faith and a broken, humble spirit.  Dry-eyed prayers can sometimes come from dry hearts.  And dry hearts do not always produce the heavenly flowers that bloom from ones fed by nutritious tears.

Intro: Bob and Jean Robinson and their 4 sons have been friends of the Hornberger family for more years than my wife and I have fingers and toes.  Together we watched our children grow up, have children and start careers of their own. We first met when the Robinson family had to flee from Congo’s Simba Rebellion.  They lived on our Kijabe station as refugees in Kenya, until the fighting finished.  During that time, Bob and I became best buddies. We worked together on the Kesho magazine staff.  Shortly after returning to Congo, Bob died an untimely death bathing our souls with sadness, but gladness and eternal life for him.  Someday we’ll be together again.   In the meantime, Jean, who is now retired at AIM’s Retirement Center in Florida, continued their work in Congo.  She’s a natural storyteller.  And whenever she says, “I feel a story coming on….” we all sit back and listen.  From time to time I’ll publish some of her stories, until I can persuade her to start a blog of her own.  Here’s one of her true stories that I know will thrill your heart. — dave hornberger

Jean says:  “In the book, Praying For One Another, Gene Getz says, ‘Somehow, the simple act of prayer links a sovereign God to finite man.  When man prays, God responds.  Difficult situations change.  Unexplained miracles occur.”

     As I think back over the years God allowed me to minister in Congo, there are many examples of the above quote.  Let me share just one of them with you.

     When my husband died I needed to cross over from Congo to Uganda to get a new passport since I had been a dependent on his, which was now no longer valid.  The immigration officer, deeply saddened to hear about Bob’s death, reached across the big desk to express his sympathy.  He groped for words that did not come easily, finally blurting out, “It’s disgusting!”  And when you stop to think about it…that it was! From that time on, we fondly referred to this friend, as “Mr. Disgusting.”

     Years passed.  He left that office and was reassigned to some new location.  As a result I lost all contact with him.  During that time Idi Amin came into power in Uganda, unleashing a reign of terror in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.  During that awful time, I had to go to the East Coast of Africa to pick up my truck given to me while on furlough for the work at Adi mission station.  The route back home to Congo required that I pass through dangerous Uganda.  I came fearfully to the border customs and immigration office.  I was met by a young customs man who, I could tell by his demeanor, was proud of his authority and determined to give this lady a difficult time.  Gruffly he demanded I give him cash for the total value of my truck promising it would be reimbursed when I got to the Congo border. Of course I knew that promise would never be kept, even if I had that kind of cash. He was after a very expensive bribe.  I stuttered meekly saying I didn’t have any such cash with me!  So I was told I would have to return to Kenya and find some other way home.

     Outside the building were some truck drivers laughing at me.  When I got to the truck I noticed I had a flat tire — picked up on the way in there because of a nail they had put in the parking place where I stopped.  I got down on my hands and knees trying to release the spare tire from under the truck, and I didn’t know how to do it.  They continued laughing at me and at my efforts.  I did not know what to do, and thought, “This is no place for a woman alone…in this dangerous country at this time.”

     I heard a car pull into the parking lot, but just kept on with my work.  Suddenly I heard a voice saying, “Mrs. Robinson, what are you doing here?” I looked up and there was “Mr. Disgusting! My long lost friend!”  He told me he was the Chief Customs Officer at this post but it was his day off.  “But,” he said, “something told me to go back to the office to check things out.”

     I told him my problem, and that the man in the office wouldn’t give me papers to travel through Uganda (a trip of some 500 miles) and now I had this flat tire.  He ordered the laughing men, now very sober, (who, by the way, had been waiting for him) to fix my tire and that he would come back and check to see that they did a good job of it.  They responded with, “Yes, SIR!” and saluted him.

     Then he took me into the office and stamped all the papers and did not charge me anything, but rather, wished me a safe journey home!

     So, is that the end of the story?  No.  Not quite.  Sometime later I received a letter from a man from one of the churches where I’d spoken while on furlough.  He said he woke up one night and couldn’t sleep, so he got down on his knees and prayed for me, not knowing what my need might be.  After some time, the Lord spoke to him and said, “It’s okay now; the problem has been fixed.”  He then asked, “What happened on that date and at that hour?”  As I checked it out, it was when I was kneeling beside my truck needing help so badly, and when my friend, ‘Mr. Disgusting’ came to my rescue!

     And that is one of my favorite stories from my long life in Africa.

     The grazing animals of Africa’s grasslands are blessed by a bird that not only acts as a warning system, but keeps them healthy as well.  It’s known as an Oxpecker, (or “tickbird”).  About the size of a Starling they perch on animal’s backs and eat disease carrying ticks and insects.  And when danger stalks the grasslands the wary birds voice an alarm which alerts the animals to the danger.

     Most animals seem to gladly tolerate the intrusion.  The tickbirds even enter the wide-open mouth of sleeping crocodiles eating decayed flesh from between its teeth. (Who needs a dentist?!)

     Because they do good and also warn of impending danger, I refer to them as “missionary birds.”  After all, Christian missionaries dedicate their lives to do good and to warn.  Throughout this world missionaries have been responsible for setting up hospitals, schools, colleges, and churches.  They also tell people of their need for salvation, and warn them of the disaster that falls upon people who do not accept this eternal gift from God.

     Missionaries heed God’s command in Ezekiel 33:7-9 (New Living Translation).  “Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people…[so] listen to what I say and warn them for me.   If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to warn them about changing their ways, then they will die in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths.  But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will not be held responsible.”

     Yes, God wants every Christian to be a missionary.  He wants them to warn the unsaved people of their impending eternal death, and tell them of God’s rescue plan found in John 3:16, “…but God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

     The Piranha fish, also known as the “River Devil” swims in the vast basin of the Amazon River.  No other fresh-water creature has such a grim reputation for aggressiveness and ferocity.  Only about the size of a Sunfish, the Piranha killing machine involves swimming in schools of dozens to hundreds stalking the Amazon River in search of prey to satisfy their voracious appetites.  When they find a victim, they attack it at full speed using their razor sharp, triangular teeth, to strip the flesh from it’s bones, churning the water to foam and dying it red with blood.

     As a result, Piranha infested waters present a unique problem for the Brazilian herdsmen as they free-graze their precious cattle from one grazing area to another.  The reason is, from time to time, they have to herd them across the Amazon or one of its tributaries which harbors these killer fish.

     The solution is both painful and expensive.  In order to get the herd across to a better pasture, a cow has to be sacrificed by taking it downstream and forcing it into the river.  Immediately the sacrificial beast is swarmed by the deadly Piranha, their jaws ripping the flesh with lightening speed.  While the Piranha are feeding and distracted, the herdsmen quickly drive the rest of the cattle across in safety.  In 20 minutes nothing is left of the sacrificial animal except a skeleton.  But by this time the herd is safe on the other side.

NATURE-ly SPEAKING — a spiritual principle can be observed.  Like the herd of cattle, mankind is in a similar predicament.  He is stuck in a bad “pasture” (this earth) doomed for eternal death.  However, there is another “pasture” (heaven) which guarantees eternal life. But the two pastures are seperated by a “river” known as sin.  Throughout history mankind has tried to get over that river of sin to salvation by bridging it with “good works,” “church membership,” and among a multitude of methods, “religions of many kinds.”  All totally useless.  But, like the Brazilian herdsmen, God presented a  solution to get His chosen “herd” across the sin-cursed gap.  He provided His one and only Son to be a sacrifice, thus bridging the gap from eternal death to eternal life in Heaven.  God allowed His Son, Jesus, to die a horrible death on a cross and then raised Him from the grave 3 days later.  When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, he paid the penalty for our sin and made it possible for mankind to attain heaven and eternal life rather than hell and eternal damnation.

     The Bible says, “God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, Himself man, is between them to bring them together.” (1 Timothy 2:5, Living Bible). To take advantage of God’s sacrifice and ensure eternal life in Heaven, man must respond by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and receive Him by personal acceptance.  “But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12).

     To do this simply pray and tell God you want to follow Him through faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.  Here’s a sample prayer:  Father in Heaven, I come to you in the name of your Son,  Jesus Christ.  I desire to be one of your children.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, three days later.  I believe this sacrifice was designed so that my sins will be washed away through his shed blood.  I now accept Jesus Christ as my Personal Savior.  Amen.”

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world (put your name here), that He gave His only begotten Son, that if whosoever (put your name here) believes in Him, (he/she) shall not perish, but (put your name here) will have everlasting life.

     The creatures of the wild often depend on the power of their teeth for survival.  A hungry lion will scan Africa’s grassland for a suitable animal to kill.  It is usually a zebra, wildebeest, or buffalo.

     When he spots his prey, the lion slinks toward the doomed beast taking every precaution to assure the attack will be a surprise.  Using the tall sun-burnt grass as a camouflage he approaches to within a few feet of the unsuspecting prey.  Then, with a swift pounce, the lion sinks his teeth into the animal’s neck.

     As the teeth of death sink deeply toward the jugular vein, the lion suddenly shifts his weight of 500 pounds and the animal flips to the ground with a neck-breaking jolt.  But the lion keeps his teeth deeply embedded into the neck of his prey until all signs of life are gone.  Then, it’s time to eat.

NATURE-ly SPEAKING – a spiritual principle can be learned from the lion and his killer teeth.  The Bible, in II Peter 5:8 typifies our enemy, Satan, as a “…lion seeking whom he may devour.”  The fact that there are so many “devoured” (or, backslidden) people living in a state of misery and defeat is a clear indication that Satan’s tactics are very effective.

     But there’s a weapon against Satan’s “lion” teeth.  King David discovered it.  He was so happy with the revelation he penned these words found in Psalm 124:6 (NLT): “Blessed be the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart!” The secret weapon against lion’s teeth (or, spiritual failure) is summed up in Nehemiah 9:28 (New Living Translation). Nehemiah is praying to God, telling him that His people were killing prophets, they were being disobedient, rebellious, and committing all kinds of blasphemies, yet when they got into trouble and called in repentence, God graciously forgave and helped them. But then after their time of repentence it seemed the cycle returned, yet, (verse 28), ”…when all was going well, your people turned to sin again, and once more you let their enemies conquer them.  Yet whenever your people cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven.  In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them repeatedly!”

Yes, God is in the business of forgiving.  He did it for them, he’ll do it for us.  Over and over again….

Once, before Photoshop computer software which enables graphic designers to do all kinds of fancy things to pictures, I had the task of producing a photographic image to illustrate an article about “double-mindedness.”  I had to do it the old-fashioned way.  The plan was to take a double-exposure picture of a frog so it looked like one animal with two heads.  The idea was simple.  First, I’d take a picture of the frog looking one way, then I’d turn it around and take another picture of it facing the other way, all on the same piece of film.  I set up a backdrop stage on my African porch, caught a frog in a nearby swamp, and went to work!  Ha!  Did you ever try to get a frog to sit still?

     The first part of the picture was fairly simple.  But turning it around for the double-exposure was the thing of which nightmares are made. The critter just would not sit still, even for a fraction of a second!  Frustrated almost to tears, I tried to think of ways to get it to sit still.  Evil thoughts of smearing glue on its underside to simply nailing the thing to a board crossed my mind, but were quickly dismissed as a bit “over the top.”  I needed a more humane way.  A-hah!  I remembered in my high school days a certain biology lesson told about hibernation.  Frogs hibernate.  Maybe, I reasoned, if I could get the frog to start a hibernation, he’d be less likely to jump around.  But that presented the challenge of getting its body temperature to drop.

     No problem.  Over my wife’s objections, I stuck the frog in the freezer.  I promised her I’d take it out in about ten minutes.  But no sooner did I place the frog in the freezer than some dear fellow missionaries came for a visit.  By the time they left, it was dark and time to get the kids ready for bed.  Everyone forgot about the frog.  That is until the next morning when we were eating breakfast.  Someone said, “The frog!”  We all screamed, “The frog!”  I rushed to the freezer not knowing what I’d find.  I slowly and fearfully opened the freezer door.  There he was, eyes wide open, a beautifully preserved solid chunk of frozen flesh!  Fatefully I said, “I think its dead, but its preserved beautifully. Perfect for my picture.” That was not, I repeat, not, the best choice of words.  Of course my wife burst into tears while my children simply gave me that, “Dad, how could you….” look.

     With a heavy heart, but still determined to get my picture, I took the frozen frog outside and took all kinds of pictures.  No jumping around this time.  My double-exposures went flawlessly.  I worked fast because I was sure once it thawed I’d have a very dead frog on my hands, and I just wasn’t in the mood to photograph a dead limp frog.

     But then a remarkable thing happened.  My son, Philip, saw it first.  “Dad,” he yelled, “the frog’s eyes are moving!”  Sure enough.  Then there was a slow blink.  Next its head moved ever so slightly.  In short order the Kenya sun had that little fellow all thawed and hopping merrily around.  My wife wiped her tears.  My kids smiled again.  Together we triumphantly carried him to the swamp.  The last thing we ever saw of that little guy was when he took a giant leap and disappeared into his own special world of tall grass. (And, I’m sure, with quite a tale to tell….)

     “Why,” you might ask, “would a sane human being want to illustrate something like a “double-minded man?”  Simple.  Because the Bible says that God doesn’t like or want His people to be that way.

     Take, for example, Lot found in the Old Testament.  He was a double-minded man who wanted to have it both ways — that is, to worship the true God of his uncle, Abraham, AND he wanted to enjoy the pleasures of this world which the evil city of Sodom provided.  Actually he moved his family into the city and even sat proudly at Sodom’s gate as one of it’s elders.  He was a straddler.  Neither hot nor cold.  So compromised was he that when he tried to tell his married daughters and their husbands that they should flee Sodom because God was going to destroy it, they wouldn’t believe him nor would anyone else.

     Not only that, but when judgement fell, only his wife and two daughters still living at home escaped.  And even during the escape, his wife was so attached to the city she disobeyed by looking back.  She died instantly. (Read the story for yourself in Genesis 19.)  What tragedy “double-mindedness” brought to this family.

     It seems God interprets “double-mindedness” as a blending of the spiritual with the worldly.  Or, as the book of Revelation says, someone who is neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm.  Actually, the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of the book of James to use “double-mindedness” as the overall theme of the book.

     While we are not saved by our good deeds, they certainly mirror our faith.  As an example James 2:14-18 teaches, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

When is a rabbit a hare?  Never.

Even though they look alike, the rabbit and the hare are distinctly two different animals.  Yet they are often mistaken for each other.

For example, the Belgian Hare is not a hare, but a rabbit.  The Jack Rabbit is not a rabbit, but a hare.

The World Book Encyclopedia  gives a simple identity test:  “The animals can be told apart most easily at birth.  A newborn rabbit is blind, it has no fur, and cannot move about.  Whereas a newborn hare can see, it has a coat of fine fur, and it can hop a few hours after birth.”

NATURE-ly SPEAKING a Spiritual lesson can be learned from the long-eared look-alikes.

     Even as there are deceptive “look-alikes” in the animal kingdom, so there are deceptive “look-alikes” in Christendom.

     The Bible clearly waarns of “look-alikes” in the form of false Christs, teachers and leaders.  Matthew 24:24 says, “false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.”

     How can we tell the difference?

     Even as there is an identity test to tell the difference between a rabbit and a hare, so there is a simple identity test to expose the dishonest “Christian” leaders.

     First, check their “birth.”  Were they redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and do they believe in His resurrection from the dead?  Do they demonstrate this new birth?

     The Bible says, “Many deceivers have gone into the world.  They do not believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in a real body.  Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.  Watch out, so that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard.  Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward.  For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God.  But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son.  If someone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite him into your house or encourage him in any way.  Anyone who encourages him becomes a partner in his evil work. (2 John 7-10, New Living Translation Bible.)

     What did Christ teach?  (Here’s a list of some of His teachings and the Bible passages where these teachings can be found.  Any version of the Bible is fine, however, I prefer the New Living Translation Bible.)

• Salvation (John chapter 3.)
• End of the World (Matthew, chapters 24 and 25.)
• Life after death (Luke 18:28-30.)
• Sex (Matthew 5:28,29.)
• Christian living (Matthew, Chapters 5, 6, & 7.)

Carefully study the teachings of Jesus and you’ll never have to worry about “look-alikes.”