Designed By The Almighty – The Dumbo Octopus

August 2, 2022 Gracie

The Dumbo Octopus – Designed By The Almighty

Now I’ve seen everything!

Who ever thought an octopus could be described as “cute”?

Meet the Dumbo Octopus.

With its flappy ears (flippers, actually) and big soulful eyes, this little creature has captured the fancy of those who are lucky enough to see one up close.

And how about that name, “Dumbo Octopus.”

It does kind of look like “Dumbo” the Elephant from the Walt Disney film of long ago.

I never cease to delight in what God has created!

To know that every animal is designed by the Almighty, not by random chance or an accident, is humbling indeed.

This little one has a long scientific name that seems almost bigger than he is.

“Grimpoteuthis”

When you pronounce it, it sounds like this: “Grimp oh tooth this.”

The Dumbo Octopus – NOAA Ocean Exploration¹

The Dumbo Octopus can reach lengths of about 12 inches long.

They like to eat worms and other wiggly things that swim in the deep along the ocean floor (Helminstine).²

In the Bible, Psalm 104 (attributed to David) conveys the many wonders of the world that God created, including under the sea.

All glory to God!

Deep Dive

According to the Institute For Creation Research, a Dumbo Octopus was spotted swimming at a depth of about 21 thousand feet.

Now that’s deep!

It should be appreciated that the Dumbo Octopus has no high-tech submersible to house and protect it in those depths. It only has what its Creator gave it—the innate ability to thrive at those great depths. – James, J.S. Johnson, Institute For Creation Research.⁴

How humbling it is when we realize that the wonders and complexities of the creation around us lead us right to our Creator God.

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¹Photo courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. November 19, 2019. Online Image. NOAA Photo Gallery. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanexplorergov/49203817176/in/photolist-2hXYqBs-2jsp69y-vcXdBp-nxFUAS-HaDW8D-GKstCA-M6NLAN-LHdtjs-LuNYZ-zfR4-8daU8S-zfR3-2jp5RY1-5HWhs1-atvdh1-5vWZVP-BgJv-2eDnx8-2eDnzk-9brE82-4xkYfi-4momfm-2eDnyK-2WdjX2-2jsRGjG-2jq7LFb-2jqvgwC-2joUX8d-4xkYwZ-aFTer8-2eDnwi-9vVvpb-eShSAu-ndWySt-6jrqSG-BByY-4Lrt8W-75wewg-4LnfFi-KfebxD-ajdhaL-2joHca9-4LnfEg-2jpw7nX-s2sNUH-4d4ANn-7MgSUu-6obpVp-4jLdhE-2jqbSpy

²Quotation from Anne Marie Helmenstine (Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences) – science writer, educator, and consultant. “All About Grimpoteuthis, the Dumbo Octopus.” Courtesy of ThoughtCo. July 13, 2019. Web. Accessed 31, July, 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/grimpoteuthis-dumbo-octopus-4160927

⁴Quotation courtesy of The Institute For Creation Research. By James. J.S. Johnson, J.D., TH.D. From “Like Father, Like Son, in the Deepest Deep”, June 23, 2020. para. 10. Web. Accessed 29 July, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/article/like-father-like-son-in-the-deepest-deep

Our Exceptional God

Favorite Heaven Quotes

July 12, 2022 Gracie

Some of My Favorite Heaven Quotes

Have you ever thought about what Heaven will be like?

God’s Word gives us glimpses.

Our heavenly home will be MORE.

More radiant than we could ever imagine, and more joyful (all the time) than the best moment we’ve ever had in our whole lives here on earth.

But, more importantly, it will be MORE because we will be in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Do you remember those promising words, the wonder and majesty in Heaven written about in the Book of Revelation?

John gives a firsthand account of seeing the new Jerusalem, words like:

Her brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. – Revelation 21:11, (NASB).

And the city has no need of a sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. – Revelation 21:23, (NASB).

God tells us in His Word what He wants us to know about Heaven.

We have His mission here on earth to do before we even reach eternity.

However, out of sheer anticipation of our future home, I curated just a few of my favorite heaven quotes from theologians to stir your imaginations.

With discernment always and to be clear, these are not people who claim they visited Heaven (thank goodness), but Christian authors who anticipated Heaven as well.

I agree with D.L. Moody. I see no compelling reason to not think about Heaven. There is insight to be had from these Christian authors.

The Reason for our Anticipation

Any happiness found here in this world will not even compare to what we will experience in Heaven, says Martin Luther.

The following gives a whole new meaning to worshipping together!

Oh, Father, we long for the day when we can be there, the incredible world to come, and see your blazing, flashing majesty and reign on the thrones alongside of you and serve in your presence. We long for that day when we meet and fellowship with the saints of ages past and gather with all the redeemed. We desire so much to spend eternity visiting the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the new heaven and the new earth. – John MacArthur, Pastor and Bible teacher from Grace To You.

Delight in God and be with Him forever!

Nothing will compare to the smiles and joy we’ll experience as we worship our King.

How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God shall meet together and stand around Him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer! With that unknown delight, and inexpressible satisfaction, shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell address the Lamb that was slain, and rejoice in His presence! – Isaac Watts, theologian and hymn writer.

Where is Heaven?

Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for. – Elisabeth Elliot, Christian author and wife of missionary Jim Elliot.

This perverted world we now live in will someday fade away – but we won’t be grieving.

Everything will make perfect sense and we’ll be eternally joyful.

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Martin Luther quotation, courtesy of Christian quotes.info.

John MacArthur quotation, courtesy of GTY.org/library/sermons-library. 1 November, 1987. para. 83. Web. Accessed 8 July, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-13/where-heaven-is-and-what-it-is-like

Isaac Watts quotation, courtesy of Christian quotes.info.

Elisabeth Elliot quotation, courtesy of Christian quotes.info.

Three Encouraging Bible Verses

June 14, 2022 Gracie

Finding Hope in Three Encouraging Bible Verses

Do you have a special time of day when you read your Bible?

For me, the best time is right when I wake up.

I love the peace and quiet of the morning.

Often, I’m up between the hours of 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.

Granted, my PJ’s are still on and my bed hair could frighten children, but God doesn’t care.

He delights when we study His Word and worship Him.

There are so many passages in Scripture to treasure, but I wanted to share three encouraging Bible verses that speak to my heart.

Finding Hope in Three Encouraging Bible Verses

When I came to a saving faith in Christ and started reading my Bible at age 30, my whole perspective on life changed.

No longer did my faith take a backseat and I earnestly sought how I could use my God-given skills to glorify Him.

In this often dangerous world that we live in, His Word is the shining light that cuts through this present darkness and lights the way to our eternal victory through Jesus.

This universal calamity we’re all witnessing is temporary.

Delight in God Because He Delights in Us

Psalm 18 is a Psalm of David.

From what we read in the pages of this amazing scripture, God brought David out of the depths of despair into a life marked by humility and gratitude.

The verses end with “. . . because He delighted in me.”

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
But the Lord was my support.
¹⁹He also brought me out into an open place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me. – Psalm 18:18-19, (NASB).

Today’s world is consumed with distractions, temptations of the flesh, and fear.

It’s enough to grieve the heart of every Christian.

But, God hasn’t gone anywhere.

He loves us and delights in us as our Heavenly Father. That is the beauty of His character – we are still His children.

We fail Him daily and yet He still loves and delights in us. Someday we will be with Him in Heaven.

Talk about encouragement!

One of the reasons I named this blog “Delight-in-God” in the first place is because, as Christians, we know that He delights in us and wants us all to come to repentance in Him.

God Is Our Strength

The following verse in 2 Corinthians is a great example for us of the Apostle Paul’s complete trust in God, no matter how challenging and dangerous his daily circumstances were.

Remember that Paul was beaten, stoned, and thrown in prison several times for preaching the gospel.

2 Corinthians 12:10

I have to admit when I first became a Christian and read those words from Paul, it was a shocker.

How can anyone “delight” in persecutions? Is this for real?

Of course when you’re being persecuted, your first reaction might be sadness or anger . . . but delight?

I once read that sometimes God has to bring us to our knees for us to realize our need to trust Him, no matter what.

This is a constant lesson I need to remind myself in my very human desire to make a bad situation better quickly.

Jesus is the perfect divine example of endurance through suffering.

It may feel like we’re struggling with a mountain of issues, but we are not alone.

As I grow older and look back on the past challenging circumstances in my own life, I realize that my prayers for perseverance to cope with those situations and move forward were answered.

He Knows You and Me By Name

He knows our names

Our God – God of the entire universe knows you and me by name.

He knew you before you were even born . . . He saw you being born!

He sees you in a crowd, standing in line, sleeping . . . everywhere.

And, He looks upon you as His child, worthy of redemption and salvation through His Son – that blessed gift of grace when what we really deserve is death for our sins.)

Jesus wants to have a relationship with us.

What do you do when you love someone?

You think about them – a lot and all the time.

Lord, You have searched me and known me.
²You know when I sit down and when I get up;
You understand my thought from far away.
³You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. – Psalm 139:1-3, (NASB).

He knows us better than we know ourselves and, for that, we should be grateful.

Better Place, Divine Grace

I hope you’ve enjoyed these three encouraging Bible verses that I’ve shared.

There are many more that capture my heart that I’ll share at another time.

I’m grateful that God chose me and I rejoice with you that He chose you – my brother and sister in Christ.

As much as I love the many wonderful things that have happened (and will happen) in the rest of this life, I know that Heaven is going to be so much better.

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Our Exceptional God

God’s Amazing Creation

June 7, 2022 Gracie

Delighting in God’s Amazing Creation

Out of all of the amazing creatures that God created, the crow is usually not the “first” one that comes to my mind.

Let’s face it – in the “beauty” department, the crow just doesn’t measure up to, let’s say, the colorful and talkative parrot.

God's Amazing Creation

But, as only our Creator can do, He has equipped the crow with fascinating characteristics and intelligence that can only come from the Most High.

Did you know that crows can hold grudges?

If you pick a fight with a crow, it just may dive-bomb you the next time you cross their path.

From now on, I just plan to smile and wave at them. 😉

God’s Amazing Creation – Carpenter Crows

Did you know that crows can also make tools?

In the experiment highlighted in the video below, a crow actually bends a small twig to reach the desired but, difficult-to-reach, morsel of food!

Check this out …

I don’t think I’ll ever look at a crow the same way again.

A fascinating bird that I barely looked at before, has now gotten my attention.

As Christians, we know that all of the praise for God’s amazing creation go to Him alone.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. – Psalm 145:5, (NASB).¹

Admiring the majesty of God’s creation honors Him.

Only God is to be worshiped, for creation exists by His power and for His glory. His existence knows no beginning or end, and He will reign forever. He is the King. Today, exalt Him as He alone deserves. Go for a walk or look out of the window and praise Him as you see His beauty displayed in what He has made. Praise Him as He continues to rule over His creation, holding you in His sovereign hand. – Alistair Begg, Christian pastor and author.²

Are you feeling a little distracted today? Look outside and delight in what God has done!

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² Quotation from Alistair Begg, Christian pastor, author, founder of Truth For Life Teaching Ministry. Web. Accessed 30, May, 2022. Retrieved from https://truthforlife.org/devotionals/alistair-begg/1/1/2022/