Bible:
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:20-25 ESV
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV
Reflection:
God made a world of wonder, full of all kinds of creatures–birds and land animals and sea creatures and insects and other bugs. One insect God made is the honey bee. Did you know that honey bees dance? A honey bee colony sends out a scout to find flowers where they can get nectar and pollen. If the scout finds some good flowers or blossoms, it will come back to the colony and move in a figure-eight pattern in a way that lets the other bees know which direction the flowers are. If the flowers are close, the bee will fly in small circles. If they are farther away, the bee will fly in a crescent pattern.
Bees pollinate the blossoms of fruits and vegetables. If they didn’t do that, things like apples, pears, and cucumbers wouldn’t grow. Not only that, bees also take nectar to make honey. Honey is wonderful for making things sweet! God made an incredible thing when he made the honey bee. But there’s bad news about the honey bee, too. Honey bees sting. Have you ever been stung by a bee? It hurts! If someone is allergic to bee stings, it can be deadly if it’s not treated right away.
The Bible talks about the sting of death. It hurts not just people who are allergic to bee stings, but all the people in the world. Sin is the cause of all kinds of stings, bee stings and death and all kinds of hurt in between. But when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he won the victory over death. Because of Jesus, we look forward to a world where there are no stings–not from death and not from honey bees.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for making the amazing honey bee and all the other animals in the world. Thank you also for taking the sting of death away when you died and rose again. Amen.
Source:
http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/p/honeybeecommun.htm
Home Devotions 