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* Like Paul, forget those things which are behind, and press onward

   (Philippians 3:13)

* Like David, lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence comes my help

   (Psalm 121:1)

* Like Abraham, trust implicitly in my God (James 2:23)

* Like Enoch, walk daily in fellowship with my heavenly Father

   (Genesis 5:22)

* Like Jehoshaphat, prepare my heart to seek God (II Chronicles 19:2-3)

* Like Moses, choose rather to suffer, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for

   a season (Hebrews 11:24-25)

* Like Daniel, commune with God at all times (Daniel 6:10)

* Like Job, be patient under all circumstances (Job 13:15-16; James 5:11)

* Like Caleb and Joshua, refuse to be discouraged because of superior

   numbers (Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9)

* Like Gideon, advance even though my friends be few (Judges 7:7)

* Like Aaron and Hur, uphold the hands of the leaders of the church with

   prayer and support (Exodus 17:12)

* Like Andrew, strive to lead my brother to Christ (John 1:40-42)

* Like Stephen, manifest a forgiving spirit toward all who seek my hurt

   (Acts 7:60)

 

(Author Unknown; House to House/Heart to Heart Vol. 15 #1)

 

 

 

VEGETATION -- EARTH'S SOLAR BATTERY

 

 

In the Biblical creation story, as soon as the oceans receded and dry land appeared, it was then covered with vegetation. Today, highway engineers also know that fresh land must be quickly planted to avoid erosion. But as with all of creation, each part has many jobs. This writing is therefore about the many other roles of plants in the Lord’s preparation of the Earth for life, besides the hold on soil by plant roots.

 

 

Since most of this story will be about how plants are essential to life on earth, we would like to first pause to note once more that our God is obviously concerned with beauty as well as utility. Joyce Kilmer’s poem, “Trees,” is one man’s testimony to that splendor. One of the highway hazards in my life are the side glances at vegetation out of my pickup window. If my beekeeper interest in plants causes my demise in that way, please know that enjoyment had a part in what happened.

 

 

As plants lift their leaves to the sun, they drink in the energy of sunlight. Some of this energy is passed on to the body of the plant or tree and nourishes growth. In death, the heat from the burning of dry plant bodies is evidence of the battery-like storage of solar energy that waits for use by man or animals. In our quest for the ideal solar battery, we have sought in vain to duplicate the leaf and the wonders of photosynthesis that take place there.

 

 

Plants are therefore the beginning of the food chain that energizes animals, man, and our many heat engines. Carnivores are not an exception. They eat herbivores that dine on plants. The potency of the blood in my body is due to energy first stored by plant leaves.

 

 

God’s grace is evident in his many ways of storing plant energy. Rather than causing us to burn dry plants for our fuel needs, compacted plant matter in the form of gas, coal, or oil are evidence that he cares for our convenience. When coal is mined, the imprint of leaves can sometimes be seen in the cleavage planes of the lumps.

 

 

Earth’s oceans are alive with plants as well. Seaweed, with its long tentacles, reaches upward for sunlight. Less obvious are the surface algae and other small ocean plants that are the food for a myriad of ocean creatures. The eventual fossilizing of ocean plants appears to be due to the burial of ocean floors and subsequent pressurization caused by tectonic movement of continental plates. Most of the oil is thought to have this source.

 

 

While energizing the Earth, plants have another vital role in the support of life. In the process of photosynthesis, water molecules are torn apart and oxygen is released into the atmosphere. This vital gas is needed for the recovery of the energy stored in plants via the chemistry of fire.

 

 

Is it reasonable to attribute all of these grand interconnected designs to chance? Or should we agree with the Psalmist that: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”?

 

– James Gibbs