Wise Words from the Best Book

Memory Verse:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Granny Vee writes:

Yeshua (Jesus Christ) said, “You must be born again”  (John 3:5)  We must be born of God, by His Holy Spirit.  This is true because we have all sinned and that separates us from God who is a Spirit!  We need to believe in His Son, His death and resurrection from the dead, so that we can be “born again”!

Did you know that God designed and made some animals to be “born again”?  Some animals change to become something completely different from how they were first born!    God gave us in these animals some natural examples of being “born again”, born a second time.   (But, of course, these animals are not born of the Holy Spirit!)  So which animals are “born again”  a second time?

FROGS

Frogs and toads were once tadpoles or pollywogs.  

A tadpoles is like a little fish in the water.  It then goes through some major changes to become a frog.  A frog can then leave the water and leap around on the dry ground.   Wow!   A new creation!

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies and moths were once caterpillars.

A caterpillar crawls around and eats and eats.   Then one day it attaches itself to a twig or leaf.  It sheds off its coat and underneath is a harder coat or shell called a chrysalis.  Further change takes place over time as this chryslis hangs on the twig.  Then one day, a new different creature comes out.  It has wings and can fly!  It has been transformed into a most beautiful butterfly!   Wow!   A new creation!

So we see that God programmed some animals to change from one thing to another.  This natural process of change is called metamorphosis.  (See below for links on  the science of metamorphosis. )

METAMORPHOSIS

God wrote the instructions for metamorphosis into the DNA instruction code of frogs and butterflies.   This was God’s plan for them.   What is God’s plan for people?

Metamorphosis is a natural process.   I want to tell you now about a supernatural process – God’s plan for people!  God wants us all to be “born again” of God.  It’s supernatural because it can only happen by the Spirit of God!  That’s supernatural!

The frog song (see link below) goes, “Metamorphosis,  I’m gonna be more than this!”  Well, God has a plan to change people into something more “than this”, too!

WE’RE NOT YET “BUTTERFLIES”!

Caterpillars are designed by their Creator to become butterflies.  But a crawling caterpillar is far from being a lovely butterfly!   Yet that is it’s destiny!

People are supposed to become like our loving God but we are far from His perfection and goodness now!    We will never be Father God Himself but we were made by Him to become like Him, His children.  

Let’s compare the changes that take place both in butterflies and people.

Stage One

BUTTERFLY-TO-BE:  A butterfly egg is laid and grows to be a caterpillar.

PEOPLE:  A human egg grows to be a baby and then an adult.

Stage Two

BUTTERFLY-TO-BE:  The caterpillar crawls around, eating and eating on the ground.

PEOPLE:  Humans eat so their bodies will grow, as well.  But people need more than physical food.  As thinking and reasoning creatures, we also need to “eat and eat” knowledge to grow in our mind.  As spirit beings, we need to “eat and eat” spiritual food which is the Word of God!

Making it to the NEXT Stage

BUTTERFLY-TO-BE:  Some caterpillars never make it to the chrysalis stage.  They are eaten by birds or are squished under foot.   They die before they have the chance to become butterflies.

“Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”  (1 Peter 5:8)

PEOPLE:  Sadly, people leave the safety of God’s commandments.  We all sin and separate ourselves from God.  But God has  a plan to bring us back to Him in Christ.   Some do not want to follow God’s plan and so never make it to the next stage.   

Stage Three

BUTTERFLY-TO-BE:  One day the caterpillar attaches itself to the twig and becomes a chrysalis shell. The process of change continues inside this shell for it to become a butterfly.

PEOPLE:  One day, we “eat”  spiritually the Bread of Life, receive into our lives the Word of God,  who is Yeshua.  (John 6:35)   We choose to follow God’s plan and attach ourselves to Him.   Then as we stay attached to Him, we grow spiritually.  He changes us from “glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) as we spend time with Him.

Christians still on the earth may be likened to the chrysalis stage of a butterfly-to-be.  We’re not yet at the butterfly stage but in the process!  (Interestingly, “chrysalis” comes from the Greek word for “gold”.  We are “gold” in the earth!  Precious to God!)

But even in this “chrysalis” stage, we are new creations.    We’re no longer just crawling around on the ground but looking forward to the skies!  We are in a place of change and growing into our destiny!  But God’s still not done with us!   Within the “chrysalis”, within our inner being, great changes are taking place!   

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be….” (1 John 3:2a)

Stage Four

BUTTERFLY:  Then one day, something almost miraculous happens!  The chrysalis shell is shed and out comes out a beautiful butterfly!  She shakes her wings out, then flutters up into the sky!

CHRISTIAN PEOPLE:  Someday, when Christ returns, we will be transformed into that which God intended all along!

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump… we shall be changed.”  (1 Corinthians 15:52)

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die…  (1 Corinthians 15:54 NLT)

And so, like the butterfly, we shall rise up into the sky!  

“When He [Christ] appears, we shall be like Him….”  (1 John 3:2b) 

WOW!  We’re going to have a body like Jesus’ resurrected body!  

“Then we … will be caught up … to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Wow!   As an old hymn goes, “Oh, that will be glory for me!”  Praise God who does “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us!”  (Ephesians 3:20)

Praise God for metamorphosis!  We’re going to be “more than this!”  We will come forth as  mature “sons of God”.  (Romans 8:19)  We’re going to be like Yahshua!

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

SUGGESTED SONGS: 

Granny Vee has two butterfly songs “Glitter” and “Wing It!” and a number of frog songs #4,5,6,10,14.  

Also, here is the link  for the “Metamorphosis” song.  

OTHER LINKS

If you are interested in how a tadpole changes into a frog, read here.   

If you are interested in how a  changes into a butterfly,  here is a video from the Chicago Nature Museum. 

Be sure to check out Granny Vee’s videos under “Fun Things”, too!