Miraculous Achievements

 

I often pass by two young Palm trees as I go to the Mall and admire their leaf structure but other than that I have taken them for granted as most people do. However, last week the gardener decided to remove one of them so chopped all its leaves off and cut its top off. Looking at that doomed tree I realised that there was more to it than I had considered before.

When those leaves emerge from the stem of the tree they are remarkably folded. If you look closely at what looks at first glance to be a fairly solid block of wood in the centre of the tree stump (beside the unfolding leaf) you will find that it is nothing but tightly folded leaves and as they open look at how beautifully they were folded (somewhat like a Chinese fan or a concertina). Now we know that those Chinese fans are designed and folded by very artistic people with considerable ability and on a table, or similar, where they can see what they are doing. Anyone can tell you that a fan cannot design and fold itself inside a cupboard, out of sight; such work takes know how and brains. See all those very tightly folded leaves in the main stem there, well they were folded in the dark, out of sight. What a neat trick!

Incredibly there are people who claim that trees like this, designed and folded their leaves themselves without brains or know how. Now that would take a lot of explaining. I prefer to believe the Bible when it records that God designed all these things and programmed them to do what they do. What people believe is their business of course, but children should be encouraged to recognise God’s remarkable designs in the world around them and look to the bible for answers e.g. where God says that He made everything and it was “Very  good”.  Now just look at this photo I took in our back yard of Milk Thistle seeds attached to their “parachutes” just waiting for a gust of wind to carry them away and deposit them in a new field. What a remarkable God we have who can conceive such a unique method of spreading seeds and then program a plant to do it.

At first glance this seems very simple but it is so complex it is more than our minds can fully comprehend: each of those seeds is no bigger than a pinhead and yet in effect it is a super microchip, as it contains all the information necessary to develop a new thistle plant and “instruct” it to draw on the soil where it has been deposited and gather moisture chemicals and pigment and convert those items into a dark green stem and leaves and develop bright yellow flowers with pollen to attract insects. Those insects will then fertilise the flowers so that more seeds can be formed and programmed to continue the species. Each plant is therefore a Science laboratory in itself and seeing the plant has no brains we have just got to give God the credit. Talking of giving God the credit; how about this daisy, it grows in very ordinary soil in our yard

where there are no obvious colours and yet its roots suck up the necessary ingredients to make these colours and the plant places them in their right order. But if that wasn’t difficult enough, it does it whilst the flower is folded up in the bud! And the flower is not just a pretty face either: it is the plants reproductive mechanism with its centre being laced with pollen and whatever is necessary to attract insects that will fertilise the seed pod behind it. Now all this is so well thought out that we would expect the plant to have a Science degree in Plant Genetics, if not, it must be that God programmed the plant to do all that. Which is what the Bible tells us. The public schools teach children that these just evolved by accident. How ridiculous and what a direct insult to our Almighty God.        Some more food for thought. Best wishes, Tom.

A Rock Foundation

Can you imagine the horror of the residents of these waterfront dwellings at Colloroy, a Northern beach suburb of Sydney, when they woke up to find that their beach had gone, along with their back yards, boat ramps and swimming pools?  After a day of severe storms and rough seas accompanied by a King Tide.

The caption in the top right of the photo says it all: it was “an accident waiting to happen”. Actually though it really wasn’t an accident, was it? It was a disaster that should have been anticipated, and avoided, after all, if you build a building on a foundation of sand right near the seashore you would have to be blind not to see the dangers. There have been so many precedents for this: year after year we hear about this happening somewhere in the world. In every generation there are those who have to learn the hard way it seems, but I’m pleased to say that some do learn from instruction and the experience of others.

Two thousand years ago the same thing was happening, and in the New Testament, Matthew, in Chapter 7 and verse 26, of his gospel quotes Jesus as describing the problem and drawing a parallel to the way we live with the following words: “Every one who hears these sayings of mine, and doesn’t do them shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” So we see that to build on an insecure foundation like sand has always been looked on as “foolish”. However, although Jesus was brought up in a carpenter’s home and would have heard Joseph discussing this subject with Mary, He wasn’t just lecturing on building foundations at this time, but was advising His hearers (which includes us) to make sure that we build our lives on a rock foundation as He went on to say: “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”. Actually houses are quite fragile, it is their foundations that give them strength and we are fragile too, as this little pillow (that a kind nurse gave Audrey) states: so even though we may consider ourselves capable and not in need of outside help, Jesus points out that we must build our lives on His word or when the inevitable “Storms of Life” buffet us we will not stand the pressure either. Did you say “what storms of life”? Well they are things like ill health, loss of your job, family problems, marriage difficulties, financial problems and the list goes on. There is no way we can dodge them and if we have made no insurance provision by building our life on Jesus words, then they can make our lives collapse.  If on the other hand, we have made that provision by asking His forgiveness for past sin and keep referring to, and living by, His instructions, then when something like that happens we can claim His promise where He says: “I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation”.  This “rock foundation” is absolutely essential and is absolutely reliable; believe me, I know!

Jesus knows what He is talking about, and as with any insurance policy it is a good idea to talk to your “Insurer” and get Him to “cover you” before the storms eventuate. However, if you have neglected to do that and your life is therefore already in trouble, then you need to read Luke Chapter 15 Verses 11 to 31, in the New Testament, and you will see how your Heavenly Father understands your situation and is waiting to welcome you back with open arms as the Prodigal son was welcomed back by his father.  

Best wishes, Tom.

Our Titanic

The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious ship afloat when it set out on its maiden voyage from England bound for New York in April 1912. The White Star Line had spared no cost in its manufacture and was certain that it was unsinkable. Over confidence and lack of wisdom both contributed to its downfall as the captain steered the ship, at full speed, through dangerous waters where icebergs had been seen, and it hit one of them. The rest is history; there were not enough life boats and the band was playing as it went down. The unthinkable had happened.

I believe that this Australia we love so much has now “struck its iceberg” too because successive governments have stopped honouring God; we have even had a Prime Minister who claimed to be an atheist and she is not the only elected politician that thinks that way. If you read 2 Chronicles 14 Verse 8-12, and Judges Chapter 7, in the Bible, you will see how a nation succeeds when its leaders put their faith in God. Three or four decades ago Australia was “sailing along” wonderfully with plenty of industries manufacturing most of the things we need because those industries were wisely protected from the competition of cheap imports by import duties. Our governments have since bowed to “level playing fields” and “free trade” ideas by removing those duties in order to comply with the wishes of the Godless United Nations. This simply means “good bye” to our industries. When I was young, as well as having healthy industries, our Governments owned the Commonwealth bank (on our behalf)  and also the Rural bank, coal mines, railways, electricity, ports, highways,  and many other important and income producing assets. They have now either sold or “pawned” most of these in order to acquire some instant cash.

Federal & State Governments both contribute finance to our Educational institutions and are turning a “blind eye” to the fact that all our youth in the public school system are supplied with a curriculum that denies the existence of God, as children are taught that there is “no sign of intelligent design in the universe”, (What absolute rubbish), and that everything just evolved by chance. In our law courts this teaching would be illegal as the members of a jury must hear all the evidence both for and against before making a decision, therefore children should be told the “God in Creation” side as well as the theory of evolution, and be allowed to make up their own minds. To cap that they have now introduced the “safe schools” program, which is nothing less than indoctrination that will do more harm than good. Also degrading and violent D.V.Ds are allowed to be sold everywhere too. There is a lack of “duty of care” here as these D.V.Ds must damage domestic relationships.  In God’s sight

governments are responsible for the welfare of the people, just as the captain of the Costa Concordia was held responsible for his ship (pictured) and its passengers. In a similar way Government members are personally responsible for “Placing a stumbling block in the path of one of these little ones” as Jesus said, and will receive His Judgement. In Luke 12:48, He confirms this, by saying: “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”, and we take it for granted that those we elect to govern, will protect our children. At the moment, with the Federal elections imminent, the candidates are ignoring this and just making promises that are akin to re-arranging the deck chairs on our sinking Titanic (Australia), which will fulfil Ex-Prime minister Keating’s prediction that we will become a “Banana Republic”. We must contact our local politicians and voice our concern, because if we as individuals do nothing we will also be held responsible by default. Then we must pray and fill the churches with ourselves and our family (the roof won’t fall in) and God might just rescue our nation. Do this and He will at least rescue you and your loved ones. Because when talking to His followers He says: “I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation” (Psalm 91), and “He that comes to me” Jesus said, “I will in no wise cast out”, (John 6:37). So God will provide a “lifeboat” for “believers” even if our “Titanic” does sink and turn into a “Banana Republic”.  Something for you to ponder.           Best wishes, Tom. 

Trees

 

We take trees for granted, but should always be thankful to God for making them and designing them the way He did because trees are special and are necessary for our survival; we are dependent on all types of vegetation but mostly trees as they were designed to store carbon dioxide and respire oxygen into the atmosphere.  Furthermore trees have enabled us to get to where we are: sailing ships were made from wood, trees supplied all our telephone and electricity poles until very recently when some made of concrete or steel have been used, our railway sleepers, our houses, our bridges and our factories and furniture have been made of wood. All the paper we use for letters, tissues, cardboard boxes etc comes from trees. The coal we use to smelt all the steel we have comes from trees buried by Noah’s great flood, and this coal drove our steam trains and still produces most of the electricity in the world, and very cheaply too. 

 In order for trees to grow, their roots absorb moisture; minerals etc. from the soil and take it up to their leaves which could be 105 meters from the ground.  Pacific coast redwoods (Sequoias) in California exceed that height whilst Australian Mountain Ash exceeds 90 meters. The one in the center of the first photo is in the Styx Valley in S.W. Tasmania and is believed to be the tallest hardwood in the world.

 Any engineer would tell you that it takes a very well designed water pump to lift water that high, and uses considerable energy but, because of their design, it is no hassle for the tree. What a clever design engineer our God is. He thought of every detail.

 

  This second photo was taken about 1895; that massive tree butt estimated to be between 600 & 900 years old was hollow and 11 horses could be stabled in it. (The photo is by curtsey of Malcolm May from that area). Gordon Davis, who is currently a resident of Dubbo in N.S.W. has documented that in1961 he was a director of a firm that cleared Mountain Ash trees in the Strzelecki ranges near Balook in Victoria to make way for a power line being constructed, and these trees were about 250 feet high with their lowest limbs 150 feet from the ground. They estimated the fallen logs as well over 100 tons weight. The stumps were 12 feet across (about 4 meters) but didn’t have to be removed.

Just as car manufacturers design cars for different uses e.g. people movers, utilities, trucks etc. so did God design many types of trees; apart from those above he made shade trees of various types, and fruit trees of all varieties for our health and enjoyment. Then there are trees that are apparently mainly for beauty like the Jacarandas and Wattles (acacias). In the drier areas of our land where grass sometimes doesn’t grow for years because of drought, He placed trees that have edible leaves so sheep and cattle could survive; trees like Mulga, Rosewood, Currant bush and Kurrajongs and

(in the photo) the “obese” Bottle tree that can withstand harsh conditions because of the moist pithy material inside its trunk.

 

The Bible tells us in Genesis 1 & John 1:3 that it was Jesus in His original “role” as the “Word of God” who spoke all these trees into existence. Indeed John 1:3 says “Without Him there was nothing made that was made”. Yet when He came to earth in human form the authorities crucified Him on a wooden cross. His great love prevailed however, and He prayed “Father forgive them” and being both a sinless human and Divine, He took on Him the sin of the entire world and died for us. Therefore in God’s sight we are now Righteous providing we repent and humbly ask forgiveness in Jesus name. So of all the trees in the world that “The Word of God” created, the one from which Jesus cross was made was the best tree ever grown as far as we are concerned because as Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh onto the Father but by me”. What makes Jesus sacrifice even more wonderful is the fact that he always knew that His earthly life would conclude in that way but didn’t avoid it; You see the Prophet Isaiah had documented it in very great detail 700 years earlier (Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 6 and the whole of chapter 53)

 

Every time you see a tree, thank God for His foresight and Jesus for His loving sacrifice. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but inherit Eternal Life” (John 3:16)… Best wishes as you ponder that, Tom.

Accident or Intelligent Design

 Accident or Design

this photo, taken in Western Australia, shows a very clever partnership.  The honey-eater is being supplied with a breakfast of nectar as a “reward” for spreading the pollen of this kangaroo paw plant.
Note the pollen is being placed on the bird’s head by the plant whilst the bird sips the nectar so that the bird will carry the pollen to another flower and fertilise it. This cunning design and millions of others like it could only have been made by an intelligent mind, there are two separate species here, one animal and one vegetable, co-operating to perfection.   This indicates a wonderfully Intelligent Designer and Creator.  How far do you have to stretch credibility to believe it is an accident that happened over millions of years?

 

In this particular example the plant can’t think to design itself and the bird can’t shape its beak and head to fit. The plant can’t reproduce without the bird, and the bird needs the nectar. If God didn’t create both these instantaneously as the bible records, then how did the plant reproduce during the millions of years that the bird and plant were getting their act together? And if the plant could reproduce okay without the bird, why did it bother to work out this cunning design? Was it just kind-hearted and wanted to give away free meals?  How does a brainless plant make nectar and design a receptacle to hold it, in exactly the right place for the bird to contact the pollen whilst it sips? The only possibility is that God designed this wonderful partnership as the Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 1.    Best wishes, Tom.  (tomvolkofsky.blogspot.com.au)

Perspective and Faith

 

If you came from another planet where there was no such thing as perspective and was asked to drive a train down this rail line you just wouldn’t attempt it would you? Because that rail line keeps getting narrower as it goes. Indeed you would probably say that whoever the engineer was who supervised the laying of the track needed his head read. And yet, I have heard people say “seeing is believing” and “photos don’t lie”. Absolute rubbish! Of course we learn about perspective from the day we are born and we use that knowledge to “over-ride” what we see in the photo and therefore would be happy to drive a train at high speed down this line believing in faith that the Engineer who designed it would have been a reliable person and our eyesight and the camera got it wrong. Actually faith is a very important element in our every -day lives. For example we flick a switch expecting the light to come on, we turn the tap expecting water to flow out, and we turn the ignition key expecting the car to start, and so on. This sort of faith comes from what we have been taught and experienced.

Jesus was approached by 10 men with Leprosy who were quarantined as outcasts because this disease was contagious, and they asked Him to heal them because they had been told that He could heal people. Jesus gave them a direction that tested their faith by telling them to go and show themselves to the priest (so that the priest could confirm that they were cured and give them permission to return to their families). Now that was lovely of Jesus to do that, the only “catch” being that they were still covered in leprosy as they walked away to see the priest. What a test of faith that was! Most people in a similar situation wouldn’t even bother going, but they did because they had faith in Jesus so “as they were going they were healed”. If they had said “this is ridiculous we are not healed” and sat on the kerb looking at their diseased bodies they would have eventually died of leprosy. Faith is seeing things that are not, as though they were, because you know that the one who gave the instructions is trustworthy. As they made their way to see the priest they “saw” their bodies as healed, after all Jesus implied it, they believed Him, so that settled it. On many occasions Jesus said “your faith has made you whole”.

Farmers probably live by faith more than city people because their business depends on it: They regularly take dried up looking seed and sow it into the soil. Then, after the paddock (or field) is sown the farmer looks at it and visualises the young plants coming up. Indeed he “visualises” a bumper crop with the harvester stripping enough grain to fill his silos, which means he then starts to think about where he will store it all. That is FAITH and is a step in the right direction, but it isn’t the faith I am talking about which is really faith in God.

People can let you down, seasons can let a farmer down, but God is faithful to do what He has promised if we have faith in Him. Indeed “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And “The just shall live by faith”  (Galatians 3: 11). So no matter what the circumstances appear to be we can “Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We do that because we believe the “Word of God” by faith when it says that “all things work together for good for those that love God”. Remember, bible prophesy was written by “Holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21) and that is why “faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God”; when we read scripture our Spirit recognises the Holy Spirit’s instructions because as Romans 3:16 says “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit that we are children of God”. It is like that young eagle I spoke about in the last article I wrote; it had never heard an eagle “call” because it was incubated under a chook. But when it did hear another eagle screech it instinctively recognised that call. Likewise when we read the New Testament our Spirit recognises the “voice” of the Holy Spirit talking to us through those who wrote the words and that builds faith.   Best wishes, Tom.

As Eagles or Chooks

I photographed this Wedge -Tailed Eagle chick sitting on its platform nest about 7 metres from the ground in a White Cyprus Pine tree on a farm we had in Western N.S.W. This fledgling was born to join the other Eagles and spend a good part of its life gliding up near the clouds so when it is completely feathered its mother will wait for a day when the warm air is rising and will push the young bird off the nest so it can make use of the thermal and circle up to take its rightful place as master of the skies.

There is a story about another farmer in the U.S.A. who climbed a tree to look as I did, but found that the egg in the nest hadn’t hatched yet. So for a joke he took the egg and placed it under a chook he had, that was sitting on eggs. When it hatched out the eagle chick didn’t look anything like the other chickens but apparently the chook didn’t worry and attended to it as best she could, although the farmer had to feed it a bit . As it grew it waddled around the messy chook yard with the chooks and chickens as they scratched in the dirt and ate the scraps the farmer provided.

One day, when it was well grown, it heard a screech above as another eagle circled over the yard. All the chooks took fright and ran for cover, but not so the young eagle; instinctively he recognised that “call” and knew he belonged up there with that circling eagle and when he heard another screech of encouragement he ran down the yard flapping his wings and like an aeroplane on a runway he became airborne and in a hot updraft of air glided up over the chook yard fence and circled up to the one calling him who was very likely his rightful mother. From that height he would have been able to see things in their correct perspective: there was the dirty little chook yard with his associates scratching in the dirt. (most unimpressive), next to their yard was a Lucerne paddock just coming into flower, beside it a magnificent yellow Canola field backed by a lovely green forest, inviting blue hills in the distance, a sparkling river running by, and sheep and cattle grazing contentedly. The thought of living in that degrading mess, would have now horrified him, so one thing we do know and that is that he would never go back there because he now knew where he belonged.

As I read the News Paper or watch T.V. it upsets me to see so many young people settling for a messy “Chook Yard” type of life because they don’t realise that they are rightly “Children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”(Romans 8:17) and fail to hear God’s “call” or realise that Jesus not only offers them forgiveness for any sin they have committed so they can claim that inheritance mentioned above,(if they believe on Him), but he has also “Gone to prepare a place for them” in Heaven. He said “There are many mansions there” designed to be our Eternal home; so the future is assured for those who are prepared to claim their inheritance.

What about the here and now? Well “all things work together for good for those that love God” and commit themselves to Christ: Isaiah in chapter 40 and verses 29, 30, and 31 says: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall rise up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

The words that I have highlighted here indicate what we can expect when we sincerely put our faith in God; and I know it works because I claim it every day; whilst the un- highlighted sentence in the middle of the quote is what we can expect if God is left out of our lives. Before I close let me quote from the Epistle of James (who was apparently Jesus earthly brother).Chapter 1, Verse 5: “If any of you lack wisdom. Let him ask of God.....and it shall be given him...but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering”. Of course “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God”. So we need to read the New Testament and “hear” what it is saying.   Best wishes with that,   Tom.