Japanese Beetles!

Do you have Japanese Beetles lurking around your yard? If you live in North America I'll bet you do. We do, but we didn't know it until someone pointed them out to us some weeks ago. While walking through the yard he showed us the damage the beetles had done to the leaves on the trees. It wasn't until we took this close inspection that we noticed the ragged look of the leaves now filled with holes from these pesky little pests.

So we took action with Japanese Beetle traps. The traps have bait to lure the beetles and are placed in the yard away from shrubbery and trees. They draw the beetles by the swarms into the trap where they eventually die. It is amazing to watch these normally inconspicuous insects gather around the bait traps in the afternoon. It's better than television to watch it happen!

It reminds me of the undesirable things in life that are there inconspicuously until something happens to bring them to our attention. Once we become aware of them they loom large like the swarming of the Japanese Beetles and it becomes obvious that something must be done to trap those undesirables and put them away from us.

Reading Psalm 119 today verse 125 spoke to me about this reality. It says, "I am Your servant; give me understanding that I may know Your testimonies." In other words, "Lord, help me apply your Word to my daily life to those areas affected by undesirable things. Help me put into practice what You teach in the Scriptures."

Listening to People

There is a very interesting man in our Sunday school class who has a lot to say. If one were to judge him based on appearances it might not look like he has much education. But if you stop and listen to him during the class he really possess deep spiritual knowledge.

After church last week we stopped to chat and I was impressed once again at the depth of his understanding of God and the Bible.

Are we good at developing relationships by listening to others or are we too busy trying to put across our own views? What do you think?