GIVE THANKS!

Photo Montage created by my son Nick!

God has given us life, a body to live in…with the ability to experience love, joy, peace, goodness, faith…hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste.  The ability to speak, feel and remember.

The ability to give and receive the love of friends and family, of dogs, cats, parakeets, parrots.

He has given us mountains, sunsets, rivers, lakes, oceans, tropical paradise, deserts, flowers, trees, bushes, rain, snow, hail, ice, hot springs, clouds, fog and mist, snowflakes, color, music, dance.  The song of the loon.

At what point might you be thankful?

He has given us peaches, apples, apricots, grapes, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.

Lettuce, celery, cauliflower, beets, squash, onions.

Scientists estimate that there are 8.7 million species of plants, birds, insects, fish and animals on the earth.  

At what point might you acknowledge the inventor of all these wonders?

Do you know who it is? It’s JESUS!
‘The Son (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.’ Colossians 1:15-17.

He has given us the sea otter, fox, lion, lemur, meerkat, chimpanzee, guinea pig, penguin, sugar glider, armadillo, otter, dormouse, leopard, lizard, prairie dog, harp seal, mouse, kangaroo, koala, flying squirrel, hamster, cottontail, wombat, jackrabbit, sea lion, chipmunk, snowshoe hare, lemur, deer, chinchilla, monkey, narwhal, horseshoe crab, giant clam, chicken, turkey, DOG, mole, iguana, opossum, snail, bat, wolf, horned lizard, turtle, PANDA, cattle, warthog, walrus, ostrich, elephant, giraffe, ox, chameleon, dingo, skunk, armadillo, pig,  hippopotamus, rhinoceros, alligator, peacock, lama, snowy owl, lama, duck, grizzly bear, aardvark, donkey, camel, vole, boar, bison, caribou, elk, moose, tapir, buffalo, tiger, wildebeest, penguin, wolf, weasel, cougar, donkey, baboon, coyote, goat, polecat, bear, fox, bobcat, horse, beaver, puma, manatee, gorilla, polar bear, mallard, bongo, hyena, killer whale, porcupine, badger, jackal, wild hog, gazelle, sheep, marmot, ibex, anteater, sable, zebra, snow leopard, lynx, antelope, muskrat, mink, gibbon, platypus, tasmanian devil, tarsier, raccoon, arctic fox, gopher, orangutan, opossum, baboon wildcat, ferret, lemur, gerbil, hippopotamus, stork, hedgehog, toad, bullfrog,.

Scientists estimate that there are 1.5 million species of animals on the earth! Wikipedia.

Now? 

He has given us the REDBIRD, canary, finch, sandpiper, chickadee, egret, tucan, booby, sparrow, stork, sunbird, warbler, hornbill, thrush, owl, flycatcher, woodpecker, turtle dove, pigeon, duck, broadbill, cuckoo, hawk, eagle, kingfisher, hornbill, hobby, goose, loon, martin, spoonbill, heron, lark, petrel, lyrebird, ibis, swamphen, flicker, robin, chicken, ostrich, sunbird, albatross, myna, wren, crow, whippoorwill, spinetail, yellow cardinal bird, woodcock, pelican, seagull, goldfinch, goldfinch, plover, dipper, umbrella bird, EAGLE, hummingbird, woodcock, yellowthroat, nuthatch, parakeet, swallow, lark, waxbill, bluebird, starling, tern, nightjar, nighthawk, palm swift, falcon, spinetail, brushfinch, fantail, buzzard, laughingthrush, tapaculo, ashy drongo, magpie, blue jay, azure dollarbird, bullfinch, scissortail, wood duck, raven, golden whistler, turkey, chicken, blackbird, oriole, starling, bluebird, puffin, cuckoo, tanager, babbler, woodswallow, ashytailorbird, cockatoo, bunting, sugarbird, thrush, fantail, crested bobwhite, goshawk, crimson seed cracker, cardinal, mockingbird, collard owlet, sparrowhawk, mountain grackle, rubythroat, macaw, screech owl, fawn-breasted whistler and roadrunner.   

Scientists estimate that there are 10,000-13,000 species of birds on the earth!

At what point will you give Him thanks?

He has given us trout, salmon, halibut, bass, cod, tuna, catfish lungfish, Alaska black fish sole, anchovy, amur pike, makerel, glass fish, CLOWNFISH, herring, shark, beard fish, swordfish, blowfish, lungfish, oilfish, hound shark, alligator gar, bonito, angelfish, carp, false moray, deep sea eel, fingerfish, damselfish, bonefish, cavefish, amur pike, prowfish, avy, billfish, chub, fire goby, dartfish, scalyfin, Antarctic ice fish, blackfish neon tetra, swallower, triggerfish, blowfish, saury, amorhead, barreleye, dragonfish, clingfish, Atlantic silverside, black scabbard fish, filefish, dab, fangtooth, barracuda, clownfish, haddock, dace, featherback, harelip sucker, deep sea smelt, hake, alligator fish, bitterling, char, hatchet fish, finback cat shark, handfish, dealfish, barfish, archerfish, chubsucker, MANTA RAY, fathead sculpin, hammerjaw, ocean perch, hamlet, oilfish,, kelpfish, oarfish, hammerhead shark, old world knife fish, death valley pup fish, bluefin tuna, cisco, benny, hagfish, kaluga, boxfish, flying fish, kill fish, daggertooth pike conger, owens pupfish, halfmoon, wrasse, banjo, blind goby, crappie, oldwife, kingfish, oscar, cowfish, barb, cutthroat trout, ocean sunfish, knifefish, koi, orange roughie, bowfin, cookie-cutter shark, velvetfish, oriental loach, hairtail, comb fish, bristlemouth, bigmouth buffalo, kissing gourami, thornfish, rabbitfish, orange stripped triggerfish, darter, threes pine stickleback, kokopu, opaleye, zebrafish.

Scientists estimate that there are 33,600 species of fish on the earth.

Now?

He has given us the MONARCH BUTTERFLY, ants, bees, flower beetles, weevils, billbugs, boll weevil, the painted lady, , blue, orange-tipped, white, and swallowtail butterfly, carpenter ant, diamondback, gypsy, owlet, luna, and yucca moth, silkworm, , caddisflies, cockroaches, crickets, long-horned, leaf rolling, Jerusalem, grasshoppers, katydids, dragonflies, lice, fleas, bat, black, blow, dung, borer, fruit, horse, louse, tsetse, mayflies froghopper, potato, soldier, robber and LADY BUGS, soldier flies, midges, mosquitoes, walking sticks, aphids, cicadas, , ground pearl, leafhoppers, ice bugs, lacewings, lice, mantids, termites, backswimmers, bat bugs, water bugs, marsh treaders, stilt bugs, water boatmen, leaf insects, webspinners, bristletails, silverfish, springtails, driver ant, bumblebee, cuckoo wasp, yellow jacket, fireflies, June bug, leafcutter ant, skippers, carpenter, hawk, and forester moth, crickets, earwigs, gladiator bugs, aphids, leaf and tree hoppers, white flies, preying mantis, mayfly, assassin bug, backswimmers, creeping water bugs, stink bugs and springtails.   (Spiders, mites, ticks and scorpions belong to a group of animals called arachnids)

Scientists estimate that there are 900,000 species of insects on the earth!

At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive on the earth! Smithsonian.

Now?

He has given us APPLE, pear, peach, apricot, banana, mango, guava, walnut, pecan, cherry, almond, plum, fig, lemon, lime, pomegranate, cacao, trees, red ash, bearberry, blueberry, coneflower, almond, chrysanthemum, rose, thistle, dogwood, lavender, lemon, onion, sweet orange, aspen,, strawberry, ASPEN, African violet, yellow cornflower, willow, honeysuckle,  yam, pineapple, pistachio, necklace fern, yellow milkweed, lily leek, black maple, nightshade, hemp, horse cane, huckleberry, wild tansy, tickleweed, voodoo lily, trillium, cherry black-eyed Susan, bluebell, spoolwood, baby rose, dame’s rocket, swamp silkweed, yellowwood, boxwood, virgin’s bower, tomato, Appalachian tea, California thistle, sunflower, sycamore, bird’s nest, winterberry, zebrawood, love vine, lilac, honey mesquite, camellia, common milkweed, broadleaf plantain, poplar, poppy, wild pellitory, deciduous holly, yellow fumewort, winter gillflower, bristly groundberry, chestnut, cotton plant, American cress, yellow daisy, coffee plant, spotted deadnettle, upland cress, mother of the evening, nosebleed, oak tree, mosquito plant, umbrella papyrus, vanilla orchid, azolla, bindweed, trailing bittersweet, falsebox, peanut, roodweed, primrose, sneezewort yarrow, potato, blue-of-the-heavens, woolly yarrow, common ragweed, jack-by-the-hedge, Indian paintbrush, kudzu, lavender, poor Annie, pea, kittentail, mango, fennel, eucalyptus, redbud, common daisy, shadbush, skunkweed, sweet potato, holly, grapefruit, foxglove, skunk cabbage, brown Betty, carrot.

Scientists estimate that there are 391,000 species of plants on the earth.

When you stop to think about the diversity Jesus has created, you can’t help but be overwhelmed!

How in the world did He do all this?  And to think that He did it before He created man.  He created all this diversity just for us, a planet teeming with life and He called it ‘good’.  He created it for us to enjoy and point you toward Him who loves you and created you to love Him in return.

In the words of King David, ‘How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.’ Ps 104:24-25

And ‘in his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.’ Job 12:10.

GIVE HIM THANKS!!!

Do yourself a huge favor, visit the following link to see my boards on Pinterest:

GOD’S PAINTBRUSH, Animals, Birds, Fish, Insects, Plants.  https://pin.it/4K1kdFT

ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING!  They will fill you with wonder and wonder is the seed of joy!

Photo credits:

‘Dog’ photo by Oscar Sutton on Unsplash.

‘Apple Tree’ photo by Marek Studzins on Unsplash.

‘Parrot’ photo by Andrew Pons on Unsplash.

‘Fish’ photo by David Klassen on Unsplash.

‘Mantis’ photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash.

‘Aspens’ photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash.

‘Cat’ photo by Hang Nui on Unsplash.

‘Butterfly’ photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash.

‘Yellow Bird’ photo by Stephen Walker on Unsplash.

‘Dandelion’ photo by Olena Ivanova on Unsplash.

‘Beetle’ photo by Stephen Hocking on Unsplash.

Thank God for Unsplash!!!!